"Bonjour Mr. Chavez!" said Scarlett in a cheery singsong voice complete with a beaming smile.

"Bonjour Mrs. Butler! Comment vas-tu?"

"Ca va bien. Im afraid this is as far as my French goes." Replied Scarlett giggling.

Mr. Chavez smiled a bright smile and leaned close to her, whispering: "Do not worry my dear, I didnt understand a word you said."

Scarlett beamed. For some reason she was feeling foolishly happy this morning. The Sun seemed brighter, grass was greener, the croissants smelled better than ever before and even Mr. Chavez seemed to have changed his intimidating Mediterrian-pirate look for a simply intriguing middle-aged gentleman's look.

"Would you care to join me in my breakfast table? Im getting awfully old and lonely. It has been eons since the last time I had the pleasure to have breakfast with a woman like you. Vivaz! Youre a diamond, really."

Scarlett let her dimples show and was about to reply when she felt a familiar arm sneak around her waist. She turned her head and gave Rhett a genuine, dazzling smile.

"Good morning Mr. Chavez! Its nice to see you again." Rhett shook hands with the Spanish art collector and turned his gaze back to his wife for a brief second. Scarlett felt a blush creep up her cheeks. The two black orbs were sparkling intensely, unmasked. She couldnt quite name what she was seeing but it felt oddly exciting. Like they shared a secret.

"Hello Mr. Butler. I was just asking your wife to join me in the breakfast table outside, I enjoy her company immensely. She is shining like a star, no, a diamond! A rare one. You are a lucky man, Rhett Butler. It would be most kind of you if you could find some sympathy for this lonely old man and accompany him. Both of you."

Rhett laughed.

"Oh, dont let me interrupt you!"

"No, really Mr. Butler. I have great respect for you, you have caught a rare specimen from an endangered specie – a happy content woman! Forgive me for such a banal comparison Mrs. Butler, my English vocabulary is quite poor, but I hope you get the idea."

Scarlett smiled sheepishly and squeezed Rhetts hand. What was it with her today? She felt so young and happy, to the point of looking naive.

Rhett squeezed her hand gently in reply: "What do you think? Should we have mercy for the oily-tongued old man and have a cup of coffee with him?"

"Oh, I guess a girl can never have enough of flatterings. It would be a pleasure Mr. Chavez."

They started their way down the long hallway towards the balcony.

"Mr. Butler, a little bird sang to me that you happen to know Mr. Galot. I was wondering if you knew about his whereabouts at the moment?"

"Sorry to dissapoint you but the last time I had the pleasure to see him was a good four or five years ago. In Luxor, Egypt. He was searching maddly for Amenhotep I tomb with some French egyptologists if I remember correctly."

"Amenhotep I, really? This man has endless energy supplies and a the idealism of a virgin. The kings tomb was discovered a decade ago, without the mummy ofcourse, and he still hasnt given up the idea of finding the pharaoh! Admirable!"

"Yes, consistency is a good quality."

"Im not sure wether its consistency or foolishness...although in order to be really persistent about something one must possess a certain degree of idealism about the subject..."

"You couldnt be more right Mr. Chavez."

"Mrs. Butler are you an idealist?"

Scarlett thought to herself with a sense of wonder why in the world was she putting up with this sly old man.

"No, I think not. In fact, I despise people who do nothing but dream and dont have enough backbone to deal with reality."

Mr. Chavez stopped shortly and turned his sharp eyes at Scarlett.

"And yet, here you are, a perfect embodiment of a person in love. Beaming, glowing, looking so attractive that its exhausting! And cloudy days are seen for what they are, simply vibrant grays on the verge of exploding into sunshine!" He ended his sentence with loud amused laughter and made a gesture to move on.