Friday June 11, 2021
Samantha could not believe that she was walking towards Marine One enroute to Andrews where a plane would be waiting to jet her off to Paris to collect her sixteenth birthday present from her God-Mother. It certainly wasn't her first plane ride but she'd never been a passenger on Marine One. Her Mom was trying to talk to her but Sam couldn't hear over the rotor blades of the helicopter. She sat in the seat Chris assigned her to and moments later the door closed and they were above Washington.
"Mara, we are covered if you'd like to do the long route to Andrews." Chris stated from his own seat beside her.
"Well let's check with the birthday girl. Sweetie, would you like a tour of Washington from the air before we head to Andrews? "Mara asked with a big grin.
"Maybe on the way home but right now Aunty Mara I just want to get to the plane as quickly as possible so we can lift off and get to Paris."
Matty looked back at his best friend and hoped Patrick didn't forget the box. Moments later as if Patrick was reading his mind Matty got a text from him stating that everything was ready and they were on guard waiting for arrivals.
"I still can't believe I'll finally see Paris. Mar you have now truly spoiled us so fare beyond rotten there is no name for it." Ginger exclaimed.
"You are welcome Ginger and remember that when I take you and Sam shopping."
As soon as they arrived at Andrews, Matty took off like a shot to the plane where Patrick was waiting for him. Patrick told Matty where the box had been packed and escorted him on to the plane. Sam was miffed at Matty for not waiting for her and pouted her way over to the jet way stairs. Mara and Ginger were being briefed about security protocol by Chris as they made their way over to the plane. Sam was still impressed by the plane and happily accepted a tour from one of the Air Force Attendants. By the time the tour was over the rest of the ladies had arrived and the pilot was able to take off earlier than scheduled. The plane reached cursing altitude which meant it was time for breakfast to be served. The morning fair included French toast, ham and cheese croissants, fresh fruit, coffee, orange juice and crispy bacon, a favourite of both Sam and Matty.
After breakfast Jenna rose to gather the first set of gift bags for the flight and Mara followed her.
"Jenna you've done an amazing job with all of this, I'm very proud of you."
"Thanks Mom," Jenna said with a sincere smile that brought a tear to Mara's eye. She hugged her adoptive daughter and set about assembling the gift bags.
Each floral gift bag was identical and contained a deep purple duel pocket folio with the entire trips itinerary inside including a map of Paris. A clear traveling cosmetic case held a sleep mask, ear plugs, facial moisturizer, Kiehl's lip balm, soothing eye gel, hand and body cream. The gift bag also held a pack of gum, hard candies and a set of dark and milk chocolate truffles.
"How have you arranged the boxes Jenna?"
"On the inside of each box there is a faint pencil of initials. I brought an eraser and a silver sharpie pen. If you read the initials I'll write the name on the outside of the bag and tuck the box in."
"Sounds like a plan."
When the nine bags were finished they carried them out to their unsuspecting guests. Once the bags were all handed out the ladies and Matty were allowed to check the contents out. Matty's bag was different with more candy than cosmetic products.
"Oh My God!" CJ exclaimed as she opened the box and found a Hermes silk scarf.
Ginger's eyes filed with tears when she looked at her navy and pale blue 'Coaching' scarf. "Oh Mara, I 've saved up to buy Sam and myself a scarf at Hermes and now I own one. It is beautiful. Thank you. Open yours darling."
Samantha opened her box to find a pale lavender 'Flacons' scarf with perfume bottles of varying sizes creating a pattern. "Aunty Mara thank you, it's the most gorgeous scarf I've ever seen."
"You are welcome but I was just the banker, Jenna picked out everything with each of you in mind."
"Thanks Jenna you are the bestest." Sam stated and turned to see what Matty got.
Matty was very happy with a set of playing cards from Hermes and asked Sam if she wanted to play a game of war later. Everyone grew silent as they studied the itinerary. Matty was pleasantly surprised that no shopping trip was longer than three hours and they were spread out among the ten days they would be in Paris.
"Mom will I get to taste real Champagne from the Champagne region?" Sam asked noticing it was a day trip.
"I remember Jenna being younger than you when she tasted her first Champagne so I don't see any harm in letting you have one glass."
"Wicked cool."
As requested by Mara, lunch was a deli platter with various types of bread and condiments to make your own sandwiches with a veggie tray and dip. Dessert was a selection of French pastries including a long pain au chocolate.
The plane touched down at Charles De Galle Airport a little after 7 PM. Mara preferred day flights to Europe over late evening ones because it helped with jet lag. Two cars were required to handle all the guests and Ginger and Sam joined the Seaborns in the bullet proof limo for the slow ride to the hotel. Sam couldn't get over how pretty the city looked and wished the car could stop so she could take pictures. She understood why it was called the City of Lights.
The cars pulled up to the entrance of the Paris Ritz and the parties waited until the area was secure. Jenna flanked by Frank and Bob was ushered into the lobby to check in everyone. Once check in was complete Jenna remained protected in a corner of the lobby while Frank communicated that it was safe to set up perimeters and usher the first family quickly to their room..
Once the first family was safely in their rooms the Concierge came out to give each member of the traveling party a room key and the room number they would be staying in. Sam bolted out of the limo and walked straight through the door to stand in the opulent lobby. Mara and Matty would be sharing the Windsor suite with it's sweeping views of Place Vendome. Jenna had booked the Coco Chanel suite for herself. The rest of the guests would be sharing Ritz suites on the sixth floor . These deluxe suites offered a salon, two bedrooms and panoramic views that included the Eiffel Tower, Sacre Coeur and the roofs of the Paris Opera Garnier.
Ginger nearly fainted when she discovered the stunning marble bathroom that was equipped with a sauna and jacuzzi. Sam had dashed in to check the bedrooms out and claimed the one that she could see the Eiffel Tower out of the window. She ran back out to the salon and discovered a Ritz gift bag sitting on the table. She yanked off the tissue paper and discovered a cobalt blue mug that was engraved Ritz Paris, a stationary set and thin blue pen from the hotel. Sam also discovered a happy birthday card from the concierge staff. The bottom of the bag held a sheer coral lipstick from Dior and an invitation to book a private tour of the hotel. Ginger called her daughter into the bathroom to show her how opulent it was. There was a knock on the door and Sam dashed on over to open it. She looked through the pep hole and smiled.
She opened the door before exclaiming, "Grandma Abbey and Aunty Zoey!"
Abbey shook her head wishing she had half the energy Sam had and wrapped her arms around the birthday girl for a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. "I think someone is excited to be here."
"Thank goodness we have separate rooms, if she doesn't want to sleep at least I can." Ginger laughed as she came to see what the ruckus was about. She hugged both Abbey and Zoey and offered them a seat.
"We've been sent down here Ginger and Sam under strict orders from Jenna and Mara. Tonight's dinner is going to be set up in Mara's room and we just need to give the kitchen staff half an hour to get room service to bring it all up." Zoey stated.
"Wow, a feast in my honor, this trip is just more than I could have ever dreamt of and it's barely started." Sam said.
"How did the day start?" Abbey asked knowing what had been planned.
As Sam gave a detailed report of the day thus far CJ found herself staring out the window of her two bedroom suite watching the sun set over Sacre Coeur while Margaret was in the other bedroom unpacking. Donna and Ainsley were checking out the view from every window in their suite and settled for watching the sun set with the Eiffel Tower as the backdrop. The phone rang in the suite and Ainsley picked it up, talked for a few moments and then hung up.
Ainsley relayed the conversation to Donna, "That was Jenna she asked us to go down the hall to get CJ and Margaret and bring them up to Mara's suite for drinks and dinner. I've got the suite number and I'm starving so I say let's go."
Donna headed straight up to the room while Ainsley went to collect CJ and Margaret. Donna quickly discovered that Jenna had everything under control and had Mara at work writing numbers on place cards that were going to be set in front of each dish.
"Jenna has a mini pad of Ritz paper for each of us to score the items we taste. She wanted Sam to try everything without prejudging based on descriptions or names. You know how French foods can be sometimes. I can tell you right now that Matty is going to get to number three and be looking for a way to spit it out."
"Why what is number three?" Donna questioned.
"Pan seared veal sweetbreads with garlic oil, carrot fricassee, garden peas and potatoes with pan gravy."
"I'm not a fan of sweetbreads myself but that does sound like it's worth trying."
"I know but Matty can't stand sweetbreads. Can I get you a drink Donna?"
"Any red wine? The desserts look wonderful can I spoil my dinner and...."
"Nope" Mara answered popping the p.
"Where is Matty anyway?"
"He's talking to Patrick in his room. I think Patrick is giving him a separate protocol reminder. You know I'd be willing to do anything if my Matty was ever kidnapped."
"Yes we know that is why you are such a Mama Bear." Ainsley offered.
Mara laughed, "Such a subtle way of telling me I'm overprotective ."
Everyone was seated in the stunning red and gold salon with a drink when Samantha walked in the door with her mom, Abbey and Zoey. Jenna took the drink orders bringing Sam a coke in a wine glass and sent them to sit.
"Kay, welcome to Sam's first meal in Paris. Before you Sam are the most popular dishes on the legendary L'Espadon menu. I'm going to give everyone a little pad and a pen and I want you to try each dish and rate it. You can see that each dish has a number in front of it. Sam I suggest you take just a little bit of everything and put no more than three entrees on your plate at a time."
"Dinner is served, Sam you get to go first and Ging you're second."
Mara laughed when she noticed Matty get up half way through the meal and take his plate towards the bathroom. He returned with a clean plate and glared at his mother who was still chuckling.
"Mom that wasn't very nice of you, you could have warned me." Matty pouted.
"What's wrong Matty? A concerned Sam asked.
"My evil mother and sister allowing dish number three to be served. It is disgusting and vile."
"It tasted strange but I didn't think it was that bad. Not one of my favourites though."
"Have you tried all ten yet Sam?" Jenna asked.
"No I started evens now I'm working odds, I just need seven and nine."
"Once Sam is done with her tasting I'll reveal each dish and you can go back for more than a tasting."
Sam finished tasting and went right back to get more of her favourite dishes. She smiled when Matty got up and brought back a plate of one of her choices. She thought it was nice to know that the boy she loved shared her taste in haute cuisine.
Jenna pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket and stood in front of the entrees. She visually checked that the numbers matched her list and then announced them all.
First is pan sautéed Cray fish with chervil over a sweet onion ravioli, girolle mushrooms with smoked egg yolk.
Second is duck foie gras with cherries and hibiscus, crispy chutney with tarragon
Third is pan seared veal sweetbreads,"ail des ours"garlic, carrot fricassee, garden peas and potatoes with pan gravy.
Fourth is lobster salad with lemon balm, crispy puff pastry claws.
Fifth is King crab with heirloom tomatoes, gazpacho and thin avocado tartlet
Sixth is Dover sole and light mousseline, artichokes, broad beans and capers.
Seventh is glazed sea bass and grapefruit , garden peas, sweet lettuce with cucumber.
Eighth is lamb medallion with Provençal vegetables, tomato and basil sauce.
Ninth is "Rossini" beef fillet with mashed potatoes.
Tenth is poultry from "Bresse" with asparagus and fresh morel mushrooms shepherd's pie and cardamom sauce.
A discussion of favourite numbers broke out and it seemed that everyone was a fan of the King crab dish and the duck foie gras which turned out to be Sam's favourite edging out the glazed sea bass ever so slightly which was Matty's favourite. Donna couldn't wait for dessert so she got up for one of the chocolate soufflés she had her eye on since she walked in the door. Ainsley followed suit picking up a large martini glass that held crystal emulsion of rose champagne and red berries. Matty saw desserts coming back to the couches and went over bringing two poached peaches in rose champagne crystallized petal and iced strawberry back. He handed one and a spoon to Sam.
"I don't remember what this is called but you'll love it." Matty offered
Sam took one bite trying to get a little bit of everything on her spoon and moaned in pleasure.
Jenna looked over to her brother and Sam and giggled to herself. She wondered if Matty remembered where he had tasted almost the same dessert for the first time. The only difference was that she had poached apricots instead.
"Damn what are you eating Sam?" Ginger asked wanting whatever it was immediately.
Sam held up the plate and Ginger was off to claim one for herself. CJ and Mara shared a chocolate soufflé and talked about all the everyday things they hadn't had a chance to talk about while Mara was away. CJ confessed that looking after Matty was a little more challenging then she thought it would be and that the hardest part was getting him to eat healthy. Margaret started yawning first and said goodnight a little after ten. By eleven Mara wanted nothing more than to be in bed and reminded everyone that they had a full day of sight seeing ahead of them in the morning.
"Such a subtle way to tell us to get out." Ginger laughed as she put one arm around her daughter and told her the party was over.
"Thank you so much for this memorable dinner Aunty Mara and Jenna."
"You are welcome Sweetie, sweet dreams." Mara responded
"I'll be at your door around nine to help you select your wardrobe for the day." Jenna added.
"Cool, thanks again."
Mara couldn't help laughing when Donna picked up a souffle for a midnight snack. Room Service was called to clear out the food and as soon as they were done Mara checked on Matty who was already asleep. She opened the door to tell Chris it was lights out and welcomed Patrick and Ralph into the room for the added protection they had agreed to. She was asleep ten minutes after her head hit the pillow.