Paris and us

Chapter 13

I took the TGV and arrived in Lyon at noon. My mom picked me up from the station.

"Are you wearing this to the baptism?" That's what my mom first said when I got into her Mini Cooper car.

"Hello Mother." I kissed her on her cheeks. I had to be the mature and civilized one here,

"The whole family will be there. You work in the AP Group, didn't you have employee discount to buy a proper dress?"

"What's wrong with my dress?" I was wearing a navy blue chiffon midi dress. It was good enough to go to any after party.

"It is a Christening, not a funeral. Bring some colour with you," my mom said.

Just a different taste for clothes. That's nothing wrong with me, I had to keep reminding myself.

"Mother, all my clothes are black, navy blue, grey or white. I live in Paris, the Parisian doesn't wear flashy colourful clothes."

"Yes, and that's why they all have depression." Mom was from Lyon, she despised the haughty Parisian snobs. Despised the Parisian called the rest of France, including her, Provincial people. All the books which praised the French for their superiority on fashion, body fitness, lifestyle, food, arts and culture or even parenting skills are actually praising the Parisian. There are two types of people in France: the Parisian, and the rest of French. The rest of the French people can be fat, uncultured and unsophisticated people who eat Quick (the French version of McDonald's) and watch Keeping up with the Kardashians duped in French. They might never read Voltaire or Molière, and have never visited Louvre. They certainly do not wear Haute Couture to parties.

"About the baptism, your cousin Marie and the husband who live in San Francisco. They hired a surrogate mother to give birth to a son."

"What?"

"You heard me. They have the money, they can afford it. Her American husband is a top executive in the Silicon Valley. Marie said she was too busy with her career. She didn't want to go through the pregnancy herself either, it will ruin her body. So they decided to pay a surrogate mother to do it."

"Why did they even bother having a baby, if they are so busy?"

"A nanny will take care of the baby anyway."

"Exactly. She did not want to bother with the pregnancy, nor the feeding or the diapers. Why did she want to have a baby in the first place? She obviously did not want to be a mom. She has no time for the baby either. Why did she bring this human being into this world? She is not even qualified to be a pet owner."

"None of my business. Anyway, if you want to have a baby one day, maybe you should consider hiring a surrogate too. Pregnancy will ruin your body and you will regret it. But of course, firstly, you need to be with someone like her top executive husband to pay for it. Maybe you should dye your hair blond to try your luck. Men always prefer blond."

"My hair is fine. Is that why you abandoned me, because you think I ruined your body and your life?" I raised my voice.

"It was just a wise advice. Don't take it personal. It is two different matter."

"How is it different? You and the cousin are just two selfish women who ran away from the responsibilities of being a mother. She hired people to do the job, all she provided was an egg and some money. You! You simply took the plane and ran back to France to escape from me."

She did not say anything to me for the whole afternoon. Good. At least I did not need to hear her unwelcome advices or criticism to make me feel shitty about myself.