Always popular and packed with people, this little cafe is a jewel in the narrow side street close to the banks of the River Seine, in Paris. Every morning it opens its doors at 7.30 am sharp; not a minute more, not a minute less. The owner takes great pride in being punctual and prompt. The day begins.
The early birds arrive and the cafe wakes to greet another spring day. Wonderful smells start to seep out of the door and these entice the passers by. Maurice does all of the baking at the back of the café, when he rises at 5am. Everything is baked fresh on the day. Like a magnet, the tiny cafe draws people into its arms. Maurice, medium build, with dark hair and twinkling blue eyes, is the cafe's owner; he's a fun, friendly man of about 35. His wife, Marianne, is a petite and pretty young thing of similar age. Always smiling, she sets about laying the tables, in readiness for the breakfast rush. The crisp red and white checked tablecloths, freshly laundered and smelling of spring days, are a welcome sight. The plain white crockery sits, waiting. Marianne puts the finishing touches to the tables: freshly picked flowers from her little back garden, which are carefully placed in an assortment of small, vintage jugs and vases. What a pretty sight!
At precisely 7.35am, the first customer arrives. It's a businessman in need of a good start to his hectic day. He's dressed in a black, pin-striped suit; he always wears a Trilby hat and carries a black brief case, which no doubt contains much of importance. He's a regular, here at 'M and M' and he doesn't need to study the menu because he knows it so well. He sits in his usual place at a table in the window and he orders his usual: croissants (with raspberry jam), fruit juice and cafe au lait. He picks up the newspaper and becomes lost in its pages as he waits for his order. You can't go wrong with one of Maurice's croissants…or even two! They are perfectly balanced with puffiness, sweetness and crispness! Guaranteed to melt in your mouth! The businessman savours the flavour and he pays his usual compliment to Maurice on, ' The best Croissants in Paris' . Then he is off, happily satisfied and ready for work. As he leaves the cafe, another customer arrives.
It's a young lady, in her 20s, smartly dressed in a floral suit, with matching handbag and suede ankle boots. She is another early regular and she teaches part time at the nearby school. She makes herself comfortable. Maurice takes her order and as she waits, she gazes out of the window at the waking day. She sighs as she tries to remember her lesson plans for the day.Her warm ‘Pain au Chocolate’ arrives and she hastily devours it, enjoying every bite! The chocolate melts into the pastry, making it a dream to eat. Maurice prides himself on his 'Pain au Chocolate'. (The recipe was passed down to him by his father and has that extra, ‘secret’ ingredient which Maurice keeps close to his chest and divulges to no one!) The young lady sips her strong, black coffee and compliments Maurice as he refills her cup. Another satisfied customer...that's what Maurice likes!
The morning moves on. Customers flow in and out, just like the nearby river. Lunchtime soon arrives and the cafe becomes very busy. Marianne is rushed off her feet… but that's how she likes it!
A family of four enters the cafe. They seem slightly frazzled! Marianne greets them and shows them to a table with comfy chairs and chintzy cushions. They are English and obviously on holiday. Marianne gives them time to settle down and time to read the menu.
' M and M' provides a superb assortment of sandwiches and generously filled rolls, along with a variety of fruit tartes. Finally, the family makes its choice: four of Maurice's famous Roast Beef and Roquefort sandwiches. Marianne thanks them for their order and in no time at all they are enjoying their lunch and washing it down with some of Marianne's freshly made lemonade. Laughter comes from their table and they appear much happier. It's amazing how this little cafe can bring an air of calm to people and help them to relax. And Marianne very much loves the sound of laughter in the cafe; the chuckles, the chortles and the giggles. Just wonderful! Marianne is sad to see them leave and she hopes they will return. But she hasn't time to ponder as more customers arrive and the lunchtime meets the afternoon, head on.
At 3 o clock, an elderly lady, accompanied by her fat, podgy poodle, makes her entrance. She is a large lady wrapped in a fur coat with fur hat to match. She somehow (and miraculously) manages to squeeze herself, her poodle and her three bags of shopping into a tiny corner, putting her fat pooch under the table, where it promptly falls asleep. Studying the menu,she decides on an extra large fruit tarte with lashings of cream, along with a large cup of café au lait. Informing Marianne that she, ‘has the most terrible aching feet,’ she spends almost an hour, recovering from her obviously stressful, shopping spree! As she orders yet another fruit tarte to ease her pain, Maurice looks across at her and offers her a free refill of coffee. Meanwhile, Marianne is greeting yet another customer.
Gary is a jeweller, whose shop is but a few doors away from the café. He’s a likeable chap who has, for all his life, sold jewellery. But Gary also has a double life!!
At the end of his working day, Gary throws off his suit, puts on his shiny sequins, picks up his guitar and off he goes on yet another gig. Gary Shinestar heads the band, ‘The Hot Diamonds’ and they play all over the clubs and bars in Paris. But for now, he is in a quiet reflective mood and in need of an afternoon break. Jeweller by day, pop star by night, Gary is well known in the café and everybody loves his ‘ jewel personality’!! He promptly orders a bacon and brie sandwich with a very large espresso and as he is waiting, he studies some words for a new song which he is hoping to try out at the evening’s gig. In his head, he strums the guitar chords as he mouths the words. Gary’s daily visits to the café are always exactly the same; he’s a creature of habit! And when Gary arrives, Maurice and Marianne know that the end of the day is drawing near.
The day is coming to a close and the last of the stragglers leave the café.
This little jewel in the narrow side street will soon be closing for its night-time rest. Maurice and Marianne scurry around, tidying up, in readiness for the next day. Marianne looks outside. The lights of the city are bright now and the exciting night life is about to begin. The pin striped businessman hurries by, giving Marianne a wave as he heads home. The young lady schoolteacher rushes past, a pile of books in her arms…no prizes for guessing what her evening will bring! Strolling past, the family of four head towards the river for an evening boat trip. Marianne laughs as she sees them walking arm in arm and enjoying the evening. The fat lady can be seen hailing a taxi; she has obviously shopped until she has almost dropped! The fat poodle looks as if it can take no more! And look, there’s Gary, in his shiny outfit, off to entertain his fans!
Day and night meet briefly. Maurice and Marianne lock the door, pull down the blinds and make their way to their living area. They throw off their shoes and they put up their feet.
Another day over! Another day done! And they wonder what (and who!) tomorrow will bring!
