Heroes

This story begins in the Paris Metro a few days ago. Jessica’s sister Erica met her friends Peter and Martha at the Gare de Paris-Est train station upon their arrival from Berlin Friday evening. While waiting for the metro to take them from the train station to our home, Martha rearranged her jacket and bags and had not quite gotten things together when the metro train arrived. They jumped on the train.

    As the doors were closing, a young, observant Parisian named Pierre spoke urgently to Martha, saying that she did not have as many possessions as she had when she arrived in the metro station. Sure enough, Martha had left two bags on the platform that contained their money, passports and other belongings that one does not really want to lose.

    During the two-minute ride to the next stop, Pierre had time to scheme. When the doors opened, he bolted up the stairs and across to the opposite platform, caught the train going in the opposite direction, and traveled back to the previous stop. Pierre’s girlfriend Eva got Peter, Martha and Erica off the train, all the while keeping in cell phone contact with Pierre.

    When Pierre returned to the original metro platform, the bags were nowhere in sight. A homeless man, surrounded by all his worldly possessions, lay close to the spot where they had boarded the train.

Peter simulating a homeless person in the metro

    Pierre questioned the man. He denied any knowledge of the missing belongings.  Pierre, however, noticed something sticking out from behind the homeless man’s pillow.  The two bags were “recovered”.

    Pierre returned on the next train to his girlfriend Eva, Peter, Martha and Erica who already knew of the successful recovery. Gracious tears were shed, kisses given, and Peter and Martha extended a drink invitation to Pierre and Eva.

    They accepted and the five of them had a great conversation and Martha told them what a great heart Pierre had.

    In the course of their conversation, they learned that Pierre and Eva live near us in the 7^th arrondissement. Pierre has some notoriety in the skateboard community since he has skateboarded from Paris to Copenhagen, and from San Francisco to San Diego!  Eva biked with him on the California trip.  Martha told them about the AIDS bike ride she did from San Francisco to Los Angeles, establishing an even greater connection.   You can go to Pierre and Eva’s blog here to see the marvelous photography of Pierre on his custom skateboard and Eva on her bike.

So, the next time someone says something nasty about the Parisians, just remember the story of Pierre and Eva.