3. Story

I took a sip of cappuccino and relaxed in the first-class seat of the Eurostar train as it sped towards Paris. It wasn’t typical of me to drop everything and run off to somewhere like Paris. In fact, my wife Sandra was the reason why I was heading for the French capital.

When I had got home from work the night before I’d found a note from S. on the kitchen table. It said that she needed to get away for a few days and would come back later in the week. She’d done the same thing several times during our 22 years of marriage. She always came back when she was ready.

We had been having a few problems recently, and I had to admit that our relationship had got a bit boring since our youngest daughter had left for university.

After re-reading S’s note, it suddenly occurred to me that the following day would be exactly 25 years since we first met in Paris. We had always celebrated this date together, but this time she had obviously decided to spend it away from me.

I couldn’t really blame her. I’d been working such long hours that we barely saw each other. I suddenly felt I had to go to the Paris on the anniversary of our first meeting. I decided to catch the first Eurostar train the next morning.

Soon after the train arrived at the Gare du Nord in Paris, unsure of where I was going, I bought a ticket and went straight down to the metro. I found my mind going back on that day, 25 years before.

I’d been working in the Paris branch of a London-based merchant bank. I remember it was a beautiful spring day and I’d decided to spend my lunch break in the Tuileries gardens. I’d only been there a few min when a gorgeous young lady came up and asked if she could join me.

We sat on the bench, shared our lunch and chatted for ages. Her name was S. and she was working in Paris as a nanny. We fell in love, and married 3 years later in London.

Coming out of the metro, I realised I was quite close to the Tuileries so I decided to see if I could find our bench. I bought some lunch – the same lunch I’d had 25 years before. Then I headed for the gardens, making my way through the tourists who crowed the Rue de Eivoli.

I paused at the gates of the gardens, wishing that S. was with me. I eventually went through the gates and walked along the path past the same green trees, statues and flowerbeds.

When I arrived at the pool I saw that the bench was still there. It was empty, so I went over and sat down and began to eat. Suddenly I heard a woman’s voice behind me.

‘May I join you?’ – it said. I turned around and saw my wife! She looked wonderful.

‘Sandra!’ I exclaimed.

‘ I was hoping you’d come, Bill,’ she smiled.

Раб. тетр.

1. Chairman of the Board at 14

While other boys are playing football or computer games, Paul Woodbury is running his own travel company: Corringhan Ferry Travel.

Paul is only 14 but he is already Managing Director. He and his staff organise coach trips, ferry crossings and short weekend holidays from his ‘office’ – a spare bedroom in his parents’ Essex home.

Next year he hopes to expand the company and offer even more holidays to destinations including the Isle of Wight, Ireland and Spain.

So far Paul has booked more than 50 trips for individuals and groups, and he is an official agent of many big ferry companies.

Paul’s passion for ferries started when his mum and dad took him to France for the day. Paul’s mother says that he didn’t like boats at first, but then his parents took him on a sea trip to help him get over his fear. Surprisingly, Paul became a ferry enthusiast and started writing to different companies, asking for details about their ships.

Paul soon became an expert; he knew everything about each ferry. As a result of this interest he set up a service called Ferry Information 2 years ago. People could ring him up and, for free, he’d tell them all about the ship they were travelling on. The service was so popular that he developed it by making people’s ferry bookings as well.

Paul’s first customers were his neighbours and friends of his parents. His reputation has grown quickly, because he tries to offer a little bit more than similar services. For example, his day-trip customers are given a fact sheet telling them all about the ferry they will travel on.

They are also informed about all port facilities. Every trip is led by 2 of his staff. His employers have to work 2 hours after school, 4 days a week. Young Paul hopes to get a computer for Christmas so that he can really improve his company, but he doesn’t want to be a travel agent after leaving school. He hopes to join P&O Ferries, and sail the Channel regularly.

Paul’s parents could already get used to the idea of their schoolboy son running a business. But when his mother hears her son’s business voice speaking to a customer on the telephone, she still can’t believe it is the same 14-year-old boy who leaves his dirty socks on the floor.