16. Paris

As soon as Jo and Matthew had their breakfast, they packed up and got ready for the late evening flight so they could spend the day out. The weather was amazing with the blue cloudless sky and a nice cold breeze.

"Matty, let's go to one of the most amazing places in Paris." Jo piped up as soon as they arrived at the Esplanade de la Defense station.

"Hm…" Matthew just muttered in agreement. He wouldn't consider that place as amazing. He wondered why she wanted to come here. For him, it was just a business district like Manhattan in New York or The City in London. There was nothing interesting among tall skyscrapers.

"That's our goal!" She said pointing in the direction of La Grande Arche de la Defense.

On the way, Jo stopped many times to take some photos of original skyscrapers and several dozen modern sculptures by artists such as Calder, Miro, César from the station to the Grande Arche. She also showed him interesting reflections in the glass facades of buildings.

Not only that, she continued prattling on about the history of the district creation itself and its tallest buildings, as well as about the modern art installations themselves. He was surprised at the details she noticed when taking pictures. 

He would not have thought how reflections in glass facades can look so original and was thus remarkably delighted with the effects of her remarkable perceptiveness. 

Matthew was also surprised that she knew many facts about this city. He had to admit that the walk to the Grande Arche was very exciting and interesting. He never looked at that place in that way.

Finally, they reached the grand staircase at the base of the arch, which was designed to be a late-20th-century version of the Arc de Triomphe, a monument to humanity and humanitarian ideals rather than military victories.

"Jo, this grand staircase is an extremely popular place for sitting and watching activity on the plaza below. Should we sit for a moment?" Matthew asked, seeing the tiredness on his companion's face.

"Not yet." She was already tired, but had different ideas relating to a perfect rest area.

"Please remind me to show you some pictures my parents took at the gigantic concert that took place here when we reach home later."

"A concert here? Do you mean at the Grand Arche?" A visibly interested Jo asked. 

She knew that the Arche was very famous because many events took place there, but she couldn't associate any, what he called, a gigantic one.

"Yes. Right here. On Bastille Day in 1990, my parents favourite composer then, Jean Michel Jarre, staged an ambitious concert at the site. He used the Grande Arche and three of the area's towers as projection screens, and built a pyramidal stage above the road." He tried to explain and show where the stage was.

"The event attracted two million spectators, stretching all the way back to the Arc the Triomphe. It was a world record for the largest attendance for a musical concert. Fortunately my parents were just under the stage."

"An interesting fact about your parents' past. They always seem very serious. I wouldn't have imagined that they acted like us, when they were young." Jo laughed at the very thought that his very distinguished parents were going to concerts like normal youth.

"Haha… I know what you think. My parents and concerts. They even saw Metallica in Tushino Airfield in Moscow in 1991; also Pink Floyd, Dire Straits and Genesis at the Knebworth Festival in England a year before that. Can you imagine them at an open-air rock and pop festival?" 

The truth about his parents' youth had even shocked him when he first learnt about it. After a while, he added. "You should meet them and ask about it yourself."

"Do they? Wow! I have to visit them."

"When my parents were young, they were not so polite and distinguished. They used to leave me with my grandparents and they had a great time driving here and there…" There was a hint of regret in his voice.

"Matthew, they were so young when they had you. You have to forgive them."

"I have forgiven them a long time ago. My grandparents spoiled me. I had a really great childhood. I wouldn't trade it for anything."

When Matthew was born, his mother and father were only 17 years old. They were both in high school. It was a shock to the entire conservative community in which they lived. Matthew was so lucky he didn't end up in an orphanage. 

His father's parents were diplomats and were traveling a lot. When they found out they would become grandparents, they almost lynched their son.

On the other hand, his mother's parents were respected lawyers. His mother was their youngest, of their three children and perhaps the most spoiled and ravaged because of it. 

His mother's parents took care of his upbringing. It was his grandmother who quit her professional career for almost three years to take care of him since his birth. It was also her who Matthew called ‘mother’ for the first few years of his life.

Later, for years, his grandmother worked only part-time to be close to her grandson and give him a proper family and childhood. Thanks to this, his parents graduated from high school and later college. They took care of their careers without any burden. But so far, they have blamed themselves for harming their only child. Therefore, they had no more children.

He only lived with his parents when he started going to school, but he spent most of his free time with his grandparents anyway. Matthew felt angry at them that they had abandoned him and left him to their grandparents. Years later, as an adult, he decided that it was the best thing that could happen to him in life.

Due to their past, they did not pressure him to start a family now. They cherished and enjoyed every moment spent with him, without forcing him to do anything. It was an incredible comfort for him, unlike Mike's parents who had very high expectations of their son.

"Are you hungry Matt?" Suddenly, Jo asked him.

"A little. Do you know any nice places around?" He was happy to hear that at last. They had already walked for about three hours.

"Good. I am starving." As Jo said that, an inexplicable glam flickered across her eyes.

Matt noticed that immediately. On the one hand, he was glad that finally Jo felt hungry, but on the other, he didn't like the gleam in her eyes. Knowing her perfectly well, he knew it was not going to be any good.

"As you probably know a great restaurant is on the rooftop so let's go to have lunch there." She said with a poker face pointing to the panoramic elevators under the Grande Arche.

"Is there another way?" Matthew asked.

The mere sight of the glazed elevators made him feel sick.

"Yes, but we are taking that!"