I'd like to get know you

On Wednesday, July 26, 2000, at 10:53 pm, my life returned to normal.

I was walking down the rue Mazarine when I heard an ABBA song. It was S.O.S. and the sound was coming from a small bar. I went in and saw that the bar was empty except for the bartender and what appeared to be an off duty waitress sitting at the bar writing out a schedule of her shifts.

On the wall of the bar was a poorly painted portrait of a slimy "drageur" saying (in English):

"I would like to get to know you... Call me."

I told them that this was an unlikely utterance, as spoken English would replace "I would" with "I'd". They told me that the painting was based on a Ricard advert and thus the error did not lie with them. Moreover, the bartender facetiously suggested that the stilted construction might have been intended to attract attention.

I then noted to the pseudo-waitress that "I'd like to get to know you" was a song by Spanky and Our Gang. Completely uninterested, she said she didn't know, as she continued filling out her schedule. I said I did and walked out.

That was when I looked at my watch.

Postscript, June 28, 2001

The Proof. By the way, I now live on the rue Mazarine.















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