When the taxi finally stopped by the Eiffel Tower, the two got off and walked to the tower. Emma looked up at the tower in front of her before saying, “Is this the Eiffel Tower? It doesn’t feel special.”
Hearing Emma’s words, Carl smiled and said, “It really doesn’t look special now, but at that time, it was quite sensational. Moreover, for the French, the tower also has a special meaning and carries their special national feelings.”
Emma nodded, and looked around, and looking at Carl in surprise, “Have you ever come to France?”
“If you’re interested, you can go up and see it, but you’ll have to pay for it. Since you’re here, you can see all of Paris from above.” Carl did not answer Emma’s words, but took the lead to walk away.
Carl and Emma spent only a short time at the Eiffel Tower and then on to Notre Dame and the Louvre, each with a cursory glance.
“They say it’s the capital of art, but why don’t I feel it?” Emma said disappointedly.
Carl lightly said, “Your expectation is so high. It was like a foreigner visit the imperial palace and the Great Wall. It is unrealistic for them to understand its national feelings and historical sense in addition to its architectural beauty. For us as foreigners here, we came to these famous buildings just for fun. Most people come here with the feeling same as yours. Go to dinner.”
“Carl, tell me honestly, have you ever been here?” Emma stared at Carl and asked.
“I will take you to a restaurant. It’s authentic and delicious Parisian food. Come on.” Carl said again, and then stopped a taxi on the car.
Emma looked at Carl in puzzle, and followed Carl on the car.
“This is my treat.” After entering the restaurant, Carl directly ordered in fluent French, and then said to Emma with a smile.
“Carl, tell me, have you ever been to France? And it’s not a short stay. You speak so good French, and besides, you look so familiar with Paris that I wouldn’t believe you’d never been here.” Emma asked Carl.
“Yes, I had been here for a month.” Carl looked out of the window at the Paris neighborhood in the light, nodded his head.
“What did you do? To study abroad? To Travel? No, you’ve been working in the army, haven’t you? Why do you have a chance to be here?” Emma did not understand.
“Work, sort of a business trip.” Carl lightly said.
Emma doubted after hearing Carl’s strange answer. But she could tell that Carl did not want to say more. She was a smart woman, and she did not like to ask too many questions, so, even if she had doubts, she stopped asking.
“Are you still nervous? Does it feel better?” Carl took the food the waiter served and asked Emma.
Emma looked up to Carl, and then said, “I don’t feel nervous but stressful.”
“Let me tell you a story. It may not be the right story to tell at dinner, but I think you should hear it. This is what I did when I was 13 or 14 years old. At that time, my family was poor and two children went to school. My mother could not afford the whole family even though she worked hard and could do anything, let alone she was an ordinary worker. To support our family, I pick up garbage.”
“The dump was not far from our home, taking half an hour. I went there after school every day. There were many people much older than me. Every day there was a garbage truck come in the fixed time. For us, that was the time for money. When there came a load of rubbish, everyone rushed up to it, and took everything with slight value to their bags.”
“I was not tall at that time, so I couldn’t win at all. Every time, others robbed more than me, and I robbed the least. The money I earned every day was not enough to buy an ice cream for Frost, let alone the situation at home was so poor. Every time I went there, I felt a lot of pressure. Every time Before I got to the car, I made a vow in my heart that I would rob more, sell more money, buy some vegetables for my family and let them eat better.”
“However, the more I put so much pressure on myself, the more nervous I became. When I robbed, I only knew that I could not grab anything valuable. Besides, I didn’t have much strength, and the good things were all robbed by others. Later, I brought a torch with me every day, because I knew there were still a few cars at night, and there weren’t many people to grab them. I could grab a little more.”
“After I found this, I had less pressure during the day and could take my time to pick it up, but later I found out that I could pick it up much more slowly than in the previous crazy grab, and most of them were quite valuable. Because, there was no pressure, I can see with a calm state of mind, not panic, so I would not miss something valuable and saw more accurately.
“Of course, there’s no comparison between what I did and what you’re doing right now. I’m saying this just to tell you, don’t put so much pressure on yourself, just relax and adjust your attitude. It’s better to approach work with a relaxed attitude than with nervousness.” Carl said slowly while eating.
Emma looked at Carl in surprised and she was shocked by his story, not because the truth Carl trying to tell, but Carl’s perseverance and frankness. He did not felt ashamed because he had picked up garbage, but told the story frankly. This let Emma have a new understanding for Carl. Carl was to let Emma decompress through this story, and didn’t expect that Emma would hold such a thought.