A Tactless Question

Isidore spots Terence and makes his way to the table.

An unpleasant aroma floats in the air.

Fish glue fumes, and whatever it is on that girl's tee shirt.

And the other girl. Her tee shirt smells too.

Yes? says the mother. Can I help you?

Excuse me , says Isidore. Is this infant annoying you?

A little, says the mother. He came back with Nénette.

Nénette! where is she? asks Isidore. Have I missed her?

Here. My daughter Nénette, says the mother.

Ah! says Isidore. It all makes sense now.

I'm glad you think so, says the mother. Are you in charge?

I am a professor of zoology at the Museum of Natural History, says Isidore.

Are you in charge of Octopus 2, the yellow container? asks the mother. It caused my daughter to vomit.

I'm so sorry, says Isidore. Only one? Looks as though it made both your daughters vomit.

I didn't go in, says Nénette's sister.

Ah! says Isidore, who is not a professor of zoology for nothing. Then perhaps it was something they ate.

Neither of my daughters has learned anything, says the mother. I wished them to learn that the ocean absorbs one quarter of the carbon dioxide emitted by human activities, at the price of increasing the acidification of our oceans, which is a threat to planktons and consequently the entire food web.

Perhaps if your other daughter had gone in, says Isidore, and the daughter who went in had not gone in with Terence.

She MADE me, says Terence.

Madam, says Isidore to the mother, did you pay eight euros for Terence? I shall organise an immediate refund.

No. It seems he got in for nothing, says the mother.

Because I was your nephew, says Terence. My parrot said.

Come with me, Terence, says Isidore. I'll take you back to my apartment. First though, I must check on Nénette.

I can look after my daughter, says the mother. Both of them. Come, Nénette. Come, Zarafa.

Before you go, says Isidore, may I ask why you named your daughters after our iconic orangutan, and our long dead but well-loved giraffe?

But no, it seems he may not ask. The family stalks off.

It was a tactless question.

We get all sorts here, says Isidore.

That's good, says Terence.