"I'm exhausted," Maude sighed, as she plopped on a sofa in the main hall of their hotel that evening.
"How was your day?" Victoria asked.
"Jazmine went crazy at the Galeries Lafayette as always," Cynthia moaned, rubbing her feet.
"We had fun!" Ben cried.
"And what are you doing this evening?" James asked.
"I'm going to a comedy show this evening. I'm seeing a famous French stand-up comedian called Jamel Debbouze," Matt answered.
"Jamel Debbouze! I love him!" Maude cried. "I only saw scraps of his shows on TV because Mrs. Ruchet didn't like him. He is so funny."
"Then you should go with Matt," Victoria urged.
Maude fell back in her seat.
"No, I'm sure you're already going with friends."
"None of my friends were available, but I really wanted to see him while I was here," Matt explained. "You can come if you like." He hoped she would agree although he didn't want to appear too eager. But seeing a comedy show with Maude was a sure way to get their friendship back on track.
"I'm not sure—" Maude protested, thinking how awkward things were with Matt.
"Nonsense," Victoria decided firmly. "Matt shouldn't go on his own, and none of us are fluent enough in French to understand the show. And you obviously love this comedian. You're going."
Fighting against Victoria was useless, and Maude had no intention of trying.