I left early and took a metro to Tuileries so I could pass through the massive gardens plus check out the windows of some of the world’s best shopping. I badly needed fresh air and time to think. My sister was hanging out with Irina; at least she was being entertained, and I was free to breathe a little on my own. Fashion was less bohemian on the Right Bank. Heels higher, jewelry flashier, shopping bags and logos more plentiful. Cartier, Hermès, Chanel, Lavin and more, all right here. I could buy some of it if I wanted to. But you still need an awful lot of money for buying a Chanel bag to feel like buying a cup of coffee, and I generally didn’t go in for splurging much unless Anna was around to enjoy it, I truly needed something or it was a very special occasion. I’d be saving for a rainy day for the rest of my life, no matter how much money I made. It was just how I was built. I never wanted to rely on someone else for my survival because you could never really trust anyone else to stick around.
