Birthday Bread

 For the first time ever, I celebrated my birthday in Monflanquin, France.  It happened to be market day. I did not know what to expect because last year, we all wore masks in the market and tried to remain 6 feet apart. Upon entering the market, things looked more normal.  No masks required and people standing around chatting and laughing. I approached my favorite produce vendor and immediately ran into Jean-Maurice. Jean-Maurice is an antiques dealer and a dear friend of a friend.  He often sits opposite me at my friend Mado's table during those long Sunday lunches. If I were to assign him a role, it would be that of French literary and language critic. He also really likes to laugh which serves to soften his critiques.  I appreciate Jean-Maurice and learn much from his observations. He is also the only person in our social circle who smokes reminiscent of another time not so long ago when all French  conversations at the table were draped in a pungent nicotine haze. Jean-Maurice however thoughtfully smokes outside.  Among the seasonal broccoli and cauliflower, Jean-Maurice and I do a quick catch up. I mention it is my birthday mostly because it is, and I somehow feel the need to mark the day.  He tells me his plans to attend several antiques fairs.  I bid him farewell.  My market basket overflows with the fixings for salad and roasted vegetables.  It feels unusually heavy to me, and rather than pursue the rest of my grocery list, I return home to unload the produce and start anew.  Back at the market, I hear someone call my name. It is Jean-Maurice offering me a pretty pink  geranium plant for my birthday. How thoughtful! "C'est normal." he tells me.  I place the birthday plant in my market basket and continue on. At the organic grocery store, I purchase a leek and some free range eggs.  Something possesses me to tell Aurelie, the shop owner, that it is my birthday.  She offers me the gorgeous bread pictured above. It is made with ancient grains. To my surprise,  the bread when sliced  feels fluffy and soft. So nice! Do I return to the market to tell other vendors it's my birthday? Tempting, but no.