The Family Under The Bridge

In Paris, an unhoused man named Armand pushes around an old baby buggy that contains all of his possessions. He is moving to the spot beneath a bridge where he spends his winters. As he walks, he collects a pile of broken branches from in front of a flower stall. As Armand nears Notre Dame, a grand and famous church in Paris, a Roma woman stops him and offers to tell his fortune. She tells Armand that he will have an adventure, which matches what Armand was expecting from the day. He knows the Roma woman and calls her Mireli. She says that her group is renting a courtyard for the winter and that the men have found work.

When she mentions children, Armand expresses that he doesn’t like kids, calling them “witless, twittering, little pests” (5). Mireli tells him that he only thinks he doesn’t like children. She says, “It is only that you are afraid of them. You’re afraid the sly little things will steal your heart if they find out you have one” (5). She invites Armand to live with her people for the winter if he gets tired of the bridge where he usually spends the season.