Gare du Nord is the setting for Emma Morley and Dexter Mayhew’s reunion in Paris on 15 July. Its crowded arrival gate turns their meeting into a public wait marked by anticipation, uncertainty, and the long approach between two people changed by their time apart.

The arrival gate

Emma reaches the gate in good time for Dexter’s scheduled arrival on the 15.55 train from Waterloo. She joins a crowd of anxious lovers holding flowers and chauffeurs in suits with handwritten signs, while bored drivers wait among the expectant families and friends. For a moment, she considers making a joke of the occasion by holding up a sign with Dexter’s name misspelled, but the train is pulling in and the crowd begins to edge forward.

Waiting and recognition

The delay before the carriage doors open stretches the anticipation: passengers finally spill onto the platform, and Emma presses forward with the people craning to recognize arriving faces. As the crowd thins, she begins to wonder whether Dexter has missed the train. She has prepared a smile, but the thought of their last meeting—when things were said and something happened—makes the greeting uncertain before he appears.

The reunion

Dexter has stayed in the last carriage until the other passengers leave. He carries no suitcase, only a small overnight bag; on the table before him is a brightly coloured paperback, Big Julie Criscoll Versus the Whole Wide World. When Emma sees him, his gaunt, tired appearance and rough stubble remind her that the visit may bring trouble. He starts to smile and quickens his pace; she smiles back, while both seem unsure what to do with their hands or where to look. The narrative stretches their approach across the station, measuring the distance down from fifty metres to ten. Dexter notices how Emma has changed during their eight weeks apart, including her very short hair and smart clothes. Then he reaches her and they embrace. At Gare du Nord, the reunion arrives first as a difficult crossing of space and uncertainty, and only then as physical closeness.