A near run-in with a president

Who's never dreamed of making history? Well, I came close to making history this morning, but not in a good way.

As I was carelessly riding my cranky 1965 Vespa behind the French Parliament, I tried to force my way through a group of people who were crossing the street.

A big guy in a black suit raised his hand and forced me to squeeze the breaks at the last second.

And there, right behind the man in black — former President Jacques Chirac!

Well, instead of being scared or just mad at me, the statuesque Chirac stopped right in the middle of the street — smiled at me — and shook my hands.

A real politician indeed! I bet Chirac — who is now surfing a new wave of popularity — had a hunch that the Vespa-Chirac story would make my day.

http://www.globalpost.com/notebook/france/100318/near-run-president