Sempé: Monsieur Lambert

"Monsieur Lambert" is the unmistakably French story of a group of regulars at a Parisian bistro, who see each other for lunch every day, without fail. They are creatures of habit, eating the same set meals on the same day, week in and week out. One day, however, one of their group, Monsier Lambert, does not turn up at the usual time, and the other regulars soon turn to speculating as to the reasons for the sudden and unexpected changes in their fellow diner - it surely must be because of a woman, they conclude. Why else would Monsieur Lambert not appear until twenty to two on one day, but already be eating his main course by the time the rest of them arrive for lunch the very next day? Why does he develop a taste for terrine, a dish he has previously always despised? The diners are right: Lambert has indeed met a wonderful woman, Florence. This revelation changes everything, and instead of discussing football and politics as usual, the other diners in the bistro start reminiscing about women they have loved and lost, about passionate affairs in their past, all the while continuing to take a keen interest in Monsieur Lambert and his Florence. Can this new state of affairs continue? After all, women come and go, but football has always been, and will always be, a part of their lives.