It's an unavoidable meeting spot in all small towns. The downtown bar, with its beer brand-stamped umbrellas and pictures of regulars behind the counter. In Vierzon (Cher department), its name is Le Fontenoy. In April 2011, it's where 47-year-old Christophe came to drink his coffee after lunch for the first time. Born in Vierzon, he knew the place by heart but usually came early in the morning before heading off to work. Mathilde, 20, usually came in the afternoons. She was working as a waitress before starting her studies. On this particular day, when her eyes met those of the salt-and-pepper-haired man, she nearly spilled the scalding coffee all over him. What could be the pitch of a romantic comedy is actually the story of the parents of Inès, 10, and Octave, 8. Over lunch in the Berry house they were repainting, they looked back on their 14 years together and their almost 28-year age gap.

Over a tomato chicken, Mathilde remembered their first kiss. It happened right here, on the terrace adjoining the kitchen. At the time, Christophe was living another life in this house: he'd been married for 25 years but hinted that his couple was more like a cohabitation. On the weekend of May 1, he was alone at home, organizing a barbecue and inviting friends from the café, including Mathilde. That evening, their duo was formed.

A few days later, Mathilde panicked as they headed off to La Rochelle for their first romantic weekend together. "I saw myself as the cliché of the sugar daddy taking me to the restaurant. I told myself, 'No, I can't do it. I told him, 'Get off the freeway, we're going to Tours, we'll take a room at an Ibis, we won't leave it anyway!'" As they paid the toll, Christophe's ID card stuck out of his wallet. Curious to see what he looked like with dark hair, she grabbed it and discovered his date of birth: 1963. "I'm awful at maths, but my mother is from 1966. It didn't take me long to crunch the numbers: he's older than she is!"

You have 74.85% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.