P omponnée and voluble, it whirls between the tables: "You, I put to you there", claironne it, a long thin Mister under the arm " And you, there, between these charming boys", it continues while seizing a woman as a smart tailor. This gray evening of January, the small room of the Coffee of the town hall, places Saint-Sulpice to Paris, is crammed. About fifty men and women, the hair often grisonnants, leave empoigner by Bénédicte Ann, the mistress of céans. Here are two years that this owner of marriage bureau organizes here each Monday the "coffee of the love". A manner of diversifying its activities vis-a-vis the competition of Internet sites. "the public of the coffee is not the same one as that of the agencies or of the sites, she says. Admittedly, they are single people with the research of the soul mate, but they appreciate to be able to take time, to reflect on themselves and their course."

On the model of the coffees philo, a topic of discussion is proposed. "Always around the love" and with, almost each time, a speaker chosen in the inexhaustible list of the more or less smoky "specialists" in the techniques of "personal development". "One made Gestalt and rebirth, family constellations, psychogenealogy, psychophanie..." pack Bénédicte. This evening, it east will tantra ­ "but attention, not the trick pretexts with fiddle and orgy, warns the owner. Truth will tantra, that which enables us to leave to research our crowned share ".

Releasing. Christine Lorand, the "specialist in will tantra" with the éthéré stamp, proposes a "second exercise" . "You will pick yourselves, and will direct you up towards a woman if you are a man, towards a man if you are a woman" , susurre it. "You will take this person in your arms, and will make you a hug." The room hesitates, pouffe, but obtempère. The participants intertwine. "Now, close the eyes and feel the breathing of the other, continues Christine Lorand. Energy goes up... It is as if all the people of the room made a giant hug." A 22 hours, the meeting finishes. "It was very releasing" , comments on a man with the beard pepper and salt. "Very energy" , its neighbor rebounds.

Experiment. The participants scatter, large troop joined a Thai restaurant, go postcafé of the love become ritual. Between soup pho and the nems, a subject dominates: celibacy, and means of leaving there. Luc, forty, very tested: "the speed dating, the evenings Meetic, the evenings of Annie, the evenings News Dimension" , enumerates it. From its experiments, it draws an analysis. "the professionals of the market of the meeting seize the crenel personal development . It is the case of the coffee of the love, but also of other proposals of the same type." Its neighbor, Martine, twenty years of marital life and six of celibacy, opine: "I like that, these formulas. Because if somebody is not met, at least, one learns something." Philippe, tempting around fifty, is of the same opinion: "I think that considering the number of single people, they could make even more evenings of this kind. One does not find enough of it."

Where the divergent points of view, it on "are lived of the celibacy" , like known as Philippe. Luc speaks about "desert" and "weight" . "the love, it is like a train. When one is 20 years old, it is easy to climb inside. When one has our ages, one tends to remain blocked in station." Increase, Martine is annoyed: "I do not agree with the deserted word! Even at our ages, one makes meetings. You like me, there were attempts." "From agreement, I withdraw deserted, resigned Luc breath. Let us say that one is in a transition. But a transition which is prolonged."