My German Lover, Part 27, chapter 2

It didn’t take long for me to go through the customs and when the custom agent told me I could go, I started to walk towards the exit and saw two tall and old gentlemen standing there, waiting for me. I looked at them and they smiled back at me.

I walked over to them and Paul said:

“Welcome my friend. We were expecting you…”

“Are you all right?”, Will said…

“Yeah”, I answered, with tears in my eyes. “Now I’m all right…”

We went to their car where their driver was waiting for us.

“… We’re getting old you know… and it’s too dangerous for us to drive to Fort-de-France… so Thomas here drives us…”, Will said, grinning…

“Boujour monsieur Thomas”, I said to the driver…

“Bonjour monsieur. Bienvenue en Martinique!”, the Martinican answered, with a broad smile on his face…

“So… How was Paris?”, Paul asked…

“Oh… We had fun there… And we went to see your sister… She asked me to tell you she loves you… and that she misses you all… But she’s fine!”, I answered, smiling…

Then I told Paul all about the song she had asked me to play…

“I’m not surprised…”, he answered, laughing. I told you my mother was a very good pianist…”

“I saw her portrait…”

“Oh?”

“Over the fireplace… in the drawing room…”

“…You were there?”, Will asked…

“Yes. Why?”

“Oh… nevermind… it’s not important”, he answered.

“When was the last time you went to Europe?”, I asked Will…

“Oh… I never went back. But Paul did… a few times… and so did Ludwig…”, he answered.

“Huh? How come you never went back?”

“Oh, it’s a long… a very long story…”, he answered…

“Yes”, Paul said. “Maybe, if you want… We’ll tell you that story… but later okay?”

“Sure!”

When we got to Bagatelle I realized Lutz and Hans had been waiting for us to return. The were as excited as young kids…

They hugged me… Then, Paul showed me my room:

“So… what to you think?”

“It’s great guys! Really… And you bought a computer?”

“Yeah”, Will answered… “We don’t even know how that works….”, he added, rolling his eyes. “That’s Paul’s idea! And we’re expecting the guys from the phone company so they can install what you call “Internet”… whatever that is…”

I burst out laughing and said:

“Hey: we have Internet at College… but we don’t even have it yet at our house… I can’t believe you’re doing all this just for me… Thanks guys! I mean… You’re too much!”, I answered, laughing…

“Now… come, and have a snack with us, will you?”, Paul said…

“Sure…”

That night, we didn’t talk at all about what was going on in my life. I guess they just didn’t want to pry into my life. They probably thought that if I wanted to talk to them about my problems, I would make the first move. 

Early the morning after, I went to the pool to swim train. I was feeling real good… and realized that the day before, I had not spent one second thinking about Richard! Not one! A first!

After my training and as I was relaxing on a Transat, Will came to me and said:

“…Hungry?”

“…Like a bear…”

“That what I thought…”, he answered, laughing…

We had breakfast and I think they were happy just to see me smiling…

“…I think that later I’m gonna go for a long walk on the beach…”, I said after breakfast…

“Well…I think I know a guy who’d like to go with you”, Lutz answered…

“Who?”

“Boussole!” (Compass…), he answered…

“Your dog?… That’s a peculiar name for a dog, isn’t it?”

“Yes…”, Paul answered, laughing… “For many, many years… all the cats and all the dogs we had were named Bousolle…”

“But why?”, I asked, curious…

“Oh… That’s part of the long story we told you about yesterday…”

“You’re gonna have to tell me about that story you know…”

“Yeah yeah… Later…”, Paul answered, laughing…

So Bousolle and I went for a long walk on the beach. We went pass our house and I took a minute to check it. Everything was okay. Then, we continued walking… and it didn’t take long for Boussole to find a wood stick for me to throw away for him to fetch…

When I came back to Bagatelle, I went to the pool to lay down on a Transat to get some rest. Paul was there, reading.

“Hey!”, I said to him… 

“Oh… did you enjoy your walk?”, he answered…

“Yes… very much. I guess the hurricane season is over… It’s beautiful today…”

“Oh we would have to be very, very bad lucky to have a hurricane at this time…”, he answered.

“Yeah… That’s what I think…”

We remained silent for a while… then I said:

“You were right all along Paul: I did burn my wings…”

Paul closed his book and look up at me. He then smiled and said:

“Do you know the story of Icarius?”

“No…”

“Well Icarius is part of the Greek mythology. I don’t remember if he was a god or what… but anyway… according to the legend, Icarius made his own wings out of feathers and wax to fly and catch his dream… But he kept soaring too near the sun and his wings caught fire and melted away. Then he fell into the sea…”

“Well… that’s exactly what happened to me I guess. I’ve been soaring too high…and I’ve burned my wings…”

“That was bound to happen… And you know it, don’t you?”

“(…) I guess so. But it hurts so much Paul…”

“…No. I can’t blame him. How could I? He did nothing wrong. I’m the one who was wrong…”

“No Jack. You were not wrong. You were in love… That’s all!”

“Yeah well if that’s what love is all about, I don’t want to ever fall in love again!”, I answered.

“Ne dis jamais “Fontaine, je ne boirai pas de ton eau…” (Never say: “Fountain, I shall never drink from you”)… “You’re young Jack… and I guess it’s only normal for you to say that at this point… but I sure hope one day, you will fall in love again…”

“Never!”, I answered.

“I understand how you feel… But you know Jack, at your age… you’re very lucky to know what love is all about. Many people go through life without ever knowing what true love is all about. Some think they know… but they don’t. I guess you have to suffer to know what true love is all about… And I know you hurt. But do you have regrets? Would you do what you did all over again?”

“Yes! As much as I suffer now… I would not hesitate and would do what I did all over again. I love him so much Paul… so much! I just wish I could have him! And the worst part is that I never really had him… We never made love Paul! I never kissed him! But each and every moment I’ve spent with him was blissful…”

“…Yes. I understand…”

“What the hell am I going to do Paul… I never felt so bad in my life!”

“There is nothing you can do Jack. Only time will help. You did the right thing, coming here… Try not to think about Richard. Keep busy. Go out with Ludwig’s and Hans’ grandchildren… Have fun with them…”

“Yeah. I will do that…”

And that’s what I did.

For my birthday, my old friends threw a big party for me… and indeed, we had a ball. My parents called… to wish me happy birthday, and I also talked to Robert. Not a word was said about Richard.

“…We’ll join you next month”, my dad said… “We’ll get there on the 19th…”

“Good! We had 29 degrees today… it’s just perfect! I’ll be expecting you… If I had your keys, I could take your car and get you at the Airport…”, I answered…
“I forgot to give them to you… Sorry about that!” my dad answered… “Anyway, we’ll manage…”

On December 19th, I was at the Lamentin Airport, waiting for my parents and my brother to land. The day before, Paul had said to me:

“No way your parents will take a cab to get here. Take our car, and wait for them at the Airport…”

So when my parents and Robert saw me standing there at the Airport, waving at them, they were a bit surprised, but very happy to see me.

When we got to our house my dad said:

“I’m glad we’re here: we were freezing in Montréal!”

“Yeah well I don’t miss winter. The only thing I miss is skiing…” I answered…

“Hey… look at you bro: you’re getting quite a tan… Been sunbathing a lot huh?”, my brother said, laughing…

I looked at him then pulled off my T-shirt in one movement, reviling my tanned body…

“Wow”, he said, laughing… “I look like an Aspirin compare to you… and I guess you’ve been doing a lot of swim training too… I’m getting jealous of your toned body…”

It was true that I was not doing too bad in that department… and I must say I was rather proud of the way my body was starting to look. At seventeen, I was 5’11”… I was slender and I guess I could say I had a well-defined body from all the swim training I was doing. I had a smooth, firm chest and toned abs… and was rather proud of the small six pack I was starting to develop. I wasn’t that muscular… No. And certainly not the bodybuilder type: I've never worked out a day in my life! Rather I would say I had an athletic build, that’s all. And I thought my newly acquired tan was complementing my dirty blond hair and my blue eyes just fine! I wasn’t an Adonis… but I thought I didn’t look bad either. At least that’s what I thought, from the looks I was getting from girls… but I wasn’t really interested by them anyway.

“Yup! You’re getting sexy bro…”, Robert finally said, laughing…

“Oh shut up”, I answered rolling my eyes, laughing…

We had fun during the Christmas holidays… and I was starting to feel good. But I knew that at some point, my parents would pop the question… and I was getting more nervous with each passing day. I just didn’t want to go back to Montréal. Not so soon…

And indeed early in January my dad asked me:

“…So Jack: are you coming back to Montréal with us?”
“I’m not ready dad. I’d really would like to stay here. Anyway dad, what would I do in Montréal? It’s too late in the year for me to go back to College. (…) Here, I feel at peace. And I’m getting over Richard, if that’s what you want to know. But if I go back to Montréal with you… I don’t know…”

“Okay Jack. That’s what your mother and I thought anyway. Have you spent all the money we gave you?”

“…No, not yet. I don’t spend that much you know… I still have some.”

“I think there’s an ATM at the village, no?”

“Yes.”

“Good. So as soon as we get back to Montréal, I’ll deposit some money on your bank account. All you’ll have to do is to go to the village and make cash withdrawals if you need money. Now your mother and I want you to have fun while you’re here Jack. Spend. Enjoy your sabbatical leave. And get well. If your mother and I are feel comfortable with you living here it’s because we know you’re acting like an adult. Don’t fail us Jack…”

“…I won’t, dad.”

“Now we’re going to have to talk to Will and Paul… to see how they feel about you living at Bagatelle for a while…”

“I’m sure they will be happy dad. They’re cool you know…”

“…Yes I know. But keep in mind they aren’t young anymore. Having a teenager like you living there, well…”

“I never bother them dad… I swear!”

“Yes. Well nevertheless we’ll have to talk to them about that…”

My parents did talk to Will and Paul… and to Lutz and Hans too. I wasn’t there when they talked to them, so I’ll never know what was said. All I know is that when my parents came back from Bagatelle, my dad said:

“…Those guys are really super! They said they were more than happy to have you there with them for as long as you want! I don’t know how you did it… but I think they have all fell under your spell… And they showed me your new computer: you have Internet there?”

“Yes… can you believe that?”, I answered, laughing…

“We’ll have it installed at home, so we can communicate as often as we want with you. As soon as we have our e-mail address, we’ll let you know…”
“Great!”

The night before they left, my dad said to me:

“…You could drive us to the Airport tomorrow, then keep the car…”

“Sure dad”, I answered, beaming…

At the Airport, we all hugged and my mum said:

“…Now take good care Jack. Be responsible. You hear me?”

“Yes mum”, I answered, rolling my eyes.

I hugged Robert and said to him:

“Take good care bro. And go to the gym, if you want to have a gorgeous, sexy body like mine…”, I said laughing my heart out…

“…Go to hell!”, he answered, laughing his heart out too. “Take care Jack, huh? Don’t do anything that I wouldn’t do…”

“Sure!”, I answered, still laughing.

I was driving back to Bagatelle when it hit me: I had not thought about Richard for quite a while! I had not seen him since the end of August… almost five months ago… And when I started to think about him, I realized I wasn’t hurting anymore. I was a bit puzzled. Was I really getting over him?

I talked to Will and Paul about that and Paul said:

“You know Jack, love is a lot like a plant. If you take a plant away from the light and you stop watering it… it slowly dies. Some plants will die faster than others, but surely they will all die.”

And of course, he was right.

The decision I had made to stay in Martinique was a wise one. And I think my parents understood that perfectly. Finally, I began to really enjoy my sabbatical leave. Since I had my dad’s car, I started to go out more often, driving to Fort-de-France to do some shopping or to see a movie. Yes, I was having fun.

That’s about when the idea of doing some waterskiing came to my mind. I had done some in the past and had loved it. But we didn’t have a motorboat…

“…You could go to Club Med you know…”, Will and Paul said to me when I told them about my idea…
“Oh yes…”, Paul added… “They have motorboats at Club Med… and it’s not too far from here…”

“…Les Boucanniers? Sure, I know where the Club is located…”, I answered… “But I thought they were only selling week-long vacation packages…”

“Oh no… I heard that for 450 Francs, it’s possible to spend a day there”, Will said… “And according to what I heard, that price includes the dinner, the supper as well as free access to all activities available, including waterskiing…”

I called Club Med to make sure they were right… and they were!

So early one morning I took the car and drove to Sainte-Anne, where the Club Med is located…

I didn’t know it then, but I was about to meet my destiny there!