My German Lover, Part 26, chapter 2

"I burned them in the fireplace... and I didn't leave the flat before they were totally destroyed by the fire. I've even removed the zippers and all the buttons from the ashes..."

"Gook thinking!", Lutz answered, laughing...

"Hey you!", Franz said to Lutz... "Dead guys are not suppose to be laughing..."

"Oops!", Lutz answered... "But I'm not dead yet... according to my schedule here, I still have a few hours to live...", he added still laughing...

"Darn!", Franz answered, laughing too... "So I guess I'll have to wait before I can put my hands on your car..."

"Hey, that's true... What about our cars?", Will and Lutz asked Paul...

Paul looked at them and said:

"I'll have them seized!"

"What?", Lutz exclaimed...

"Yes! You're dead! And remember: You and Will never paid to me the sale price! So, I have the right to claim back the two cars. Then, I'll sell one to Franz, so he can go to work at the Embassy, and come to bagatelle every weekend..."

"Yeah... but where will Franz live from now on?", a worried Lutz asked Paul...

"Oh no problem!", Paul answered, with a big smile on his face... "You see... last November before we left for Berlin, I had taken one of our flats off the market, so François could move in it, should something bad happen to us. And that flat is still empty. So now Franz: It's yours!"

"Where is it located?", Franz asked...

"Not too far from here... on rue Galilée... on the corner of rue Vernet..."

"Perfect!", Franz answered...

"Here is the key...", Paul said.

"Fine... So tomorrow morning, as you all leave for Bagatelle, I'll move my things over there..." Franz said, smiling at Lutz...

"Will you come to Bagatelle next weekend?", Lutz asked his lover, not too happy to see that they would be separated during the week...

"Count on me!", Franz answered, giving his lover a sweet kiss...

Very early the morning after, Paul, Will, Ludwig, Hans and François were leaving Paris... and Franz was taking possession of his new flat on rue Galilée.

In August, the situation in Paris became very unstable as the Allies were closing on the city and the danger of an uprising became evident.

Most of the personnel at the Swiss Embassy were invited to leave Paris... and Franz gave the Ambassador his phone number at Bagatelle, where he told him he could be reached.

He then left Paris and went to Bagatelle, where he told his friends about the latest news...

"There's an uprising in Paris... and I saw German POW's being led through the streets. Some were treated roughly... others were killed... According to the rumour Général Leclerc, with his Forces and armoured vehicles are heading for Paris.(...) When I left, the Métro (subway), the Gendarmerie and the Police were on strike... and orders have been given so there is going to be a general strike starting from tomorrow...", Franz explained.

"Won't General Von Choltitz fight to keep the city?", Ludwig asked Franz...

"It doesn't look like he intends to...", Franz answered.

However Von Choltitz did some hard fighting that cost Leclerc's 2nd Division 35 thanks and many vehicles... But in the end, he knew there was not much he could do to stop the French Résistance and Leclerc's Free French Forces...

And contrary to the legend, Hitler never ordered Von Choltitz to burn Paris to the ground.

It's true that bombs were placed under bridges all accross the city, to slow down Leclerc's troops... but they were never detonated. And so, on August 25, Von Choltitz, the military governor of Paris, capitulated...

On the same day, Général de Gaulle, leader of the Free French Forces moved back into the War Ministry on the rue Saint-Dominique, then made a rousing speech to the population from the Hôtel de Ville (City Hall...). This was followed on August 26 by a Victory parade down the Champs-Elysées, with German snipers still active.

On the 29th, joyous crowds greeted the American Forces... and on that day, another Victory parade down the Champs-Elysées took place.

By that time, the city of light had been secured, and the Germans had stopped fighting in the Capital...

Paris was free again!

The news of the Liberation was greeted with a kind of uneasiness at Bagatelle...

Of course, all were very happy to hear Von Choltitz had capitulated... but Will and Lutz felt sorry for their comrades that had been killed... and for all the others that had evacuated Paris only to be sent to the Russian front...

"For them, the war is not over yet...", Hans commented... "And I'm afraid they are about to learn what hell is all about..."

"What's going to happen now?", Lutz asked his brother...

"The Allies will keep pushing towards Germany I guess..."

"...Unless Hitler capitulates...", Ludwig said...

"Are you crazy? Hitler will never capitulate. Never! He will bring Germany down with him... that's what he's going to do!", Hans angerly answered...

At the end of September, Franz returned to Paris, as he had been called to resume his work at the Swiss Embassy... and Ludwig and François went with him, to live with him on the rue Galilée, since they had to go back to College...

That's about the time Paul got a letter from his father, telling him his family was coming back to Paris...

"Thank God we no longer live on Avenue Foch...", Paul said to Will... "Can you imagine us living there, with my mother? It would have been hell!"

A few weeks later, Paul had a call at Bagatelle from his father: His family was back!

The day after, Paul drove to Paris and met his father at the Head office for the first time in four years...

Both of them were very happy to be reunited... and of course, many tears were shed...

"When I last saw you... you were a teenager Paul. Now, you're a grown man, and a very handsome one", Paul's dad said to him... "And all those years, you did a fine job here... and I know it wasn't always easy for you. I can't thank you enough, son... I'm so proud of you!"

"Thanks dad. I'm so happy to see you again. (...) And how is mum?"

"(...) Oh... she's fine, I guess... But you won't be surprise to hear that she doesn't want to see you...", his dad saddly answered...

With a sad look on his face, Paul replied:

"Oh... I'm not really surprised dad... But I'm sorry she feels that way about me and Will..."

"And I must tell you that she has given strict orders to your sister and your brother not to ever contact you...", his dad added...

Paul looked at his father with tears in his eyes and said:

"I should have known... But how is Catherine? And how is Pierre? Have they changed?"

"Oh... They have grown, you know... Your sister Catherine is now eighteen... and your brother Pierre got sixteen last month... and he's a fine young man. He looks a lot like you... tall, blond curly hair and he has your sparkling green eyes... And of course, now that we're back, he talks a lot about you... and wants to see you."

"I wish I could see him...", Paul saddly said...

"Life isn't easy for him you know... Your mother said he's gay! Just like you! And she said it's all my fault..."

"Your fault? But why?", Paul asked, stunned to hear his mother was blaming his father...

"She says it runs in my family... That it couldn't come from her side, since no one was gay in her family..."

"That's bull shit! Like if some of them would have admitted they were gay, even if they were. (...) But I don't understand why she says Pierre is gay? Is that what he said?"

"No... didn't have to. Two or three months before we left New-York city, she caught him with one of his friends and... Well, they were..."

"Oh, I see...", Paul answered, grinning...

"Yes. And since then, it's been a living hell for your brother... She said that, with some help from the Church, she's going to change your brother, and make sure he doesn't sin anymore..."

"You're kidding me, are you? If he's gay... she can't change him... that's stupid!"

"I'm watching her closely. For now, she's only talking... but should she start acting, I'm going to have to reason her...", his dad said...

"You can count on me dad, should you need my help..."

"So... I understand you and Will are now living at Bagatelle... I intend to visit you over there. I want you to introduce me to Will", his dad said, smiling at his son...

"And you're most welcome to visit us dad. Will is dying to meet you, and so are all the others..."

"The others?"

So Paul explained to his dad who Lutz, Hans, Ludwig and François were...

"I'm happy to see you have such good friends Paul..."

"So.. Why don't you come to see us next Sunday?", Paul asked his dad...

"I guess that could be arranged... yes. But I will come alone..."

"I understand...", Paul answered, with a sad grin on his face...

"Now, I hope you will keep working here, at the Head office..."

"(...) No dad... I took care of the business while you were gone, but now that you're back, I intend to do something else with my life..."

"Oh... And what do you have in mind?"

"We haven't really decided yet... But you remember Will and I bought a sugarcane plantation in Martinique three or four years ago... and... we're thinking about moving there... you know... we're kind of fed up with Europe!"

"You would leave France?"

"Why not? And you know, it's not like if Martinique was a foreign land... it's part of France..."

"Nevertheless... it's a shock to hear you say you want to leave. I just found you back, and you're already talking about leaving..."

"Don't worry dad", Paul answered, grinning... "We're not leaving tomorrow..."

"Thank God! (...) Anyway, we'll have time to talk about that, won't we? And expect me to be at Bagatelle next Sunday..."

"We'll be exepecting you for dinner dad...", Paul answered, with a big smile on his face.

And indeed on Sunday, Paul's father drove to Bagatelle... and as he was parking his car in front of the Château... he heard some one shout from the trunk:

"Open the trunk..."

Paul's father remained still... just to make sure he really had heard a voice...

"Please dad... open the trunk...", he clearly heard...

He walked over to the trunk and opened it...

"Thanks dad!", his son Pierre said, beaming... "It's not too comfortable in there, you know..."

"What are you doing in there?", his dad asked, dumbfounded...

"What does it look like I'm doing here, dad? I knew you were coming to see Paul today... and so... here I am!", Pierre answered, laughing...

"Your mother will kill us..."

"I don't give a damn about her dad... It's my life we're talking about, and I won't let her decide what's good for me!"

"...We'll talk about that later son. But now that you are here... well... there's not much I can do... or that I want to do to prevent you from seeing your brother..."

Pierre smiled at his dad, and the two of them were walking towards the Château...

"Paul won't belive it...", his dad said...

"Well, here I am!", Pierre answered, as Paul was about to answer the door... "And I intend to stay here with Paul... I don't intend to go back to Paris, dad..." Pierre stated.

"Huh?", his father said, as the big door was opening before them...