My German Lover, Part 27, chapter 4

One day I went to Paul:

“…I think I’m ready to hear your story”, I said, beaming…

“Okay…”

He then started to tell me their story…

“It all started in June of 1940, when I got arrested in Paris and brought for questioning… That’s when I saw Will for the first time…”

And over the next few days, he went on and on… and of course, from time to time, I would interrupt him to ask a few questions…

“…Do you still have that picture of you and Hitler you’re talking about?”, I asked him at one point… “Sure… it must be some place in a box…”. He later showed me the picture and I couldn’t believe my eyes.

“…What about that song you hated so much?”

“The Horst Wessel Lied?”

“Yes. Can you sing the tune?”

“No. I still hate it!”, he answered, laughing…

Later, I asked Will about that song and he grinned: “You really want to hear that damn song?” 

“Yeah!”, I answered.

“Well, let’s wait for the others to go to the distillery, and I’ll play it for you on the piano…”

And he did.

Later, when Paul learned Will had played the song for me he burst out laughing and said:

“…You really convinced him to play that song for you?”

“Yup!”

“… Well, that tells you a lot about how much he loves you… cause he hates that song as much as I do…”

Paul told me everything about Will, Lutz and Ludwig… and about how their parents had died in Berlin. Tears were running down my cheeks when he told me about that. Then he told me about François Dubois and his lover Philippe.

“Dr Dubois? The one that lives in Fort-de-France?”

“Yes”, Paul answered.

I had met Dr Dubois on a few occasions, and recently at Hans’ funeral.

“But what happened to his lover?”

“Well… when they graduated from the Medicine Faculty in Paris, we invited them to spend some times with us here. At the time, one of our good friend was in charge of the hospital in Fort-de-France, and I knew they needed new doctors there…

“So one day we invited our friend for supper and we introduced him to François and Philippe. And of course, it didn’t take long before our friend offered them good jobs…

“They finally accepted and moved to Martinique… I’m not sure though we did the right thing when we invited our friend for supper that night…”, he said in a very sad voice…

“Why?”, I asked…

“…Well, it was hard for Philippe to get adjusted… and after about two years he started to fall into a major depression and wanted to go back to Paris. But François was doing fine at the hospital and had a good career in front him. He was happy in Martinique, and loved the way of life here. As you may have guess, they had come to a crossroads as François didn’t want to go back to Paris. He wanted to stay.

“It was a very difficult period for them… but in the end, they agreed Philippe had to go back. And François stayed here…

“They broke up just like that?”, I asked…

“Oh no… no. They kept writing to one another for quite some times. But you know, as we say: “Loin des yeux, loin du cœur…” (Out of sight, out of mind…). “All I know is that one day, Philippe stopped writing. I never questioned François about that, and he never told me what happened. I respect his silence.”

“Yes…” 

That night I went on Internet to check the list of all the registered doctors in France but couldn’t find Philippe’s name on it. He could have retired, or he could be dead. I never found out.

Later, when I told Paul about that he said:

“…Anyway Jack, for François’ sake, let’s not bring back old memories…”

I agreed and asked:

“…But did Dr Dubois meet someone else after his lover had left?”

“No. Never. He has lots of friends in Fort-de-France and of course he comes to visit us quite often. But no, he has remained “vieux garçon” (single)”…

I was sad to hear that. But he had made his choices, and from what I had seen, he was a happy man. Not a grumpy old man!

Paul and I didn’t talk every day or every evening about their story, so it took a while before I finally heard the whole thing. And in the end all I could say to him was:

“Wow! What a story!”

“…I suppose so”, he simply answered with a nice smile on his face. “And now that you know the whole story, I may have an assignment for you later…”

“Oh? What kind of an assignment?”

“I’m not sure yet but I had this idea for some times… but with all that happened recently, I didn’t have much time to think about it. Give me a few days to think about it, and if I decide to go through with my idea, I’ll let you know, okay?”

“Fine with me!”, I answered, smiling…

I must admit that what Paul had said to me about a possible “assignment” had not stayed on my mind for long since a day or two later, Mike told me that next August he would have to decide whether or not to renew his contract with Club Med, which was ending on September first. He added that the Club was talking about a one year renewal and not the usual nine months renewal.

In the past, Mike had said to me that eventually he wanted to go back to France to study architecture. He had told me so… but had remained rather vague about that at the time. But now I guess he was feeling the pressure from Club Med and didn’t know what to do. We began talking about that and of course at one point Mike popped the question I dreaded so much: What was I going to do at the end of my sabbatical leave? Shit!

“Look Mike”, I answered, taking all my time… “I know that my parents expect me to go back to College next September. As of now, they haven't put too much pressure on me… but I’m sure that before long, they will start asking me questions about that. I guess it’s only normal, huh? But I think I may have a solution to the problem. When do you have to give the Club your answer?”

“…Well… my contract with the Club ends on September first. And in August I’m entitled to a three weeks vacation. So I guess I must give them my answer before I go on vacation. If I decide to renew my contract I’ll come back to the Club at the end of my vacation. If I don’t renew it, I’ll have to go back to France…”

“Okay! That will give me time to see if my idea works…”

“Oh… and what’s your idea?”

“Um… I don’t want to say for now. But take for granted I don’t want to go back to Montréal…”, I answered, smiling at him. “I won’t keep you waiting for long Mike. I’ll do all I can to give you an answer as soon an I can. Trust me will you?”

“Okay. You know Jack I trust you… and hearing you say that you don’t want to go back to Montréal is enough for me at the present time…”

“Look at me Mike: I don’t intend to lose you! No way! I’ll do all I can…”

“I love you Jack…”, he answered, looking at me straight in the eyes….

“And so do I…” I answered, kissing him tenderly.

A day later, Paul looked at me and asked:

“Hey! What’s wrong?”

“You’re reading my mind again, aren’t you” I answered, grinning…

Paul sat next to me and smiled. After a few seconds he said:

“…Do you want to tell me what’s on your mind?”

“I’ve got a big problem on my hands…”

“How big is it?”

“Big!”

Then I told him everything…

“I see! I knew that that problem would have to be solved one day. I just didn’t know when…” he answered. “Now you’re facing it… and it came sooner than I thought it would. You said you have an idea?”

“Yeah. Since I have the French nationality… I could go to College at Fort-de-France…”

“Yes…”

“But that doesn’t really solve my problem. Do you see me driving to and from Fort-de-France everyday? With the traffic jams and everything? (…) I would have to stay at Fort-de-France… away from Mike….”

“Not necessarily”, Paul answered. “Each morning there’s a ferryboat leaving Sainte-Anne for Fort-de-France. And at the end of the day it sails back to Sainte-Anne… And you know, by the sea, it doesn’t take long to go to Fort-de-France… I guess once in Fort-de-France all you’d have to do is take the bus or a cab to go to College…”

Hearing that, I looked at Paul with a big smile on my face:

“Hey… You’re a genius you know! It could work… How come I didn’t think of that before? Yeah… It could work…”

“At least it’s a possibility…”

“Thanks Paul. As I said… you’re a genius! Thanks…” I answered, giving him a big kiss on each cheek.

I ran to my room and started checking the Colleges they have at Fort-de-France. I made a list of them so I could later ask my old friends their opinion about them. Then I wrote an e-mail to my brother Robert back in Montréal. I needed his help! I told him all about my plan and asked him to put his hand on all the documents I needed to file an application with the College at Fort-de-France I would choose. And of course I asked Robert not to say a word to our parents about my idea. I had to make sure my idea was working before I say anything. I knew my parents would be asking tons of questions, and I had to be prepare to answer each and every one of them before I even start thinking about telling them…

Robert found all the papers I needed and mailed them to me. He was great.

I showed my old friends the list of Colleges at Fort-de-France and they told me which one was the best according to them. The day after, I called and made an appointment with the director.

The day of my appointment I drove to Sainte-Anne and parked my car there. I took the ferry to Fort-de-France. Once there, I took the bus and went to my appointment.

Yes, it could be done!

I filed an application with the College, and the director took photocopies of all of my papers as well as of my French passport. Then I waited for a reply.

It didn’t take long. And when I received it I ran to my old friends:

“I’ve been accepted!”, I said beaming, showing them the reply… “All I need is a signature from my parents…”

“Have you talked to them about that?”, Will asked…

“Not yet. First, I wanted to see if I was going to get admitted…”

“Well I think you should talk to them as soon as possible…”

“Right”

That night I called home, hoping my mum would answer the phone. I knew if I could convince her, she would in turn convince my dad!

My brother Robert answered the phone. I told him what was going on. I knew he was on my side, and that I could count on his help. I told him I wanted to talk to our mum and after a few seconds, she was on the line.

She was surprised to hear my voice on the phone and I told her not to worry… that everything was fine. Then explained everything to her.

For a few seconds she remained silent. Then she said:

“…It’s so sudden… Are you sure about that Jack?”

Of course I did my best… my very very best to convince her, telling her that we were talking about my life here and about my future. She realized I was serious and I think she was impressed by the all the proceedings I had gone through…

“…I’m not a kid anymore mum. I know what I want to do with my life. Let me do it my way. Please. You’ve always said we must follow our dreams… Well, let me follow mine”

“Look Jack. Your father and I have to talk about that. Give us a few days, will you? We’ll let you know…”

“…So you’re not against the idea?”, I asked…

“No. But many things have to be considered Jack. So give your father and I some time to make up our mind will you? A few days won’t make the difference huh?”

“No mum. Thanks. I’ll be waiting for your call…”

“Love you mum. And tell dad I love him huh?”

“I will.”

Over the next few days, I almost slept next to the phone. Mike could see I was anxious about something but didn’t know what it was… and I didn’t want to tell him.

“…Just wait!”, I told him when he asked me what was going on.

Finally on a Sunday night right after supper, the phone rang for me.

“Your father is on the line for you…” Henri, the tall Martinican said, with a nice smile on his face.

I ran to the phone with my heart pumping so fast that for a second I wondered if I was not going to have a heart attack. I sat near the phone and took a few seconds to let my breathing return to normal. Well, as normal as it could under the circumstances I guess.

“Yes…”, I finally answered.

“Hi Jack”, my dad said…

Then I heard my mum say: “Hi Jack”. She was also on the phone. I closed my eyes and crossed my fingers.

“Oh Hi! How are you?”, I asked…

“We’re just fine Jack… And you?”, my dad asked…

“Depends… I mean I’m fine… but I’ll tell you how I feel after we’ve talked…”

“Yes…”, my mum answered. From the tone of her voice I could see she was smiling…

“Well, what do you say?”, I asked…

“Right to the point, huh Jack?” my dad asked, laughing…

“Yup!”, I answered…

“It’s not an easy decision you’re asking us to make Jack…”, my dad said.

Then he went on to explain all the things they had considered. I could see they were glad I had decided to go back to College. Obviously, they had worried about that…

“…You’re still young to live on your own Jack…”, my dad said at one point,

“Dad… I’ll be eighteen in November… And if I was attending College at…say… at Québec City, I would be on my own there also… How may students do you think live on their own when attending College huh?”

“Yes. True. And we knew you would say that”, I heard my mum say…

“We can talk like that for hours you know”, I finally said… “But in the end the question is: Will you sign the papers or not?”

I heard my dad laugh at the end of the line. Then he said:

“…Mail them. We’ll sign them. (…) And anyway we’re going to Martinique soon and so I guess we’ll have all the time needed to talk with you about your future and… make sure that studying at Fort-de-France is really what you want. You could change your mind you know…”

“Fat chance!”, I answered, laughing…

They did sign the papers and everything was settled.

Of course we had not yet talked about where I would be living while in College. Would I be staying at Bagatelle or at our house? We would have time to talk about that later… I had not made any decision yet… and needed some time to do some thinking…

The day after, I drove to Club Med to pick Mike up and we went to Bagatelle for our swim training, as we always do...

“…According to your schedule, you’re off tomorrow night huh?”, I asked him, grinning…

“Yes…”

“Good. I’ll have a surprise for you!”

That night, I drove back to Club Med to pick Mike up and we went to my house. I had asked Paul’s Chef to cook us a very nice meal, and Paul had given to me a good bottle of wine.

I had installed candles all around the place and set the table in a very romantic way.

“Wow!”, Mike said, looking at the table… “What’s going on?”

“Sit babe”, I answered, with a very sexy grin on my face… “I have good news…”

I then explained to Mike what I had decided, and that my parents had agreed…

He couldn’t believe his ears!

He took me into his arms and kissed me passionately!

“…So I guess I’m going to renew my contract with Club Med huh?”, he finally said…

“Yup!”

“…And in a year… what will we do?”

I looked at him and answered:

“That’s too far away for us to decide for now. So many things could happen in the meantime… Let’s take it one month at the time. What do you say?”

“Fine with me. Let’s drink to that!”, he answered, laughing…

The supper and the wine were delicious. And so was the entire evening! That night, we made love more passionately than ever and we felt we were the happiest men in the world.

At the end of June my parents came to Martinique to spend two weeks at our house, and were glad to see the house was in good order. I didn’t hide from them the fact that Mike and I had been using the house on many occasions, and I think they appreciated my honesty.

One night while they were there we decided to have a small party and made a big fire on the beach in front of our house. My parents had invited our old friends from Bagatelle as well as Ludwig, his wife and those of his children and his grandchildren living on the plantation. A few of Hans’ family members were present also.

At some point, I was a bit annoyed to see one of Ludwig’s grandchildren go around with his video camera, filming everybody… But well, I kept my mouth shut seeing he was having a ball doing that…

As we were all sitting around the big fire, Mike took his guitar and started to play… and we all started to sing along… even me! As usual… I was terrible. Mike was laughing… then he looked at me and said:

“The next song is for you Jack. It’s a Cuban love song… I’ve rearranged the lyrics for you…”

We all kept quiet and Mike began to sing the song…

It was a beautiful song.

He was singing the song in Spanish and although I don’t speak Spanish, I could understand many of the words he was signing. French and Spanish are very similar languages…

I had tears in my eyes and before long, they began to run down my cheeks.

And when the song ended, I ran to Mike and kissed him.

“That was so beautiful. Where did you learn that song?”

“Before my transfer to Martinique, I worked for four months at the Club Med at Varadero…(*which has been closed since then…) and that’s where I learned it”, he answered with a lovely smile on his face…

“What’s the title?”, I asked…

“Yolanda”, he answered… “But as I said, I’ve rearranged the lyrics for you…”

“Thanks Mike. You’ll have to teach me that song so I can play it on the piano…”

“Well I don’t know how to read music you know…”

“…No problem. I’ll learn it by heart…”, I answered laughing…

And we did just that.

That night not only did we had a ball… but my parents could see how much Mike and I were in love with one another. If, before that night, they had doubts about that… well… they certainly no longer had any after what they had witnessed…

During their stay my parents and I had a long talk… and it was agreed that while in College, I would continue to live at Bagatelle. Our old friends there had already agreed to that.

“I know what you’re going to say dad: that they have fallen under my spell… Well, it’s not my fault. I’m too adorable!”, I said, laughing my heart out…

“Oh Lord! Come to their help!”, my father answered, laughing too…

My parents and I had also agreed that I could use our house as often as I wanted, as long as I was not turning the place upside down!

“Don’t worry about that. You can trust me”, I answered.

“We do Jack. We do!”, my mum replied.

The day of their departure, Mike and I drove them to the Lamentin Airport. As they were about to board their plane, they hugged us and said:

“Take good care guys. We love you…”

“We love you too…”, Mike and I answered.

I saw tears in my mother’s eyes and said:

“Don’t worry for me mum. Please don’t. I’m happy with my life. Can’t you see that?”

“Yes. I know. We love you Jack. Very much. And we love you too Mike: take good care of our baby..."”

“MUM!”, I shouted, laughing…

“Don’t worry ma’am… I’ll take good care of him…”, Mike answered, giving my mum a pleasant smile.

On our way to Bagatelle I looked across at Mike and with a grin on my face I said:

“I’ve made reservations for us tonight at “Poï et Virginie”…

“Huh? (…) That’s one of the best restaurants in Martinique! It’s very expensive you know…”

“Maybe. But nothing’s too good for us tonight. I want tonight to be special!”

Once there, we ordered the giant seafood platter. We had rock lobster, spider crab, crayfish, clams, oysters… The whole shebang! And as we were eating, we were even treated to live music. What a night to remember, the kind of stuff best memories are made of.

A few days later, as I was sunbathing near the pool Paul came to me and sat right next to me.

“Hey!” I said, smiling…

“Feeling better now that everything is settled?”

“Yeah!”, I answered, laughing…

“Good. (…) Now, didn’t you say Mike will be on vacation for three weeks in August?”

“…Yes…”

“Is he planning on going back to France to see his family?”

“I know he’d like to, but I don’t think he can afford to go. I offered him to pay for the tickets, but he refused…”

“I understand”. (…) “But I may have a solution…”

“Huh?”

“Yes. Do you remember when I talked to you about a possible assignment?”

“…Oh… yes…”

“Well I had time to think about that… and now I’m ready to tell you…”

“Sure. What is it?”

“Well… I don’t remember if I’ve already told you… but since we left Europe in 1945, Will never went back. I did… and so did Ludwig. Many times. But for whatever reasons, Will and Lutz never agreed to come back with us. Last March, it was Will’s birthday…but due to the events we didn’t celebrate it. I’d like to throw a party for him later… and I’d like to give him something very special…”