Chapter IV

DOD / Wednesday 7th April 199314/02/2025
⋱ Chatblog ◂ LWTF ⨗

LWTF / Simon Jepps

The Trials Of Life

I woke this morning to find Arnaud already getting dressed. It was a quarter to eight! I was half an hour late! I quickly got out of my bed, ran down the stairs and got washed as quickly as I could. I didn't have time for my Miel Pops this morning and so I just ate a Chocolatine.

When I had finished my breakfast, I collected my bag and coat and got into the car. Arnaud's dad drove us to school. This was a change, in fact today I would find out much more about Monsieur Chasseigne.

Today, I thought, is going to be a BRILLIANT day - a Wednesday!

Wednesdays in France are very much loved by the majority of school children. This is because they have half a day off. However, that doesn't mean there is no point going in - hell no. The work on a Wednesday is tremendous. Even, it would turn out, for foreign exchange students.

The first lesson of the day was Maths.

Unlike my father who is a mathematician, I have only marginal capacity for the subject and to be honest, things like algebra make as much sense to me as backwards Bengali. Still, it is a necessary component in understanding Music and so I do persevere nonetheless.

So the lesson began and once again I noticed how all the work they do looks so complicated. It might sound strange but even though we are of the same age and school year, everything they study is completely alien, like some kind of advanced thesis from another planet! They must be much more intelligent than the English if they have come so far already.

Of course, I didn't do any work, at least not this lesson. Much to my surprise, that will be to come later.

Instead I wrote my diary - not forgetting Blondine! She didn't seem as happy as usual today. She seemed distant... very distant. She had the same sort of look on her face as a clown when nobody laughs. I wanted to go over and put my arm around her to comfort her, but I knew that it wouldn't be possible.

So nevermind, but I really hope I can speak to her soon, I'll only get a week here before the French school holidays begin. I can't honestly expect much even if I do, but it would seem so unfortunate to just leave a romantic dialogue untouched, without even an exchange of good wishes.

I guess I'll just have to wait and hope for the best.

Meanwhile, as part of my diary I decided to spend this lesson studying French socialism, i.e. greeting people. I noticed that when different people meet each other they greet each other differently depending on what sex they might be.

I made a list of results:

Boy meets boy = Shake hands
Girl meets girl = Kiss
Man meets man = Shake hands
Woman meets woman = Kiss
Man meets woman = Kiss
Boy meets woman = Kiss
Girl meets man = Kiss
Boy meets man = Shake hands
Boy meets girl = Kiss/shake hands

The number of times I have got this wrong myself should be a world record! To me it seems only natural to gently shake a woman's hand, rather than kiss her cheek. You wouldn't do that in England, the husband would get very upset.

France it seems then, is quite a complicated country to the foreigner, but a tremendously beautiful country to be known. Even the roads are a novella to translate. Paint is spread all across the carriageways, making lovely pretty patterns! I studied all the different patterns quite devotedly and simply loved looking out the windows at junctions.

So that lesson went swell. The next lesson was History.

Yet again I noticed a sudden increase in the number of pupils in the class. This is because in France they have different classes for each subject.

During this lesson I was once again impressed by Arnaud's intelligence. He answers many of the questions asked by the teacher. Always alert and ready to do anything the teacher asks him. I think they're studying the French Revolution.

Yes and that would be why I am once again nodding off.

Anyway, as it happened, a nightmare exploded in my mind. I had been half asleep all the way through the lesson. During my snoozing I decided it would be a good idea to resurface with my cunning trick of appearing like having actually arisen from a deeply contemplative appraisal of the lesson at hand.

Ummmm, nope. Instead I discovered the History teacher was looking DIRECTLY at me and WAITING, as if she was expecting me to tell her something.

Darn! Caught again! And to add, "Oh, Jesus".

For thence thereof, like someone had just hit me 'round the head with an aeroplane, I realised what she wanted. She wanted me to comment on or explain something about the text!! I froze. I just completely froze.

"Mais... er... mais oui! Mais oui, Madame." I said nervously, trying to pretend all along I had understood whatever it was she had said and desperately nudging Arnaud for help.

To which Arnaud promptly obliged by pointing his finger at some text in the book and saying, "Er... read."

READ?! I thought, How am I supposed to do that? I only know the basics... like geeeting people, asking for the time, asking for directions... or asking whether someone might be free for an evening Jazz dinner and spicy smooch under a moonlight Magnolia. You can't honestly expect me to READ ASWELL?!

Nevertheless... I cleared my throat and began.

"La ville de Paris et tous habitants..." I read with nerves of broccoli. The nightmare just felt worse and worse with each word... "Serant tenus de se toumettre..." er... er... how do you speak French again?! "... sur-le-champ et sans delai au roi..." Of course, I had absolutely no idea what the donut I was saying, but I got a round of applause at the end all the same.

Although many people sniggered whilst I read, I didn't see Blondine laughing. Instead she smiled every now and then, nodding in appreciation. She really isn't like the other girls. She's not just all fun and games, doing stupid things in lessons. She's serious. She actually cares about her future. This made me feel even closer to her.

Of course today is a Wednesday and very soon school will end, but even though we have half a day off, I can't hang out and make friends with Blondine, for we are being picked up by Arnaud's mum straight after.

Still, it's not like I am going back to England anytime soon. And so meanwhile I thought it would be a good idea to leave with her my ingenious '...man of your dreams... see you in them...' erm, kind of smile, and thence let the day be a day. You know you've got one of those.

School finished at midday, which funnily enough, is coincidentally exactly what all the school children had planned... and so Arnaud and I were promptly picked up by his mum and taken home to have lunch.

Whilst lunch was once again a bizarre mixture of the most peculiar oddities, it was actually not as weird as I had come to expect, but instead a very nice combination of flavoured meaty pieces and sweetish vegetables.

Thence after lunch there came an exciting announcement - an afternoon's outing to an undisclosed location.

"Où allons-nous?" I asked.
"It's a surprise." Arnaud responded.

Arnaud's dad was driving and all the family came along for the ride. Off we went, navigating various rural roads, before hitting some main roads and eventually arriving at the outskirts of an inner industrial region of Bordeaux.

It seemed like a very long way, but it was only a few minutes drive. It must have been all the twists and turns prolonging my anticipation.

Yet arrive we did and to my delight, woe and behold... The Fire Station.

"This is my father's work." Arnaud said to me, panning his hand afront the building with a smile.
"Aaahhh..." I replied, with an enthusiastic French accent.

I really have to improve my vocabulary soon, I thought, I don't know how long I can keep these 'oohs' and 'aahs' up before they cotton on.

Nevertheless, all was well and we entered the fire station.

I really had no idea M. Chasseigne was a fireman, it really took me by surprise. Yet he had always struck me as a very strong and knowledgeable man. Now it was obvious why. We moved forward through some various doors and along a number of passages until eventually we entered into an enormous garage.

Here, shining with a majestic red-rose aura, were all the fire engines, lined up one by one.

It was incredibly quiet for a fire station. Where were all the firemen? I guess there must be a reason. Perhaps they were all upstairs somewhere waiting to be called out on duty.

M. Chasseigne guided us all around the garage and personally showed me all the wonderful fire engines. There were many, many engines and all of them had different uses. I didn't realise there were so many different vehicles. I've only seen one or two, back in England. Yet these guys have a complete chess-set of machines, ready and waiting to make their coordinated moves on whatever kind of fire or threat there might be.

It must be a great feeling to have saved someone's life, I thought, I bet he feels like Superman everyday!

We must have spent at least an hour at the fire station, before M. Chasseigne once again drove us home. I really enjoyed that outing, it was a real treat and one I won't ever forget.

Indeed this Wednesday had been a very exciting day. Arnaud and I spent the rest of the afternoon talking, playing Chess and just generally having a laugh. It was simply great to have a half-day off school!

As evening drew near I went off to bed, and so did the cat - all be it on my head. I drifted off to sleep with the thought, Holidays soon... God, I can't wait!

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