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| A day of Relax |
Part 1
It was a beautiful autumn day. The temperatures were mild. It was ten o'clock in the morning, and that day Alain had convinced Andr� to leave the barracks to take a rest and relax.
It wasn't easy because the young man wanted to stay at the French guards barracks not to leave Oscar. In fact, the latter had declined Girodelle's proposal of marriage. Moreover, she had gone to that ball of the suitors in uniform, making it clear to everyone that she won't marry, as she had told him.
Andre was just thinking about her words, they seemed to him like a promise. But a promise of what?
He shook his head, it would be better not to think about it, out of fear of suffering only disappointments at the end.
He was running along the river looking for a peaceful and quiet place.
After all, the important thing was that Oscar did not want to get married.
He had taken a good book, "The New H�loise" and a small hamper containing his meal that had been prepared for him by Arlette, the cook of the barracks.
A peaceful day was looming then, far from the tumult of Paris, from the din of the other soldiers.
Andr� appreciated these moments of solitude. Just one regret however, he won't see Oscar all day long.
He arrived at the edge of the forest, and saw a hut in the distance. By the roadside lay a pile of scraps and objects. One of them particularly attracted his attention.
He dismounted from his horse and came closer to what looked like a chair.
However, the chair was not a common one.
He had never seen such a model before. It seemed to him that it was possible to lie on it, a bit like a canap�, but with some differences. It was built with wooden spaced planks.
He pulled it out of the scraps and he tried it, at first with caution.
It seemed solid and it was nice to be sitting and lying at the same time. Although a bit bulky, he decided to take possession of what he called a "deckchair", which in his opinion would be a nice complement to his day of relax ...
Therefore he didn't get onto his horse, but he did the best he could to carry away the new object of comfort.
He went deep into the surroundings of the forest that the river crossed.
Finally, found the perfect place, he was somewhat sweaty. He placed the chair facing the river then he put his book on it.
He got the idea of swimming a bit in the river.
He took off his jacket, shirt, shoes and trousers and he decided as well, given the mild climate, to plunge fully nude.
Without hesitation, deceived by the warm rays of the sun, he threw himself into the water which was somewhat cold. Shivers ran down his spine.
But soon his body got used to the temperature and he swam with joy.
Meanwhile, Oscar, after some hesitation, decided to take a day off.
She knew that Andr� was on leave, they could return together to the mansion and talk.
She therefore headed for the soldiers' dormitory to look for him.
She didn't almost have the time to walk in the door of the dormitory, that she heard Alain's voice:
"It's useless, colonel, he left early this morning."
Oscar turned her head towards his sergeant.
"What are you talking about?"
"About Andr�..."
"What makes you say that I came to see Andre?"
"Hum, everyone is at the exercises ... Only Andr� and Lassalle are on leave ... And I do not think you want to see Lassalle, am I wrong?"
"And why not!"
Alain began laughing.
"Come on, Colonel ..."
"By the way, what are you doing here?" she retorted.
"Ah, me? I stand guard over the dormitory!"
"What? Are you making fun of me?" she said, furious.
"No, in fact I was waiting for you" Alain said with a smirk.
"If you wanted to talk to me, Alain, you may come to my office."
"No it was easier to wait here." He said with a satisfied air.
"I could not come," said Oscar that was beginning to lose patience.
"You forget that Andr� is on leave ..."
"So what?" she said, annoyed.
"Every time he is on leave you manage to be on leave as well... And every time you come looking for him. It is as clear as day."
"This is completely false!" Oscar said, who had not herself noticed the evidence.
Alain scratched his head.
"Listen colonel, you'd better leave him a bit from time to time."
"What? But what right do you have to allow yourself to give me orders! And Andre is completely free."
"Listen, if it was just about those stories of leaves, but when you need someone to accompany you, it is him the one you choose. Not counting the visits to your office ... And after that, we wonder why some people believe he is your spy. "
"This has nothing to do, Andr� and I were ..."
"Yes, raised together, I know the story, Andr� already told me."
"That's it" Oscar said with a dry tone.
"It does not solve the problem ... And then, I don't think it is good for him to be always with you."
"It is not up to you to judge"
"Listen, he is no longer your servant here! And moreover he's just getting out of a terrible love pain!" Alain said.
Oscar took unconsciously a step backwards.
"Excuse me?"
"Don't tell me that you do not know ...?"
"What did Andr� tell you?" Oscar asked between fear and anger.
"That he was in love with a blond goose who had rejected him" said Alain.
"What!" Oscar yelled.
"Well, he didn't say it like that, but I can tell you, goose for this kind of girl, the word is weak."
Oscar resumed breathing to restrain herself from strangling him.
"What did he tell you exactly?"
"Oh, I don't know anymore, what with the golden cascade of her hair and all the metaphors that he puts in there, all what I understood is that she's a big fool."
"I will not allow you!" Oscar said.
"Excuse me?" Alain said, surprised.
Oscar realized her blunder.
"I mean that I do not allow you to insult like that a woman who you do not know"
"Because you do know her? Ah, bah yes, certainly... You are always together. Anyway, forgive me for my language colonel, but this woman has her head up her ass."
"I don't know why I am talking to you, feelings sometimes are reciprocated and sometimes are not."
"Oh well, but if she took the time to know him, she couldn't understand anything else than she was having the rare pearl there.... even my sister told me that if she was not madly in love with her fianc�, she would have asked me to arrange her the coup."
Oscar opened her eyes wide.
"Diane?"
"Yeah, I wouldn't mind this moreover, well... coming back to our subject ... I have myself advised Andr� to leave early this morning." he said with a broad smile.
"Ah!" She said, sulky "And he told you where was he going?"
"Yes, but I won't tell you! It's incredible, you really believe that I will reveal it to you so as you will rush to reach him."
Oscar crossed her arms. Soisson began to seriously getting on her nerves.
"But you will tell me! I must see Andr�."
"This could wait for tomorrow."
"It's not up to you to decide!"
"Colonel, why are you trying to be close to him all the time?"
"He's my friend! I have the right to spend the day with the one who I consider as a brother!"
"You already spend all your days together, frankly I can't catch something ..." he said while scratching his chin.
"Andr� is really a perfect type, but he has two major defects" continued Alain.
"What are they? You, who know everything?"
"To have fallen in love with a blond goose and the almost feudal loyalty towards you."
Oscar clenched her fists.
"Come on, if you want to and for pure sacrifice for Andr�'s sake, who deserves his day of personal relaxation without having you under in his way, I am ready to spend the day with you if you fear so much the loneliness."
"Out of the question! I do not need you!" Oscar said.
"Well, I certainly don't have his poetical speech, but I can make a conversation."
"I have wasted too much time with you."
She turned her heels.
�Are you going to look for him?� Alain asked her.
"Absolutely not, you have developed a theory that is only in your head. Andre is not here, and well, it doesn't matter!"
"So I can tell you where he is, you are not going to rush up in order to spoil his day."
"Certainly not, I will go ahead on my work!" She retorted proudly.
"Well in this case he is on the edge of the forest, the one traversed by the river ..."
Oscar stopped herself.
"Good for him! That he'll enjoy the good weather. If you need me I will be in my office for a few hours before returning to my home."
"Really...." Alain said sceptic.
"Exactly, you'd better return to your exercises! You are not in vacation as far as I know!"
Meanwhile, the object of Oscar and Alain conversations was sleeping in his birthday suit on his deckchair.
A well-deserved rest after his long strokes in the not very hot water. The sun warmed him.
Finally, he woke up, relaxed, rested and he took the book he had brought. He began reading the first two pages, but soon her belly signalled him the hunger.
The basket was behind the chair, and it was at the time to get up when the unthinkable happened.
Unable to believe it, he tried again to leave the chair, but something was blocking. Or rather stuck between two slats of wood.
Without losing his courage he tried a little more strongly, but the pain became apparent, and then he gave up soon.
He bowed to the facts, he was trapped.
"Why didn't I think about it!" he said with tears in his eyes.
He had to think, there must be a solution. He tried to reach them with his hands, but impossible.
His testicles were out of range and very well stuck.
His heart began to race and the panic overcome him. A nervous laughter broke out as well.
"This is not true! It is a nightmare, I will wake up!"
After a quarter of an hour in which he didn't manage anything, despair overtook him. Moreover the slightest attempt was abandoned because of the pain. He had to wait for a kindly soul to pass there.
While Andr� was in low spirits, Oscar was like a caged lion in her office.
"I don't see why I could not go to join him, that kind of boor is not the one who must dictate my conduct" she yelled.
Suddenly, someone knocked at her door.
"Come in."
Arlette entered the room.
"Colonel, do you know where Andr� is?"
"Yes, why?"
"Well, he made a mistake about the lunch basket, in the one he took, there was nothing else than an apple and a towel inside, I just emptied it."
"Ah!" said Oscar.
"I wanted to go to give him his basket, he must be hungry."
"You are right, I will take it to him myself."
"Uh ... But surely you have a lot to do" said Arlette who seemed disappointed.
"Exactly, I was done!"
"But it's not your duty to do this."
"It is on my way Arlette. "
"Colonel, I would like to take it to him myself, please ... I like Andr� very much and..." she began, flushing.
"Oh, Arlette" Oscar interrupted "I .... I am sorry for you, but his heart is already taken," she said softly.
"I know, Alain told me, but he isn't with her! So I have all my chances to seduce him and then I have fine arguments," she said, pointing her d�colletage.
"Listen, Arlette! Andr� is not sensitive to this kind of charm!"
"Really?" She said astonished.
"No, moreover, the young woman in question, I saw her, she has small breasts� Small but nicely shaped?" she added wondering why she had to say this.
"Oh, I see that you have eyed them very well .... It is not nice, Colonel, have designs on the one your friend loves"
"What?" But no, listen Arlette give me this basket, Andr� is not ready for another love story, I know him, the wound is too fresh."
That said, she took the basket and pushed her towards the exit.
Leaving, she still took all the precautions so as not to be seen by Alain and invited Arlette to take her day off immediately, so as to recover. She offered her some money as well to do some shopping.
She didn't want the latter to cross Alain and tell him the story.
Oscar rode at full gallop into the forest. She was unaware of the torments that Andr� experienced at the same time.
Nobody came by to save him.
And he was beginning to wonder how long it would take before people will notice his "desertion" the next day.
He sighed. With luck, the night will be cold and he might free himself.
Oscar dismounted, she saw Andr�'s horse. She smiled.
"Andr�!" she called "Are you there?"
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