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| A Beautiful Day |
It was a special day, at least for me. Today was the first day --since I had been in Jarjeyes� mansion-- that I spent time all by myself. The Master took Oscar to the Military Academy in the morning: �Andr�, it isn�t necessary for you to come along with us.� he told me. I said nothing, just looked at Oscar. She was staring at me in silence before she finally stepped into the carriage. Then I heard the Master saying: �Well, then just consider this day as your holiday.�
The carriage was gone. My mind was still filled with the word �holiday�. Oscar and I spent time together every day (ever since the first day when I came here until yesterday). It had never been boring to stay with her; however, taking some time for myself wasn�t a bad idea also. There were many things I would have liked to do (without her).
�Andr�?� Emma was surprised when she saw me walking into the kitchen. �I thought you would come along with Master and Mademoiselle Oscar.� she said.
�Hum� I�m taking a holiday.� I replied.
�You do?� She seemed to disbelieve, and the next question that followed was: �So, what are you going to do today?�
�I don�t know yet, there are many things�� I said while looking at her. Emma was an assistant cook; she loved to practice cooking, especially desserts. �What are you doing, by the way?� I asked.
�Tatin Tart.� she said and put a plate with a piece of tart on the table in front of me. �Would you like to try?�
I thanked her. Emma was looking at me while I took a bite of it �How is it?� she asked with a smiling face.
�Good, but��
�But?�
�Well, it�s too sweet, Oscar wouldn�t like it.� I saw her nodding, but she was also smiling slightly.
�I see.� she said, still smiling. �Andr�, today is your holiday. Then you should make it a real one.�
�Oh, how?� I just asked and didn�t pay attention that much. But her answer made me almost choke.
�Don�t think about Mademoiselle Oscar; get her out of your head for a day.�
�I don�t think of her!� I argued.
�Yes, you do.� she replied. And before I could say something she continued: �You just told my Tatin Tart was too sweet, that Mademoiselle wouldn�t like it.�
I kept my mouth shut. Maybe Emma was right. I had thought about Oscar every day; I had prepared the fencing and shooting schedule for her every day, and she had always played tricks on me, trying not to follow my schedule. I couldn�t help but smiling while I thought of her pert face.
Then I heard Emma call my name and ask: �Would you like to go out with me?�
�Well, how about Jacob?� I asked instead of an answer. She didn�t say anything, smiled shyly and turned her back to me to clean the kitchen stuff. Emma was a beautiful girl. She was about 6 years older than me. I had heard that Jacob (a servant in Jarjeyes� mansion) fell in love with her. Seeing her reaction when I mentioned his name, I thought she might have feelings towards him also. However, I was too young to concern about �love�.
~~~~~~~~~~@~~~~~~~~~~
After I had finished the dessert, I made my way to the hallway. Then I heard a sweet and soft voice calling me. I turned back and met Mademoiselle Clotilde. �I thought you would come along with Father and Oscar.� she said in a surprised tone.
After I had told her that Master gave me a holiday, Mademoiselle said: �So, you are free today.� �Well, my sisters and I are trying on some dresses for a ball tomorrow night. Could you help me choose?� she asked me.
How could I help her? I didn�t know anything about the ladies� stuff. My feelings must�ve been visible on my face and Mademoiselle seemed to understand. I thought she would let me go, but instead, she pulled me to upstairs and said: �Don�t worry, just take a look and tell me which one is better, that�s it!�
She led me to Madame�s room. Inside the room was very messy; a lot of dresses lay on the floor. Some hung on the clothes hanger, a lot of jewelry and pearls were dissipated across the floor (it looked terrible and scared me off). Mademoiselle Marie Anne, Hortense, Catherine and Josephine were all in there. The girls were noisy while picking and choosing dresses and diamonds. However, they stopped their action when they saw me standing nearby the door. �Oh Andr�, I thought you went out with Father and Oscar.� everybody said at the same time, and Mademoiselle Coltilde answered for me: �Today is his holiday.�
Then she picked a light-pink dress from the floor and a moonstone necklace: �How is this?� she asked.
And I said �Beautiful.�
�How about this one?� she asked again, this time holding a blue dress in the other hand. �Which one is better?�
�Well�� I didn�t know how to tell her. I didn�t see any difference between those two dresses except from the color. After that Mademoiselle Hortense walked towards me, then Mademoiselle Josephine, Marie Anne and Catherine followed. Finally, all of them were surrounding me; they held dresses and jewelry in their hands and asked me with the same question. Looking into their eyes; they needed the answer from me, but I couldn�t give it to them.
God� I had never had a head-ache like this before. Oscar caused me head-aches sometimes, but not like this. She had never made me scared like her sisters were doing now. Spending time with Oscar was more joyous and funny�
It sounded like the voice of a goddess when I heard Madame telling her daughters: �Andr� is a boy, he doesn�t know anything about fashion. Girls, don�t bother him. Let the poor boy go.� She smiled at me and I felt so thankful for her kind assistance!
~~~~~~~~~~@~~~~~~~~~~
The sky was so beautiful; blue and cloudless. And the garden was blossoming with pink, red and white roses. I didn�t know why; but when I saw white roses, I thought of Oscar. Whenever she smiled� she looked like a little white rose bud�
I would have drifted off unless I had heard someone call my name. A middle-aged man, Gilbert (who was a gardener), was talking to me. �I thought you would come along with Master and Mademoiselle Oscar.�
I looked at his kind face, then the words �Four times� came out of me. He frowned and I realized that he probably couldn�t figure out what I was talking about. �I have heard this sentence for four times now.� I explained.
�You always stay with Mademoiselle Oscar. It�s kind of surprising to see you alone. That�s why everybody has to ask you that.� Gilbert said laughing. �And the fifth time isn�t far away.� he said while watching Ralph walking towards us.
�Oh, Andr�, I thought�� and before Ralph could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by me saying: �I�m taking a holiday.�
Ralph raised his brows �I didn�t say anything yet!�
�Andr� has a special sense. He knows what you want to say� Gilbert told him, still laughing. We had conversation for a while, Gilbert told us he had some works that needed to be finished. After he had separated himself from us, Ralph asked me to go out with him.
�Where will you go?� I asked.
�You�ll see. It�s a good place.� he replied.
Ralph took me to Paris. We walked through small and narrow alleys for quite a while, then Ralph stopped in front of an old wooden door. �Here!�, he told me, �Good drinks, good food and beautiful girls!�
I was surprised when I stepped inside. It didn�t look special or interesting from the outside (it rather looked old and a bit grimy), but there were many people inside; noisy and disordered. They were drinking, eating and talking and young women were walking around.
Ralph waved his hand and a couple of girls walked towards us. They seemed to be intimate with him and didn�t wonder at all. He was a stableman and he was a good-looking guy, so a lot of maids in Jarjeyes� mansion liked him. Those two girls led us to a small table. They brought two glasses of beer and some food. �For you, lovely boy.� they said and passed a glass to me and then sat with us.
�Hey! That�s a bit too much, don�t you think? He never drank before, and I don�t want him get drunk! It isn�t the time yet!� Ralph told the girls with a warning voice. And I realized at that time that he had taken me to a bar. This place was a restaurant during daytime and became a bar in the night. It was a new experience for me when I drank the liquor. The taste of the alcohol was wondrous. It was astringent, bitter and sweet at the same time. It wasn�t bad and I thought I liked it. Then I tasted the food on the table and had to admit that it was also good. As he had said; good drinks and good food, that was the reason why so many people came here.
I hadn�t realized how long I had been downing in my thinking until I heard Ralph�s voice: �Why are you so quiet, Andr�? What are you thinking?�
�I�ll take Oscar here with me next time.� I said smiling.
�Don�t even think about it, Andr�.� he looked serious now, �Your grandma will kill you then.�
�Why? Oscar and I always go out and grandma has never looked upset.�
�Because those places were different from this one!� Ralph was staring at me and kept saying �Places like this are for us �commoners� only!�
I blinked before I could say: �I can�t catch your words, Ralph.�
�You�ll understand the word �classes�, and the difference between nobles and commoners very soon, I bet. At least Nanny will ensure you do.�
After that neither of us said anything. I still didn�t understand his words (or maybe I didn�t try to understand, or didn�t want to). Oscar and I were friends and our friendship would never change� never�
When we had finished with all the food and drink, I was ready to leave, but Ralph wasn�t. He seemed enjoying to talk to those girls. Then I thought of Oscar again. I wondered what she was doing now, while I was spending time here�
~~~~~~~~~~@~~~~~~~~~~
Finally, I left the restaurant whereas Ralph had decided to stay. I walked along the streets of Paris without any destination. I didn�t understand myself now; what I was doing, where I was going, how my feeling was? Spending time by myself wasn�t bad, but wasn�t that much fun also. I felt like I had lost something� I felt lonesome�
I walked absentmindedly� However, my alertness was back when I heard a familiar voice. �Be careful Andr�!� I raised my head and found myself almost colliding with a carriage. I turned around and met Emma. She was carrying a very big paper bag in her hands. �Where have you left your mind, seems it�s far away from you?�
I didn�t answer but asked instead: �May I help you?� while I took that bag from her. I could see flour and potatoes inside it.
�Oh! It�s heavy Andr�. I don�t want you to carry it alone.�
But I didn�t think the bag was heavy. �I�m ok. It isn�t heavy� I laughed and went on: �Where is the carriage?�
�This way.� she replied and led me to the other side of the street. The big black carriage had stopped near a forgery. This carriage belonged to Jarjeyes family; it was used for carrying grocery and utensils so it was simple and undecorated. There was much stuff inside the carriage, included fruits and vegetables. Jacob was arranging the goods inside. I thought he would say the sentence that everybody said to me, but he just smiled and didn�t say anything when he saw me. Maybe Emma already told him, I guessed.
�Are you going back to the mansion? You can come with us.� Jacob told me.
I shook my head before I said: �I want to take a look at the iron-works. Oscar�s horse needs some new horseshoes.�
Jacob laughed after I had finished with my words, and I didn�t know why. �What�s so funny?� I wanted to know.
He shrugged and said: �Emma told me today was your holiday. And I asked her what you would do with your free time, and then she said�� He paused for a second, and I blushed when I heard his next sentence: �Emma said you would think of Mademoiselle Oscar all day long.�
�That�that�s because�!� I felt embarrassed and tried to find a good reason. �I can�t help, it�s just a habit!� I still saw them smiling. �And I�m a stableman also, so I need to take care of the horses. It�s my duty. And Oscar�s horse��
Before I could finish what I had to say, Jacob stopped me: �No need to explain, Andr�. We understand.� He was still grinning.
�Alright, it�s getting late, Jacob. We should return now.� Emma said after having kept silent for a while, and turned her face to me and smiled: �Then enjoy your time, Andr�.�
~~~~~~~~~~@~~~~~~~~~~
It�s was very late in the afternoon and I was bored to spend time outside, so I decided to go back to the mansion. Suddenly, I realized my situation now. The Master had taken Oscar to a Military Academy, that meant she and I wouldn�t be together anymore� She would go to Academy while I would stay at the Jarjeyes� stable� Sorrow began filling my heart once this thought had settled into my soul� I was alone on this earth�
Grandma was standing outside the mansion and seemed to wait for someone. And I thought I knew who she was waiting for. �Andr�! Lazy boy!� she shouted.
I replied immediately: �Don�t blame me, grandma. Master gave me a holiday.�
She was frowning: �He did? I didn�t know that!�
�Well, next time I�ll tell you, grandma. I won�t make you miss me all day long like this anymore.� I said and ran into the mansion real fast, so that she couldn�t catch me.
�Andr�!� I heard her voice behind me. I just laughed but didn�t stop running.
However, I stopped abruptly when I saw Oscar standing at the top of the big stairs. I was really glad when I saw her. �Oscar!� I walked towards her, but she walked away; didn�t even look at my face. I was following her. �Oscar, when did you come back? I have something for you.�
Then she stopped and turned around to me. �You do? You still think of me?� she asked with cool voice. I was confused; she acted as if she was angry with me?
�What�s up, Oscar? What did I do to make you dissatisfied?�
�You really enjoy your holiday, don�t you?� She looked serious. And her next words followed soon: �Well, sorry. You won�t have any vacations anymore after today. You will have to go to the Military Academy with me every day!�
Really? That lay beyond all my expectations and hopes. I thought that from now on, she and I would be separated� �The Master and you asked the Academy to allow me�?� I felt really pleased and couldn�t stop smiling.
And I saw Oscar raising her brows. �Are you happy about what I just said? I thought you�� She stopped there abruptly and looked at me.
�Hum�? Now what?� I asked her.
She was smiling now: �You said you had something for me. Give it to me then.� I held out the horseshoes to her and she blinked. �Thank you Andr�, but I can�t use� I don�t wear horseshoes, you know.�
�Oscar!� I cried her name as well as she laughed.
�Just kidding!� she said, �I know these are for my�� but her words were stopped by me. �Give me your hand.� I told while I reached my hand out in front of her. �The horseshoes are for your horse. But this is for you. Well, it isn�t high-priced, hope you don�t mind.�
Oscar was surprised when I put a golden tassel in her hand. She looked at my face for a while before she called my name. And I felt uncomfortable when I met her gaze. I felt as if I would get lost in her blue eyes� Somehow, I couldn�t face her anymore. I didn�t know why, I just couldn�t and it made me turn my face aside. �I slashed the tassel from your hilt last time, so I thought I should repay it to you. Reasonable! Right?� I said and somehow managed to take a step away from her. �Alright! I�ll go and look for something to eat.�
�Thank you, Andr� I really like it.� She said with a light and soft voice. I neither replied nor stopped walking. I couldn�t help but smiling as her voice reached my ears. However, a few minutes later, Oscar�s tone had changed: �OK! Andr�. After you finish eating, take your sword and go to the garden. I�ll wait for you there!�
My smile suddenly vanished from my face. �Hey! Today is my holiday! Oscar, did you forget that?�
�Oh yes! And fencing with me is one of the activities on Andr�s holiday.�
After listening to her, I couldn�t say anything except crying her name. �Oscar!� She laughed and hung the tassel (that I just had given her) on her sword, then quickly ran out of the mansion towards the garden.
Although she was outside, I still heard her laughing. �I don�t agree with you! Oscar!� I shouted, but in vain. She pretended not to hear me. Finally I gave up, grabbed my sword and followed her, dejected. I had to accept that my beautiful (?) holiday had come to an end just now.
~ THE END ~
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