Another Favorite Character and Chapter in French Illusions

Monsieur Dubois is one of my favorite characters in my memoir, French Illusions, My Story as an American Au Pair in the Loire Valley. He was a kind, generous man, and a wonderful father. I often wondered how he tolerated his arrogant, and controlling wife, but then again, she didn’t often display this side of her personality to him. Additionally, his work required him to travel weekly, so he wasn’t at home a great deal of the time. The following excerpt details a heartwarming scene from chapter 8:   

     “After receiving an endless list of chores from Madame in the morning, I worked my way through them until Monsieur Dubois entered the kitchen with a special request. “Do you want to help me pick pears in the orchard?”
     “Yes, of course. On a day like today, I’d much rather be outside.” I lay down my dishtowel, grabbed my coat, and followed him outside.
     “You push the wheelbarrow and I will bring the stepladder,” Monsieur Dubois said, placing several baskets inside the tub.
     I took hold of the handles and maneuvered the unsteady device forward while he arranged the ladder sideways, making it easier to carry. We chatted throughout our progress down the path to the garden.
     “Every year it is a mystery as to how many pears we will actually collect,” Monsieur said, his voice light and cheerful.
     “What will you do with all the pears?”
     “My mother is famous for her pear jam, and if we gather a good quantity, perhaps we can convince her to make some of her mouthwatering poiré, pear cider. Geneviève makes a wonderful pear tart which melts in your mouth, but I doubt she will have the time this year with the baby coming.”
     “Oh, too bad. I would like to taste it. My parents have several Italian plum trees in their garden. Each year around August, we end up with more than we can eat. Dad takes the leftovers, puts them in buckets to ferment and pulls out the old still to make a Slovenian brandy called Slivovitz.”
     “Are your parents Slovenian?”
     “Yes and no. My father’s side of the family is Slovenian, and my mother’s side is Croatian. They are both first-generation Americans, but after she was born, my mother’s family returned to Croatia.”
     “How did she meet your father?”
     “After World War II, my mother returned to the United States, and they met a short time later in Seattle.”
     “What a nice story,” Monsieur Dubois said, twisting around to smile at me as we arrived at the garden.           Stepping forward, he surveyed the area and pointed to a fruit-laden tree. “Shall we start with this one?”
     “Okay.”
     He positioned the ladder under the tree and scaled it, snatching the pears higher up on the tree while I concentrated on the lower branches. Our baskets soon overflowed, and as we emptied our loads into the wheelbarrow, the aroma from the sweet-smelling fruit filled the air.
     Unable to resist the temptation, we both selected a few pears to sample. With each bite, juice dribbled down my face and I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand.
     “These are yummy, but now I’m sticky,” I told Monsieur Dubois, grinning. “I don’t know how you avoided a mess!”
     We resumed our work, hauling pears back and forth in the wheelbarrow to the château’s storage shed. Late afternoon, we finally emptied the fifth and last load. Looking forward to a shower, I excused myself and turned to walk away.
     “Mademoiselle!” Monsieur Dubois called, waving me back with his hat. “I almost forgot to give you this. It is a rail pass, so you can take the train to Tours any time you want to.”
     Astonished by his thoughtfulness, it took me a few seconds to respond.
     The au pair agency mentioned this possibility, but no one had brought it up until now.
     “Thank you . . . I’m sure this will come in handy.”
     Pleased with himself, grinning from ear to ear, he held open the storage shed door as I exited the building.
     What a kind thing to do. Did Madame Dubois know about it? Probably not. I was certain she would have considered it a waste of money.”

Chapter 25 from French Illusions, My Story as an American Au Pair in the Loire Valley, brought back some great Halloween memories. The Dubois family had never experienced this holiday, so the children and I carved a pumpkin for the special event. Here is the excerpt:

     “Monsieur Dubois served a delicious Cabernet Franc red wine with the meal, complementing the blanquette de veau and adding gaiety to the event. For once, I felt like part of the family, conversing in French as much as I could.
     When the time came, while everyone finished the mousse au chocolat, I excused myself, went to the kitchen, and readied our jack-o-lantern for his debut. Melting a bit of wax in the pumpkin bottom, I secured a candle inside, turned out the dining room lights, and slowly carried him into the room. The effect was amazing. The children were speechless until I placed it on the table, when they both started chattering at once.
     With Madame Dubois translating, I answered their questions about the jack-o-lantern and then shared stories about how kids in the United States dressed-up in costumes and went trick-or-treating door-to-door in their neighborhoods.
     “What costumes have you worn?” Colette asked.
     “Oh, I have been many different things. Once I was a cowgirl, another time I was an old hobo.”
     “What about your brother? What costumes did he wear?”
     “His favorite costume was very scary. It was a gorilla suit with hair all over it and a mask that covered his face.”
     “Did he frighten your neighbors?” Antoine’s eyes rounded.
     “Maybe a little,” I replied, poking his tummy.
     “What kinds of treats did people give you?” Colette asked next.
     “Mostly candy . . . sometimes popcorn balls or money.”
     Both children would have continued the conversation into the night, but Monsieur Dubois reminded them that it was past their bedtime. They groaned and protested until Antoine blurted out some words resulting in laughter around the table.
     I glanced at Monsieur Dubois for a translation. “It’s too bad we can’t have a jack-o-lantern at dinner every night so Mademoiselle can share stories!”
     My heart lurched when Antoine tossed me a wide, tooth-filled grin.”

I would love to hear from my readers – do you have a chapter or character you especially enjoyed in French Illusions? If you would like to learn more about my experiences in France, you can purchase a copy of my book at Amazon.com. For a nominal fee, you can add audible narration with Whispersync. The audiobook is also available at Audible.com.