Jean was a man with a good heart. He worked hard and his gift was being the best cook in the world. He had a passion for food and preparing it and serving it to gourmets (and not gourmands!); everything under the sun you can imagine, with his skilled hands and with an inspiration of God, he carefully and with time (which is what you need for good food), prepared dishes that water your mouth.
As time passed, he met a woman. They fell in love and got married. As time passed even further, his wish was to have children, but it didn't happen. Jean could not imagine being without children all his life and he was convinced that it was his destiny to bring up the next generation, love them, nurture then, cook for them and give them an opportunity in life. He talked to his wife, and discussed it night over night, and she finally agreed to adopt a little boy and a little girl.
The children were adorable as can be. They were both very different, the girl with dark eyes and black curly hair, rescued from terrible conditions in Corsica and the boy blond and blue-eyed, conceived by a teenage mother that couldn't look after herself, let alone her off-spring... Jean was ecstatic to be chosen to look after these two little dots, and with devotion, he did everything that a father could do.
His wife struggled with the fact that she was not able to bear children herself and a terrible jealousy started nagging her; she wasn't able to see the children with living eyes and became critical towards everything that they did and soon developed into a mean mother. Over the years her eyes were full of hatred but she couldn't help herself.... And when the girl developed into a pretty young lady with hips that promised to be bearing children healthily and if so God's will many... Her hatred was at a peak and life became even more miserable at home.... so the girl ran away.
Jean was devastated, but he loved his wife and his children and he was caught in the middle. He didn't know what to do. He still had his passion for cooking, but only did so at home, to ease the pain, make peace and whatever else he desired food to do. At work, he now was a manager of a restaurant, so he shuffled paper rather than slicing potatoes or marinating the meats. But when his little girl ran away, his heart broke.
He had to have surgery and retired from his job and he was only 50. All he cared for was to live a happy life, cook and look after his children. He still cooked beautifully so, and trying to keep the remainder of the family happy, he specialized in pulling faces, making everybody laugh. He was the saddest clown I've known.
As life progressed, his son moved out and got married. The whereabouts of the daughter were not always known.
One day, the news arrived that his daughter had died. This day, he burnt the easiest dish on the stove, it was as all his skills had evaporated into nothing but sadness. He only lived for another few months and passed away.
His wife couldn't believe her loss. First her daughter, then her husband that she loved so much disappeared on her. She mourned for a long time and asked God every year to let her re-join with get husband. But to this day, her wish has not been heard. She suffers multiple illnesses, but none of them are mortal. I wonder if God just gives Jean another beautiful moment with his daughter in heaven before his wife joins.
