October 13th 2009
"Dépêchez-Vous!" Hurry up! Charles shouted from further up the street. I was adjusting my backpack because the hood on my jacket was stuck in it. I was getting frustrated before Arthur helped me get my hood out.
We ran up to Charles who was keeping a quick pace, not really wanting to wait for us, but he knew Pascale would be very upset with him if he left Arthur and I behind. I was struggling to keep up even though Arthur held onto my arm and kept pulling it. I was close to tripping every other step and I was getting frustrated.
"Ralentis-toi!" Slow down! I shouted after Charles. He looked over his shoulder and then he stopped until we had reached up to him. I thought he would slow down and walk with us, but he just went around us and started pushing us forward, all the way up the hill until we reached our street.
He kept rushing and both Arthur and I complained about the pace but he completely ignored both of us. Occasionally, Charles would look over his shoulder with an annoyed look on his face before rolling his eyes that were barely visible because of his long bangs and Justin Bieber hair he was rocking at the moment.
We saw our houses at the end of the street and I could finally slow down, because I didn't care if Charles got home a few minutes before me, because then he wouldn't be in trouble for not making sure we got home safe. The hood was still bothering me. It was making my neck sweat and it just felt like it was in the way all the time, so I stopped and tried to scratch my neck and make it more comfortable. But then Arthur grabbed my hand tightly, starting to pull me towards the houses, making me run again.
I looked up and I realized why he was running. Lorenzo, who had been away with Jules in France for two weeks, stood on the driveway with Hervé. I understood why Charles had been rushing, as I bet he knew that Lorenzo was coming home.
Charles hugged his brother quickly. He wasn't that much of a hugger anymore, as he was turning twelve and thought it was lame. Sometimes he'd hug me, but he'd scoff or roll his eyes right after. Charles and Arthur didn't hug anymore, they high-fived each other, or fist bumped. I guess they thought it was cooler. But right after he had hugged Lorenzo, he had the widest smile on his face and he looked up at his brother.
"Jules a-t-il gagné?" Did Jules win? he asked while Lorenzo hugged Arthur and I as well.
"Ouais, il a gagné la deuxième course," Yeah, he won the second race, Lorenzo replied, messing Arthur's hair up and then he looked at me and smiled. I waited for Lorenzo to tell me the usual 'he'll be home soon' or 'he'll call you tonight' but he didn't say anything.
"Céline, chérie, pourquoi n'irais-tu pas dire à ta mère que tu es à la maison?" Céline, darling, why don't you go tell your mother you're home? Hervé said, running his hand over my head.
I nodded and then I ran over to my house. I put my hand on the door and I kept my hope up even though I knew it was probably useless. Lorenzo came home without Jules all the time, and mm would have told me if Jules was coming home. She'd circle it on the calendar in my room so that I could count down the days until he came back. I slowly opened the door, I kept my eyes closed until I had walked through it and then I opened it, and I saw the bags left in the hallway.
I couldn't get my shoes off faster. I kicked them off and I let my backpack fall to the floor before I ran into the house, looking in the living room, and then I hurried towards the kitchen.
There he was. He sat there at the kitchen island with his phone in his hand. His usual brown hair and his brown eyes, and when he looked up he smiled with his kind smile. I ran through the room and he got off the chair. He squatted in front of me, like he used to do when I was younger, even though he didn't really need to do that anymore because I had grown tall enough for him to just bend down a little to hug me.
"Cece!" He exclaimed through soft laughter when I wrapped his arms around his neck so quickly he nearly fell backwards. He hugged me back tightly and he rocked us from side to side.
"Lorenzo a dit que vous aviez gagné!" Lorenzo said you won! I exclaimed when I let go of his neck and I put my hands on his shoulders instead. Jules just smiled and nodded, just as mom walked down the stairs and into the kitchen. She smiled at the both of us and she leaned onto the kitchen island as we stood up.
"Nous dînerons avec Pascale et Hervé ce soir," We will have dinner with Pascale and Hervé tonight, she said with a little smile and Jules nodded, "et déplacez vos sacs du couloir... vous deux," and move your bags from the hallway, both of you, she ordered.
"Pouvez-vous me conduire à l'entraînement?" Can you drive me to practice? I asked Jules and of course he agreed. Like always.
Pascale had made a big salad for all of us and we ate together at their house. Arthur sat on one side of me and Arthur on the other side. Lorenzo was in front of Jules and Charles on his side. Next to Charles sat my mom to keep an eye on Arthur and I, because they usually didn't let us sit next to each other because we wouldn't eat, we'd just play with the food or mess with each other.
But this time Jules was home, so we were all busy listening to him as he told us about his racing, what he'd do when he was away. He had a Finnish guy on his team and he joked about the way it sounded when he spoke in his mother tongue, then tried to imitate it.
For once, the dads cleaned the table, while the mothers got us kids ready for our evening activities. Pascale sat me on the floor in front of her on the couch so that she could french braid my hair for my dance practice, so my mom went upstairs to get Charles' and Arthur's race gear out. She basically had to drag them from Jules who was giving them tips. When my hair was done, my mom handed me a bag with my dance clothes and she told me to go change.
Dad went with Charles and Arthur to Nice to go karting and Jules took me to dance practice. He walked me all the way inside and made sure to tie my shoes and that I had my dance bottle. He picked me up when I was done and he asked me to show him what I had learned and he acted like he had never seen a better dancer. I loved it.
Back home I was rushed into the shower and then I was put to bed by Jules. I had just learned how to read and I was working through my first book by myself, so instead of him reading to me, I read to him and he'd correct me or help me when I struggled with longer words. I didn't want to sleep when he was home, because it felt like wasting time, but he told me that he'd be right there when I woke up, and I trusted him.
October 14th 2009
Arthur's birthday. So Jules gave me a piggyback ride in my pajamas over to the Leclerc house early in the morning. Charles and I were in charge of carrying the tray with breakfast down the hall and into Arthur's room. We walked in, and I knew Arthur was pretending to still be sleeping, and then he pretended to wake up when we started singing to him.
He blew the candle on his cupcake out and then opened some gifts. He got some new gear and some new games for his Nintendo DS. We all went down to breakfast and then we had to get to school. Jules walked us to the school bus.
"Amusez-vous," Have fun, he told us before we walked on the bus. I was already at the stage where I was sick of school and I scoffed in response, because how could one have fun in school? I could read and write, but math and geography was horrible.
Charles got out of school later than Arthur and I, so we waited in the school yard for a while. We'd swing or I'd try to read that book, because I was determined to get through it within the month. But this time, Jules got there after a little while and he waited with us for Charles to come out. He had his car with him and he packed us all in it and instead of going home, he took us for ice cream.
While we waited for Arthur's birthday dinner, we played on our Nintendo's in the living room for a while, until Dad came in and told us to do our homework. I found it kind of cruel to make a child do their homework on their birthday, but apparently he didn't agree with me. So we went up to Arthur's room and said we'd do our homework up there, but just continued playing until we were caught by Pascale. We had to move down to the kitchen and do it in there while Mom and Pascale cooked and baked in there, so that they could keep an eye on us.
"Je ne comprends pas!" I don't understand! I grunted and threw the pen onto the paper. It was math and I was confused and frustrated.
"Ensuite demandez de l'aide, tu n'avez pas à faire une crise de colère," Then ask for help, you don't need to throw a tantrum, my mom told me as she put something into the oven. I sighed and rolled my eyes, because I was far from throwing a tantrum.
"Prenez-en cinq et ajoutez-les trois fois," Just take five and add them three times, Arthur said to me. I sighed, because my head was too tired and a little too mushy to actually count it. So I just pushed the paper in front of me and I glared at it as I put my head in my hands and let my elbows rest on the countertop.
Jules walked in and saw me pouting. We looked at the paper in front of me and he slid it back in front of me. I glared up at him but he ignored it as he looked at the equation I was stuck on. He grabbed my hands and he put them flat on the counter in front of me, and then he added his larger hand right next to mine.
"Maintenant, tu as trois mains de cinq doigts... combien de doigts?" Now, you have three hands of five fingers... How many fingers? he asked. I looked at the equation and saw that the five were the fingers and the three were the hands. I counted them and got to fifteen. I smiled up at Jules who nudged my shoulder before I wrote the numbers down on the paper. My mom smiled at him and she kissed her cheek before getting a glass of water.
"Ce n'est pas si dur!" It's not that hard! Arthur exclaimed next to me, which I took as a personal attack, and I wouldn't have it. I pushed him and he nearly fell off the stool he was on, but he just laughed as he tried to push me off as well. I grabbed his pencil and as he reached for it, I leaned back and I held it in the air. He nudged me and I was close to falling off the stool, but two strong hands placed me back on the chair.
"Concentrez-vous ou vous n'aurez pas de gâteau," Focus or you won't get any cake, Hervé said behind me as he patted my shoulder. He took the pencil and he handed it back to Arthur while Pascale gave us a glare which said more than words could.
We got our homework done and then it was time for dinner. Arthur kept trying to put his stupid finger in my ear and I tried to repeatedly slap his finger away from me. Pascale told him to stop multiple times, but he just started poking my side to tickle me.
"Arrêt," Stop, I said as I used my hands to twist the skin on his arm in different directions.
"Aie! tu es censé respecter les anciens," Ouch! you're supposed to respect the elders, he exclaimed as he pulled his arm out of my arms.
"Ce n'est que quinze heures," It's only fifteen hours, I muttered.
"Seize," sixteen, my mom corrected me, which felt like a betrayal, "et arrêtez... tous les deux," and stop... both of you, she added as she turned me back toward my plate.
I looked over at Arthur and he was smirking, that little prick, and then he stuck his tongue out at me. I stuck mine out right back, and then I felt a harsh kick on my leg. Arthur seemed to get one too, because he made a little noise. We turned to look across the table at Charles, who looked at us with his eyebrows furrowed.
"Vous es agaçant... arrête," You're annoying... stop, he muttered before looking back at his plate. Jules sat beside him and he laughed a little before he ruffled his hair.
"Quelqu'un est grincheux," Someone is grumpy, he chuckled and Charles just removed Jules' hand from his hair. I bet Charles was upset that he couldn't race that night, since we were celebrating Arthur. Jules tried to cheer him up while we finished eating.
It was time for dessert and for Arthur to get some more gifts. I had asked mom to buy him a RC car from me. It was white and blue, and when he opened it he just shoved it aside to give me a hug while he kept thanking me. Lorenzo took a look at it and promised to help Arthur set it up after finishing dessert.
When he got the car set up, he played with it until Hervé said it was too late for it. But we were allowed to stay up just a little longer since it's Arthur's birthday. So they put us all on the upstairs couch and they put a movie on that Arthur got to choose. Mom came up with carrot and cucumber sticks but we were all too full to actually eat them. Lorenzo and Jules also joined us after a while. Even though Lorenzo didn't like to admit that he missed his brothers when he was away, at least not as much as Jules would, he still liked to spend time with us when he had been away.
I ended up falling asleep on the couch, probably drooling on Jules' shoulder, at least until Charles woke me up. He was right in front of my face, poking my cheek repeatedly to wake me up. He tilted his head and smiled innocently while I groaned about being woken up. I looked up and saw Lorenzo carrying Arthur like a baby while Arthur laughed and told his brother to put him down.
Mom and dad came upstairs and told us it was time to go home and then go straight to bed. Mom took my shoes while dad carried me over to the house and let me down in the bathroom where I brushed my teeth before I went to put pajamas on. Jules came into my room as I settled into bed and he sat down at the end of my bed.
"Grand jour demain... tu as besoin d'être bien reposé," Big day tomorrow...you need to be well rested, he said softly. I nodded quietly, because I couldn't wait to fall asleep again, but I didn't want to waste a moment with him. But he just sat there in silence. He moved closer to the wall and he rested the back of his head against it.
Eventually I couldn't stay awake anymore.
October 15th 2009
The next morning it was my birthday. Everyone gathered in my bedroom and they sang for me with breakfast and with gifts. I got more dance shoes, clothes, and I got some books to start with when I had finished the one I was fighting through. Then it was time for breakfast downstairs, just like the day before at the Leclerc house.
Pascale stuck around and helped me curl my hair so that I would feel pretty on my birthday. I met up with Charles and Arthur out on the street and we walked to the bus, after convincing Jules he didn't have to walk with us. He did sneak a candy bar into the pocket of my jacket though, and he told me to eat it at recess when the teachers weren't watching, because I should be allowed if it's my birthday.
Arthur and I shared it on the steps down into the basement of the building. We came back from recess and the teachers noticed chocolate around our mouths, and then the wrapper in the pocket of my jacket. They said they'd call my parents, but Arthur took the fall and said he was the one who brought it. He'd never do that if it wasn't my birthday. Pascale would actually care about it, while my parents would tell me to not do it again and then it would pretty much be over.
Jules picked us up again and he drove us home. He asked me if I had a good day at school and so did mom who was in the kitchen baking for the weekend. We were having a birthday party with our friends. I told them both it was fine, and then Arthur and I sat in the living room doing our homework while watching something on TV. We'd get distracted, but since mom could see us from the kitchen she made sure to get us focused again.
"Saviez-vous que-" did you know that- Arthur started.
"Tu as déjà perdu mon intérêt," You already lost my interest, I said like the little snob I was. I didn't even look up at him, I just kept crossing off questions on the sheet. I could feel Arthur's glare at me but I kept ignoring him.
"Savi-te que Charles a trouvé son cadeau auprès de toi?" Did you know that Charles found his gift from you? he asked, which did catch my interest. I dropped the pencil and looked up at him.
"Non il ne l'a pas fait," No he didn't, I shook my head. Arthur smirked as he silently nodded. I narrowed my eyes and glared at him, trying to figure out if he was lying to me to piss me off.
"Il m'a dit," he told me, Arthur said and I was starting to get worried. I had hidden both their gifts in my room, in different places. "Il m'a dit que son cadeau était meilleur que le mien," He told me his gift was better than mine.
"Reste ici," Stay here, I ordered as I shot up and ran upstairs. I opened up a drawer in my dresser and I got the gift out from under a stack of shirts. I looked around for somewhere else to hide it, but I couldn't think of one in my room.
Jules was in an interview on the computer in his room so I couldn't go in there. I carefully started to sneak down the stairs. I managed to pass Arthur behind the couch and out into the backyard, because the door was already open and the main door would have been too loud. I took it with me through the hole in the hedge. I knocked on the backdoor to the Leclerc house and Hervé opened it. He was on the phone but let me in with no question.
Lorenzo was doing something on his laptop in the kitchen and he noticed me rushing up the stairs. I went into his room and I knew he was following me. I looked around and when he caught up with me and stood in the doorway waiting for me to explain what I was doing, I held the gift up.
"Arthur a dit que Charles l'avait trouvé donc je dois le cacher," Arthur said Charles found it so I need to hide it, I explained. Lorenzo nodded and walked into the room and closed the door behind him. He took the gift and he looked around.
He moved some books on his shelf and he hid the gift behind them. It looked a little weird, but it was only for one more day, and Lorenzo was a lot stricter with his brothers being in his room than if I was in his room. He knew they'd put their hands on everything and ruin his things, while I might look around, find no interest and then leave.
When we walked out, Charles' door was open. It hadn't been before, and he was sitting on his bed with his own homework. Lorenzo went downstairs again while I went into Charles' room. He had headphones on, but took them off when I walked in.
"Que veux-tu, C?" What do you want, C? he asked tiredly. He was entering his teenage phase and he was pretty sick of Arthur and I on a daily basis. I missed sweet Charles, because he always wanted to hang out with Arthur and I.
"Arthur a dit que tu avais trouvé mon cadeau pour toi," Arthur said you found my present for you, I said. He pressed his lips together and he shook his head.
"Je n'ai pas," I didn't, he said. My shoulders fell a little in relief.
"Promesse," promise, I said and he nodded, seeming he just wanted me out of his room.
"Je promets," I promise.
I sighed and then I walked out of his room. He told me to close the door behind me so I did, and then I ran back outside and back into my house where Arthur was still waiting. He sat on the couch watching TV and my mom didn't seem to care. I guess he finished his homework.
Something next to me caught my eye. It was a red little bag next to Arthur on the couch. They were my M&M's. I had won a running race against Arthur and Hervé gave it to me as a prize. Arthur was so upset about it that I didn't eat it right away, but I kept it hidden to remind him that I won it and he didn't. I had kept it in one of my shoes in the closet upstairs.
"Où est-ce que tu as eu çà?" Where did you get that? I asked and kept my eyes on the bag. When I looked back at Arthur he was smirking as he was chewing my candy on my birthday. I walked around the couch and I pushed him and slapped his shoulder while he just laughed at me.
"Céline! Arrêt!" Stop! I heard my mom from the kitchen, so I just crossed my arms over my chest and sighed, completely ignoring Arthur. He lied to me to get me out of the house. Charles never saw my gift, but he knew I would go hide it somewhere else so that he could go and steal my candy.
"Ne sois pas en colère... j'ai fini tes devoirs," don't be mad, I finished your homework, he whispered so that my mom couldn't hear. I looked at the sheet I left on the table, and it was completely filled out. I hated doing it so much that I could let it slide, even though it was annoying of him to do that. But it's not like I could be mad at Arthur for long anyway.
The Leclercs came over for dinner and Charles was in a better mood by then. Maybe it was because he got to talk to Charles about Formula 3. They also talked a lot about Formula 1 and Charles said he knew that Jules would make it there one day. I didn't really like the idea, because I had heard my mom talk about how dangerous it could be. I didn't want Jules to get hurt. But Jules really wanted it, it was his dream, so I pretended to really want it for him. Now that I think about it, I think mom also pretended a lot. I don't think she liked it at all, but she pretended to really like it and wanted it for her son, because he wanted it. I don't think he bought it.
We had dessert and then came the part I had waited for all day. It was time to get more presents. When you're a kid, the presents are the best part of the entire day. I didn't even like cake that much. But having Jules home was a really special thing for me too.
I got my gifts and all of that. Some headphones, games, papers and coloring pens. They lit the candles on my cake and like normal they asked me to wish for something. I thought for a while, and then I blew them all out while dad was sneaking pictures of me. He knew I'd yell at him if he did it right where I could see him.
"As-tu souhaité un poney?" Did you wish for a pony? Hervé asked.
"Non," I chuckled as mom handed me the knife to cut the first piece, "Je ne peux pas te dire ce que je souhaitais, alors ça ne se réalisera pas," I can't tell you what I wished for, then it won't come true.
I wished for Jules to be safe. To always come home to us.
October 16th 2009
The same routine was repeated for Charles. He was a bit grumpier from being woken up in the morning, but his mood lightened when he opened some gifts. He was really happy about some race gear, and especially something that Jules got him from the Ferrari headquarters. I saved my gift for dessert in the afternoon.
We went to school, and we didn't see Charles much all day, except from a distance at recess. He was playing football with his friends. Arthur and I looked for a while, just eating our fruit snacks. Charles was never good at football, and sometimes the boys he was playing with would get frustrated with him. I didn't want them to upset him.
"C! Puis-je avoir un rouleau de saucisse?" Can I have a sausage roll? he yelled as he ran closer to us. Mom always packed me a box filled with either sandwiches, sausage rolls or fruit, so I had more than enough and I took one out to hand it to him. "Merci," he said as he took it from me.
"Arrête d'utiliser ta copine," Stop using your girlfriend, one of his friends shouted. Charles scoffed and I glared over at the boy. Arthur laughed next to me and I kicked his leg.
"Parfois, il est normal d'utiliser votre majeur," Sometimes, it's okay to use your middle finger, Charles said to me before taking a bite from the sausage roll. I didn't even hesitate to put my middle finger in the air, aimed at the boy who just stared back before just turning to his friends again. "À bientôt," See you, Charles said before running off again.
"Ce n'est pas drole," It's not funny, I muttered to Arthur who was still trying to hold back his laughter. He nodded, and I kicked him again.
"C'est plutôt drôle," It's kind of funny.
We got home from school and Charles actually sat down with Arthur and I in my kitchen to do homework. Maybe it was because Jules was there, but I'd like to think he just wanted to spend time with us again. He even helped me with some math, because I really sucked at math. I couldn't ask Arthur because he'd just tell me the answer and I wouldn't learn, or he'd tell me I was stupid for not knowing. Of course he didn't mean it, he just wanted to be annoying. Charles would try to help me understand how to solve it instead.
For dinner we went to their house, had dinner, and then it was time for gifts. I ran up to Lorenzo's room and I moved the books and I got the gift out. I took it with me downstairs and I handed it to Charles, standing next to him as he opened it. I wanted to see his reaction. Partly because I knew what he'd look like if he tried to fake his reaction, just in case he had seen it.
But he opened it and he saw the model f1 car. He had been building model planes during the summer break and he couldn't find model cars here in Monaco. But dad had found a model Formula 1 car when he went to England to watch Jules race, so he called me and asked me if I wanted to give it to Charles for his birthday. I've held onto it ever since, and that's why I didn't want him to find it before.
He hadn't found it, because he was genuinely excited and surprised when he opened it. He started opening it, and when he saw what it was he ripped the paper off the box, and he gasped before turning to me. He grabbed my arm and he pulled me into a hug as he thanked me over and over for the gift.
"Je t'ai dit que son cadeau était meilleur que le mien," I told you his gift was better than mine, he said when I sat back down on the chair next to him.
"Je vous ai donné à tous les deux une sorte de voiture," I gave you both some kind of car, I shrugged. He looked at the car I had given him, and that was on the floor of the living room, and he seemed to agree that it was good, because he didn't argue about it anymore.
October 17th 2009
The 14th, 15th and 16th are our own separate birthdays. The 17th, or the nearest weekend, is often used as our joint birthday. Our parents had prepared our birthday party at the Leclerc house. Our friends from school, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins came to celebrate us all at the same time. It was easier like that, instead of having three separate parties.
The morning of the day of the party, Jules came into my room. He woke me up by throwing clothes at me before shaking me repeatedly, scaring the crap out of me. I sat up and stared at him as I caught my breath. I looked past him and saw Arthur and Charles in the doorway.
"Nous partons en randonnée," We are going on a hike, he said. I huffed and laid back down to fall back asleep.
"Amusez-vous," Have fun, I said, hearing them all grunt.
"Ne soyez pas paresseux, allez," Don't be lazy, come on, Jules said and threw my clothes back over my face. I opened my eyes again and I looked at him with tired eyes.
"Allez, C," Come on, C, Arthur tried from the door.
"Mais je suis si fatigué," But I'm so tired, I whined. Jules finally gave up and he walked out of the room. Arthur followed him, but Charles stayed. He took the clothes Jules had gotten out of my closet and he moved them to the end of my bed as he sat down on my legs. "Ça fait mal," that hurts.
"Je ne bouge pas jusqu'à ce que tu viennes avec nous," I'm not moving until you come with us, he said and crossed his arms over his chest. I tried to move my legs but it was difficult and he moved with them. "Allez, ce n'est pas aussi amusant si tu ne viens pas avec," Come on, it's not as much fun if you're not coming with, he whined.
"Tu as Jules," You have Jules, I tried, keeping myself up with my elbows behind me.
"Mais je veux que tu viennes," But I want you to come, he argued.
I looked at him for a while. Hearing that he wanted me to come did motivate me a little more, because it had been long since he actually seemed like he wanted to spend time with Arthur and I. Just like me, he always wants to spend time with Jules, but he sees Arthur and I everyday, so we've become annoying to him lately.
"D'accord, laisse-moi changer," Alright, let me change, I said. He smiled, and then he got up and walked out of my room. While I changed I heard him yell to the others that I was coming with.
We went on that hike, and I hated every second. I wished I was in bed and that I hadn't listened to Charles. It was exhausting and Arthur tripped me two times. Charles helped me up though, and Jules carried me halfway down the trail. At least I got to spend time with Jules, and it didn't feel like Charles was annoyed by my presence anymore.
As soon as we got home I sat down for something to eat, and then I was rushed into the shower. My mom blow dried my hair and then she curled it before she put me into the clothes she had picked out for me to wear. She didn't trust me to match colors and she knew her own mother would have something to say about it if I didn't look my best at my birthday party. She was a bit old school and she loved to dress me up whenever she got the chance. She is one of those who keep arguing that having kids is like an obligation to society. Mom found it ridiculous, and for a long time she kept telling her that she wasn't going to have kids. Still... she ended up with two.
We then went over to the Leclerc house where Dad and Jules had helped Hervé decorate. Lorenzo had set up and prepared for a fishing pond, where the kids could fish little bags of snacks and candy. But there were more people there, one I hadn't met before, but I knew exactly who they were. Charles had talked about inviting his new friend he met while racing, Pierre.
Pierre's mom was in the kitchen with Pascale, sitting by the kitchen island while Pascale was preparing the food. People weren't supposed to be there yet, but they had traveled far and they apparently arrived early. The mother stood up when we walked into the kitchen, and she smiled widely at my mother, and then at me.
"Bonjour, je suis Pascale, ravie de vous rencontrer," Hello, I'm pascale, nice to meet you, she said as she kissed my mother's cheek. Then she looked down at me with the warmest smile, and the shyness I felt when I walked in completely vanished. "Tu dois être Céline," You must be Céline.
"Oui heureux de vous rencontrer," Yes, nice to meet you, I said as politely as I could. She laughed a little as she looked up at my mom.
"On dirait que tu as deux petits anges," Seems like you have two little angels, she told my mom. I looked up at my mom and she laughed as she tilted her head from side to side as if she didn't completely agree. Rude. "Pierre, Charles et Arthur sont à l'étage," Pierre, Charles and Arthur are upstairs, she told me and I was ready to go up there, but Charles and Arthur's Pascale yelled for them to come downstairs.
"Combien en as-tu?" How many do you have? Mom asked the new Pascale.
"Trois des miens, cinq à la maison," Three of my own, five at home, she replied and my mom let out a huff of air, as if she thought it was exhausting just thinking about. Sure, she only has two of her own, but we're practically five here too, sometimes. "Tous sont des garçons," All boys, she added.
Okay, I get it now. I'm pretty sure they stand us because I'm a girl and I just make it easier.
Arthur came running downstairs with the boys following behind him. Arthur and Charles were in their fancy pants. Pierre was tall, and he had really blonde hair and a bit of a tan still, or maybe it just looked like that because he was so blonde. My focus was averted by Arthur grabbing one of the curls hanging over my shoulder. He carefully pulled it straight and then let it bounce up again.
"Jolie," pretty, he said, but I just chuckled and shrugged. I didn't really know how to take a compliment. Instead I looked over at Pierre and Charles again, too shy to go over myself, but waited for him to come over so I could say hi.
His mother told him to come over, which was when he set his eyes on me. I got so shy, because he was older, and I knew nothing about him. I was hoping he was nice, because he had managed to make friends with Charles, and Charles has always been nice. My parents have said on multiple occasions that there isn't a mean bone in his body.
Charles took Pierre over to me, "C'est notre meilleure amie Céline," this is our best friend Céline, he told Pierre.
"Je suis Pierre," I'm Pierre, he said and held his hand out. I grabbed his hand and I shook it.
"Ravi de vous rencontrer," Nice to meet you, I said, and I think everyone heard how shy I was. But Pierre didn't seem to care. He just let go of my hand and he walked away, taking Charles with him. They went into the living room, right up to Jules. He clearly didn't care about who I was, but was impressed with Jules. Most people are.
Eventually the guests started arriving, and we were all busy greeting everyone. Older cousins, aunts, uncles and friends. When my grandmother arrived, I fixed my hair and I greeted her as politely as I could. She pinched my cheeks before showering me with kisses until mom had to wipe lipstick from my face. But after that, she moved over to Jules.
Arthur and I don't have many friends from school. We stick with each other, but we have some who showed up. Lorenzo and Jules were game leaders, organizing all the games to play in the backyard. Pierre kept voicing his opinion on how lame the games were, and since he was one of the eldest kids there, he dragged a bunch of other people with him. I'd glare at him, wanting to tell him to shut up, because Jules had tried really hard to make it suitable for everyone. But whenever he looked at me, I'd feel bad and look away.
We were called inside to eat. We sat down and we were served slices of homemade pizza and some hot dogs. The adults ate something else in another room, while Lorenzo and Jules were basically in charge of us kids. Most of them talked to Jules and Lorenzo, because they had both raced, and most of the kids around the table were boys.
I had wanted to ask Evie to come, but it was too far for her to come all the way from Belgium for a birthday party. So I talked to Jade, who was in my class. Sometimes she'd hang out with Arthur and I, and I'd hang out with her if Arthur was home sick. A girl from my dance class was also there, her name was Emily, and she was extremely uncomfortable with the large party of boys there.
The adults came out of the kitchen, carrying a large cake with a lot of candles on it. They all sang and then placed the cake in the middle of the table. Charles, Arthur and I gathered in front of it, and they placed me in the middle so that they could recreate the same photo as they did every year. We blew the candles out and then ate some more cake. Believe me when I say that I was very tired of cake by this point.
We opened gifts. Pierre had brought gifts for Arthur and I too, but I guess it was because his mother forced him. But the thing that I was most excited about, was the gift that Evie had sent me from Belgium. I opened that one first, excited to see what she had sent. It was a bunch of Belgian candy, a key ring with a ballerina on it, and a teddy bear with a Belgium shirt on it.
I got tired of trying to even talk to the other boys, so Jade, Emily and I sat in the living room with the adults and drew. Relatives asked me questions and talked to me, and I had to be polite. It was exhausting, and I kind of felt bad when it was time for people to leave and I just felt relieved about it.
Pierre, however, was staying the night since it was a pretty long trip. They had set up the guest room for his mom, and he was going to sleep in Charles' room. When everyone was gone, I changed out of the fancy clothes and I went back to the Leclerc house to watch a movie with the boys.
"Regardons un film d'action," Let's watch an action movie, Pierre said when we looked for something to watch.
"Ils sont trop violents," They're too violent, Arthur protested.
"Céline peut te tenir la main si tu as peur," Céline can hold your hand if you're scared, he said. The tone told us both he was taunting us. Arthur and I exchanged a look and Charles slapped Pierre's shoulder.
"Je ne veux pas lui tenir la main," I don't want to hold his hand, I muttered.
"Eh bien, je ne le retiendrai pas si c'est ce que tu penses," Well I won't hold it if that's what you think, Pierre replied, looking right at me, clearly taunting me. I furrowed my brows as I looked at him, and I kept wondering what the hell his problem was.
"Aucun de nous ne veut te tenir la main de toute façon," None of us want to hold your hand anyway, I spat at him. He let out a laugh, as if he didn't believe me.
"Je suis trop âgé pour toi," I'm too old for you, he said, which shocked me. I had so many questions and I felt my face heating up, because I wasn't expecting that at all. "Alors tu peux arrêter de me regarder," So you can stop looking at me, he added, turned towards the TV. Charles gave him a mean glare, but he didn't say anything, and Pierre didn't take it back. I didn't really know what to say, until I remembered something Jules had told me to say when people were being mean to me.
"Tu maman doit être fière," Your mom must be proud, I said with a heavy amount of sarcasm. Pierre just scoffed, but he stayed silent after that, and I was done talking to him.
October 18th 2009
Knowing Jules was home, was the suitcases in the hallway when I got home. How to know he was leaving, was the same way. We said goodbye to Pierre. Well, I told him I hoped to never see him again, when our parents couldn't hear us, and then I went inside and saw Jules walking around the house, collecting his stuff. I forgot it was Sunday and he was leaving.
Dad was going to his race later in the week, so they were planning and booking a hotel for him. I sat on the stairs and I watched as he prepared to leave again. It wasn't for long this time, as it was the final race of the season and then he'd be home a lot more. He'd have media, training and some other things going on in France and Italy, but he'd be home most weekends, which was better than it had been the rest of the year.
It just upset me to sit there and watch as he was leaving, so I went upstairs to my room and I started putting gifts away. But Jules came upstairs soon enough. He looked at me as I tried to ignore him, because if I looked at him, I'd cry. I heard him sigh, and then he walked into the room. He squatted down and grabbed both of my arms to turn me towards him.
"Ne sois pas contrarié," Don't be upset, he said, but I still looked at the floor instead of at him, but I still had the lump in my throat. "Je serai à la maison dans deux semaines... c'est juste une course de plus et ensuite quelques tests," I'll be home in just two weeks... it's just one race and then some testing.
"Mais tu vas me manquer," but I will miss you, I said and heard my own voice break, which caused him to hug me instead.
"Mais imagine à quel point ce sera bon la prochaine fois que je rentrerai à la maison," But imagine how nice it will be next time I get home, he said as he patted the back of my head. I let a tear fall down my cheek as I took in his smell, hugging him so tightly because I didn't want him to leave.
But he had to... and I watched as Mom and Dad helped them pack his stuff into his car. Pascale, Hervé and the other boys came outside to say goodbye to him. Lorenzo was staying a few more days, going there later in the week with my dad.
Jules hugged everyone goodbye, but he saved me until last. He hugged me tightly and he lifted me off the ground and he shook me a little, which made my feet dangle. He left a kiss on my head and then he set me down. I grabbed his hand and I didn't want to let go, but he had to, because he wanted to get there before it was dark out.
Charles made me let go of Jules' hand, and then he stood behind me, hugging me from behind over my shoulders. Jules gave me a bittersweet smile before he got behind the wheel, and then we watched his car drive away, which was when I couldn't stop myself from crying. I was sobbing and I let my cheeks get all wet. Yes, it was only two weeks... but to me that felt like forever. But at least Charles and Arthur were there, they made the time pass a little quicker. They hugged me in the driveway until I stopped crying.
I may have been sad and I may have been crying everytime he left, but at least he'd always come back. I miss that time... back when we were normal families with normal routines... and when Jules would always come back home.
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Migraines = vomiting and I also have the flu + 3 essays due way too soon but we are having a party #kachooow