Finding Love in France

Part 19: Date Night

After holding each other for what felt like days, Mila realized how exhausted she was. Climbing out of the tub, she said "I think I need to lay down for a bit."

"Want some company? Feeling a little wiped out myself, but I can rally." he asked, winking.

"If you like, but I am truly going to take a rest, my darling" she said, winking back at him.

"That's a damn shame, Doc." He said with a grin. "Get some sleep. I'll be here when you get up."

"Thank you, my love. See you soon." And she walked down to the bunker.

He had an idea how he could try and cheer her up after such an emotional day.

She was out as soon as her head hit the pillows. When she woke up, it was dark. There was one of the small lanterns on the bedside table. Next to it was a note scribbled on one of the printers blanks from the English copy of "Frankenstein". It read:

"Beautiful Dr. Mila,
You are cordially invited to an evening of dinner and dancing. Head to the bathroom to get ready, then meet me in the barn.
Love,
The Jackass"

She smiled and headed upstairs. There were candles lighting her way to the restroom. The floor was strewn with flowers. She would be cross about having to clean it up if she wasn't so tickled by the gesture.

Once in the bathroom, she saw more flowers floating in what was probably a hot bath at some point, but was now tepid at best. Hanging off the curtain rod was one of the oversized woman's dresses left behind by the previous occupants. It was a garish red satin number that was enough material for the both of them. There was another note:

"Best I could find on short notice, but I'm sure you can make it work."

He had a bit of misplaced faith in her on this one, she chuckled to herself. She bathed, combed her hair, and tried to figure out how to keep this monstrosity of a frock on her.

As she walked outside towards the barn, there were more candles and flowers to light her path. She was grinning as she got to the entrance.

He was standing there smiling sweetly at her. "You made it!" He kissed her cheek. "And you look amazing." He put a hand on the small of her back and led her to where he had set up a makeshift picnic area. More candles and flowers, along with the unopened bottle of champagne from the other night sat next to two plates of roast chicken, potatoes, and a green salad.

"James! How did you do all of this without waking me?" She was touched.

"Well, Doc, it's market day. So I went into the village and picked up a few things." He was proud of himself for not only making his way into the village by himself, but also at using his very basic French to barter with the residents.

"Shit!" She had forgotten what day it was. She worried if she had missed anything important.

"Not exactly the reaction I was hoping for, Mils" he laughed.

"No! Sorry! This is lovely, my darling. I just forgot the day. Did anyone need my help in town?" she hoped that all was well.

"Nah, Doc. Everyone seemed fine. They were too busy picking on me and my terrible accent to notice that you were missing." He was still laughing as he handed her a few letters that had been given to him for her. "They knew who I was right away and said these were for you. Guess I'm not the big secret I thought I was, huh?"

"My darling, since your arrival, you have been the talk of the town. Though, I think they might have you confused with your friend Steve" she now laughed. "They see a tall, handsome American, who am I to rob them of their excitement?"

Now he was laughing harder "Really, Doc? That's a little mean, isn't it? When they find out I'm just a regular guy, they're not going to come for me with pitchforks, are they?"

"You might consider reading something other than 'Frankenstein', my love!" She laughed. "All kidding aside, I am very impressed you managed to find your way and handle the gossipy old ladies at the market. They must have loved you, no?"

"Sure did! I think I did alright. Have a seat." He was quite pleased with himself.

He had managed to pin up one of the man's shirts to look a little more like it was his size, but had on one of the boys ties, as the adult version found in the house was comically large, and he did not want to ruin the silk with pins. He had his fatigue pants on with this ensemble, and knew he looked a little ridiculous, but he didn't feel like fiddling with the baggy trousers tonight. Plus, he needed the extra pockets for surprises.

They sat down and ate their dinner. Thankfully, there was still a working rotisserie in the village, so the chicken was delicious. He had seen Mila load up baskets with surplus fruit, vegetables, and eggs before other market days, so he had done the same. He wasn't sure if some of the villagers had taken pity on him or taken him for a ride when they made their trades, but he didn't care. Tonight was all about showing Mila a good time.

"Not bad, right?" he said between bites. He had opened the champagne and was pouring her a glass when he remembered something in one of his pockets. "Oh! I almost forgot! This is for you, Doc." He pulled out a pair of silver hair pins and placed them in her hand.

"James! How did you get these? I did not realize anyone had anything like this for sale these days!" she could not stop staring at the thin pieces of metal in her palm. Because of the war, most spare bits of metal had been collected for munitions and other vital manufacturing. Hair pins, though small, were considered a luxury.

"Those gossipy old ladies think very highly of you, Doc. Plus, they got my banged-up old Army watch in trade, so I think they did okay." He was beaming.

"But your watch?! How could you have traded in your watch?" She was concerned that he had been taken advantage of by the villagers.

"C'mon, Mils, even you, with your perfect vision could barely read that piece of junk. When I get back to base, the Army will hand me a new one, no big deal." He blocked her as he said "Besides, that's only one of your surprises."

"James, really! You should not spoil me like this!" She batted her eyes as she pulled her hair out of her face with the pins, and asked "How do I look?"

"Like the most beautiful thing I've ever seen, Mils." At this, he stood up and took her hand to help her. "Now for the next surprise!"

He walked over to the corner of the barn where the goat was sleeping and retrieved the radio. "The hair pins weren't the entire trade, Doc." He pulled a vacuum tube out of another pocket and screwed it into the back of the device. When he flipped a switch, they were taken aback by the sound of static, including the goat, who bleated her annoyance. "Yes!" he cried triumphantly. After some adjustments, he found what he was looking for. The sound of French jazz filled the air. "Wanna dance, Doc?"