Ties (Book 1)

18. The Eyes Could Not

My grandparents had missed us for Christmas. They were used to seeing us once a year at least, so we spent New Year's Eve with them in France.

France was a lovely place with different types of landscapes. In the spring and summer, you could go through colorful fields with all types of vegetation; mountains and oceans also made up parts of France all year round... You know, because it takes billions of years for mountains to move. The cities were filled with lights and architecture; there was a mix between the contemporary and the old all around. Sadly, the World Wars had destroyed many ancient buildings, so a lot had to be rebuilt.

My mother's parents lived in a village south of Lisieux. Surprisingly, they lived in a large cottage house. It was surprising because I knew they had a lot of money, a lot! Every time I asked why they lived in a small house (though it was not that small), they would say that the larger the home the more distant the family was amongst each other. I felt that to be true, since we always seemed to gather more in the family area and connect with each other during our stay in their cottage. When we were there, I felt surrounded by love like I felt surrounded by flora in the spring.

My mother's siblings and their children helped fill my grandparents' home. My uncle Eliott was a year younger than my mother but had a battalion of children. There was Adèle who was fourteen, Cécile a year younger, Émilie two years younger, and then there were the twins: Michel and Matthieu who had nine years of age on their birth certificates. My uncle worked for the same marketing company my grandparents had worked for when they were younger. His wife, Corinne, was the sweetest person I had ever met in my life which was a contrast to my uncle. Sure he was nice, but he was a very serious man who hardly laughed. My mémé would tell us, her grandchildren who gathered around, that our grandfather used to be exactly like Eliott. She said my grandfather used to be even more serious, stern, and hostile than my uncle, which was saying something. It was kind of hard to believe, since now he was a happy old man who enjoyed everything.

Then there was my aunt, Élisamarie, who was the youngest. My grandmother had her at the age of forty which was crazy. Élisamarie had a ten year old daughter, Anaïs, and was pregnant with a baby boy who would be named Jean. Jean sounded like John but with a soft J, almost like Shawn. She had been married to Anaïs' father for five years, but then he died from a heart attack. He had been much older than my aunt, but she fell in love with him anyways. I had liked her previous husband; he had really become a loved uncle amongst us cousins. His death had been very depressing, especially because I had only been twelve years old. But it had been worse for Anaïs, since she was the one who lost a father.

After three or four years, my aunt found a new love interest. Élisamarie had become unexpectedly pregnant, so her boyfriend, Adrien, and her decided to move in together; they were to be married after the baby was born. To say the least, my aunt had been my grandparents' least favorite child the moment they found out she was pregnant. Even if she had done things 'out of order,' she was happy, which made my grandparents happy.

Being around my grandparents meant love and joy. There was always a fire burning in the family room where everyone shared moments. A downside of visiting my mémé and pépé was that there was no television. They had a phone and a computer which made no sense. They said TV was a waste of time and only had a computer to stay connected to the world; the phone was simply to communicate with their family. So being in France made me take a hiatus from my regular couch potato life style. But honestly, there was no time to miss the city life or become bored.

We would ride the horses that were in the stables or attend to the vegetable garden. During that time of the year, we would cover the plants to protect them from the cold temperatures. All in all, their land provided open space to walk around and enjoy the natural air.