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A-Hippocampus In reply to Beginneratart [2016-05-05 03:01:14 +0000 UTC]

(I tried)

Okay. So you want to know where it starts. Not smoothly, I can tell you that.  First of all hon, I thought he was running away from someone.

“Mademoiselle! Attendez!”

I mean… picture if ya’ will: a scrawny, well-dressed man rushing out of a French coffee shop. Tie flapping like a banner… he was pretty fast back then (even for a man that smoked like a chimney.)

It was cold that afternoon of course; steam was rising from the manholes and it was snowing all along the Seine and the city.

So there I was, staring at this guy who almost slipped on the curb ice to skid to a stop right infront’a me. And he says to me: “Vous avez laissé tomber quelque chose.”

Now at the time, I didn’t know much French and he spoke that rapidly and outta’ breath.  So what came out of my mouth was: “What?” in a clearly English-speaking Bostonian accent.

I watched the realization come over his face. “Oh.” He says. “You… You dropped something.” And he held out a wallet I never saw before in my life.

I reached to inspect it anyway, shifting the purse on my shoulder. But the wallet slipped from his fingers and dropped into the snow.  I stared at it for a moment before he flustered, scooping it up.

“I’m sorry. Now I recognize it,” he said examining it. “That one is mine.”

You can imagine my confusion when he produced my own blue felt wallet from his jacket. “THIS one is yours.”

I was sure I gasped in indignation. I snatched it from his hand. “Hey! What kinda trick are you trying to pull? Where? Wh- How?”

I checked it right in front of him. I was less worried about my scanty cash than I was about my passport, cards, and…

“Are you missing anything?” He asked innocently.  

I was. “Hand it over.”

It must have been one nasty glare I gave him, because his bemused grin melted. He adjusted the glove on one hand and pulled out the picture. The one picture I carried with me everywhere.

I seized it, taking care not to bend it, and he let go with a sigh. “I was going to set up a trade…” He sounded almost abashed. “I give you eh…your picture back and you return my heart. Heh.” He ran a hand through his hair.

The words fell flat. As those pick-up tactics often did. I didn’t appreciate it, having heard the same nonsense for years now. And he might have damaged my family picture.

But no.  My seven boys and me where there. Still smiling. No scratches.

“Are… Are those eh... your children?” He asked, genuinely intrigued.

I huffed and carefully put my picture back into in my wallet. I put that back into my purse (where I thought I left it.)  “Yes,” I affirmed somewhat smugly. “All seven.”

 And hon, you should’ve seen how the men of my day reacted to that. I used to get both depressed and supremely proud of that deer-eyed look of shock.  He wore it then too.

“Adopted?”

I laughed and shook my head.

To my surprise he began a nervous laugh of his own. “That’s… wow. Ah Madame, that’s… that is very impressive.” He took a half step back. “I eh…  he cleared his throat. “I’m sorry for bothering you.”

He swallowed somewhat audibly and turned. I watched curiously as he walked back the way he came. What a strange man.

 I felt a small twinge in my chest, almost like regret.

Then, I checked my purse again to make sure he didn’t rob me of anything else. I pulled my coat more snugly around my neck and started off again.  I really had to get back to the airforce base. And that took at least two buses.

Afterall, the man I was with at the time would soon probably be wondering where I was, right? I mean, I suspected it even then, but I was stupidly giving him the benefit of the doubt. Certainly, he wasn’t smooching up Suzette or Cosette (or whatever her name was as I found out later.)

And I had my little ones to see and a baby-sitter to relieve and-

Someone grabbed my hand. I whirled around- nearly scared to death, and he was there again. Lips pressed against my hand once before he was speaking. “My name is [redacted]. I want to know more about you. And I want to hear what it’s like to be the mother of so many. Do you have time for a cup of coffee?”

My heart stuttered. I noticed his eyes were blue. I heard myself say “Yeah… I’d like that.”

We walked back the direction I saw him run from. I turned to admire his face a little more and found him doing the same. I averted my eyes to the steam and snow. Gosh, if only it were this pretty back in Massachusetts.

“You know,” I remarked suddenly, “I think you’re the only guy in this city to speak a word of English. The rest don’t know any.”

For some reason, he found that very funny. “Ah, that is a shame.”

And hon, there’s something about beginnings like that. Coming from someone with a lot of history, you don’t want to know about beginnings that turn sour. You have to build a history with ‘em. So you can look backwards and say, “Oh yeah, those two. They have no idea about the ride they’re in for. I can say now… I’m so happy for them.” 

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Beginneratart In reply to A-Hippocampus [2016-05-05 06:35:22 +0000 UTC]

Woah, that's a really nice story! ^^ I could totally imagine him doing that, haha

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A-Hippocampus In reply to Beginneratart [2016-05-05 13:44:53 +0000 UTC]

Thanks I wonder if we'll ever get their canon story.

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Beginneratart In reply to A-Hippocampus [2016-05-06 00:59:56 +0000 UTC]

I really hope they do! I seriously want to know how they met.

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A-Hippocampus In reply to snowsuper123 [2015-12-14 14:04:10 +0000 UTC]

Aww, thanks! What a story I bet it was. 

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snowsuper123 In reply to A-Hippocampus [2015-12-14 18:45:48 +0000 UTC]

I bet Spy was something!

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A-Hippocampus In reply to ArgetKnight [2015-12-10 04:16:43 +0000 UTC]

Thanks! I'm glad it conveyed the right feeling 'cause I don't think I can replicate it.
 

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A-Hippocampus In reply to ElyVolpeArtica [2015-12-10 04:13:30 +0000 UTC]

Thanks!
I always wonder about their first encounter.

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ElyVolpeArtica In reply to A-Hippocampus [2015-12-10 08:18:19 +0000 UTC]

mee too.

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A-Hippocampus In reply to pastel-fart [2015-12-06 23:56:50 +0000 UTC]

Thank you!
 

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A-Hippocampus In reply to scottish-rule [2015-12-06 23:58:19 +0000 UTC]

Thanks!  I debated whether or not to have him in a mask, but I figured he didn't always used to wear one.

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A-Hippocampus In reply to TalonWolfG5 [2015-12-06 23:59:33 +0000 UTC]

Hey- you remembered! You are the privileged viewer of many drawings in the work Yeah- Spy's in love all right.

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TalonWolfG5 In reply to A-Hippocampus [2015-12-08 22:31:05 +0000 UTC]

Yay! Well I absolutely love them all ;D

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A-Hippocampus In reply to MeetTheGmodder [2015-12-07 00:00:00 +0000 UTC]

Thank you!
 

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