Stories of France

Whenever I rummage thru Rod's library, often trying to find a book to read in the loo ( hah! he hates that habit of mine) I am always discovering little surprises about him. Books and things to give me a better insight into his past and childhood. For instance, he has nearly the complete collection of 'The Three Investigators' and whenever we're in a secondhand booksop he's always looking for his missing titles. Last nite, I found on the lower shelf, a cache of french storybooks, Used to teach French in high school. The book I pull out is called ' Contes du France' - 'Stories of France' Rod translates later. Anyway. On the front page is Rods full name plus his class number - 2D which meant he was fourteen at the time. Except for the English foreword explaining that these are a collection of simple French stories for junoir high schoolers, the rest of the book is completely in French, even the questions and answer section. I flip thru reading aloud and mispronounce every word, making no sense but liking how the words roll off my tongue. The next day I ask Rod to read it to me. He apparently took 4 years French in high school and 3 years German. To which he now barely reads or speaks French and can do a mean German accent in English which cracks me up all the time. 'Vee haf vays of making yoo tok. ya?

His forehead is furrowed and he's thinking really hard. but miracously its coming back to him. He reads me this story written in the first person about a boy. Alain is his name when he says ' Alain, cest moi' and its about his fist solo trip at the age of 12 to visit his Uncle Antoine in the South of France ( la Midi). He flies (avion) from Paris to Marsilles and takes the train (autorail) and finally the bus (autobus) from Veryan to Azy to see his uncle. When he decides to buy a bus ticket (billet) the conductor ask him. 'Premier, deuxiemme or troisiemme class?"

He sees that all the seats in the bus are the same and ask the conductor what is the the difference? To which he gets this answer "All the seats are the same, you can sit anywhere, first come first serve." Alain immediately buys a third (troisiemme) class ticket for 50 cents (cinquant centimes) and takes his seat because he says why pay first class prices (trois francs) when you can pay 50 cents for the same seat.

When other passengers arrive, some buy first class, others buy second and third. Alain is perplexed ' Cest estrange' (its strange) he says. A poor old peasant woman in old clothes arrives to board the bus. Surely, Alain thinks, she will buy a third class ticket. but No! She buys first class and pays 'trois francs' and takes her seat. The bus is quite full now and starts its journey to Azy amid a puff of billumious black smoke, It is an old bus and Alain wonders if it will actually make the journey to Azy. When the bus approaches its first hill....it stalls. (Now I wish I can recall and write all that happens next in French because its very funny)

The bus drivers says
"Passagers d'attention! Passagers de première (first class passengers) remain in the bus.

"Deuxièmes passagers de classe (Second class passengers!) Alight from the bus and walk up the hill on foot

"Troisièmes passagers de classe (Third class passengers!)...........Enroulez-vous les pochettes, les gars! (Roll up yer sleeves. Lads!) Get out and push the bus!

ahahahhahaah...I kept rereading the part when the drivers says "roll up yer sleeves, Lads' in french....there is more to the story but the mystery is over and credit to Rod, he read me the whole chapter and was amazed he managed to remember any of his French.