The year was 1945. The place was the French city of Lyon. The date was April 12. Allied troops had recently liberated the city, and after years of privation and curfews, life was starting to return to normal. The fact that it was spring only increased the feeling of euphoria over the departure of the hated Nazis, and the much more relaxed presence of the allies.
A 19 year old French girl went out for the evening with her friends. This was the first time she had been allowed to go out at night, since the curfews had been lifted. But she had lied to her father. He had no idea she was going to a dance. A dance put on by the American GIs. This 19 year old mademoiselle loved to dance, but had never had the opportunity during the war years. Now she was finally getting a chance to enjoy her youth.
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So, where was I? Oh yes. As it happens, this young lady had studied English in lycee, and she was quite proficient at the language, even fluent. All of her friends were depending on her to be able to translate what the GIs said, and to communicate what they were saying back to the GIs. In fact, that was how she spent most of the evening, to her annoyance. She was able to do some dancing, but mostly, the evening consisted of negotiating between "Qu'est-ce qu'il dit?, Qu'est-ce qu'il dit?" on one side, and "What did she say? What did she say?" on the other.
She did get to do some dancing, though. However, there was one fellow there who was bothering her, and she wanted to bring his attentions to her to a permanent end. As he approached her while she was sitting at a table with some GIs, she told the annoying guy that the GI sitting next to her was her fiance. The annoying guy went away never to return.
The young lady struck up a conversation with her "fiance." It turned out that he could speak recognizable French, though with a heavy American accent. He was from Baltimore, in the state of Maryland. He was in the Engineering Corp, but back in Baltimore, he was a plumber. They enjoyed each others company so much that they decided to meet again for a date in the park (with chaperone; after all, she was a nice girl). In the meantime, she noticed the time and wonder how she was going to get home before her father's curfew for the evening. Some GIs gave her and her friends a thrilling ride home through the streets of Lyon at high speed, and she got home in time. Her father was never the wiser.
The young lady met the GI from the dance a couple days later at Lyon's premier park, La Parc de la Tete d'Or. She came with her aunt (only 7 years older than her), who was sworn to secrecy. The young lady's father was still in the dark. (Her father warned her about getting involved with soldiers, since they would leave and she'd never see them again.) They continued to enjoy each other's company throughout that day.
I don't know exactly when they realized that they were in love, but over the course of the next six weeks, they continued to see each other. Among the events that occurred during those weeks were VE Day, and the death of the young lady's father. (He had bad ulcers, and was weakened after having been shot by the SS in the waning days of the occupation. He had been active in the Resistance.) At the end of the six weeks, the GI had been ordered to leave Lyon. He promised to send for the young lady so that they would get married in the United States.
The young woman did not take this promise entirely seriously. Many of her friends had gotten such promises from other GIs, and most of them never heard from their GI beaus again. But the young woman and her GI corresponded continuously over the next two years, until it was arranged for her to come to the U. S. to marry the former GI. They got married in Baltimore on April 12, 1947, two years to the day after they met. They had two children (I was one of those), and stayed married until the GI (my father) passed away in 1982. My mother continued living in the house where they made their home until her own passing in 2007.
Just a little timely family history.
Now, on to the comments!
From navajo:
Tookish made the following comment, starting a conversation in her recommended diary Ernesto Yerena's Newest Addition to the Pine Ridge Billboard Project.
From commonmass:
This rant in Cheers and Jeers by Kossack murphoney says just about everything to say about that pic of Boehner that haunts the Daily Kos of late. Also from Cheers and Jeers, this comment by thenekkidtruth is at once the funniest and the truest assessment of the President's use of the "Bully Pulpit" I have yet seen.
From cameoanne:
She nominates this comment by dkmich from david mizner's recommended diary President Obama to Push Anti-Worker Anti-Union Bill.
From ScottyUrb:
Whatever your thoughts about Obama, Democrats, etc., BigRedBlackGuy's remarks are a must read (from his own recommended diary). Have you done YOUR part?
From NoMoJo:
Here's a comment from TheOtherMaven in response to a series of comments concerning whether 8 years of W was better or worse than our current President, from barbwire's recommended diaryThe Obama Dream is Over: He Praises Damaging Cuts as "Historic" Victory.
From your humble diarist:
I got nuthin'.