Chapter 99, Le Havre

     Dede my cousin David (Dede) woke me up at 3:30 AM and we drove for two hours to a small town outside of Paris. We set up his tent and spread all the children’s cloths he was selling. Not many people were shopping that day, may be because of the cold weather. I felt bad for him, he promised to pay me for my help that he didn’t really need so I told him I will work with him just till the end of the week and leave. He had a ten-year-old boy who was busy at public school in the morning, Hebrew school in the afternoon, Synagogue service every Friday night and Saturday morning. On Sunday again Hebrew school. 

 “Does he have a day off?” I asked Dede.

 “Oh, I had it worse when I was his age, I had to help my father too.”

 “That’s tough!”

 “Life is not easy for us here; it is hard to make a good living.”

 “So, why don’t you move to Israel?” I asked.

 “And do what?” he asked in return, “I can’t start a new busines. Maybe when I retire.”

 “Just so you know, the government helps new immigrants.”

 “I know, But I will have to also leave the rest of my family here behind. We should have moved when your parents moved.”

 “I don’t know, it wasn’t easy for them either in those days.”

 

    I called Christine at Le Havre and we planned to meet at the train station. I bought a Euro pass for the next month. I could use it multiple times anywhere in Europe. I decided to use it first to go to visit with Christine for the weekend. She picked me up in her green Renault 5. All I had was my new backpack and my guitar. I was wearing my new coat and a new pair of winter boots that I bought at the flea market where Dede worked, my new blue jeans and a stripe T shirt. In my bag I had a few changes of underwear, T Shirts, two pairs of pants, my military hunting knife, and my wash kit; only what I needed to survive for the next month or so. I sent the rest of my stuff in a suitcase with Nehemiah to bring to my parents. The Train ride was smooth and pretty. The trees were still changing colors and I could still see the fields around.

 

    “Is that all you have? Asked Christine when I put my backpack and guitar at the back of her cute car.

 “That’s all I need, I like your car, it looks very comfortable.”

 “Thanks!” she said with a smile, “Dad bought it for me for my graduation of the seminar. It’s the newest Renault 5, I love it! It handles great. 

 “You are a schoolteacher?” I asked.

 “Yes, fourth grade, they are fun.”

 “And I thought you were just a musician.”

 “I am that too, I play the flute at the town’s orchestra and of course for our little performing troupe.

 “That’s a generous gift, what does your father do for living?”

 “He’s an engineer.”

 

    Christine was a fast driver and her car responded to her just as well. We drove to her parent’s big house in the outskirts of Le Havre. It was located on a hill overlooking the harbor. Le Havre - The Harbor in English, is located in the Normandy has a 500-year history of being the harbor of France to the Atlantic Ocean. It went through the war of religions, the French Revolution, World War I, and War World II. It is now a modern sea faring city.

     “What are your plans?” Asked Christine’s mother. “I Hear you want to travel Europe.”

 “True, But I am not planning to travel like a normal tourist, I want to visit friends and see how people actually live and not just visit tourist sites. I will do that when I am older”

    The next morning Christine took me to visit with some members of her company, after stopping at the cliffs of Etretat overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. I was sure that I saw that scenery in some movie before. 

 

    On Sunday Cristine took me to a sea food restaurant. I have never been before to one of those. Growing with my parents we rarely went to restaurants. I ordered a sea bass while Christine ordered a plate called fruit of the sea. It came with a toolbox, unlike my plate that came with a special fish knife that was also new to me. Her toolbox included plyers, tweezers, special forks and knives; I could swear I saw a hammer too. Christine saw my expression and smiled. These are so I can crack the shells and dig out the meat each for a different creature. That’s it, I flipped out when the waiter wrapped the plastic bib around her neck.

 

    We went to visit the rest of the company and from there back to her house to pack for my early morning trip to Holland. I promised her to keep in touch and invited her to visit. She promised to plan a trip for the beginning of the summer. 

 

***

 

 

Wheat Berry Salad

 

A healthy salad with a healthy grain. 

 

Ingredients:

1 Cup Wheat Berry

¼ Cup Crushed Pecans

¼ Cup Cranberries

½ Cup Chopped Parsley

¼ Cup Chopped Basil

¼ Cup Squeezed Lemon

2 TBSP Olive Oil 

¼ tsp Salt

 

Cook the wheat berries like rice; One cup of wheat berry and two cups of water. Chop the pecans, parsley, cranberries, and basil. Mix all with squeezed lemon oil and salt.

 

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