Memoirs
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Chapter Nine
Epilogue
By Chrissy and Peyton
After Ellie and Freddie left business took a turn for the worse and lasted a few years as the world economy went into a debatable recession. Amelie and I struggled to keep going losing money for two years and not selling as much artwork as we had in the past. Both of us continued to paint and sculpt building an inventory in hopes that the economy would turn around and eventually it did.
Thriving again today we are doing fine. Our sexuality where we lived and worked didn't really affect our business or our private lives. Viewpoints on lesbianism over the many years began to change with demonstrations, parades, and worldwide events such as Gay Pride week. Not living in a big city or in an area that was ultra conservative we really weren't personally affected as others were in say Paris or the United States. However your mom and I remained a couple living without a contract as allowed by French law. It wasn't until six years ago the French finally legalized same sex marriage with the full rights and privileges as heterosexual marriage.
One of the things you asked of us to discuss besides our experiences with others was how it was growing up a lesbian and how we handled it.
I can tell you there are things I wished were different in my life such as people being more tolerant and accepting. It was difficult growing up and having to hide who I was and if found out, being ridiculed and shunned. I spent many a nights crying myself to sleep because of how I was treated and why was I so different than everyone else. Not to mention the pain and suffering my parents went through because of me. Today, while that is better, it is still not much different in some places. You two have been lucky living here where it is more accepted and tolerated and haven't had to endure what I and your mom had to go through growing up.
As you know from my previous experiences before I met your mom there was a lot of secrecy, deceit, shame, fear and hurt growing up having feelings for the same sex. A lot has changed over the years but a lot hasn't changed either. There are still countries we are not welcome in and traveling to other countries can be stressful. You have to study where you are going, you have to use caution and in many places you have to act as if you are just friends traveling together and not as a couple. Most religions still do not accept the idea of same sex relationships and thus you two have not been raised in a church environment.
At the same time I am glad and thankful for what I went through. If it hadn't been for those times and those people who weren't tolerant I would have never met your mom and the two of you wouldn't exist. Things have a way of turning out for the best and in our case they turned out really well as I have the person who I fall in love with everyday more and more and I also have you two who I love with every breath I take.
I guess what I'm trying to say is here it has been much better for me than where I was grew up. Today is better than yesterday but as an adult I don't have to live in as much of the secrecy I had to as a teenager growing up like you two have to. I don't envy you if you choose a lifestyle like Amelie and mine. But I also envy you because you have it so much better than we did growing up.
If I were to offer advice to you it would be no different than when I was a teenager. Don't doubt your sexuality. You are who you are and no one can change that. Use caution who and where you are as not everyone shares your right to be who you are but don't back down either. Live life to the fullest and love who you love and let them know you love them every single day. They and you are the only ones who matter and the only ones who you need to please.
Because of your mom and you two I wouldn't change a thing in my life as you three are all I need in life and I love you all immensely.
Amelie and I finished our memoirs and gave what we wrote to Giselle and Holly. After reading our memoirs Giselle and Holly put it together in a story book fashion. I really think Giselle is going to be a publisher or editor in a few years as she has a knack for organizing and editing. Anyway both of them, after reading our memoirs, decided they wanted one more thing from us. . It was then at both of their insistence your mom and I decided we needed that one thing that was not there in our lives to complete our love for each other. Amelie and I became legally married in two-thousand -nineteen.
As I explained earlier both girls are persistent and independent and the word no was not a typical word in their vocabulary. They insisted on arranging and doing the entire wedding themselves and even came to us with a budget which was way more than Amelie and I would consider. We negotiated it down to a more reasonable amount as by now the idea of getting married had really excited both Amelie and me. If not for our girls then it would be the last remaining thing Amelie and I could do to show our undying love for each other.
Little did I know that Amelie had tapped into her inheritance and trust she had from both her parents and grandparents and she was giving the girls the entire amount they had asked for and then some. The wedding was to be held on our resort grounds but nudity was not suggested and clothing would be required for the week before and after the wedding to allow guest who were not into being a naturalist to come, stay and not be embarrassed.
Amelie and I were taken separately by our daughters by train for a shopping day in Paris to pick out our wedding dresses and to pick out clothes we would need for our honeymoon which the girls planned too but would not tell us where we were going only that we would be gone for a month.
The guest list was not very big but there were around two-hundred guest invited. Only one- hundred had RSVP'd and a few of those were no shows. It was a beautiful and lovely way for Amelie and me to complete our relationship.
Many of our friends were there including Sara and her husband and now son and two daughters, plus Antoine and Celia. We invited the Reinhold's but they were unable to attend as Dieter and Ellie were traveling for his work, Josef was away at the university, and Freddie was busy in her new career she and her girlfriend had started as website designers. Both sets of your grandparents were there and they got along wonderfully.
The reception was fun and both of us danced with almost everyone there including each of you. I don't think it ended until around four in the morning. The next day after cleaning up we were going through some of the gifts we received when the girls came in to see us.
For their gift to us Giselle and Holly presented us with the book they created of our memoirs and asked us to look it over. We did and to our surprise at the end of most chapters there was a letter attached. It seems our creative daughters, champions of the internet and social media, were able to locate many of the people we had mentioned in our memoirs. Mine consisted of a letter from Samantha from before I had met your mom and from Sara, Antoine and Celia, Dieter and Ellie and from Freddie after your mom and I were together. Giselle told us they found and invited Samantha but she was unable to attend. So instead, for our honeymoon, the girls arranged for all of us to fly to the states to visit my parents and for us to visit with Samantha and her wife.
For Amelie many of the ones she had been with the girls were able to locate as they still lived in France. For me it was a different story.
Kim, my first girl, they hadn't been able to find and it was as if she didn't exist. Once she left my home town there was no record of her or her family ever existing. She also found that there was no record of them before they moved to where I lived either. It was if their identity never existed.
Samantha was found living in Oregon with a lady whom she had been living with for many years and then when marriage was legalized in the United States they had married. They had been together for over twenty-four years. She sent a very nice letter congratulating me and wishing me the best telling me she has always had a spot in her heart for me and she looked forward to seeing her best friend again.
Cindy was another that proved difficult. The girls found her name as a professor at a college in California but it had the word emeritus next to it. Giselle after looking it up found it meant retired. She emailed her anyway but received no response. She found an address in the area of the college which she also mailed a letter to but again received no response.
Still the attempt was overwhelming and the fact I would be able to see Samantha again had me ecstatic. We made plans for the trip buying the girls clothes they would need while overseas as Amelie and I insisted they go with us. They were so excited to be able to visit the United States and see where their one mom grew up and went to school. They also were excited to visit their grandparents who were now a part of their lives.
A month later two ladies in their mid to late fifties or early sixties and distinguished looking for their age wearing cover-ups required to enter the art gallery in Cap d'Agne, were looking at the paintings and sculptures. They had been traveling for over three months to both celebrate and grieve at the same time. Both had been good friends for many years and both had been married. They each lost their husbands within a month of each other, one to cancer and the other in a car accident. The two ladies decided then to retire from their respective occupations and travel to help them over their sorrow and grief and to celebrate their retirements.
One of the ladies noticed the one painting was signed by a J.Reed. She made the comment to her friend who was looking at another painting by the same artist.
"I used to have a student in my class named Julianne Reed," she said to her friend. "Many years ago I believe she moved to France. The style could be hers but it is so far advanced than she was back then it is hard to tell."
"This painting is by the same artist. In fact almost half the paintings in here are by the same artist. Whoever the artist is they have excellent brush strokes and their depiction is so real as if you are standing right where the actual scenery is and looking at it. I might have to buy one and have it shipped home," the other lady said.
They found the store manager and in discussing the cost of shipping and the guarantee if it were damaged in shipping the one lady mentioned the artist asking if it were a Julianne Reed.
"Yes it is. Do you know of her work?" he asked of the ladies.
"Not for many years but a long time ago I knew a Julianne Reed," the one lady spoke.
"Well you are in luck as that is one her daughters bringing more artwork in right now," he said and pointed to the young black haired girl wheeling a cart with several paintings placed evenly apart in the racks on the cart.
"She doesn't look a bit like Julianne," the lady said though she was really just thinking that and not intending for it to be said out loud.
"Giselle, would you come here a minute please," the manager asked of Giselle.
"These ladies were admiring the paintings and this lady says she is familiar with your moms work from many years ago," he continued.
"Yes ma'am, how can I help you?" the pretty girl asked.
"I noticed the artist signed J.Reed and I mentioned the name Julianne Reed and the manager said you were her daughter but you do not resemble the Julianne Reed I used to know so it may be a different J. Reed."
"Are you American?" the girl asked as the lady wasn't speaking French but English and she didn't have an English accent.
"Yes, I am and the Julianne Reed I knew was from the United States but moved to France many years ago," the lady responded.
"May I ask your name?" Giselle asked the lady.
"Cindy Collins," the lady responded.
Giselle gasped and put her hand to her mouth. "Oh my god, were you my mom's art teacher?"
Cindy was taken back at what Giselle just said as this might be the daughter of her former lover Julianne. Tears were close to running down her cheeks as she never thought she would ever see or hear of Julianne again though she still had feelings for the teenager she had made love to over the course of her junior and senior years of high school.
"I was her art teacher for two years when she about your age," Cindy responded.
Giselle was beside herself as here in front of her was one of the two people she had tried to locate for her mom. She didn't know what to say but she hugged Cindy feeling herself about to cry.
"I have been trying to locate you for months. I found your name at the university but it said you had retired. Oh my god, this is so unbelievable," Giselle exclaimed.
"I did retire and have been traveling with my friend Julie for the last three months. Are you sure we are talking about the same Julianne Reed? You don't look a bit like her at all," Cindy continued.
"Yes, I know. I look like my other mom Amelie Moreau. She is married to my mom Julianne. Amelie was my birth mom and my sister Holly was my mom Julianne's birth mom. She looks like Julianne. I am almost positive we are talking about the same Julianne. Wait let me call her," Giselle said then hesitated. "No, I would rather surprise her. Are you staying here?"
"Yes, we just arrived this morning and are staying for a week, why?" Cindy asked.
"Would you like me to take you to see my mom? It would mean a lot to me and my mom if you two were to see each other. "You see, my sister and I asked our mom's to write their memoirs and then we organized it and gave it to them for their wedding present. We tried to contact the people they had mentioned in their memoirs to get them to either visit or write a letter to them. She wrote very very highly of you in her memoirs. She would be ecstatic to see you. We live about forty kilometers from here and own our own resort. Please let me take you to see her?"
"I'm not sure that is such a good idea Giselle. What happened years ago is best to stay in the past and not be brought up to your mom's face especially if she is happily married and not expecting me to show up on her doorstep," Cindy said.
"Is this the girl you have mentioned to me about falling for before all that trouble started for you back at high school?" Cindy's friend asked.
Cindy just nodded not wanting to talk about it especially in front of Giselle.
"It's okay, I know all about it and that is why I think you should see her. She still thinks so highly of you and it is one of her regrets not staying in touch. Seeing you again would mean so much to her and you seeing how well she has done. She still wears the necklace you gave to her," Giselle stated.
The mention of the necklace was too much for Cindy and she became very emotional and unable to talk.
"The girl has a point and frankly I don't see any harm in you just seeing her Cindy. If you don't you will fret over it the rest of the time we are here and until we get home," Cindy's friend said.
"You really think so?" Cindy asked her friend who nodded. "Well okay. Let me go back and put more clothes on if I am going to visit. Will you bring me back when I say it is time?" she asked Giselle.
"Yes of course. Let me finish unloading these paintings and then the sculptures my mom made and I'll be ready to go. Meet me back here when you are ready," she told Cindy.
After Cindy left Giselle called Holly on her cell phone and told her what happened. She told her not to say anything to her mom but find Amelie and tell her so she is aware of whom Giselle is bringing back with her.
On the ride to the resort Giselle could tell that Cindy was very nervous. She tried to calm her down but didn't really know what to say so she just talked about the resort they owned and what to expect when they arrive. Cindy's friend had opted to stay back saying this was a meeting for Cindy to have without being distracted by any other outsiders there.
Giselle pulled up to the front of the resort. Cindy was in awe of the place and commented they weren't aware of this place and it looked better than where they were staying. Giselle told her they had some vacancies and she was sure her mom would make her a deal she wouldn't be able to refuse.
Amelie and Holly knowing who was arriving had gone into the office where Julianne was working making some excuses why they were there. For Amelie this was a big deal. She was anxious to meet the woman who had made such an impression on Julianne that had lasted all these years. She wasn't the least bit jealous of this woman but knew how much she meant to Julianne and in addition to meeting her see the reaction on her Jewels face when she sees this woman.
Giselle walked into the office with Cindy waiting just outside until Giselle told her to come in. Julianne was busy at the front desk on the phone and somewhat distracted so Giselle waived Cindy inside. Amelie had come around the counter so she could watch both Cindy and Julianne when they noticed each other. Holly came up beside Amelie and Cindy noticed her right away as she was a spitting image of Julianne when she was younger. She also recognized Amelie as she obviously was the mother of Giselle. She smiled at both acknowledging their presence.
Julianne was talking in French to someone on the phone but looked up when she saw Amelie and Holly standing off to the side. She looked at them giving them the raised eyebrow look as if to say what are you looking at. She then saw Giselle who moved to her right so that Cindy was now in the line of sight of Julianne. She looked for a minute thinking I know this person then she stopped talking on the phone and her jaw dropped.
Cindy smiled at Julianne and nodded knowing she had now recognized who she was. Julianne stumbled on the phone then told the person she would call them back before she hung the phone up. She looked again at Cindy and tears came to her eyes so she looked at Amelie for help who just nodded and smiled at her.
"Hi Julianne," Cindy finally spoke.
Julianne couldn't speak but got up and came around the counter running for Cindy embracing her in her arms then the tears began to fall. After a few moments of hugging Cindy she pulled back. "I'm sorry. This is such a surprise I don't know what to say."
"Well you can start by saying it's nice to see you again Cindy and introduce me to your beautiful wife and other child since I have already met Giselle."
"Yes, of course," Julianne said wiping the tears from her cheeks.
"Amelie, I would like for you to meet Cindy, my high school art teacher. Cindy this is my wife Amelie," Julianne said wiping her eyes.
Amelie came over and hugged Cindy giving each of her cheeks a kiss. "It is so nice to meet the person who has meant so much to my Jewels all these years," Amelie told Cindy.
"It's nice to meet you too Amelie. I always knew Julianne would find someone as gorgeous as you to spend her life with," Cindy replied holding both of Amelie's hands.
"And since you have already met Giselle this is our other daughter Holly," Julianne said and brought Holly over to meet Cindy. "This is Mrs. Collins, Holly."
"Nice to meet you ma'am," Holly said and gave a hug to Cindy.
"Nice to meet you too, Holly. You are just as beautiful as your mom is and look almost identical to what she looked like when I had her in my class," she told Holly.
"Jewels, the girls and I can watch the front desk. Why don't you show Cindy around and the two of you catch up. I'm sure you have a lot to talk about," Amelie told everyone.
Cindy and her friend cancelled their hotel at the Cap and came back to the resort after that day. Cindy and Julianne spent many hours that week catching up on their lives since they last saw each other. Amelie, Julianne and the girls ate dinner most nights with Cindy and her friend who told the girls about the United States. They made plans when Julianne and the family were in Oregon visiting Samantha to take a trip south to spend some time with Cindy at her place. Cindy also made a comment about Julianne still having the necklace she gave her back in high school and how proud she was of her for what she had accomplished in life with her beautiful wife and two beautiful girls.
When the week was over and Cindy departed. Both she and Julianne cried hugging until the van was ready to leave. Afterwards they kept in contact with each other their love and bond with each other lasting forever as inscribed on the necklace.
Julianne and Amelie lived a wonderful life together raising two beautiful and very smart girls. Their love for each other never wavered or doubted. While they shared others in their lives over the years and before they met no one would ever come between them or the love they had for each other.
The End
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