Chapter 14: Christmas Eve

Having felt a bit sickly and being in need of sleep last night, I slept until midday today. We were going to see Alice that morning so we instead were going to see her that afternoon before the family and I headed over to a town just beyond Avignon to meet their relatives for Christmas dinner that night - whom I had all met last time I was here. We quickly ate some food and Guilhem and I took the old bikes out of the garage. I hadn't ridden a bike in years and I told Guilhem I'd probably be awful and he laughed and said that's fine. For the first leg of the trip I struggled to remain upright on the thing, but soon gained a sense of balance, except for on hills which were impossible to climb on an old bike without gears and we finally got to Alice's after a laboured trip. We got to her door and, as she had lost the keys to the door, we had to climb in through the window.
Guilhem spent the time there booking train tickets to Paris for later that week and I spent my time playing with Zoe and Alice's cat and talking to Alice. When we had to head off, I said my goodbyes to Alice, "Ben, au revois. J'espere a la prochaine et a bientot," she said, "c'est domage que tu ne peux pas rester pour la fete du nouvelle ans..." [Well, goodbye. I hope to see you next time and soon...it's a shame you won't be able to stay for the New Year's Eve party..."] she said and smiled downwards with her big, brown eyes shining, "Maybe next time." I said, and climbed back out through the window, wishing I was staying as I missed my Montpellier friends very much, but knowing it would still be a lot of fun in Dublin. As we cycled home, downhill, I felt the breeze on my face and understood why so many people enjoyed cycling - one feels free.
When we got home, after an hour or so we were ready to head off. After closing all the windows we packed our things into the car and drove off, and after about an hour and a half we arrived. We stopped in first at Anouk and JP's to say hello and then went over to Paty and Jean-Paul's to drop off our gear.
Note: JP's real name is ALSO Jean-Paul, but they call him JP to not get confused.
Guilhem and I made trips between the two houses getting necessities for the dinner that night, accompanied by Artus - JP and Anouk's son.
Soon enough it was time for pre-dinner drinks and degustations (like...hor d'oeuvres) and Artus brought out his guitar for me to play - which felt brilliant after 3 weeks of going without - and Guilhem brought me a rum and orange. Before dinner had even began I had drunk 2 of these and a glass of wine, when a giant caricature of a man walked through the door with his equally bizare wife. He was a giant of a man, 6 ft 3 and about as wide around - with oddly thin legs - and no chin. But his face was most impressive - a street caricaturist would have a field day. Just this joyful bear of a man with an earing in both ears, glasses, white hair and a dry, husky, booming voice in an indecipherable Southern French accent. His wife was a very loud American woman with an exceptionally loud laugh - which Guilhem spent the whole night marvelling at every time she burst out laughing, which was often - who spoke French like a Frenchwoman and who could have done with wearing a bra.
Dinner was an amazing raqulette. When gift time came around, I expected nothing, as I was a guest, but they still got me a scarf with the names of Annie, Andre, Benjamin and Guilhem embroidered on it.
By the end of desert everyone was thoroughly pissed and we decided to hit the bed, "Should we take the ladder?" I asked.
"No, it's too cold!" Said Zoyra, Benjamin's girlfriend.
"Let's drive!" Said gay cousin Thomas. So we did. We all piled into his tiny car, whose windows were frosted over, and drove at 15 km/h the 300m to Paty's house and we all fell asleep as our heads hit the pillow.

- from The Journal December 24th 2008