Then there was Paulette, the sister wearing green...what could I say about her...well...much as I hated to say it what you saw was what you got. She really was the giggly fangirl from that old film whether she was nearby Gaston or not. But she WAS one of the sweetest girls you would ever have the opportunity to meet. Think Snow White only puberty hit her like a mack truck and she didn't sing birdies down from the trees.

Where her sisters would get mad at other girls being near Gaston, she never did, she was just happy to be in the same vicinity as the guy...it was actually kind of concerning. But I sometimes felt that if any of the girls really was in love my brother and not just because he was the pretty boy of the village it was Paulette.

Paulette was the one who never lost interest in Gaston's hunting stories, was always the most eager to get him a beer whenever he was at the tavern, even hip bumping her sisters out of the way if the opportunity arose.

Whenever the girls came to the tavern in the afternoon to work it was pretty much the same pattern every time. There was Claudette with her proud stride always leading her sisters, then Laurette would often be right behind, often with a sheet of paper in her hands, likely some list of produce or stock she was making correction to, then there was Paulette, the happiest girl in the world, not oblivious but just always happy. She'd practically skip along behind her sisters. If Gaston was there and the girls noticed him, there was always a shockingly fast change. Claudette would seem to shrink on on herself and her confident look in her eyes would fade, like a dog learning its person is home. Laurette would quickly shove whatever notes she had into a pocket in her dress, that concentrated look gone and her brows completely unfurrowed. Those were always a bit painful to watch in my opinion...But it was Paulette who was the most interesting in her shift. She became, if anything, more herself and would always break ahead of her sisters to give him some extra food she had made by mistake that day.

She almost ALWAYS had a pie, or a loaf of bread, or some other bit of food with her when she went in for work in the evenings, always for Gaston and I'd never tried to contend it. I'd been the focus of her attention once involving food….never again! Oh it wasn't bad, FAR from it.

Allow me to explain. During the August of 1800, a few months after I'd had my heart stomped on by Laurette in the bookshop, I was surprised when Paulette called me out nearby the village fountain and asked if I could do her a favor.

"And what might that be?" I raised my eyebrow to emphasize the suspicion in my voice. Despite nobody being there beside me and the bookshop owner, news of me crying my eyes out because of Laurette crushing my heart had spread among the other boys in the village like wildfire...including my brother. I never knew HOW they figured it out...I suspected LeFou, the little guy could hide with the best of them, but they had and I was the butt of SO many jokes among my peers.

That had been a few weeks of hell, but to my surprise it was my brother who was the one bright spot in the entire thing. After he got his laughs in early on he pretty much stopped and I noticed that Laurette most certainly was NOT with my brother during the summer festival infact he went out his way to avoid her….was it petty as hell that I took comfort in that? Yes. Was it beneath me being a man of 26 years before I had my life reset? Sure. Did I feel darkly satisfied at the sour mood Laurette de Rhin seemed to be in the entire day? Oh Fuck The Hell Yes! Was it somewhat endearing that my brother was trying to make me feel better in his own bro-douchey way? I'll admit….yes it was. It didn't change much but it was nice to know he still cared even after we started to go our own ways.

When I saw the hurt look on her face I immediately hammered the paranoia and remembered schadenfreude down and shook my head, "Sorry I was remembering something unpleasant earlier, what could I do for ya?"

"Well, I'm helping cook for the harvest festival this year...and I wanted to be sure that Gaston would like it so I wanted your opinion you know him better than anyone, you have to know what his favorites are right?

Eggs...the guy has an unhealthy obsession with eggs. I thought to myself, I'd thought the four dozen eggs from that song was just hyperbole...when we were twelve I was proven SO wrong...it was horrible just to watch that much food going down his throat at one time...well at least the chicken farmers were doing a brisk business... "Well let's see what you've got and I'll tell you whether or not he'd like it."

She clasped her hands together in glee and the BIGGEST smile spread across her face. "Oh thank-you Pierre, you such a good friend." There was a slight twinge but a combination of scar tissue and not expecting her to be interested in me meant little was hurt but my pride and even that not much. Besides I was getting a free meal from a pretty girl out of it, who was I to complain.

Paulette led me to her home, a large spread not far out town, her six older brothers, also triplets, were out with their father handling the animals or in the fields with the wheat and vegetables, aside from their main stay of grain they also did a tidy business as truck farmers, minus the truck.

Entering the kitchen I met the girl's mother Madame du Rhin, a more solidly built version of her daughters and still looking amazing despite having had twelve kids, I'd always thought to myself that Monsieur de Rhin was one lucky SOB.

She was cleaning off the scraped knee of one of her youngest three girls, also triplets..., like I mentioned impressive woman, then she tied a cloth around the knee she kissed her girl on the forehead and told her to go find her sisters. The little eight-year old girl scampered out the door right as I was heading in, almost on instinct I raised my arm and held it out horizontally so she'd have to duck her head underneath it. I remembered being that small and going over and under people was part of the fun of being a kid.

Grinning as she scampered off I turned and nodded my head, "Bonjour, Madame du Rhin, a pleasure to see you."

Madame du Rhin turned around and smiled in returned...I could see where the triplets got their looks..."Oh it's young Pierre LeGume, Bonjour. What brings you here today."

"Well Paulette invited me here to taste-test some of the stuff she thinking of cooking for the harvest festival next month." I said respectfully, my mother had hammered into my skull that manners were needed if one were to become an officer for years and even after King Louis XVI had been executed the lessons had stuck, especially when I talked with women, she'd been REAL adamant about that.

Madame du Rhin giggled a bit then said, "Oh I see, you just wanted a free meal didn't you?"

I sighed and said, "What can I say, us LeGume's are big men and we need a lot to keep us going." I shrugged good naturedly.

She just laughed again, "Well eat up boy, you won't be disappointed, Paulette's a wonderful cook." She then got a contemplative look on her face and mentioned, "Well don't you look the cute couple?"

Paulette flushed at that, "Mama! It's not like that."

My own response was a bit more melancholy. "She just figured I knew my brother's pallette better than most and since he's out with Monsieur Barras dealing with that fallen tree we could keep it a secret. Hey free food who am I to complain?" I said with a shrug.

There was a flash of some emotion that flickered through Madam du Rhin's eyes, though that might have been a trick of the light. Either way she said, "Well I won't keep you waiting and don't just pick something because young Gaston might enjoy it. There are going to be other people there you know."

"I understand, Madame." I called out to her. Heading through the house to an outdoor table, my eyes widened at what had to be at least six different meats, chicken, pig, and even lamb, at least nine different vegetables and ten TEN different pies!

My eyes widened in amazement at the massive spread infront of me, I turned to Paulette and said in a weak voice, "And you did this all by yourself? Paulette this is an insane amount of food! I'm surprised your mother let you make that much."

Paulette at my surprised look and said, "Yes, I did, mama offered to help but I insisted on doing it on my own. And don't worry about the amount, you should see how much my brothers and the help eat when they come in." My mind went back to the few times I'd met the older du Rhin brothers, each and every one of them were at least six feet tall and husky as a cornfield. How they hadn't been swept up into the army I had no clue. I could see those boys polishing off even this big spread.

"Alright well, let's see what you have. Sitting myself down I fixed a plate and took a bite….do you remember the first time you saw fireworks...or a movie you'd been so excited to see you couldn't think straight? Imagine that...only food. "So...good…." I managed to moan out.

"You like it? Oh wonderful!" She said, clasping her hands….I'd been living here for 16 years and that still surprised me when I saw it.

Faster than I thought possible I clean the first plate off. Wiping my mouth I said, "Well that was...heavenly right there. I don't think you've got anything to worry about Paulette."

I was surprised when Paulette looked distressed and said, "But you haven't tried everything yet. And I want to be sure that I get what Gaston likes the most...and you did promise."

I hesitated for a few moments, then sighed and said, "Alright. So how about those baked potatoes there?"

It hurt...so...good….

Around an hour later Paulette said, "So what did you think? What do you think Gaston might like?"

Is this what being pregnant is like? Bloated beyond all human decency and sick to one's stomach? Because this is horrible….I need to hug mom at some point….

Struggling to pull down my shirt to cover my now bloated stomach I said, "If *erp* Gaston *hic* turns down anything *burp* you make...then it's b-because he's got stomach bug. Your cooking is heavenly. All of it. Now if you don't mind I'm heading home. Tell your family I said hello, Au Revoir Paulette."

"Au Revoir Pierre, you've been a wonderful help today." She chirped not noticing the utter agony on my face, thankfully no one else noticed the teenage boy who looked like he was pregnant struggle his way back to the village.

Near the tavern I spotted my brother washing his face from the fountain, shaking water out of his long black hair he turned and spotted me. "Oh there you are Pierre, I was...Tabernac what the hell happened to you?"

I didn't answer him I just lurched my way over to my brother, grabbed him by the front of his shirt, and with the strength a man on his deathbed will sometimes possess I lifted him off of his feet. With my eyes bloodshot, and dark circles underneath them, and with breath strongly hinting of garlic I ground out, "You. Will. Eat. Everything. Paulette. Du Rhin. Makes. For. The. Harvest. Festival. And. You. Will. Enjoy. It. I. Have. Been. Through. Hell. For. You. Today. Brother. Do. I. Make. Myself. Clear?"

"What?"

"I said, DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?!" I snarled this time, actually shaking him.

He quickly nodded.

"Good." I then dropped him and turned towards home. "I'm going to bed, don't call me down for dinner and likely breakfast either. Good-night Gaston."

"But it's only two in the…"

"I SAID GOOD-NIGHT!"

"...alright…"

I didn't leave the outhouse for an hour the next day and there were horrible sounds coming out that sent half the dogs in town howling.

And thus are my first and most vivid interactions with the du Rhin sisters. A fascinating set of sisters that my brother is an utterly blind idiot to or worse he knew what he's turning down. I honestly don't know which is worse….