Toulouse and Leona
crocodilechrystelle@yahoo.com
Toulouse and Leona
Toulouse ran as fast as his little legs could take him. He ran and ran and ran until he bumped into a long street pole and, drunk as he always is on Absinthe, politely excused himself. He found himself at a street corner where an old woman was selling flowers. Toulouse bought a single rose and put it in an old Absinthe bottle with street water in it. He sat down on the curb and thought to himself for a moment. "Where would she be?" he asked himself. Just as he looked up, Satie had walked past him not even noticing that he had been sitting there. "Satie! Satie! She's back! Leona! She's back!" Satie stopped and turned around and greeted Toulouse. "Toulouse, you're always so drunk. I can't understand you." Satie, as of the night Satine died, had stopped drinking. "It's Leona!" yelled Toulouse. "She's back in Montmarte!" "Who is Leona?" asked Satie. Toulouse looked dumbfounded at the question. "You should know her well, Satie.." said Toulouse, hinting on to a certain night of fun and freedom. Satie thought. "Ohh, oh yes." Satie smiled. "She's back here in town, you say?"
"Yes!"
"Well, I suggest we find her then!"
Toulouse gasped for air from all the running he had done. "That's just what I was thinking!"
So, Toulouse and Satie took off for the familiar places that they might find Leona hiding. They walked around the entire city until they came upon a tall building that, after all the chaos, still had some gleam to it. They both stopped at the same time.
"Satie, there she is.." said Toulouse in a far-off tone.
"Carry your flower to her, Toulouse, and be gentle with her."
Toulouse stood there for a moment, thinking about Christian, and then walked toward her.
Leona, who had been standing there by the building all this time, had her back to the two men. Toulouse walked gently and quietly up to her as if not to scare her. Toulouse had thought to himself this entire time that he would try his hardest not to stutter.
"Leona?" Asked Toulouse, hopeful.
The tall woman turned around and saw the little man standing in front of her and smiled so greatly that it seemed to go on for miles.
"Toulouse!" she yelled out. "I was hoping to find you here! I didn't want to come back to this place, but, I needed to see the town and its people," she said to Toulouse.
He nodded to her and handed her the Absinthe bottle that now occupied a single rose. She smiled again and took it.
"Thank you," she said, instead of saying what she really thought which was "are you still drinking?"
"I've missed you so much, Leona. When your sister died, it was a terrible tragedy and the city has not been the same since. We needed a pretty face to come lighten all of us up again."
It was true, that the people who dared walked the streets of Montmarte had smiled ever time they saw Leona.
"I've missed you too, Toulouse," she answered back.
Toulouse reminisced as he asked Leona about the days of the Moulin Rouge, when it was still running. Zidler had long since passed away and all that was left was his wife.
"Toulouse, I did come here for another reason," she said, accusingly.
"After all this time, Toulouse, why have you not kept in correspondence with me? I have written you letters; many of them. But not a single response. Finally I just gave up and realized what was really happening."
"I know I could have kept in touch with you, but I just didn't think I could do it, Leona. It's been years, I know that as well. Your spirit left this town with you, when you left, Leona. Your sister came next and everyone fell in love with her then. She was the rising star. The town felt you had given up on them when you left here."
She nodded, and started to walk. Toulouse followed. As they walked, she looked down at him and smiled and then stopped. She knelt down and kissed Toulouse on his lips and as they made their way back to the motel room that Leona stayed in, they fell asleep in each other's arms as they had years before.
CHAPTER 4 COMING SOON
crocodilechrystelle@yahoo.com
Toulouse and Leona
Toulouse ran as fast as his little legs could take him. He ran and ran and ran until he bumped into a long street pole and, drunk as he always is on Absinthe, politely excused himself. He found himself at a street corner where an old woman was selling flowers. Toulouse bought a single rose and put it in an old Absinthe bottle with street water in it. He sat down on the curb and thought to himself for a moment. "Where would she be?" he asked himself. Just as he looked up, Satie had walked past him not even noticing that he had been sitting there. "Satie! Satie! She's back! Leona! She's back!" Satie stopped and turned around and greeted Toulouse. "Toulouse, you're always so drunk. I can't understand you." Satie, as of the night Satine died, had stopped drinking. "It's Leona!" yelled Toulouse. "She's back in Montmarte!" "Who is Leona?" asked Satie. Toulouse looked dumbfounded at the question. "You should know her well, Satie.." said Toulouse, hinting on to a certain night of fun and freedom. Satie thought. "Ohh, oh yes." Satie smiled. "She's back here in town, you say?"
"Yes!"
"Well, I suggest we find her then!"
Toulouse gasped for air from all the running he had done. "That's just what I was thinking!"
So, Toulouse and Satie took off for the familiar places that they might find Leona hiding. They walked around the entire city until they came upon a tall building that, after all the chaos, still had some gleam to it. They both stopped at the same time.
"Satie, there she is.." said Toulouse in a far-off tone.
"Carry your flower to her, Toulouse, and be gentle with her."
Toulouse stood there for a moment, thinking about Christian, and then walked toward her.
Leona, who had been standing there by the building all this time, had her back to the two men. Toulouse walked gently and quietly up to her as if not to scare her. Toulouse had thought to himself this entire time that he would try his hardest not to stutter.
"Leona?" Asked Toulouse, hopeful.
The tall woman turned around and saw the little man standing in front of her and smiled so greatly that it seemed to go on for miles.
"Toulouse!" she yelled out. "I was hoping to find you here! I didn't want to come back to this place, but, I needed to see the town and its people," she said to Toulouse.
He nodded to her and handed her the Absinthe bottle that now occupied a single rose. She smiled again and took it.
"Thank you," she said, instead of saying what she really thought which was "are you still drinking?"
"I've missed you so much, Leona. When your sister died, it was a terrible tragedy and the city has not been the same since. We needed a pretty face to come lighten all of us up again."
It was true, that the people who dared walked the streets of Montmarte had smiled ever time they saw Leona.
"I've missed you too, Toulouse," she answered back.
Toulouse reminisced as he asked Leona about the days of the Moulin Rouge, when it was still running. Zidler had long since passed away and all that was left was his wife.
"Toulouse, I did come here for another reason," she said, accusingly.
"After all this time, Toulouse, why have you not kept in correspondence with me? I have written you letters; many of them. But not a single response. Finally I just gave up and realized what was really happening."
"I know I could have kept in touch with you, but I just didn't think I could do it, Leona. It's been years, I know that as well. Your spirit left this town with you, when you left, Leona. Your sister came next and everyone fell in love with her then. She was the rising star. The town felt you had given up on them when you left here."
She nodded, and started to walk. Toulouse followed. As they walked, she looked down at him and smiled and then stopped. She knelt down and kissed Toulouse on his lips and as they made their way back to the motel room that Leona stayed in, they fell asleep in each other's arms as they had years before.
CHAPTER 4 COMING SOON