Chapter 6 – Intermezzo
"There are many things in life that will catch your eye, but only a few will catch your heart...pursue those." - Michael Nolan
Louis left the Lutetia later that evening, still deeply moved by Mme. Zlatin's experience. As he walked home, he pondered the unimaginable depths of suffering that had occurred during the war aside from that experienced by soldiers such as himself. He had been so outraged upon witnessing the deplorable condition of the returned deportés that he had somehow displaced a very important event; an event that had turned out in retrospect to be one of the team's most distressing missions. He literally stopped in his tracks as the memories suddenly coalesced.
How? How by all that is holy could he have forgotten the mission regarding the box? He resumed walking, albeit at a slower pace, shaking his head at the power of blind rage. Everything came back to him in vivid detail and he now completely understood Colonel Hogan's reaction when the team had been tasked with transmitting firsthand accounts and photographs of the atrocities being committed by the Germans in the camps.
The Colonel had not told them anything about, nor permitted any of them to see the contents of the box of evidence that the Underground entrusted to them for delivery to London. Later, as the war began to wind down, the Colonel finally revealed what he had seen to his command crew. At the time, Louis had been incensed, as he personally knew the level of brutality that the Germans were capable of. However, he now feared that the reality would prove to be far worse than even his fertile imagination had then envisioned. The Colonel alone had seen the documented proof; now he, Louis LeBeau, was preparing himself to help alleviate the terrible results.
Louis determined to do his best to help the poor souls who had been fortunate enough to return home regain their health. Out of habit, he immediately began composing simple yet nourishing menus in his mind. Thoughts of food and cooking calmed him as it always did and as he continued on his way home, his mood lightened somewhat. He marveled at the nature of pure chance. He had left that morning with no destination in mind, no errands to take care of and no idea of what the day would hold. Now within the duration of less than twelve hours, he had come to know two courageous women who loved France as fervently as he did and managed to secure meaningful employment, albeit without pay. More importantly though, he felt he had a renewed purpose to his life, that of aiding his countrymen as they made the painfully slow, arduous journey back to normal. He shook his head and smiled to himself as he remembered how he had impetuously deigned to kiss Danielle. What were you thinking, you fool? he chided himself. You only just met the young lady this morning!
Chuckling with embarrassment, he quickened his pace as he approached his family's apartment building; he needed to get to bed so as to arise refreshed and ready to begin work at the Lutetia the next morning.