Visions of the Past

           Charles Matthews walked along Rue Dauphine in Old Quebec City, a district in the province of Quebec in the Eastern part of Canada. The narrow, paved road was guarded by the old brick and plaster buildings on either side. Walking these streets reminded Charles of a part of his life when he first fell in love.

           It was the summer of 1945, and the Second World War was nearing an end. Back then, these streets were not as busy as what they are today. What was once a quiet little French community, is now a popular tourist attraction drawing in people from all over to view the beauty of a time gone past.

           Charles was a seven-year-old ball of fire who had taken every opportunity to escape from his parent’s grasp so he could go explore. One day, while shopping in the local market, Charles waited for his mother to be distracted by the clerk and he quickly ran out the door and down the street before his mother could notice. He scooted down Rue Sainte-Ursule and then onto Rue Sainte-Anne. That is when he bumped into her, literally; the one and only girl that he had ever loved.

           Francine Dubois was a pretty young six-year-old; a blonde-haired, blue-eyed vision of loveliness. After apologizing for the collision, Charles introduced himself.

           “Ravi de vous rencontrer,” she said in French. “It’s a pleasure to meet you too,” Charles replied. “My French isn’t very good. We just moved here a few months ago, and I am still picking up a few words here and there. Do you speak English? Parlez vous Anglais?”

           “Oui, I mean, yes, I do speak some English. My parents have been teaching me since I was very young.”

           “Great,” Charles expressed with enthusiasm. “Where are your parents?”

           “They are right over there,” she said as she pointed towards the storefront. “Where are yours?”

           “I snuck away from my mom. She is one street over. I guess I should be getting back before she has the police out looking for me. It was nice meeting you.”

           “It was nice meeting you too Charles. Maybe we will see each other again one day. Bye for now.”

           Charles and Francine parted ways, and Charles looked over his shoulder before rounding the corner of the building. Staring back at him with those big, blue eyes was Francine, and her smile stirred up feelings inside of him that he had never felt before. He rushed back to the area where he had left his mom and spotted her spinning around in circles with a look of panic on her face. Charles approached her and called out, “Mom,” before catching her gaze. Her face went from worried to relief and then to anger as she realized he had run off on her again.

           “How many times do I need to tell you how dangerous it is for you to run off like that? There is a war going on Charles! Anything could have happened to you!”

           Charles felt bad and apologized for his behaviour and promised that it would not happen again.

           A few months had passed from that day and Charles attended a dinner party at the home of one of his father’s business associates. They were celebrating the end of the war and Thanksgiving. As they entered the house, they were greeted by a man and woman in their late-twenties. They introduced themselves and then after saying hello to Charles, they mentioned that they had a daughter around his age. The woman went into the other room to retrieve her, and when she returned, Charles was shocked to find out that it was Francine, the girl that he hadn’t been able to stop thinking of since that day.

           The girl’s eyes lit up with joy when she saw Charles, and the two ran off into the other room to play. Both sets of parents stood at the door in amazed silence as they contemplated what they had just witnessed.

           Charles and Francine soon became the best of friends and kept asking their parents to go visit whenever possible. As the months and years progressed, the relationship between the two had turned from friendship to love and by the time they had reached college, they were making plans for their wedding after graduation.

           The wedding took place at Notre-Dame de Quebec Basilica-Cathedral on Rue de Buade in Old Quebec city. The magnificent white and gold arches overlooking the altar and the beautiful murals that decorated the walls and ceilings made them feel as if they were in the presence of God Himself. Behind the altar stood a carving of Jesus Christ with golden pillars on either side. It was a beautiful ceremony and was attended by over one-hundred family members and friends.

           Less than two years following their marriage, while Charles had just begun a thriving career as an automotive mechanic, Francine surprised him with some unexpected news; they were going to have a baby. Charles was ecstatic at the thought of becoming a father and expressed how he thought Francine was going to make such a wonderful mother as well.

           Years passed, and then decades. Charles and Francine now had a total of four children, three girls and one boy, plus three grandchildren. Francine convinced Charles to move away from Quebec once the children had been married and moved out. They traveled West to Ontario where Charles found a great job working for the General Motors company in the city of Oshawa. He worked his way up the ladder starting as a line worker, then to the level of foreman, and finally to the title of Supervisor. That is where he stayed until he retired at the age of sixty-five.

           While living in Ontario, Francine found staying at home a little too monotonous and decided to find a part-time job to keep her occupied during the time that Charles was at work, so she began volunteering at the local hospital. Francine worked as a candy striper assisting the nursing staff and patients with various needs. Once Charles had retired, however, she decided to take early retirement as well so they could spend more time together.

           It was January of 2020. Francine and Charles now lived in a retirement building that had a nurse on staff in case of emergencies. There were several activities for the residents in the building as well, so they always found something to keep them entertained. One morning, however, when Francine had awakened, she was having difficulty breathing. Charles called for the nurse. After a quick examination, she called the ambulance. When the EMTs arrived, they rushed Francine to the hospital. Many of the staff knew Francine and they made her treatment a priority. After further examination, it was discovered that Francine was infected with a serious virus, one that the doctors knew little about. They tried various steroids and other treatments, but nothing seemed to help. By February of 2020, Francine had passed away. The cause of death was Pulmonary failure due to the COVID-19 virus.

           Charles had the body of Francine sent to Old Quebec City and arrangements were made to have the funeral in the same cathedral where they had gotten married. The cobblestone streets surrounding the cathedral was lined with cars and people paying their last respects to their friend, wife, mother, and grandmother. Every eye in the church was filled with tears, but no heart ached more than that of Charles. He had never felt such pain before. The service lasted just over an hour and the procession was led to the funeral home where the body would be held until the ground had thawed enough to bury the casket.

           Four months after the funeral, Charles was now walking the streets of Old Quebec City one last time. Restrictions from the pandemic allowed him to get out to the funeral home and arrange for the final burial of Francine. He spent hours wandering the streets and found himself back at the corner of Rue Sainte-Ursule and Rue Sainte-Anne where he and Francine had first met. Despite the warmer weather, Charles felt a sudden chill across his neck, followed by a warmth in his chest that he hadn’t felt since Francine passed away. He glanced towards the storefront window and noticed a glow surrounding his reflection. He knew then, that Francine was with him still. He believed in his heart that one day, they would be together again. A smile spread across his tired, wrinkled face, and he appeared ten years younger again.

The End.