Prelude to the Second Weltkrieg - Part 2: Commune of France

March 10, 1937

March 10, 1937 – Paris, France

Dearest Henri,

I know you are probably very busy and that is the only reason you have not replied, but there have been some rumors of training accidents amongst the army and air force. Rumors strong enough to reach mother, who asked that I try and contact you at once. I called the army at the public number and left a message, but when they called back they said they could not provide me with any information because you were in a "forward position" and communication was limited to only the army itself.

Mother and I obviously hope everything is fine. Do write back as soon as you can.

In the meantime, I will give you a few more anecdotes in case you are able to read but not write back.

The weather has started to warm noticeably, though thankfully the factory is still cool enough. I have found that the night shifts, which I have started working by the way, are much more comfortable than during the day. All told, it is a beautiful springtime that is approaching in Paris.

But enough about the weather. Let me fill you in on the interesting pieces. I will go from least interesting (to you) to most.

First, Uncle Robert visited and the three of us had a wonderful night, though I was quite exhausted and a little hungover the next day at work. I could swear those presses have never been so loud! Uncle said that everything he's heard through his contacts at the Bureau is that the pro-war team is gradually taking the lead, and it looks like the next few months will see a much bigger shift in focus towards expanding military production. They may even extend the draft further than they already did in the fall. Uncle Robert himself isn't sure exactly what direction the next meeting of the full Bureau will look like, but he expects the mood has shifted greatly this past year with Germany's allies falling like flies.

Speaking of Germany, I'm not sure if you will have read yet, but they claim to have held "fair" elections – as if anything the Kaiser has done is fair in his lifetime. I was surprised – we were all surprised – to hear that their social democratic party won by a fair margin, and will take the lead of the government! Of course all this needs to be confirmed, and I don't trust that Prussian mustache to actually follow through on any of the promises he's made, even to his own people, but still, even a partly socialist government is a good sign, right? Perhaps the German people can finally see the benefits of socialism before it's too late. They'd still have a way to go to advance to our syndicalist system, but anything is better than the capitalist hell they made for themselves. I read yesterday the maximum number of unemployed after Black Monday was over ten million! That's three million more than they originally admitted. Part of me is glad they're finally seeing the error of their ways, but more of me wants them to continue to suffer! At times like this I'm glad mother didn't raise us Catholic like she was raised – I want to enjoy the misery of my enemies!

Ok, ok, enough politics I promise. Now on to the good things I know you'll enjoy.

Claire. Oh, this poor woman. Henri, I tell you, I may have to trust your taste in men after all. So it turned out that just two weeks after Claire had given birth to little Marcel (I can't remember if I told you the baby's name, but it's Marcel), her husband Marc began sleeping with one of the flautists in the jazz band! And it turned out he didn't even care that much that Claire knew, because he confirmed it as soon as she confronted him with her suspicions. He told her, straight to her face, that he found her disgusting ever since she gave birth to Marcel. Can you believe the idiocy of this man? Yes, Claire had put on a little weight, but she had carried another human being in her belly! On top of giving up all his responsibility as a father, he had gone on to do this! Oh Henri, I have never been so furious in all my life.

I offered her my apartment immediately if she wanted to leave the man. I'm working almost every second night anyway so a baby's cries wouldn't hurt me. But she refused. She is truly torn now. She's worried if she leaves him now he'll never take her back. Her mother passed away last year after all, and her closest other relatives are all in Provence, and she doesn't even know them that well. She's spent the last month trying to make it work, skimping on meals so she'll lose a little weight and make herself desirable for him again. I think it's sheer idiocy, but I don't know what else to do. Men, I am convinced, are despicable creatures.

Of course I should watch what I write. Because the best of my anecdotes to share with you also touches on men.

I also met with Yvette, as I told you I would. Only she did not bring just her fiancé – who was very nice by the way – but one of her fellow students from the University. A man.

She was almost as unsubtle about her intentions as Marc was with Claire. She introduced me to this man by saying, "This is Raymond. He is single." I nearly turned as red as the scarf he was wearing, but he set me at ease by replying to Yvette with a, "Of course I am! Who could love a face like this?"

To be fair Henri, his face is not what you would usually call "flashy". He is a bit plain for a man at first glance, not much taller than me really, with a slight build and glasses. You look at him and think he has the air of an academic. But when he speaks he speaks as plainly and straightforward as anyone. He is up front about his faults however, and plays them for laughs at his own expense.

At first I was not overly taken by this man. Our walk through the galleries was full of short conversation. He was far more comfortable than me with Yvette's attempt to set us up, but he could evidently tell I was not as interested. Still, we had a nice discussion about one of the Van Goghs and he made his points without coming across as rude or patronizing. The humility was not just for show, I saw.

I was upset at Yvette afterwards. Not just for not warning me about his presence, but for setting me up with a man who was, quite frankly, not up to my usual standards. Then Yvette delivered a dagger through my very soul when she told me, "Your type of men do not tend to treat you very well."

I told her she sounded just like you, and she replied, "Well your brother is a very wise man then. You need to try someone who is not your type."

We separated afterwards in a slight tension. But I did not have time to think too much on it due to all my shifts at the factory. By the time my next free day came up though, I found myself wondering if she was right. So I called her and asked if I could meet Raymond again. I could hear her glee through the phone.

Well, we have gone on three dates now since then, and each one has gone a little better than the last. To be fair, the bad nature of the early ones was mostly on my end. I continued to doubt myself when we stood next to each other, wondering if I could look past the things that were normally all I could see. I also found his self-deprecation a bit much at times. But then on our most recent date – a simple walk along the Seine – we talked and talked until well after the sun was down, and I realized it was some of the easiest conversation I'd ever had. I also realized we had agreed on nearly every topic either of us brought up, and most importantly, he genuinely seemed to enjoy listening to my perspective. He was even as furious as I was when I told him the story about Claire and Marc!

I also learned he's not just an academic, despite his intelligent viewpoints. He's actually in the army reserves as well – in fact, he's doing his one week of service for the quarter this week! He's as patriotic and socialist as any man in the Commune, and he genuinely believes in the advancement of the working cause. Not only believes in it, he's willing to put everything he has into advancing it.

It's nothing like your unique habit of falling for a woman all at once, but I do admit I feel a growing attraction to this man who's only semi-attractive. I will not be proposing marriage anytime soon (as I'm sure you've done with Simone already), but we do have another date planned next week when he returns, and I have found myself looking forward to it.

Anyway, that is more than enough for one letter. I really hope you and your unit are doing well. It sounds like Jouhoux is going to be going into discussions with the Swiss directly over Haute-Savoie. Perhaps war can be avoided after all. If war does break out though, know that you are in the thoughts of everyone here, and good men like Raymond will be there to join you as soon as the war begins.

Love from your mother and sister,

Margeurite