Gastien Pt 1 (21 page)

Gastien was shocked. “
Monsieur
, I cannot rob a dying man! I will get a doctor.”

“Don’t be a fool! I am dying! TAKE THE MONEY!” He paused, gathering strength. “Enough to rent a small room for at least a year and eat! Watch and ring, too. Hock them! You…will be, ahhh…set.” He grasped Gastien’s ankle, looked into his eyes. “Make something of yourself!” He was broke out in a cold sweat and shivering now. “TAKE THE DAMN MONEY! I want you to have it! Before he comes back! RUN LIKE HELL!”

The reality of what the man said sunk in. Gastien quickly felt in the man’s left pocket, grabbing a huge roll of money. He then stripped him of his pocket watch and ring. “
Merci beaucoup Monsieur! Merci beaucoup!”

The man smiled a little, nodding. Then, he shuddered and died. Gastien shut the man’s eyes, stood up, and ran the opposite way down the alley from where the killer had left.

When he got to the end of the alley, he forced himself to walk casually. He wanted to appear to be looking for a place to sleep. It would not do to call attention to himself. Shaking, Gastien tried to calm his pounding heart. This was his chance! From this man’s death, he could get redemption! He felt like he was in a dream. Could this really be happening? Gastien kept fondling the money and the jewelry.

Gastien stepped back into another alley, allowing the dark to cover for him. He stuffed the roll into his hidden pocket in his trousers. He decided to also put the jewelry there. His sweater and coat hid the bulge, and besides, who would want to put their hand in his trousers in this condition? He laughed bitterly to himself. For being told so often a few months ago how darling he was, things sure changed in a hurry! He doubted he could pay anybody enough to reach inside his trousers at this point!

The very first thing he was going to do was go wait for Mic to get up. Mic would be able to tell him where to find a good doctor. He wanted to be rid of these damn lice. He made his way to Mic’s and waited impatiently for dawn to come. At six o’clock he could wait no longer. When Mic answered the door, Gastien simply said, “Mic, please forgive my early arrival, but I urgently need your help. Can you come out and talk with me?”

“Of course I will come out, Gaz. Just let me get some proper clothes on,” replied Mic. He was wide awake the minute he heard the word “urgent”. A few minutes later, he came outside.

 “What’s up that has you asking for help this early? Are you in danger?” Mic asked worriedly. Gastien looked awful, and smelled worse. He had been afraid Gaz would die for the last month.

“I am better than all right, my
ami!
Much better! I have been given a new chance! You won’t believe what has just happened!” Gastien told him about the scenario that had played out in the alley that night.

Mic was stunned. He asked a lot of questions, saying, “I don’t believe it, I just can’t believe the unlikeliness of being in the wrong place at the right time, if you know what I mean!” Finally when it sank in he said, “Gaz, I am so happy for you! Now we need to get you cleaned up and get you that restaurant job! Oh
mon Dieu
, Gaz, do you know that two people have left
Le Procope
? One had a family emergency and one got caught stealing food for a friend. I was afraid you would not be able to apply, but now you can! Oh, Gaz, now you can! I have asked for the other full time position since I graduate next week. I am not going to
Montmartre
after all, not until I earn a bit more money. I will probably work at least another year.”

Gastien could not believe his ears. A full time job? “Oh, Mic, that is unbelievable…but will he hire me? I know he told me that he wants experience.”

“
Oui
. He will hire you. I will see to it that he has no choice! He and his wife will be in to eat in a couple of nights. Guess what? You are going to wait on them!” crowed Mic.

Gastien laughed. “I will be very nervous! What if I spill on his wife or something?”

Mic chided, “Then you will blow the opportunity, Gaz. But, come on, with the things you have probably seen and been through, this will be a breeze!”

“You are right about that! Right now, though, I need you to tell me where a good doctor is in the area. I want to be rid of these damn lice! Hopefully, he will give me a good scrubbing down! Also, will you please go buy me a new set of clothes? I will get a couple more sets later, but I can’t stand to put these on again after I get cleaned up. They need to be burned.”

Mic shuddered. “Gladly. I hate to say it, Gaz, but you smell like shit. For real.” He looked at Gaz, waiting to see if he would be angry. Instead, they both burst out laughing.

“I smell worse than shit,
ami
! Now, head me to that damned doctor. Can you take the time to get me the clothes, or will you be late for class?”

“
Oui
and
oui
. Don’t worry about it. It is free time to work on a final project. I am ahead of the game there. In fact, why don’t we walk together, then I will go in to get us both some breakfast. You are buying your own, of course!” He smiled at Gaz. “We will eat outside, you stink too bad to come inside yet, you mangy dog.”

“So I have been told for the past couple of months. I have not been allowed in most places.”

They walked to the 6
th
, then Mic went in and got coffee, eggs, and fresh biscuits. Gastien gave him money for all of it. He figured Gaz would be extra hungry so he bought him six eggs scrambled and four biscuits with honey. Coming out of the restaurant, they walked over to the park to sit down. Mic wolfed down his food. Gastien knew this time to pace himself a bit.

When they were finished, Mic walked with him to the doctor’s office. The doctor smiled at Mic, involuntarily drawing back when he caught the odor wafting from Gastien. “Doc, as you can tell, my friend needs cleaning up and checking over. He has lice and stinks like hell,” Mic stated. “Please take care of him, check him over, and get him cleaned up. I want to assure you that he has the money to pay for it. My artist friend has just come into a small inheritance.” With that he winked at Gastien. “I will be back with some clothes. After that, we will find you a decent room in a safe building. Later you can shop for some new personal items. ”

The doctor shook Gastien’s hand. “I am Dr. Morel. We will fix you up and get you good as new. It looks like you had a period of pretty rough times. Don’t worry. I am sure soon you will be looking and feeling much better.”

Gastien smiled shyly. “Hopefully smelling better too!” They all laughed.

“
Oui
, that is a promise, young man!” the doctor said. Turning to Mic he continued, “Don’t hurry back. It will take some time to get him treated for the lice. Then I want to look him over. If you come back about one o’clock he should be ready to go look for a place to stay.”

“Great!” said Mic. “I will be back then. Any preferences on what to buy for clothes, Gastien?”

“
Non
, I trust your judgment.” He dug out some money. “This should more than cover it.
Merci
, Mic. You are a good
ami
.”

After Mic left, the doctor took Gastien to the back. “The first thing I am going to have you do is strip down. We will have to burn these clothes. Go through your belongings for anything that you want to keep, but all clothing and blankets, things like that should be burned. Once you are stripped and have separated out the items that are to be burned, go through that door. There is a shower set up in there. You will stand aside, turn on the faucets, and then adjust the temperature. Once it is nice and warm, step in, letting the water come out above your head. Soap down and just let the dirt run off. Use the liquid in the bottle for washing your hair. It is kinder to hair than the bar soap. This is not going to kill the lice. We will use tea tree oil for that, but I want you clean first. That way, you won’t be sitting in filthy water while I treat your hair.”

Gastien looked embarrassed. “I will be sitting in a tub while you treat me?”

The doctor smiled patiently. “It is the easiest way. Plus I will use as hot of water as you can sit in, as that will kill the body lice. It is a very deep tub for such purposes. Up to your neck. You will use a special soap in the tub to kill them, too. Make sure to wash your genitals and other private areas well in the shower first, as you don’t want to scrub with the soap for the lice in those areas! Don’t be embarrassed. I have seen lots of people with lice, and lots of naked men.”

“I just feel a lot like trash,” Gastien confessed. “It is embarrassing. I am trying to make a living as a painter. It has not been easy.”

“No need to explain or apologize. I understand. I will also trim off your beard if you wish, then give you a straight edge, if you know how to use it without lopping off an ear.

“I paint small details, so shaving is not a challenge to me like it is for some,” smiled Gastien.

“Then let’s get you cleaned up so you can start your new life!” The doctor clapped Gastien on the back. Gastien stripped as soon as the doctor had left the room.
Mon Dieu
he stank! He did not know which smelled worse, his clothes or his body. He quickly grabbed the few things he owned that did not have to be burned, piling the rest on the floor. There was a clean robe hanging on the door, which he assumed he would put on after showering, along with a thick, fluffy towel and a washing cloth.

Gastien stepped over to the shower. It was the first shower he had ever seen. Seeing that the faucets were marked cold and hot, he turned them both on carefully, staying out of the way of the water until it felt right to his hand. Then he stepped in. It was heaven! Gastien sighed as the warm water ran over his head and down his body. The water felt so good! He shuddered as he saw the dirty water that ran down the drain. He was even dirtier than he had imagined. He soaped up the washing cloth and began to clean away months of living on the streets. There was not a crevice or crook of his body that did not get scrubbed! Finally, he washed his hair.

After drying off he put on the fluffy robe. Then Gastien opened the door and waited until the doctor came to get him.

“You already look and smell wonderful! Please bring your valuables along with you in this bag,” Dr. Morel instructed. “Let me look to make sure that you are not keeping something by mistake that should be burned.”

Once that was done, the doctor led Gastien down the hall to another room. There was a big tub in there with steam rising from it. “Jump in, Son!” the doctor said. Gastien sank down into the tub. The hot water and Epson salts went to work on his sore muscles and ligaments. “Unfortunately, the tea tree oil will sting a bit on the scalp. I am sorry. But I guarantee it WILL kill the head lice. I am going to leave you in here for about thirty minutes first, just to soak your muscles. Please use the soap, too. That will kill any of the body lice the heat does not get. Oh! And don’t worry about the red bumps. Once the little varmints are gone, your skin will heal quickly. I will also give you some lotion to put on after we are done. That will take the redness away immediately and speed the healing. See you in half an hour.”

Gastien must have fallen asleep as soon as he shaved and washed with the strong soap, because before he knew it the doctor was back. Dr. Morel saw the scars on Gastien’s back and looked startled. “These scars on you back…do you want to tell me how you got them?”

“I was disciplined a lot by my father growing up.” Gastien showed no emotion.

“That is not discipline, Son. That is cruelty! I am sorry that happened to you.”

“It is over now. The worst part now is that everyone who sees my back asks about it!” he laughed, making a feeble joke.

The doctor traced one with his finger. “If it is any help to you, they will lighten with time. The scars will always be there, but in a couple more years the redness will fade to white. They won’t be as noticeable then.”

“Well, I am glad to hear that. It gets old talking about it.”

“
Oui
, I imagine it does. Let’s not dwell on it anymore then, Gastien. Let’s get rid of those head lice! Do you want your head shaved?”

“
NON
!” said Gastien strongly. “If possible, I want to keep my hair.”

“It is not necessary to take it off, but wouldn’t you like it cut?” asked the doctor, surprised.

“
Non
,
merci
. I am an artist. Someone had a vision of me painting in my own studio. I was older and had hair below my shoulders. It will be a unique feature that sets me apart, I think.”

The doctor hesitated. These bohemians! They were always dressing strange or doing something to their looks that was not mainstream! “Understood. I would suggest going to a barber, though, to get the ends trimmed and some shaping. That will make it flow better until it gets longer. They will also have some tonic for your hair to keep it from falling in your eyes. There is a good, reasonably priced barber just down the street.”

“Great!
Merci
, I would love to get this hair out of my eyes! I also can’t wait to get a real toothbrush and tooth powder. That is something we never had on the farm, just old fashioned picks and herbs.”

The doctor agreed, “Yes, the toothbrush is a great invention of this century. Unfortunately, too many people still don’t use it. If you want to keep your own teeth you will start using one with a jar of powder.”

He was treated with the tea tree oil, which did burn slightly, but not as bad as Gastien thought it would, then he shaved. Next, he showered and shampooed again to get the tea tree oil out. Then he applied the lotion. He was very pleased to see that the doctor was right. The redness disappeared.

The doctor checked him over to make sure he did not have anything else wrong. Amazingly, he got a clean bill of health. The doctor beamed as he looked at him. “Gastien, you are basically a very healthy, fortunate man. It has been a pleasure treating you. I wish you the very best in your future!”

“
Merci
, Dr. Morel. I feel like a totally new person! Hey, Mic! Just in time!”