Mary-Anne was in line at the Clermont-Ferrand airport and the ladies behind her were talking about her dress. She told them that she had made it herself. "It looks like a skirt, but it is in fact a pair of shorts." In dark brown they match her cream blouse from Diane. The ladies were impressed.
She presented her American passport to the officer with a warm smile, and respectfully announced, "Mademoiselle Laforge-Lafayette from Lafayette Louisiana, Sir."
The officer looked up from his computer and smiled back while checking her visa, he was soon done, "Welcome to France Mademoiselle."
The people waiting for their luggage smiled for her exuberance. Mary-Anne was so exited, it was her first visit to France, and she couldn't wait to see her friend again.
Marie-Jeanne wearing a jeans mini and matching jerkin over a white blouse was anxiously waiting in front of the gate of the Arrivées Internationales. There was only one such gate at the Clermont-Ferrand Airport, there was no way that her friend could get lost.
Suddenly Mary-Anne was in front of her. They hugged and danced. They chatted as fast as they could. The people around them who thought their English was good enough had dancing eyebrows. Both girls mixed French and English with a few Canadianism and Cajun words...
The new small Renault SUV Papa had bought Marie-Jeanne was waiting in the car park in front of the terminal. The luggage was loaded and we drove south, away from Clermont-Ferrand.
Mary-Anne texted her parents and mine to announce that she had arrived. She did something I didn't think was possible, that was to text and talk at the same time. She didn't stop until we were out on the road and when she looked up we were passing a lot of cows in a meadow.
"Wow you have fields here like we do out in West TX. All we have in Louisiana are alligators, and they can eat cows."
She was even more surprised when she discovered the chateau de Chavagniac-La Fayette.
"Hahahaha! I am not a princess, not even a marquise !" I winked as I added, "You will look behind the kitchen door !"
With my tourist guide voice I added, "It was The Marquis' birthplace. Since he was granted American citizenship we fly both flags. Although or because we are a cadet branch we inherited the chateau, other branches inherited the more valuable Paris mansions. We also have a small museum opened to the public..."
I skidded on the shiny old parquet floor smelling classic polish. Mary-Anne enthusiastically followed. Maman protested, "Marie-Jeanne you are no longer a 10 year old ! Mary-Anne you don't have to be as silly as her!"
"I am Berenice de La Fayette, welcome dear girl. Call me Aunty Berenice." She gave her a peck on each cheek. "Please let me have as soon as possible the loco parentis letter from your parents, I need it for various paperwork. "I now have two girls, expect to be treated as Marie-Jeanne. If you misbehave it will be la fessé cul nu!" We both looked at each other and stifled a giggle using our hands.
We went into the kitchen and while Marie-Jeanne opened the huge fridge Mary-Anne had a peak behind the kitchen. She gasped as she discovered the martinet. She knew that stepping out of line would mean a fiery dance.
I enlightened her, "Thats a martinet, its furiously stingy, but the welts are usually gone in a day or two ... gone, but not forgotten."
After lunch Marie-Jeanne announced, "I have a dance lesson. Come along, it will help with your cheer leading moves."
We were three in the class with Mary-Anne, and my friend Blandine who warmly welcomed her. The maitresse de ballet, whom we call Madam, had a very strong Russian accent and a long hickory switch. She welcomed Mary-Anne and gave her a white leotard with snap crotch closure, same as ours. She told her in a mix of Russian, French and English, "You are to start with ballerina shoes without pointes."
We worked from the horizontal balance bar. She used her long switch to adjust our positions it was only painless taping. When she felt that we hadn't adjusted as required she flicked her switch with more vigor, and it was stingy, and very effective. If she guessed that we weren't giving it our best she made it even stingier.
She adjusted our leotards so has to bare our derrieres while we held the horizontal barre. In the mirror Mary-Anne looked very anxious and frightful. She always ended up wanting to relieve her self, but she didn't think she would be given permission.
Madam's switch menacingly whooshed through the air. Mary-Anne could see through the mirror in front of her our offered bums reflected by the mirror on the opposing wall. Madam admonished us. "I told both of you to do something, and it was clear that you didn't really try. If you can't listen, I have another way to reach your naughty heads. You will both receive four strokes so that you will understand that you are here to do as I say, and not as you want."
Mary-Anne anxiously watched for that switch in the mirror. I didn't see it coming, but I felt it! "Ooooeeeeeooohhh!" She gave me three more in quick succession, "Ohhheeeeiiiiii! Her implement swishing through the air and then landing on my bottom with a "Thwack". She was already done and my bum was burning. She moved to Marie-Jeanne standing right beside me. She looked apprehensive as Madam moved closer to her.
Madam landed her first stroke on to the prim and proper butt stretched and waiting. "Swish, and Thwack" I saw her painful grimace. "Swish, and Thwack" and then, "Ohhhhhhh my pllleeeeaaaazzzzeeee not there." It fell on deaf ears. She get her four strokes where they would do the most good.
Marie-Jeanne and I stood drying our eyes as Madam berated us more for being stupid silly girls and the such. Finally as we went to get dressed, I whispered, "I think I might have had a little accident."
"Oh! You best wash your leotard right here ! When I was a little girl and pisseuse Maman gave me the martinet !"
I pulled my mini as far down as it would go to try to hide the welt decorating my thighs, "Grgrgrgr! You're lucky with your longer skort ... anyway those stripes will be gone in two days."
Mary-Anne and Marie-Jeanne
Co-written with Jayent
To be continued...
You are invited to role-play with us!
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