Fred Chopin

Of all the classical composers, Chopin was one of her favourites...


Once she decided to go to France. Mimi, her good friend, said they would go hitchhiking to the Atlantic. She said yes, though it was almost impossible to hitchhike 2000 kilometres in a week.

They chose their first station to spend the night and it turned to be Dijon, the land of mustard. Quentin met them on a rainy night walking through the wet streets blown though by the March wind.

"I am looking for two German girls", he said.

She stretched her hand to him, as she completely forgot that the French greeting was actually kissing.

"Hi, I am Kata!"
"And I am Mimi. We are so happy to meet you!"
"Welcome to France!"
"Thank you for meeting us."
"Are you hungry? We could eat something."
"Great idea!"

In the end they had a great meal made by Quentin himself, and didn't regret they hadn't gone to some strange fast food spot. It was a small apartment of three rooms where Tot, Fred and Quent spent their time when they didn't play. They had their own band. That apartment of three French students was the beginning of the girls' great trip.

The plan was to have no actual plan. They just knew they would reach the Atlantic in Biarritz and come back, somehow. It couldn't be hard for two cute girls to get a ride.

They spent the whole evening together in Fred's room and were supposed to sleep there while he was at his parents'. Their first stay in Dijon was so amazingly warm, kind and funny that they decided to stay for the next day.

The Dijon night was still and quiet, except the singing of the frogs who came from nobody knows where and gave a spring concert to the happy two girls.

In the morning - he came. The owner of the bed they slept in brought some croissants and they had some breakfast with the best home made green tea.

In the afternoon, Mimi, Kata and Quentin visited the places where Syrano de Bergerac wrote his love letters to his beloved. They went into churches, shops and market places, and more and more Kata noticed that Quentin was after Mimi. Every time she watched him, he was always standing closer to Mimi, telling her a story or a joke. She was jealous, as he was an attractive man. But then she smiled - jokingly before their trip Mimi and Kata concluded they would never quarrel about a guy. From that moment she was enjoying their attraction.

Later, after having smelled the aroma of the real French chocolate and having smoked half a pack of Gauloises, they went to "Le pied blue" where they met with Fred. Having finished the funny dinner, Mimi and Kata went to the owner to pay, being followed by Fred. In a broken French they were trying to persuade a woman not to get any money from him, because they wanted to pay for the dinner. After five minutes of a loud fight, a woman announced that the handsome man at the back table had already payed. Quentin was laughing his head off enjoying himself.

On the one-two-tree count the girls gave him the kiss on his cheeks.

"Hey! I am starting to like it!" - he said.

In a matter of time they formed two fronts, Mimi and Quentin walking ahead fooling around and Kata with Fred behind them, laughing at their lovely romance.

"Mom, what do you say - are they going to have a boy or a girl?"
"I think a boy, honey. But first they gonna marry, you know, old-fashioned way" - she smiled.

Having crossed the main street for the third time, Fred suddenly turned into some tiny backyard behind a Japanese restaurant.

"Where are you going, Fred?" - they asked.
"Well, you told me you wanted to see a chocolate factory, right?"

They opened a glass door of a tiny shop. In a second, tons of the freshest chocolate in the air filled their senses and Kata felt she would faint. She loved chocolate more then anything else. Quentin was another chocolate junkie. He just turned to her smiling, having noticed her excitement. Mimi was watching through the glass window into the other room, where hundreds of chocolate pieces were lying on the table on thin foils, completely amazed. Fred started talking to the owner telling her about their last trip to Japan and how much the Japanese liked their chocolate presents.

A woman packed a small bag of melange which was eaten in the next 7 minutes by the crazy chocolate lovers.

In the evening, they went to celebrate St Patrick's Day, where Kata was going to dance her jigs and reels. But the pub was so full that they went to the other bar which used to be an Irish Pub once.

Fred was sitting next to her and Mimi and Quentin opposite to them in the deep soft arm-chairs. Everyone was exhausted and happy. They enjoyed every single second they spent together, but the next morning the girls had to go.

There, the sweet attraction of Quentin and Mimi was so obvious, that Fred and Kata felt they had to make the evening funny to all of them. They went to dance. It was a theatre of two. And it was good. Then they went again. And again. And then, they drank whiskey. And danced once more. She was leaning against him feeling his warmth and kindness.

"They are so sweet!" - she said, watching the two.
"Yeah. They are."
"Well, nothing strange here. I would also fall in love with Mimi."
"Are you?"
"Well, yes, in a way."

He just smiled and kissed he.

"You are amazing, Kata."

Quentin left. Tot came. They drank some more beer and went home, drunk, happy and at the same time sad - they had to part soon.

Next morning, as they had to go to the south, Fred took the girls to his hometown. It was a small ancient Burgundy town in the middle of the vineyards. It was beautiful. It was breathtaking. Just behind his house you could see the green rows of the grape plants and a castle. France...

They left, leaving Fred at the gas station who was content that they were safe in a safe car with a safe old man. Before they sat into the car, Kata couldn't help thinking that she longed to kiss or hug him. To embrace him and not to let go.

But the long and exciting trip was just ahead of them...

In Montpelier they were met by a summer sun and evergreen palm trees. The ancient Catalan city of yellow bricks was exploding of loud and chic young people.

Toulouse, the red city, threw the last sunbeams to their feet while they drank hot chocolate on a market square enjoying the guitar music.

In Pau, they met half a squadron of helicopter pilots while visiting Nata's husband's work.

In Lourdes, at night, they enjoyed the religious site, while joking about holy water being actually holy.

In Biarritz, Kata cried of happiness to at last have seen the real ocean.

In St Jean de Luz, they found hundreds of coloured boats and houses that looked like nothing they had seen before.

The Pyrenees just waved to them a snowy hello from the distance.

The south of France is the place you would never want to leave. All the wonderful and friendly people they met created the greatest thoughts and memories and you would only think that the world is great.

But notwithstanding all this, she was thinking of seeing Fred. Of coming back to Dijon. She longed to sit with him again and fool around, listening to music and telling stupid stories to each other.

They started at 11 in the morning and at 9 in the evening they reached the Centre Ville of Dijon.

It was the great homecoming...

That night, Mimi stayed at Quentin's, leaving Kata in their first night shelter with Fred. They said goodnight to Mimi and Quentin somewhere close to 4 in the morning.

They loved each other over and over again without saying a word. She looked into his deep green eyes and smiled. It was a silent conversation of two passionate and tender lovers who forgot the world. They loved each other till the afternoon, not thinking that in the next hours she would be on her way home.

Breakfast in the city. Chocolate on a terrace of a cafe. Kisses, embraces, and kisses again. No promises, no tears. It was magic in a real life, made of tenderness, mutual kindness, and gratitude for the wonderful hours, minutes and seconds together.

Back on the road, back home. Memories of the last nine days running in her head. An email was the only way to tell him that he mattered to her. She was torn apart. She was with someone else for the last two years. She thought she was happy with him, but the only thing she was thinking was Fred, her tender lover, her favourite drummer, the soul of the gang, the kindest person, the funniest guy, and the greatest kisser.


"My parents called me Fred in honour of Chopin..."