They spent their first two years moving from hotel to hotel with all their worldly possessions. The elder de Montaigne did almost anything in order to earn his livelihood. Vincent, who had never before left the farm, began to acquaint himself with this new way of life. The evenings were the saddest moments for him. It was very hard for the young boy to forget his mother. He listened attentively to every conversation that his father had with other businessmen. He was mature for his age, but never showed it nor interfered in any discussion. Finally, they settled in Paris and from there they traveled every week to various cities. After he had tried many different businesses, the senior de Montaigne became a spice merchant.
One day, while visiting a customer, they met an English gentleman, Mr. Mershenson, who worked for a British company which dealt mostly in tea. He was also a widower and the two men became close friends. Vincent was thirteen years old when they settled in Paris, and he had to start school again. It was not easy for the young boy to begin a steady way of life, especially after all that he had been through.
Vincent was often sad and sometimes he had a feeling of nostalgia. He did not know why his soul was invaded by such feelings. He felt as though he was a stranger everywhere. His father never displayed any feelings of sadness, but Vincent knew that he suffered from the loss of his wife. He was burdened by having to adapt himself to both a new language and a new way of life, but he had to spend his time in serious study. He never played with his classmates. He was isolated within himself. His teacher took a liking to him and always tried to help him.
During his first school year, Vincent studied remarkably well. He spoke French almost like a Frenchman with a slight American accent. Mr. Mershenson was the only friend that the de Montaignes had and he was always welcome in their home. Mr. de Montaigne's business had prospered from year to year, but his earnings were just enough to cover school costs and their daily needs. The senior de Montaigne had always dreamed about and awaited something big to happen. His main concern was to insure a happy life for his son, Vincent. Mr. Mershenson, who used to come to Paris once a month, suddenly ceased to appear. The de Montaignes kept hoping that he would show up again one day. Vincent and his father travelled many times to England, hoping to find their good friend Mershenson. The elder de Montaigne had corresponded with him on a regular basis. One day his letter to Mr. Mershenson came back marked “address unknown.” The letter caused both de Montaignes much concern and pain. After a while they gave up hope that they would ever see their friend again. After that the senior de Montaigne did not make any new friends.
Vincent became a fine gentleman; he was highly educated and cultivated in every aspect of life. The young ladies found him attractive but he never wanted to be attached to any young girl of his age. He often dreamed of finding a woman like his mother, but deep in his heart he preferred not to think about this delicate subject. The trauma of his mother's death was still fresh in his mind.
He remembered the day when his dad announced the exciting news to him, about the long trip that they would take. When Vincent was nineteen years old, his father received a strange letter, which came from India. The senior de Montaigne could not figure out who could have sent the letter.
When he opened the letter, he felt his heart leap for he recognized the handwriting of his friend Mershenson. During the long period of absence from Europe, Mr. Mershenson had settled in India and had invested his money in a tea plantation. He had become a rich man. The letter contained a warm invitation to the de Montaignes to come to India.
“Do you know your geography?” asked Henri. “Do you know where India is?” Vincent could pinpoint the locus of every nation. He knew even more than his father could imagine. The senior de Montaigne was going to realize his old dream. Especially after he had become a good tea and spice merchant in the newly emerging and rapidly growing trade with India.
The senior de Montaigne who had dreamed of a business coup for a long time, saw in this invitation an opportunity to make his biggest deal with his friend. Vincent did not know about this letter when his father asked him the question about India. He could not imagine even for a moment, the reasons behind his father's plans for a long trip. But Vincent also dreamed about something new, an adventure which would lead him to something yet unknown. Meanwhile, the senior de Montaigne had already made all the necessary preparations for the long journey. He bought new light clothes for Vincent and for himself, and a large trunk.
“Vincent, pack enough clothes and books to read for at least six months,” said the father and continued, “we are going to India! Our friend Mershenson has a tea plantation! Can you imagine?” His father repeated these words again and again. Vincent was pleasantly surprised with the good news. His mind delved into the history lessons that he had learned. He knew little about India. He knew only about the high Himalayan Mountains, about India’s old culture. India was a land of many languages and religions and a nation with a large population, with many Princes and Princesses. India was the homeland of many Gods, a land where poverty and wealth were neighbors. But Vincent was aware that all this knowledge was very limited for such a trip.
Vincent tried to hide his excitement about such a voyage. He was moved. His body quivered, and he sensed mixed feelings of joy and dismay. He looked at his father's face with gladness and happiness, devotion and piety. All these tender feelings revived once again the sensations that he had felt the day after his mother died. Although he was only a boy at the time, he had perceived the mournfulness and depression that surrounded his Dad. At that time the entire world seemed strange to him; he felt the urge to go somewhere far away just to stop these strange feelings which had invaded his heart and made him so unhappy. He felt the earth tremble under his feet; he had been uprooted from everyone and everything. He tried to escape from himself without success. Sentiments of varying degrees of gloom had agitated his soul. He knew that no one could understand or allay his grief. Even the priest had not inspired him with confidence.
Vincent had not been able to understand why such a tragedy happened to him. He had felt innocent. When the priest invoked God,  Vincent almost fought against the thought of invoking God for every single thing.  God has nothing to do with such an accident. All these thoughts crossed his mind in a matter of seconds. Now he realized that somewhere, sometime he would be rewarded for all those past moments of pain. Vincent recognized that something beyond his control was alive. Such a positive thought gave him confidence. The senior de Montaigne could not have imagined at the time what was going on in his son's mind and soul.
Vincent did not display any of his thoughts to his father. The news of the India trip pleased Vincent and he enjoyed the thought that his father would finally be compensated. Maybe something would finally make the senior de Montaigne happy, but at the same time a feeling of sorrow took over, as he would see the fulfillment of his long overdue dream without his dear wife at his side. Vincent could not distinguish if his feelings of sorrow originated from his father’s loneliness or were within himself. He wanted to express his satisfaction, but he anxiously felt a sense of fear, that someone may have been observing him. He chose not to divulge his pleasurable emotion for fear of losing the joy which came to him and to his father as a result of their dear friend Mershenson's invitation. Vincent could not trust anyone in the world except his father and Mr. Mershenson, both of whom knew of suffering and pain, as both had lost their dear wives.
Vincent felt sadness similar to the one he had experienced upon the death of his mother. However, this time it seemed to be blended with a nuance of happiness, leading Vincent to realize that sadness and happiness are related and that they originate from the same source. Now he enjoyed every minute of his life. He suddenly realized that in all those years he had never noticed the taste or smell of the air he was breathing. The air that penetrated his lungs seemed to infuse Vincent with a new sensation.  He suddenly started to realize that he, too, was alive, that some justice did, after all, exist. He began to understand that God had nothing to do with his mother’s death; that through Vincent's warning, God had saved his father from the fire. He reasoned that all of those warnings mentioned in the Bible were not issued with any spirit of punishment, but with a spirit of concern and caring. The sign “Danger” which confronts us in many places is for our own protection and is parallel to the Biblical guides. How could any child be safe if his parents did not instruct him about danger and prudence? The human race has created so many things for our advancement and prosperity, but those creations can also be dangerous for those who presently do not know how to apply and master them. Societal rules are there to maintain order, the universe does exist with certain laws.
Vincent began to understand that no creation could be achieved without various diverging forces. The real question is how to master these forces. When one discovers the correct way, the right ingredients, the exact dosage, the true density and the best rhythm, then one can create beautiful things on earth. These consist of exquisite music, the perfect design, the colorful painting, the most sensitive poems and so many other things which make us happy, pleased, and satisfied and awaken us from our deep dreams.
Vincent was now radiant; his handsome face alit with color. The senior de Montaigne was busy preparing all kinds of documents for the forthcoming trip. Vincent did not inform anyone about their future plans. Suddenly Paris, that beautiful city where he had spent a large part of his childhood, did not have any meaning for him anymore. Vincent spent his last days there studying the world map, tracing the journey with his pencil, jotting a few notes here and there, searching for information about each and every place to which he might have to travel. He eagerly read about the Suez Canal, which had now become frequented, in order to arrive more quickly to the Indian Ocean.  A canal linking the Mediterranean to the Red Sea was a great idea. Many credit the Pharaoh Necho who attempted some 2500 years ago to build this canal. But thanks to Napoleon’s engineers the idea of a shorter trade route to India via the Suez Canal was revived.  The human undertaking fascinated Vincent.
His reading about the Suez Canal triggered his interest in Egypt, about which he now avidly gathered information. He remembered a story from the Holy Bible which his father had told him, about the Pharaohs, the Pyramids and the Israelites. At that time, his father had wished to strengthen Vincent’s faith. After his daily work, the Bible was de Montaigne's only hobby.

Copyright Emile M. Tubiana 2009 all rights reserved