Tristan and Monique Michel are the proud parents of a beautiful baby boy. They have been trying for a child for 7 years and finally their prayers have been answered. They decided to name him Dmitri as it meant immeasurable. Their joy at finally conceiving and producing a child was just that.
Well, before we can tell you of Dmitri’s life we must go back some years and tell of his father, Tristan.
Tristan was born to a wealthy winemaker, named Dominique.
His father had over 80 grape vineyards and was very successful in the winery business.
His mother was always doting on young Tristan. Him being an only child, she was very protective of him.
His Mother, Renee was always there for her “baby”. Tristan was quite the athlete. He loved to play outside with his father, when he wasn’t busy in the fields. They always played football in the yard with some of the neighboring kids. Renee was always afraid for little Tristan’s well-being.
Truth be told he got a little annoyed with it. Once he turned 13, she toned down on the constant attention she gave him. Tristan was glad of this, it gave him a chance to do the things he wanted to do, and that was sports. He wanted to be a Pro Athlete. Dominique had hoped he would follow in the family job and sell their wine, but he was supportive of Tristan’s wishes.
Tristan grew into a fine young man. At the age of 25 he married a lovely woman he had been courting for some years.
Her name was Monique and she was his first girlfriend. The moment he saw her, he knew she would be his wife. Their marriage was a happy one, filled with love and laughter. Sure they had their rough times, but who doesn’t? Into their seventh year of marriage Monique told Tristan that she was pregnant.
And here we are back to Dmitri.
His childhood was a great one. Tristan taught Dmitri to be athletic and how to be a savvy businessman. Monique taught him how to be a perfect gentleman.
His parents had always tried to have more kids, but I guess that wasn’t in the cards for this family. So, Dmitri was an only child. He had a lot of friends at school. The kids there loved to hang out with him.
They’d say, “Dmitri is funny and knows all the great games to play.” The girls thought he was cute and charming. He had some girlfriends in High School, but nothing that he considered serious until he met her.
Her name was Yvette Rousseau. She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. They other girls he had dated paled in comparison to her beauty. Dmitri was brought up to be charming and polite. He could speak with the eloquence of a poet, but when he saw Yvette, he was speechless.
Yvette had recently moved to Bordeaux from Marseilles. Her father had lost his job and they thought a new city would possibly have new prospects. She was 17 and in a new school. She was feeling lost and alone until she saw him walking to her. He was a handsome man and he was smiling at her.
Dmitri walked up to Yvette and introduced himself. He could see that she looked a little out of place and a little lost too. “Hello, I’m Dmitri. Are you new here?” he asked her while shaking her hand. “Yes, my family just moved here last week.
My name is Yvette.” She was a bit shy talking to him, so she looked at her shoes a lot. He spoke gently to her, “Well, if you need anything please don’t hesitate to ask. I will more than happy to assist in any way I can.” She was touched by his generosity, “Thanks Dmitri, I appreciate your kindness.” “I guess I’ll see you around. It was a pleasure to meet you, Yvette.” Dmitri left for his class, but spared a glance back at her. She was looking in his direction as well.
They continued to see each other through high school and even into their college days. They both enrolled at Duke Simington University. Dmitri was going for a business degree and Yvette for a degree in fashion design. Tristan was adamant about Dmitri following in the Wine business.
Dmitri had been spending more and more time with his father learning the ins and outs of running a vineyard and in turn selling the wine.
His time with Yvette was becoming scarce. They saw each other at school, they had their breaks together and then it was back to studies.
Yvette was becoming dissatisfied with their time spent together. One night during one of their phone calls, Yvette explained to Dmitri her concerns. “Dmitri, we used to go out together all the time. Now, I am lucky if I see you twice this week. Have your feelings for me changed, is that why you have been avoiding me?”
She asked weeping. The sound of her crying was breaking Dmitri’s heart. How could he explain to her that everything he did now was all for her? “I haven’t been avoiding you, my love. Father is unwavering in me taking over his business. He expects me to study most of the day and then it’s him and me in the vineyards. He rarely gives me any free time for myself.”
Dmitri explained as delicately as he could. “I can’t keep waiting and hoping that your father will let us be together. I am sorry Dmitri, but I don’t think I can wait that long.” Dmitri was shocked, this couldn’t be happening. “You don’t mean that. I love you and want to be with you.” “Then be with me!” she cried.
“You don’t understand the pressure that I am under to do well in this business. It’s everything to my father. This vineyard has been in this family for years, it’s more than just a way of making money to him, it’s a way of life. If I fail him now…I will have failed my whole family. Can you understand that?” he asked cautiously.
“Yes, I can. It seems to me your family means a lot to you. I can appreciate that, but you are going to be a very lonely man if you don’t start thinking of you and what you want in life. How long are you going to let your father live his life through you?” She asked him. “I am sorry, but I think we should see other people. I need someone who has time for me now, not five years from now. I love you Dmitri and I think part of me always will, but this is goodbye.”
And she quietly hung up the phone. Dmitri just sat there on his bed with the phone in hand. He couldn’t believe he had lost her.
The next couple weeks were bad for Dmitri. He tried to call Yvette on multiple occasions, but her mother refused to put her on the line. Saying, he had hurt her enough. He wrote letters to her, but they always came back “return to sender”. He didn’t even see her at school any more as she had transferred her classes to a community college. He had lost her forever. His heart was broken.
One day, while visiting the park, he saw Yvette. He ran to meet her and saw she was with another guy. Dmitri quickly moved behind a tree so as not to be seen. He couldn’t believe his eyes when he watched her kiss this guy. Dmitri had never been a jealous man but seeing her with this guy made him livid. They shared a goodbye kiss and Yvette left the park.
Dmitri in a fit of rage walked up to this miscreant and slapped him hard across the face. They were soon fighting in the middle of the park. Dmitri had the upper hand as he was a few pounds heavier. He punched the guy in the face and he went reeling. The man tried to keep his balance but he fell.
To Dmitri’s shock and horror he hit his head on a rock, there was so much blood he didn’t know what to do. He never meant for it to get so out of hand. Dmitri quickly ran away. What would happen to his family if this ever got out? Luckily for him there weren’t any witnesses. Dmitri quickly got in his car a drove as fast as he could away from the scene of the crime. If anyone came upon the young man, it would clearly look like a mugging gone wrong.
A few weeks had passed with no news of the young man in the park. Dmitri was sure he couldn’t be implicated, so he started to relax a bit more. No one had seen him; he was going to be alright.
Dmitri was out tending the vineyards when the mailman brought him the mail. He quickly ruffled through the many bills and junk mail. He came across a letter from a woman he had never met before. It was from a Gretchen Harrison. He thought it odd that a stranger would be writing him, so with anxious hands he opened the letter. The words written there chilled the blood in his veins:
Dear Monsignor Michel,
You don’t know me and I don’t know you, but I have some knowledge you may be interested in. I happened to be visiting your lovely country on a business trip. There was a span of time when I was allotted some free time. I went to see your famous Eiffel Tower. Who knew the sights in France would be so exciting? Murder, intrigue, so much better than any movie, I’ve seen. Now, if you want this little secret to be kept just between you and I, you may want to meet with me.
Meet me at the park in town. I have much to discuss.
Sincerely,
Gretchen
Dmitri had broken out in a sweat reading these words. What was he going to do? Was he going to meet this woman? And what did they have to discuss? Should he just turn himself in? No! That was one thing he couldn’t do. It would bring shame onto his family and that was reprehensible. He resigned himself to meet this woman. Maybe there was a way out of this mess after all.
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