CHAPTER TEN


All throughout the previous chapters you have followed the twists and turns of my life in the Far-West, and my babysteps as a gardener and a stable lad, as well. I hope you didn't get tired of all those girlish stories.
Anyway, this is my new life and I do enjoy it.

As one of my pupils told me some time ago : " I have always thought that with your style of dress when teaching in Paris, it was a foregone
conclusion : sooner or later you would achieve your dream and become a
cow-girl !". Then he added gallantly : " In those days I only saw your glamorous side. " ( For a split second the phrase " in those days " puzzled
me but then I remembered French pupils often confuse " these " and " those",
so no need to mull over it !).

I must admit that I could count on one hand the number of times I wore a skirt or a dress at work. Were trousers more convenient ? Sure they were, but above all they were the symbol of a carefree way of life.
I belong to a generation of girls who all throughout their school-years were not allowed to wear trousers. We were doomed to Peter Pan collar blouses and pleated skirts, winter and summer alike.So, when we bade farewell to our grammar school "wardrobe mistresses ", most of us raided the nearby trendy shops and filled up our closets with all sorts of slacks : leotards, pirate pants,hipsters, flared trousers, bermuda shorts and so on.. Skirst and dresses were shelved.

I remember the first time I put on a dress and stiletto heels again ( was for my wedding, actually), I felt awkward and when entering the ballroom I had to pay attention to  my gait not to look like John Wayne ( especially in the film :
The man who shot Liberty Valance) bursting into the saloon of a wild west city to eliminate a gang of outlaws.
When I opened my clutch bag to take a hanky ( remember, it was my wedding, so a moment full of emotion and tears of joy), my husband whispered in my ear : " Take it easy, Lucky Luke, don't draw right now, everything will be allright !". I had such a fit of giggles that I nearly lost my balance. I realized that laughing when in 4-inch heels is rather risky, not to say quite impossible . That's when I decided that I would wear flat shoes for the rest of my life because I love laughing, and after all :

Whatever happens, laughter is the best medicine, isn't it ?