Charles used this opportunity away from home, and his previous love interests, to form new, fleeting bonds. On only our first night in France, Leah reported witnessing Charles getting a taste for local culture.
It was around this time that father decided he needed to have 'the talk' with Charles. My parents had never explained anything to us regarding relationships and human intimacy. Leah and I were both smart and didn't need explanations as to the basics. Charles, on the other hand, was liable to making some foolish error that would results in trips to the clinic, and possibly even an unwanted child.
After all of the drama from back home, Leah decided to have some good, wholesome fun. She was engaging with locals, learning the language, trying new food, and taking up Charles' duty as William's elder sibling. I had never seen them interact much before, but every night that I came home, I would find the two of them together, playing tag, pillow fighting, or sharing stories.
It seemed like Francina's words had been getting to Leah, and she was trying to make up for it by being a better sister to William. I had a feeling this burst of kindness wouldn't last once she saw Jo again.
Charles, on the other hand, had no concept of morality, and was trying to add more romantic encounters to his life as if adding tallies to a score sheet. Perhaps it was the French way of greeting with a kiss, but he was enamoured with every girl he came across in France.
Mother and father were using this excursion as an anniversary trip, and decided to make the most of it by visiting a vineyard and trying their hand (or feet, I suppose) at making wine. And most importantly, at drinking wine.
My parents had always allowed me mouthfuls of wine growing up, and I was interested in the process of winemaking, so I secretly visited the winery and followed the procedure to make my own wine. When it came to the crushing portion, I thought it would be wiser to wear my swimming equipment to avoid getting wet and staining my clothes.
This turned out to be a poor idea, and my rubbery fins cause me to slip and fall hard into the fruity concoction.
However, being the inquisitive sort, I took it upon myself to modify the mixing procedure, upgrade the equipment, and reduce the amount of crushing that needed to be done. The second round went much smoother (especially as I went barefoot this time) and I managed to make my own wine.
I was concerned concerned about my parents discovering that I had made wine, and in another stroke of genius, I thought it best to drink the entire bottle that I had just made. After about an hour, my body decided it didn't agree with my decision, and I spent the rest of the night making friends with communal toilet. I had felt inclined to sanitize my entire body.
It wouldn't have been a bad idea for Charles to sanitize, either, after all the women he shared spit with. At the end of our trip, after a long flight back home of Charles complaining of a sore throat and hacking up his lungs, we found out that he had gotten mononucleosis. All of us gave him a sarcastic commendation on his achievements.
But it wouldn't be a Casmin vacation without at least one curse, near death by fire, or intense electrocution. All three of us received the same fate, all three of us survived, and we all agreed not to tell mother, father, or William where we had gone. The truth was, even though I wasn't particularly fond of my siblings, going on an adventure with Leah and Charles was unbeatable.
But the rest of our adventure wouldn't continue for many more years.
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