Jean-Louis watched the person in the water.
He had piloted his small coal barge for thirty years, travelling back and forth along the canal between Arles and For-Sur-Mer on the coast.
The canal was straight, had only one lock, and passed through farmland and a nature reserve. It was unusual to see anyone on the paths alongside the canal, let alone jumping into the water to meet his barge.
He picked up his pole with the mooring hook attached and held it out to the incoming swimmer.
The man gratefully grabbed the hook and Jean-Louis pulled him aboard.
‘Merci,’ the man said, having regained his breath. He wore only a shirt and underwear.
‘Pas de problème,‘ Jean-Louis replied.
‘You must think I am crazy.’
‘The thought had crossed my mind,’ Jean-Louis said, taking hold of the tiller.
‘There is a good reason for my strange behaviour.’
‘It is none of my concern,’ Jean-Louis shrugged.
‘Problème de femme,‘ the man explained.
‘Ah,’ Jean-Louis nodded his head. ‘N‘est-ce pas toujours.’
Written as part of Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers. The challenge is to write a flash fiction story in around 150 words, based on the weekly photo prompt. Thanks as always to the challenge host Priceless Joy. For more information visit HERE.
To read other stories based on this week’s prompt, visit HERE.
Translation:
Merci – thank you
Pas de problème – no problem
Problème de femme – woman trouble
N‘est-ce pas toujours – isn’t it always
LOL somehow I knew that without the translation, but thanks for letting me know I was correct.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Haha, thanks Janet. I think most people will understand, but I thought I should include a translation just in case 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wisdom tells us we cannot run from our problems, but I’ve never heard we can’t swim from them. Thanks for the laugh, Iain.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Haha, thanks Sue, glad you enjoyed 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great story! My French is apparently passable enough that I understand all but the last line.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Funnily enough I wasn’t going to include a translation because I thought everyone would get it – until I wrote the last line, then I thought I better just to be safe 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂 A nice start to this week’s tales. Loved the read.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, very kind 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Haha! Hope there wasn’t an angry husband with a shotgun behind him. Good, fun story Iain.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Varad – he certainly seems to have made a quick exit from somewhere 🙂
LikeLike
hahaha. Loved the dialog.
Great story , Iain. Now, i can even claim to know a little French . Thanks.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Moon, you’re welcome 🙂
LikeLike
Can’t live with ’em and you can’t live without ’em.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Those last two lines pretty well sum up my life especially as one of my problèmes avec les femmes took place while I was living in France!
Click to read my FFfAW!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I can see you jumping into that canal Keith! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hahaha! What fun! Had a jolly time reading this. Thank you, Iain!
LikeLiked by 1 person
You’re very welcome, thank you 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hahahaha! He is swimming away from a woman. Great story Iain!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Perhaps more than one woman! Thanks PJ.
LikeLike
Oh, that is right! I hadn’t thought about that!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Haha! The last line is exactly what I was thinking. Fun story!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Glad you liked it, thanks 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I loved the story Iain, but I think if une femme had overheard the conversation, she’d have followed on with “et vice versa”. Three languages in one sentence – I’m feeling like a veritable polyglot.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh, I think she would have a lot more than just that to say to him 🙂 Thanks for reading.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You’re welcome.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Haha, what better way to escape than diving in. Cute write!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you 🙂
LikeLike
Very interesting read Iain Kelly. Thanks for the translation.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You’re welcome and thank you for reading.
LikeLike
Ah imagine a woman saying man trouble- why oh why is it always woman trouble!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well, there are 2 ways to read this. You could take it at face value – 2 men having the old moan about woman trouble, or you could see in his reply a note of sarcasm – ‘isn’t it always’ – as in that is always the excuse, when we really know that the trouble is caused by men and not women!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ah clever one!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for the little translation there, Iain. I didn’t get the last bit at first but on scrolling further got my answer. A catchy last line.
Makes me wonder the what and where that made him land in a minimal state. A whole new direction to wander.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Norma, I thought that last line might be a bit of a stretch for the non-French speaker, glad you were able to get the ending.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh, the translation made it easy. 🙂
Otherwise there’s always a Google, I guess…for most of the things.
LikeLiked by 1 person
And for a woman jumping it would’ve been man trouble. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Either way, it seems the person jumping is really the one causing the trouble 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lol. Funny ending 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person