Tin Maung Myint - Le Rahat Ni

Chapter (1)

          "Mom, stay still, don't move, I'm not going to draw you like a mother."

          "Hmm.. I just drew a picture yesterday, didn't I, son? What's the difference between yesterday's mom and today's mom, son?"

          Looking down at her son, Duchess Adélie Toulouse-Lautrec said:

          "Why don't you draw a picture of Gordon? Tell me, Henry," the young man looked at the big dog sleeping under the table.

          “I’ve already drawn two pictures of my son, but now he’s sleeping. How can I draw him alive if he’s sleeping? I’ll just draw a picture of my mother, she’s prettier,” he complained.

          "Now... wait, Mom, I'll give you five minutes." The city girl gracefully sat down.

          "Joseph will be here in a moment, my son. He has horses ready for you and your mother."

          The young man didn't say anything. His lines were already running across the paper.

          The year was 1872, a sunny spring day. The Duke of Toulouse-Lautrec and his young son

          It seems that the daily activities of the young Henry are like that. In a huge medieval castle with large oval windows. In front of it is a wide green lawn. There is also a vast forest where birds and animals of all kinds feed. But the castle outside the city of Albi in the south of France is as remote as a world away.

          Early in the morning, the train conductor Thomas came to take tea. Dominic, 58, who had only been on the job for 12 years, helped him. After a while, Auntie, a close relative, got up, folding the newspaper and saying she had something to write. In fact, she was going to take a nap before dinner.

          In a moment, the conductor would come to announce that the carriage was ready for the Duchess. Large paintings of graceful ancestors lined the walls, looking down on the dining room.

          After dinner and dessert, the young duke will be soothed by his mother with ancient stories. About the childhood of Christ, about Joan of Arc, about the First Crusade, etc. . . and about the Duke of Toulouse-Lautrec, seven generations ago. Finally, after saying goodbye to his mother, little Henry will fall asleep. Then, according to a tradition that has lasted for centuries, the lights in the castle will be extinguished one by one.

          "Where are you going today, Mom and Dad? Is it okay if we go to St. Anne's Church?"

          The child nodded quickly. It was like, "I'll go wherever you want." The duchess felt sad when she saw her little son. What a pitiful 'Ri Ri' child.

( Mother Ae often calls Henry “Ri Ri.”) Little Henry doesn’t know that the train journey that day will be his last. Little Henry doesn’t know that life is full of goodbyes and separations. He doesn’t know that tomorrow will be different from today.

          He will have to part with the forest roads. With the castle and the young Joseph...

          The city's lips curled and fell to the ground.

          "S-s

          I looked at my son carefully. He furrowed his eyebrows. He bit his lower lip. I wonder where he inherited his love of drawing from. He was still young, and he often said that he wanted to be a ship captain.

          "I told you I would draw a cow for the monk. Did you tell your mother about that?"

          "Are you a fat,

          "I can't say we came for dinner, Henry, Mom invited us for dinner."

          Henry realized that his mother's voice had suddenly become stronger.

          "And you shouldn't speak so rudely to a monk."

          "Mom, you just said he was fat and rotten, okay? Well... isn't he? The house is even worse than Thomas's."

          "Yes, my son, but a religious worker is very important. That's why we kiss his ring and say, 'Respected, sir.'"

          "But.."

          The duchess changed her tone.

          "When my son's brother Richard Kim was getting married..."

          "Hmm..you have a brother, right? Where is he?"

          "He went back to heaven, he spent the month with mom and dad, son."

          "Yes?"

          Henry complained, sounding disappointed.

          "Then why did they baptize him?"

          "We have to do everything to get to heaven, son."

          "Will you be here, son?"

          "I'll be there, son."

          He continued to draw with a satisfied expression.

          "So if I die, I'll go to heaven."

          "That's right, son. If you're smart, you have to go. You have to love God from your heart."

          "Ha.. Who can love me as much as my mother?"

          "Hey, son, you can't say things like that, you know?"

          The child looked at his mother blankly.

          "I'm telling you the truth, no one can love me as much as my mother."

          “Now.. I love you, Ma Maylee. I will tell you about the cow. It happened four years ago. At that time, my son was only three years old, a little boy...”

          In a very gentle voice, Ma Ae Ngot told him about her brother's baptism, which she could no longer remember. After the ceremony, the abbot led the guests into the Wa Pitaka Hall and signed a huge registration book. Henry made as if he was going to sign too.

          "How can I sign my name if I can't read yet?" the monk asked. Henry nodded and answered.

          "I'll draw a cow in the book."

          The priest could not be interested in a 3-year-old boy with a pencil on a piece of paper.

          “Rob... here, it won’t even take five minutes.”

          The young duchess took the drawing paper and

          "That's great, you're a real artist."

          He said proudly.

          "Come on, sit next to mom, lol."

          Henry now understands very well why his mother often calls him "Ri Ri" at certain times.

          "Son, you're seven years old now."

          The Duchess was speaking as Ma Su entered the palace.

          "If my son wants to be a captain of a giant ship when he grows up, he will travel the world and draw pictures of tigers, lions, and wild people."

          Thu nodded uncomfortably. The mother hugged him and caressed him. She was trying to comfort him.

          "Then I'll have to go to school."

          "I have to go to school, right?"

          He asked in panic..

          "I don't want to stay at school, Mom."

          "Mom, I know, son, but all children have to go to school. There's a very nice school in Paris called Fontaine. It's a very nice school, and you'll have lots of friends and playmates."

          "No, I don't want to stay at school."

          Henry burst into tears. What are you talking about, Mom? If I go to school, I'll have to part with Mom and Auntie. I won't have the sleds anymore. And I'll have to part with my little pony, and Joseph, who taught me how to ride, and my grandparents' big paintings, and I won't be able to play hide-and-seek with Innet in the castle's dungeons anymore.

          My mother pressed her finger to her lips and asked her to be quiet.

          "You can never say you don't want to, son. And a Duke of Toulouse-Lautrec bloodline can never cry, you hear?"

          Mother wipes away tears. She squeezes. And then she talks about the great hero Raymond, the religious wars.

          Tell about.

          "And there's nothing to be bored about, son. What about Joseph? Well, I'll come with you later."

          "Yes, really, Mom," he said, relieved.

          "That's not all, son, but who do you think you'll meet when you get to Paris? Take a guess, son, you'll see."

          "Yes, yes?"

          Everything was bright and cheerful for little Henry. Papa was the strangest person in the world to him, the most powerful person. When Papa arrived at the castle, everything was very fast and lively. It was filled with the sound of horses' hooves, the sound of boots, the sound of whips, the sound of commands. And then he went on a journey through the countryside with Papa. He heard stories of horses, of hunting, and of wars.

          "When I get to Paris, will I have to live in a castle like this with Papa, Mom?"

          "People in Paris don't live in castles, my dear. They live in beautiful apartments. If you look out of the balcony, you can see the street."

          "Do you have to live together in that big apartment?"

          "We'll have to stay together for a while, son. If you'll join me, I'll take you to the skating rink and the circus. You'll see real elephants and clowns."

          Little Henry was amazed by the scenery on the train. When the train arrived at the Paris station, he saw a huge crowd on the platform. In the crowd, he saw Papa, who was a head taller than everyone else. He was carrying a gold-handled cane, as usual, and his beard was neatly trimmed. His hat was wide, and a carnation was pinned to the chest of his coat. .

          When Duke Alain Toulouse-Lautrec was not staying in the great castles of England and partying with his friends, or drinking wine and watching plays in the Parisian ballrooms, he was often relaxing like a young man in his huge room at the Paris Hotel.

          In his large room, there are various riding costumes, various guns, many servants, and his beloved falcons. The room is dimly lit, with only a few falcons.

          That night, the Duke planned to stay with his family. He stretched out his long legs towards the fireplace, looking at his son with delight. He must gradually make his son understand the meaning of being born as the Duke of Tunis Lautrec.

".... That day, the King, his son's uncle, the Duke of Toulouse-Lautrec, went hunting in the forest of Fontainebleau, and then rode back on horseback. Sometimes Marie Antoinette would accompany him. She was only 15 years old at the time. That was before the revolution, the rioters, the people, the people."

The Duke took the brandy and took a sip.

"There, the horse your son's uncle was riding spun around and knocked him down."

"Hmm... is your uncle dead?"

"I'm not kidding, son."

"Every trauma therapist faces this situation."

"No, I can't, it's just a horse. That's not embarrassing, Papa himself has fallen. Do you know what your uncle did at that time?"

"I'll jump back on the horse."

"I haven't gotten up yet, son. I'll unbutton my pants and let my teeth grow out."

"Sir, I am ashamed in front of the king."

"That's true, son. Do you know why? Our grandfather, the Duke of Myo-pa, grew up in the shadow of the King, so he is familiar with the customs of the Golden Palace. There is an old saying in the palace, son, that if you fall off your horse in front of the King, you must immediately dismount. Remember that, and after doing so, the King can ride to his throne in the Golden Palace."

The Duke was pleased to see his son's white, straight teeth. After dinner, Habana