Chapter 2 Married

At Catterick Garrison, the largest British Army base, Major General Francois Davidson had just gone  through with the formalities of his retirement. 

His action of leaving the army had caused a ruckus to the higher ups. It is something that no one would have perceived, hence the effect is a shock to them. Due to his outstanding and intellectual mind, at a young age of 30, he was promoted as Major General, which is an uncommon practice, at that age, in that field. 

         He is considered as an asset of the government and expected to bring more fruitful outcomes with his brilliant mind of decision making in the future. Of course, his unprecedented retirement brought discontent to many; some had expressed their concerns and had given some persuasive advices hoping that it would change his mind, but they knew of his character - that once he made a decision then he wouldn't change it as he would have methodically considered the pros and cons, and so whatever he decided would be the best outcome.

Even his senior officers wouldn't contest against his judgement.

But his weakness - is he cannot feel any emotions. He is unable to say what he likes or dislikes. Though, he wasn't always like that. Like other children at his age, he used to be just a normal young boy, but his brain had an alarming abnormal development which resulted in him having an operation. Unfortunately, a side effect arises which makes him lacking in emotions. 

      

  When asked what he thinks of his situation or would he want retaliation for the post after effect surgery, he couldn't answer as his mind would be blank. 

      

   In his profession, his flaws made him the "Perfect Soldier". He is the best in everything for he is like a human machine.

Francois is walking out of his old office, carrying a box. He packed what he needed and didn't give a cast of a glance in the big room that was specially given to him. 

As he was locking the door, he heard the commotion of discussions and arguments of a group of people in the opposite room. The door is open and everything they say can be heard. 

        "Dr. Kenny Johnson couldn't have killed himself! , he is not the suicidal type!, he's already dead, be respectful!" the man shouted with protest. 

        " Stop talking about him being gay, so what if he is!? You're so prejudice!" said another man with a louder voice.

         

" I'm not!" I just mentioned it because everyone can see that Dr. Kenny fancied his friend Steven, but Steven is straight, also he has a  fiancee!. I heard they will be tying the knot soon, I'm only stating that fact here!. As for Dr Kenny, maybe he couldn't accept that and it caused him to take his own life," argued a woman's voice.

Francois heard all these, but as always he doesn't concern himself if he thinks it's irrelevant to him, but his senses are always sharp. 

Lieutenant Carl Anderson is waiting for Francois while leaning on his friend's car. His friend is leaving today. Though, he had recollections of him mentioning his retirement, he didn't pay much attention to it as he didn't think it would really happen. What were those old seniors doing? How could they let him retire? He is the "Perfect Soldier”! How could they let him go!?

        

     " I bet Michael and John didn't expect this to happen soon too," he thought with sadness in his heart.

        He broke a smile when he saw Francois coming towards him. 

     "You're here," stated Francois, opening the back of the car to put his stuff in. Then, he looked at Carl and said "I'm going now, I'll see you at John's party."

       He went to the driver seat and was about to start the car, but his friend Carl gets in on the other side with a grim face. He didn't say anything as Carl usually does this but wondering how did he offend him again. 

      With an exasperated sigh, Carl sat down and said angrily "Wait, I'm not going for a drive with you as I have stuff to do, but can't you talk or say something! You're leaving the site and won't be back ever again! Can you give me a bit of compassion here!?... Yes, I know that you're a heartless guy, but remember that I'm your friend! Did you forget?... You can treat others like stone but not me. I told you that I'm your most special friend, I'm on the highest pedestal of your priority, how many times must I grill into your mind the meaning of friends!?" Carl said unabashedly, he talks in this manner, at most times, and only mostly to Francois.

        Francois looks at his sulking friend without saying anything, this is not the first time he heard these words from him.

       "Seriously, this guy is a moron!" thought Carl, then annoyed at himself for he knew that "this guy" wouldn't care.

       "Hey Francois, we have been friends since nursery. We've been together through thick and thin. When you enrolled in the army, I followed you. And I was the proudest every time you got a promotion, even though you left me miles behind," Carl was talking emotionally but said the last part softly.

         "But how could you just quit your job like that!? A lot of people would kill for your position and job. Not to mention all those special privileges that you get. So how could you!? You didn't even tell me that you're really leaving the army," moaned Carl.

      "I recall telling you about it," said Francois calmly, waiting for his friend to be finished so he can go. He has a lot to do.

         "Gaah! You're really such a snob Francois! I bet in your mind, you're above everyone and you're looking down at others!" said Carl angrily. 

         "I've never thought that I'm above everyone and I don't look down on you Carl," said Francois.

          Carl, with a more annoyed face, tries not to look at Francois's direction. Everytime he gets mad at him and complains, the more foolish he feels.

"Better to have a nonchalant attitude when dealing with Francois" is what he tells to himself at most times, but he couldn't help to get mad and shout at him. He's aware that he acts like a kid to him, but he thought that it's the only way to reach out to him ... to have his old friend back ... he hoped.

         "I don't know why I'm still friends with you!?" he told him sulking while side glancing him.

But he knows.

He knew that without Francois, while growing up, he probably ended up a bum or even a criminal. To him, Francois is like a guardian － he was the only boy who had the guts to approach him when he fell from the climbing frame at the nursery. The other kids could have helped him or would have called a teacher but because of embarrassment, he would shoot anyone with an angry glare to whoever looked on his way and would have beaten them up if they dared to laugh.

The kids knew of his character so they tend to stay away from him.

Even his teachers couldn't be bothered with him, for he is the number one mischief maker in the class. He had caused a lot of troubles in school and at home, but the kindness that he felt from that handsome boy changed all that.

      

  At first, he was just curious about the young Francois and wanted to do everything he does, then later on, he had this desire to surpass him but after giving all his best in a lot of times, he came to realise that Francois is on a different level.

“The boy is simply a genius!"

" If I can't surpass him, then nobody can!, He deserves to be my friend” － is what Carl thought before.

But as years passed by, he sometimes felt like he's been looking after Francois. Though, he also knew that what frustrates him is that  Francois is more capable of dealing with anything that would come in his way. In fact, Carl had benefited a lot under Francois's protection － from pre-school to grammar school and even in the army.

      " Why do I have this feeling that I've been cheated?" Carl said wryly. 

      "What time is your training?" asked Francois.

       Carl looked at him sadly. His friend is leaving him behind. He got used on having him nearby.

Although, there were times that he was deployed in other areas and had not seen his friend for months or even a year, still the feeling of them both being in the army is a comfort to him. Now, he's on his own.

" Sometimes facing reality can be the cause of depression"

With a depressing expression on his face, he stared up the road for a while.

        " I suppose I have to go now, the training will start soon, I'll see you at the party" he said sadly then exited the car.

         Francois watches his friend as he walks away. He reaches out to his phone and called John.

         " Hey Frans, what's up?" coming from the other end. 

        "Hello John, I am not sure if you heard me last time at the pub, but I mentioned about my retirement," said Francois.

        "… Uh huh ..."  coming from John.

    "Well, I'm leaving the barracks today.  Carl came by then left, his face had a similar look when Liza dumped him before," explained Francois.

     "Oh," said John, he already expected this. "Any unusual behaviour from him?" he asked.

      "He was speaking in a rambunctious and clangorous way, as you described him, but then he quietened down," said Francois.

        John, on the other line, suppressed his laughter after hearing how Francois described Carl. But he can't help to pity him too. Like Carl, he didn't expect him to quit his job too soon.

Thinking how Carl is, he must be sulking. After all, Francois is like Carl's child, yet also like a parent that guided him to do well. Although he became friends with them later on, he knew the important rule of Francois in Carl's life.

As a psychologist, he knew very well and understood how Carl must be feeling now. 

       "Don't worry, I'll talk to him," he said to Francois, then added "Did it occur to you that he might be upset with you for leaving the army? After all, he joined the army because of you," John asked.

         "Hence reason that I called you," said Francois.

          

          John can only shake his head while having an amused face.

         "Your intelligence can really make up for your lack of compassion," stating John without any sarcasm, it's just like talking to one of his patients.

          "So are you going straight to the Williams' Company?" he added, knowing Francois, his work is what he lives for.

          "I was about to but I was told to visit my wife first, she is taken to the hospital," he checked his watch, "I have to drive now John, I've already been delayed," with that, he hung-up the phone then off to the road for a long drive to Greyer Hospital.

           John, on the other hand, couldn't fathom what he just heard. 

" Wife!? Did I hear it wrong? Is Francois married!?" He is still holding the phone to his ears with a dumbstruck face.

Thinking that he must have heard it wrong and was about to call Carl but then thought against it. What if it will cause more grievances from Carl. He thought of calling Michael but he is probably on a mission. Hating the fact that he can't talk to any of his friends, he cursed them freely.

            

            After a long drive, Francois had finally arrived at the Greyer hospital. He went to the top floor where VIPs rooms are located. The rooms are like in a hotel, the only difference is it's all in white.

            After being asleep for a while, Marriane finally wakes up. Annie who had been sitting on the further edge of the sofa and had been antsy after some pleasant exchange of words with Francois. She had no idea that Marianne was already married and why wasn't he with Marianne before? Why didn’t he come when Marriane was rushed to the hospital yesterday? Also, his aura emits a very cold man, but his exterior look ... Oh My ... she couldn't help to feel envious of her friend.

           Kenny set his eyes on the man reading some papers. “Isn't he the famous  " Perfect Soldier?” mused Kenny. 

This is the first time that he is seeing him this close. He only saw some close up photos of him, and at the barracks he didn’t have the privilege to be near him. Never was this guy seen not working.

“So, what is he doing here?” thought Kenny.

         "You're awake," Francois said, looking at Marianne.

          

          

         Kenny wants to get up to give the respectable man a salute but he couldn’t move his legs.

He looks around him and he is starting to have a bad feeling. It’s like a deja vu.

The Major General’s presence is also a puzzle to him. He admires this man but he knows he will only talk to people if there is an utmost importance to discuss. For now, he can not afford to be rude to this man. With a struggle, he tries to sit up.

         Francois who is quick to his feet helps his wife. He props up the pillow at her back and changes the settings of the mattress.

        Kenny is feeling embarrassed but he doesn’t want to be rude so he said a short

“thank you, sir," but after saying that, he is feeling scared after hearing the sound of her voice. He looked at the man who helped him and didn't seem surprised after hearing his feminine voice, but then again, “ he doesn’t really care for anything except relating to his job, like what the rumours says,” he thought.

       “Major General Davidson, sir, It is an honour to meet you, uhm ... thank you for helping me just now,” Kenny said with a weird tone at the end as he is trying to make his voice manly.

         “What is really going on here? What happened to me? Am I still dreaming?” Kenny thought with panic and confusion on Marianne’s face.

          Francois is being silent while watching a lot of emotions on Marianne’s face. He doesn’t really understand it but he knows the sign of anxiety on someone’s face. He studied it. He might not be able to comprehend the true meaning of an emotion, but still, he is the best student  on his psychology subjects, he is the top notch on all his subjects.

            After thinking of what would be a proper way to say to a suicidal person, Francois made a mental note on how Marianne had just addressed him and her reactions just now. To him, being upfront is always the best to deal with people. 

           “ As your husband, you should just call me by my name and I will do the same. Also, I don’t hold the title anymore as my resignation took effect yesterday. I understand that our marriage might not be what you wanted but you agreed to it and signed the marriage certificate first before it came to me, I was told you read my profile and know all the conditions that lie into this marriage. I wouldn’t have agreed to it if I knew that it is not your intention to honor the agreement in the past. For now, it is unlikely that we can undo this as a lot of people would be affected, I hope you can understand that," explained Francois.

"Would you care to explain to me why did this happened to you, Marriane?” he added while watching Mariane’s face intently.

             

           Kenny is feeling more ill after listening to what Francois had just said. He just stared at him and didn't know how to respond. In the end, he could only say with a throaty voice, “ I would like to use the toilet, please."