I was eight years when, one day, my mother bought two beautiful rubberised cotton capes, one for her, colour fawn, length half-calf and one another for my sister, colour navy blue.
My sister was eleven years and twice by day, the morning and the afternoon, she went to the secondary school and back to home. At this moment, we lived in the North of France, near Lille; the weather was often rainy and a cape well protected from the rain and gusts.
Immediately, I don't know why, I have liked the cape of my sister. I will have wished that also my mother bought a beautiful cape for me but I did not dare ask it.
And, every day, when my sister was not wearing her cape, I was looking it, hung at the coat rack, in the hall of house. Sometimes, when my sister was not at home, before she came back from school, I took secretly the cape, I went up to the attic and put it on; I was very happy and I dreamed that I walked in the rain.
I was eleven years and my sister, who was fourteen years, did not like wearing her cape any more. So, one Thursday (at this time, there was no school on Thursday), my mother asked me to go to the cobbler's and come back with the shoes which were under repair; it was raining and the shop was far from the house; then my mother decided to give me the cape of my sister. I was very very happy and I took all the time in the world to go to and from the cobbler's.
I have worn this cape for several years, almost five; then, my mother decided that the cape must be passed on to my younger brother. I was very sorry. I might have asked her to buy another cape for me, in my size, in semi-transparent blue PVC (at this time, it was a new material and I liked the blue colour very much) but, once again, I did not dare ask.
Two or three years after, I was almost eighteen years and we were on holiday at my grandmother's house. My mother and my grandmother prepared the dinner and they realized that there was no butter. At once my mother asked me to go to the grocer's buy butter. It was a stormy weather. I took the cape of my brother and I went to the grocer's. I was happy; I was wearing again my cape but it was for the last time.
Finally, I bought a cape when I was student ; I was twenty-three years old : but that makes a new cape story.
Bernard
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