Saint Maxime, France, 15 July 2015: Musicale

Abby has of course been thrown in the pool fully clothed, because as she explains “that always happens” to her. We are at the home of one of Grandpa David’s oldest and dearest friends, Ghislaine Beer, a former French teacher who has been tutoring me by Skype on Sundays for the last couple of months. Now comes the final exam, both in language and in manners: can we navigate an evening around her pool, nestled into a mountainside overlooking the Gulf of Saint Tropez? We are joined by her daughter Emmanuelle and son-in-law Olivier, who are our age, along with their handsome 19-year-old son Valentine and their fetching 14-year-old daughter, Emmaline. We are speaking, I don’t know, “Franglish?”

The kids, dry again, have gathered around an electric keyboard on an upstairs landing overlooking the living room, which opens out on the pool by means of a vast garage door. They have discovered a language they share: music. Olivier and Emmanuelle met while playing in a rock band. Valentine plays drums, keyboards, guitar, and, this being France, accordion. Emmaline, like Alex, sings and acts. At one point I bring plates into the kitchen and hear Emmanuelle singing to herself. I’m sure I would have paid to see their band.

Down on the patio, the adults talk and sip under a pergola strung with orange trumpet flowers heavy with seed pods. The flicker of citronella candles reflects in the wavelets of the pool. Olivier asks what shows Alex has done and in what roles. The Music Man (Mayor Shinn), Cats (Mungojerrie), High School Musical 2 (Chad Danforth). Olivier gets a brainstorm: does Alex know the song “Stars,” Javer’s theme from Les Miserables? (Apparently Les Miserables is a big deal in France, something about Victor Hugo.) Alex does, yes. And so does Emmaline. Olivier whips out his iPad and produces a Bluetooth (Bleutooth?) speaker. Emmaline and Alex stand by as a karaoke version of “Stars” rolls up the screen with full orchestral accompaniment. The sound they produce can only be described as the Shy Teenager Mumble Choir.

The teens, however, come up with a better idea. They Bluetooth up their phones and out comes “I’ll Make a Man Out of You,” from Mulan, first in English, then in French. Yes, they’re up there singing with Donny Osmond, who is too American even for many Americans. Soon they join the adults on the patio with “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” the Timon and Pumba version from The Lion King. This time everyone is in full voice, including the parents. Because that always happens.