Chicken soup for the soul

"One True Love"
 
When Henri Bissette of Sherbrooke, Quebec went off to fight in World War I in 1917, he left behind his love of four years, Emilie Chevrier. The two wrote to each other faithfully, however letters could not always cross the battle-lines and eventually writing became more and more infrequent.

Emilie missed Henri terribly, and constantly prayed for his safe return. One day in April 1918, Henri's family received a letter, informing them that their son was "missing in action".

When Emilie heard the report she was devastated and refused to believe that Henri was really gone. When six months later, no further information had been received, Emilie finally realized that she would never see her beloved again.

Five months after the armistice was signed ending the Great War, Emilie received a letter that Henri had written almost one year earlier. In it he wrote his feelings of desperation and longing to leave the horrific war. His only desire was to return home to Canada so that he and Emilie could be married. The letter reassured Emilie that Henri's love was a true one, and although she kept all his letters, she treasured this one the most.

Emilie felt deep in her heart that she could never love another man as much as Henri. He was her one true love and she and made a promise to herself never to marry. However, In 1921, she met a kind and caring man named Joseph and the two were married shortly after. They moved to Ottawa where they raised a family of four children, and continued to live happily until Joseph passed away in 1959.

Emilie was now sixty years of age, and her full-grown children were living lives of their own. Finding herself alone, she decided to return to her hometown of Sherbrooke Quebec, to enjoy her retirement years.

One day while out shopping, Emilie met an old school friend and the two reminisced about memories of their past. In the conversation her friend mentioned Henri. She hadn't known the details of Henri's war experience and being "missing in action". So when Henri's name came up, Emilie told her of all the events that occurred over forty years ago.

When she heard the story, her friend replied, “ How odd! I'm sure I remember hearing that Henri bought a farm up north in the thirties."

Emilie assured her friend that she must have been misinformed. However, after the two parted company Emilie couldn't help wondering about the woman's story. Could it possibly be true? Surely she thought, if Henri were alive, the two of them would be together now. Emilie needed to know the truth, but both her and Henri’s family had long since passed away.

Emilie began to investigate, and soon discovered that there was an Henri Bissette who owned a farm just west of Trois-Rivieres, Quebec. With no other way to discover the truth, Emilie travelled to Trois-Rivieres, and made the trip out to the farm.

In reality, Emilie did not hold out much hope that she would really find her Henri. As it was over forty years since she had received word of his death, she was quite sure that when the door opened, she would simply find a farmer standing there, who would be amused by her story. However, when she arrived at the farm and knocked on the door she received the shock of her life. When the door opened, there was indeed a farmer standing there, but it was her own beloved Henri! He was greatly aged of course, but still as handsome as she remembered. Henri gasped, recognizing her instantly and whispered "Emilie!"

The two fell into each other’s arms, so overcome that for several minutes all they could do was hug each other, crying and trembling. A lifetime had passed but it was if there was no time at all.

When they began to calm, they both started to talk at once about what had happened over the years. Henri explained that after being wounded, he had spent over a year and a half recuperating in a hospital in Europe. When he finally did return to Sherbrooke, his family informed him that believing him dead, Emilie had been heartbroken, but had since married and moved to Ottawa. They had no further information about her whereabouts. Henri was greatly saddened, but didn't want to disrupt Emilie's happiness in her new life. He bought his farm shortly after, and had lived there all these years, never marrying because he knew that Emilie was his one true love.

With tears running down her face, Emilie pulled Henri's letters from her purse. “I never forgot you either Henri. These letters have meant more to me over the years than you can ever know. I would always read them over and over when I began to feel sad, and they made me so happy to remember that you were the most special part of my life.”

All at once the forty years of separation melted away. Finding each other had made them happier than they had ever been, and shortly after their reunion, Emilie and Henri were married, and indeed, spent the rest of their days together on Henri’s farm.


Crystal Wood
Winnipeg, Manitoba