Babou & Benny Discover La Saint-Jean

Early in the morning on June 24th, before the sun came out, Mama was already awake.
She laid out a blue shirt for Babou and a tiny blue romper for Benny.
Dada walked into the room and smiled.
“Someone looks excited.”
Mama laughed.
“I am. Today, we’re taking the boys somewhere special.”
Babou sat up in bed.
“Where are we going?”
“Pie-IX,” said Mama.
Benny stood in his crib and bounced.
“Mama!”
Mama smiled.
“And today is La Saint-Jean.”

A few hours later, they arrived at Grandma Tee and Grandpa Mac’s house in Rivière-des-Pins.
Grandma Tee opened the door with a big hug.
“My boys!”
Grandpa Mac smiled as Benny reached for him.
“Looks like someone remembers me.”
Benny grinned.
“Pa-pa!”
Everyone laughed.
Babou looked outside and noticed the car was still parked.
“Aren’t we leaving for the celebration?”
“We are,” Grandpa Mac said. “But not by car.”
Babou tilted his head.
“Then how?”
Grandpa Mac winked.
“Today is métro day.”

Soon, they were walking together toward the station.
Benny rode happily in his stroller.
Babou held Mama’s hand.
When the train rushed into the station, his eyes grew wide.
WHOOSH!
“It sounds like a rocket!” shouted Babou.
Mama laughed.
“Wait until you’re inside.”
The doors opened.
People stepped off.
People stepped on.
Everyone found a seat together.
The métro rumbled through the tunnel.
Babou pressed his face to the window.
“It’s dark!”
Then suddenly,
Light.
Another station.
More people.
More voices.
More laughter.
Benny pointed excitedly.
“More!”
Dada smiled.
“I think Benny likes the métro.”
“I do too,” Babou admitted.

As the train moved through the city, Babou listened carefully.
People all around them were speaking French.
“Mama?”
“Yes?”
“Are they speaking French?”
“Yes, they are.”
“But they don’t sound like you when you speak French to us”
Mama smiled softly.
“You’re right. I learned French in Haiti, and when I came to Montreal, I heard new words, new expressions, and a different accent.”
“Were people able to understand you?”
“Sometimes,” Mama laughed, “and sometimes they would ask me to repeat myself.”
Babou giggled: “What did you do?”
“I kept learning.”
“Were you scared?”
“A little. It was all new. A new city. A new school. New friends.”
Babou thought quietly.
“Then what happened?”
Mama squeezed his hand.
“Little by little, Montreal became home.”

When they arrived at Pie-IX station, the streets buzzed with excitement.
Families filled the sidewalks.
Blue and white flags waved in the summer breeze.
Music echoed through the streets.
Voices sang together.
Benny bounced in his stroller.
“Boom! Boom!”
His little drum sounds made everyone laugh.
Mama looked around and smiled.
“This is exactly how I remember it.”
Babou looked up.
“You used to come here?”
“Oh yes. When I was younger, my friends and I would take the métro together and celebrate La Saint-Jean.”
“You came without Grandma and Grandpa?”
Mama laughed: “I was much older by then.”
Babou looked impressed.
“Wow.”

As they walked through the celebration, they saw musicians playing lively songs.
Children danced in circles.
Families spread blankets across the grass.
Artists painted colorful pictures.
The whole neighborhood seemed alive.
Babou listened carefully.
Everyone looked happy.
Everyone looked proud.

Finally, he asked the question that had been waiting in his mind.
“Mama?”
“Yes?”
“What is La Saint-Jean?”
Mama knelt beside him.
“It’s a special day in Québec,” she explained. “A long time ago, people gathered on June 24th to celebrate Saint John the Baptist. Over time, it became Québec’s National Holiday, a day when families and communities celebrate Québec’s history, traditions, music, and French language.
Babou looked around.
“So, everyone is celebrating together?”
Mama nodded.
“Exactly.”
Just then, a familiar voice called out.
“Babou!”
His uncle waved from across the crowd.
Babou ran over.
“Tonton Parrain!”
Grandma Tee and Grandpa Mac followed close behind while pushing Benny’s stroller.
Benny reached toward Grandma Tee.
“Ma-ma!”
Grandma Tee kissed his cheek.

Soon everyone was laughing and talking together.
They shared sandwiches, fruits, and cold drinks.
Nearby, musicians played another song.
Grandpa Mac tapped his foot.
Tonton Parrain clapped along.
Even Benny bounced to the rhythm.
“Boom! Boom!”
Babou shouted: “I think Benny wants to dance.”
“I think so too,” Mama said.

As the afternoon turned into evening, the music seemed to fill every corner of the city.
People sang and danced.
Friends greeted one another.
Families made memories together.
Dada looked around.
“I’ve visited Montreal before. But I’ve never seen it like this.”
Mama smiled.
“This is the Montreal I wanted you all to see.”

Later, they took the métro back to Rivière-des-Pins.
The train hummed softly.
Benny was already asleep in his stroller.
His tiny hand still rested on a little blue flag with a white fleur-de-lys.
Babou leaned against Mama.
He looked thoughtful.
“Mama?”
“Yes?”
“Montreal isn’t where you were born.”
“No.”
“But it’s part of your story.”
Mama smiled.
“It is.”
Babou thought for a moment.
“And it’s part of our story too.”
Mama kissed the top of his head.
“Yes, my love. It always will be. This city helped shape the person I became, and now it is part of your story too… because I am yours and Benny’s Mama.”