As a young French boy Jacque Durand developed an early and keen interest in la garde républicaine, the Republican Guard. As a voracious reader, Jacque had learned as a child all about the history and function of the guard unit, how it served as the ceremonial guard unit of the French republic. He learned of its organization, consisting of cavalry and infantry regiments (the latter including a motorcycle squadron). He was particularly fascinated by the colourful uniforms of the guard unit. The ceremonial uniforms dated largely back to the founding of the republic and no uniform was as mesmerizing to the young Jacque as that of the cavalrymen.
The cavalrymen wore a uniform commonly referred to as the GTS (Grande Tenue de Service – Full Service Uniform) consisting of an 1876-model cavalry helmet and Medusa-head crest, a red-reverse, seven-button tunic bearing golden and scarlet shoulder pads and aiguillettes and golden aglets, white leathers including banner, gauntlet cuffs and belt with Paris’s coat-of-arms, blue horse-riding breeches; tall black riding boots with spurs, and sabre.
Jacque had books galore about the guard unit, t-shirts, polo shirts, and souvenirs of all types. He drank his morning café from a souvenir ceramic mug with the guard emblem embossed on it. So obsessed with the guard unit was Jacque that he had pinned and taped organizational charts and recruiting posters on his bedroom walls.
Most treasured of all were his life-size poster of a uniformed cavalryman. He would stare at one poster in particular for hours. He found himself most interested in the tall shiny riding boots. There was something about the boots that made Jacque’s heart race.
By the time he was 16 Jacque knew that he badly wanted a pair of riding boots of his own. He persuaded his parents to enroll him in riding lessons. Jacque was a natural athlete and a quick student and in no time he became more than a proficient horseman, winning trophies in local and regional equitation competitions. At the same time, Jacque became the owner and a connoisseur of tall black riding boots.
By age 19 Jacque was guiltily sneaking his favourite pair of tall riding boots, his Cavallo dressage boots, into bed with him at night. Sometimes he slept with them on. Other times he simply caressed them. Other times he found himself licking them. He was ashamed of what he was doing but his boots brought much pleasure to him. He never dared tell any of his friends, even his best friend, Francois Martin.
Then one day that same year Jacque was at Francois’s house, watching television, when Madame Martin announced that Francois’s second cousin, André and his parents would be coming for dinner and asked whether Jacque wanted to stay as well. André was about five years older, too big of a gap that Francois didn’t really know André all that well. He asked his mama why André was visiting and his mother responded that André supposedly had a surprise for the family and that the surprise would be revealed when he came by later. No significance was given by Francois to his mama’s answer and the topic of discussion changed quickly thereafter.
Jacque, not knowing anything about André and his family, debated whether or not to stay for dinner but as he knew his parents were out and he didn’t want to cook or eat leftovers, he decided to accept the invitation to stay for dinner. The Martin family were always generous hosts and dinners were always delicious.
At 2000 hours, the Girond family of Max, Agathe, and André arrived at the Martin home. Francois’s parents greeted their relatives there and the two couples made their way through the house and into the garden terrace, where Francois and Jacque were enjoying aperitifs and playing cards.
