François MITTERRAND and his first kiss to his lover.

François Mitterrand (1916.1996)

Autograph letter signed to Marie-Louise Terrasse, known as Catherine Langeais.

Three pages in 4°. [Fort d’Ivry]. December 5, 1938.

“We stake our lives, our happiness on each other and for each other. »

Mitterrand returns to the first kiss exchanged in the Jardin du Luxembourg.

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“Marie-Louise my beloved, Today: black mark. The rain served as my escort, but the princess did not come. What pleasure must she have felt away from the one who awaited her? Fortunately this one is a model of patience and resignation. A wasted evening: you have to make do with it. That would probably end up being too many fully happy days in a row!

Seven months ago, the sun beat down on the still new leaves of Luxembourg. A very little girl with blond hair did not know that her life was at stake; and the one who accompanied him hardly suspected it anymore. And the first act began of the play we are experiencing, after a prologue full of charm and disturbing uncertainties. My darling, I had the taste of this peach that I love for the first time. But the opposite phenomenon to that created by the fruit of the tree of science: it placed me back in the earthly paradise.

My beloved, I think that the months will pass quickly between us and this moment when nothing will separate us. The times we experience together are so wonderful that the boredom of separation fades away. We can be melancholic when we are far from each other, we can no longer be sad. We have one certainty: our love. The rest matters little.

On Thursday, what happiness I felt seeing you as you will be later, every day of our lives together, when we are at home. And yesterday I had fun seeing the first bridges established between us and ours: I felt a pleasant feeling of ownership. You know well… “my most precious possession”…

I am resuming this letter this evening, Tuesday. This morning I received your missive: another link to the happiness that I owe you. We must have just missed it yesterday. I arrived at the meeting between 6:10 p.m. and 6:15 p.m., and since I told you to arrive early, I guess you were already heading back to your home place! I really miss those moments we could have spent together. Also for having disturbed you only for the rain from which I also received the caress. My beloved Zou, I adore you. You can't imagine how much I think of you . Seeing you less often until Easter will be very painful for me. But will that count next to our love?

Now that the ESOR platoon has started I will hardly be free anymore. In principle, only on Saturday evening and Sunday! But I will try to get myself one extra outing per week. In any case, for tomorrow Wednesday, I'm not sure I'll be able to go to the chosen location. I still ask you to pass by while walking, always between 6 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. (and return via Bd Rasp. left side!). It would be unfortunate to miss this opportunity which is possible. As for Thursday, I won't be able to see you, neither Friday nor Saturday, because I will probably be stung again Friday morning. For Sunday, I plan to go out anyway. Could you make arrangements so that you can see me around 3 p.m. that day? But I will talk to you about it again and tell you my program. (I will do everything to be free around 5 p.m. since that is easier for you. I will tell you soon what happens).

My beloved Marie-Louise, I told you: these few months will be quite hard. We will see each other less often. But I believe I have adopted the most favorable solution. In April a better period will begin since I will be a non-commissioned officer, while remaining close to you. You will have to write to each other very often. For now, will you write to me daily? We must not go a day without recreating our moments of shared life. And then, we will have a lot to say: tastes, ambitions, projects, and appreciations of each fact, position regarding each problem. From tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, I will write to you in more detail than today when I can only give you these quick indications.

Honey, time will pass quickly. A long term, cut off from meetings, brief joys but so intense! And then for my part more freedom, more numerous meetings. And then the months will slip by, and it will be what we are both waiting for so ardently: our total union. My little one, tell me everything you do, involve me in your actions, in your thoughts. Let us live together as perfectly as possible from now on. We are so firmly bound by our love! Let us face our troubles head on. Few things ! Since we love each other above all, since we know it, since we stake our lives, our happiness on each other and for each other. My dearest, I am so happy to know that there is a little girl in the world who loves me like you love me! And I am happy to think that this little girl is you whom I love, to whom I grant my most beautiful illusions.

Tomorrow I will give you, or send you a letter where I will tell you a little about myself. I will address it to Claudie. I am counting on your letters. Your love is everything, everything, everything to me. I adore you, and it's so sad that I can only tell you from a distance! Because deep inside me I keep this taste of my beloved peach. Francis.

Tomorrow evening, I will be allowed to go out from 7 p.m., I will try to leave as usual. So come as I tell you above, if you don't mind. I love you. Fr.

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Catherine Langeais (1923.1998), whose real name is Marie-Louise Terrasse, met François Mitterrand on January 28, 1938, during the École Normale Supérieure ball, with whom, although only 15 years old, she became engaged. Mitterrand wrote more than 300 letters to the woman he nicknamed Zou.