"Is your bread and butter tasty?" "Yes, Mom." "It's very good." "And is your hot chocolate tasty?" "Yes, Mom." "It's very good." "Would you like me to walk you to school?" "No, Mom." "Don't waste your time." "You're sure?" "Absolutely." "Don't bother." "I'm offering nicely." "I know, but..." "I'll carry your schoolbag." "It's heavy." "Mom, please..." "I'd rather go alone." "I love to walk you to school!" "Fuck it!" "You're a pain!" "I'm walking you to school!" "I'm not going to school!" "I'll walk you anyway!" "Look, I'm not following!" "Well, I'm going on!" "Victorine is being punished." "She talked back to her mom, and her mom is unhappy." "Unhappy." "U-N-H-A-P-P-Y." "I know other words, too." "Wanna take a little walk with us?" "We'll go out to a creek." "Be nice." "Say yes." "I bet she'll say yes." "What'll we do at the creek?" "Go for a nice swim." "The water's had all day to warm up, like in August." "Yes, but..." "I don't have a swimsuit." "Neither do we." "Who needs a suit?" "You'll feel freer without one." "Don't be mean." "We've been dying to check you out." "Since we was kids." "Listen, guys, keep calm." "We're very calm." "Well, I'm not." "We're turning you on, huh?" "I want to get into my car." "She wants to get in her car." "They're all hipped on getting in their cars!" "At the crucial moment." "So get in your car!" "Come on, Mom." "We gotta go home." "School's over." "I'm drawing a beautiful picture." "Isn't my picture beautiful?" "Very beautiful." "Very beautiful." "Very beautiful!" "It's so very beautiful you'll finish it at home!" "No!" "I want to finish my very beautiful picture here!" "Did you remember to bring my snack?" "Are you coming?" "Goddamn it!" "I want to see the rape!" "You're too old for rapes." "Come on." "You gotta do your homework!" "I wanna see the rape anyway!" "I wanna see the rape anyway!" "Come here!" "You want me to clobber you?" "Seems there's gonna be a rape." "Get this old biddy out of here!" "Biddy hell, she's my mother!" "I love rapes." " Come on, Mom." "You're in the way!" " Don't touch me!" "Anyway, why weren't you in school today?" "Where'd you go?" "She gets no excuse from me." "It's not my fault." "She cut class." "She'll be punished." "If you can't do it, what kind of a teacher are you?" " Mom." " What, dear?" "I'm busy with your teacher." " I wanna ask you something." " What?" "When are you gonna give up and die?" "How's that?" "What did you say?" "I didn't hear you." "Mind repeating that?" "I asked you when you're gonna give up and die!" "You hear what she said to her mother?" "She learn that in school?" "No, she didn't learn it in school!" "You're really bugging me!" "Me?" "I'm bugging you?" "That's rich!" "You want me to really bug you?" "Are you nuts?" "Stop that!" "Damn it!" "Officer!" "I'm busy." "I'm making my rounds." "It's my mother." "Do something." "She's going bats again." "Help!" "Let go of me!" "Help!" "Help!" "We'll help you, sweetheart!" "Don't rape me, you jerks!" "I'm consenting!" "We'll go to my place." "There's wine in the fridge." "Ally-oop, bolt the wheel on!" "Bolt the wheel." "Bolt it." "Bolt the wheel." "Something wrong?" "I'm Sergeant Boigny." "No, I'm fine." "No problem." "Stop it, children." "The officer will get ideas." "Stop it!" "Sergeant Boigny is very handsome." "He's not for you." "Are you the famous Sergeant Boigny?" "Why "famous"?" "You mean you never heard of the famous Sergeant Boigny?" "What's famous about him?" "He disappeared." " Disappeared?" " Gone, vanished." "In broad daylight." "He was making his rounds and was never heard from again." "That so?" "Little bastards!" "You crazy?" "Firing in a populated area?" "They swiped my car!" "So?" "What if there's a dead child behind the fence now?" "What fence?" "My God!" "Now you see why Sergeant Boigny disappeared?" "I gotta warn my wife!" "Are you Sergeant Boigny's wife?" "What's he done now?" "Oh, no." "That asshole!" "Come with me." "Lay him down on the bed." "I told the fool not to use his gun!" ""Never draw your gun," I told him." "When a cop draws, he fires." "Lay him on the bed." "What are you gonna do?" "Just try to warm him up." "Warm him up?" "How you gonna warm him up?" "You hold the boy close to you, you wrap your arms around him, and you don't move." "He's not moving either." "Quiet, please." "I have to concentrate." "Now and then, you undulate your hips a bit." "You see?" "Like so." "Come on, my boy." "Come on." "Come on, precious." "There." "I can feel my big boy coming out of it." "Look how nicely he's coming out of it." "You caress him a bit." "Give him love." "Hello, ma'am." "Hello, my boy." "What's your name?" "Murad." "Mine is Gladys." "Thanks a lot, ma'am." "You're welcome, my boy." "Can I come back someday?" "Of course you can." "Can I come too, if I'm ever wounded?" "You still here?" "Would you be my mother?" "Your mother?" "Don't you have one?" "Sure." "That's just it." "I'd like to trade." "I can't be your mom." "I'm black." "People would talk." "The hell with people!" "Please, ma'am, say yes." "I need affection so bad." "Please, adopt me!" "I wouldn't be a nuisance." "And I'd help you out all I could." "I'm not fussy about what I eat." "Bread and butter, a little soup." "I can do without meat." "What's your name?" "Victorine." "Come on." "I'll show you your room." "What's your name?" "Pearl." "You new?" "Yes, I'm new." "I'm Carmen." "A pretty name, don't you think?" "Yes, Carmen is a nice name." "I'm a bit behind in my schooling." "I'm not behind in everything - just my schooling." "What class are you in?" "CM2." "I'm in CM1 , but we'll be together." "They're combining CM1 and CM2." "They can't get teachers." "If this keeps up, they may close the school." "Really?" "That's a great hairdo!" "The boys will love you." "You ever been laid?" "My mom says I'm too young." "That if I can, I should wait a bit longer." "I've already been laid - once." "Did you come?" "I came like crazy." "Did you get knocked up?" "Sure I got knocked up!" "What'd you do with the kid?" "What do you think?" "You kept it?" "What do you think?" "Gladys!" "This lady's bugging me!" "You're gonna get it!" "See?" "No one's after you." "It was a fat girl with pigtails!" "There's no such girl." "Look: no fat girl." "If there is one, we'll smack her." "She was real ugly, the fat girl with her ugly pigtails." "Want me to give you a big kiss?" " How big?" " This big." "That's what a mother likes:" "a little affection from her daughter." " You should try it." " But I'm rotten!" "Come on." "Things like that don't happen to us." "They're too sweet." "Too wonderful." "Well, I want to get adopted!" "You'll have a job finding a taker!" "Will you adopt me, too?" "Huh?" "Will you adopt me?" "Why doesn't she answer me?" "Tell me, little girl." "Why won't she answer?" "Because she thinks you're very ugly." "That's all I have to say." "I can be very cute if I want!" "Forget it." "This is stupid." "I'll be a punk later on." "Me, too." "First I'll get myself raped, and then I'll come to like it." "So there!" "I'll take dope and be an unwed mother, and I'll fuck in front of my kids to freak them out!" "Yeah!" "One, two, three, freeze!" "One, two, three, freeze!" "Zeph, step back!" "I'm not moving!" "No one's moving." "Relax." "Zeph steps back!" "Shit!" "Why always me?" "Watch out." "I've got my eye on you." "One, two, three, freeze!" "Don't be scared." "We're just kids." "Hey, soon you'll need a bra." "Hey, that's right." "Keep playing." "Pay no attention." "Can't you say hello?" "I didn't dare bother you." "I thought you were asleep." "Hello, Victorine." "Hello, Rafic." "Where you going with your backpack?" "It's my schoolbag." "Is it true what they say?" "Are your tits starting to grow?" "Yeah, so it seems." "You gonna show Rafic?" "Sure enough." "Damn, makes me feel old." "Wanna be my first man?" " Sure I'd be the first?" " Yeah, Rafic." "I swear you'd really be the first." "This is Victorine." "A little girl who's thinking big." "Let's see how you play grown-up." "I don't know." "Do you suck?" "If I'm asked nicely." "I'll ask you nicely." "Okay, so you scared me!" "Well, I can scare you too." "How would you go about doing that?" "I'm not fucking this guy!" "Boa never could charm a woman." "Do I disgust you?" "Your girlfriend turns me on." "Me, too." "At first she left me cold, but now..." "Girls are sexy when they're scared." "You scared?" " I said are you scared?" " Of course I'm scared!" "It's a drag for a girl to think no one will ever be sweet to her!" "Anyone been sweet to us?" "Want to hear how my dad caressed me?" "It's up to you to be sweet to us." "That's okay with me." "This is the only love nest we have." "It'll do fine." "You're right." "She is nice." "What if we pulled a little job instead?" " What kind of job?" " I don't know." "Maybe grab an old lady's purse." "You see any old ladies around?" "No, that's the trouble." "You still want to stay a kid." "Well... yes, a little." " Don't stiffen up!" " I'm not!" "You are!" "You're tight as a lemon!" "Go easy, guys." "Leave her with a fond memory." "What's a fond memory like?" "When you think of it, you want to cry." "Then what's a bad one like?" "You just laugh off a bad one." "Shut your eyes." "Breathe deeply." "Think of me fondling your breasts." "Rafic's caressing you." "How's it feel having Rafic caress you?" "A girl needs love the first time!" "Paulie, Victorine needs love." "Interest you?" "Paulie's our specialist in love." " Did you hear me?" " Sure I heard." " So answer." " I'm working." "Wanna shoot your load?" "Not now, guys." "Not now." "He's engine-happy." "At least say hello." "She's cute." "If he doesn't want to, leave him alone." " Damn it, Rafic." "You're a pain!" " Don't snub her." "Who's snubbing anyone?" "Look how pretty she is." "Are you really the specialist in love?" "Keep looking at me like that and I'll end up believing it." "Very good, Paulie!" "What technique!" "Velvet, pure velvet." "Amazing how punks can be so gentle." "Sometimes, in these neighborhoods, wonders arise." "We'll disprove the statistics." "What statistics?" "All that crap about how your fate's sealed... because you were born here." "I'm going to change your destiny." "No more bad luck." "Paulie's here now." "I never want to stop." "The girl is very, very happy with her Paulie." "Her little Paulie." "The world is so pretty today." "Even this neighborhood is pretty." "Paulie." "Everything is pretty- everything." "For example, her dad's drunk." "She looks for him in the bar and thinks he's handsome." "You coming?" "Even the bar looks pretty." "Isn't it pretty, Pop?" "Calling this bar pretty is an overstatement." "It looks pretty to me." "Want to know what's pretty?" "You!" "You're pretty!" "And the booze they make around here." "What's it called?" "I can never remember its name." "It's a dark yellow liquid." "And when you pour water into it, it turns light yellow." "That's pretty, the way the color changes." "It's like sunshine." "Daddy!" "Who's that?" "Oh, it's you, Valerio." "Where have you been?" " Daddy!" " Here I am." "Yolanda." "It's Josie, not Yolanda." "Josie." "Yeah, sure." "Josie's pretty, too." "Why are they all calling me Daddy tonight?" "One of them's not ours." "Not ours?" "Kids belong to everyone." " What's your name?" " Habib." "Hi, Habib." "I'm Daddy." "Wait for me here." "Yes, okay." "I'm gonna rob a house." "Yes, okay." "Back in five minutes." "Yes, okay." "I'll always say, "Yes, okay."" "I'm a girl who says, "Yes, okay."" "And I'm a guy who says, "I love you."" "I'm a very happy girl." "A bit scared, but very happy." " Scared?" " Yes." "Of what?" "I don't know." "The dark, robberies - all that." "I'm still in school." "Burglary isn't dangerous." "People are happy to get their stuff swiped." "Takes it off their hands." "Sure." "And it's a visit." "Keeps us in touch." "Take me, for example." "I've grown fond of my burglar." "One evening," "I'd turned out the lights, and there was nothing on TV." "I figured, "The hell with it." "I'll wait here quietly in the dark until I fall asleep."" "Then what do I hear?" "A noise in the kitchen." "You gonna call the cops?" "Certainly not." "Don't just run off like that!" "What a way to act!" "Oh, no!" "Damn it!" "You been robbed again?" "Yep, a wonderful kid." "Well, don't send your wonderful kids to me." "I'll sic the dog on them." "We're fed and they're hungry." "They live on pennies, when they have any." "Invite them in to sleep." "I leave my door open now!" "And I stock up on provisions!" "You should always leave your wallet in plain sight, with a little money in it." "Why are you so nice to me?" "Others shoot at me when I rob them." "Then don't steal from them." "Just steal from me." "What's your name?" "Tajdudine." "Born in the projects?" "Building F, Apartment 31 8." "Where are your parents from?" "The Comoros." "In the Indian Ocean?" "They're islands." "You're the hope of my country." "When you grow up, marry a French girl." "Give her a baby, okay?" "Okay." "Give me your word?" "I give you my word." "A real white French girl." "Yeah." " With big boobs." " Yeah." "That's not the way I see it, kid." "Screw poverty levels and youth unemployment." "I'm dumb." "I do my own law enforcement." "And I'm a chicken-shit asshole!" "Attaboy!" "We'll get along fine." "I'll be your manager." "Back up for a photo." " A photo?" " Back up." "More." "Take this VCR as you go." "When we call out, turn this way and look guilty." "I got the fucker!" "Do it again." "The framing was off." "That one's good." "One more!" "What are the pics for?" " Give me back my VCR, you bastard!" " It's my VCR!" "Take a rape photo!" " Feel her up good." " Like this?" "No." "Look into the lens so we can see your face." "One more." "Okay." "Hey." "Don't overdo it." "Now go get your girlfriend." "What girlfriend?" "The one waiting on the bike." "She's getting restless." "Marcel, I gotta go home." "You always say that, but you never go." "Soon you'll want another drink." "Paulie!" "I gotta help my little girl." "I think she needs me." "Watch the step." "I tried to keep cool, but he grabbed my wife and I flipped out." "Do you remember your apartment number?" " No idea." " Number 722." "Repeat after me: 722." " 722." " Good." "Gladys!" "Don't be afraid, Paulie dear." "Victorine will save you." "You'll see." "Another casualty!" "You just gotta hang on." "Darling, you'll see." "We'll have a wonderful life together." "It's me!" "Pearl!" "Damn it, don't conk out on me!" "Shit, this is serious!" "Paulie, you can't let me down when I need you the most!" "Yeah, but..." "I'm..." "I'm dying." "Where are you, Gladys?" "Asleep?" "No, you're not dying." "What nonsense!" "Am I dying?" "Here for the miracle?" "Your dad isn't a drinking man." "Now and then he goes on a binge." "Subtle difference." "Mind if I talk to you?" "Hey, guys." "I need to talk to someone." "Can I talk to you?" "About what?" "Me, for example." "That gonna captivate us?" "I don't know." "It depends." "After all, I'm a girl who showered and put on perfume to please her buddies." "Doesn't anyone need loving?" "This is a proposition." "Okay, I'll split." "I'll stop bugging you." "Do you even remember you fucked me?" "Remember my snatch?" "Behave yourself." "Your father's over there." "My father?" "What father?" "Where do you see a father?" "In the booth, with his booze." "I have no such father." "Cross the square and turn left." "Your left hand." "Okay?" "Go to Building B." "You go under Building B." "I go under Building B." "On the other side, you see Building C. Building C." " That's your building." " I'll go before I forget." "One more little drink?" "No, you've had enough." "What are you looking for?" "Building B." "You'll get eyestrain." "You live in Building B?" "No, I don't." "I have to go under Building B." "First go under Building C." "I can't do that." "Building C is where I live." "I got lost." "I turned left, I turned right." "No way could I find the house." "That's a drag." "Victorine, come sit down." "What for?" "To talk." "You got something to say to me?" "No." "So what do you want?" "Nothing." "To look at you." "Spend some time with me?" "Yes, for example." "Okay." "That way you can meet a good buddy." "Where is your buddy?" "Over there." "His name's Paulie." "He's my first love." " Meet my first love." " Evening, sir." "Evening, Paulie." "How old are you?" "Nineteen." "That's fine." " What do you do in life?" " I'm a thief." "That's great!" "How's business?" "Right now, it's so-so." "He's going through a bad time now." "He was robbing a house when the owner showed up." " He shot him." " He killed the owner?" " No, the owner fired." " At who?" "At me, damn it!" "Your dad's dense!" "Relax, darling." "I can't relax." "I don't know why." "I take you everywhere." "You're with me every minute." "You look after her, mister." "She'll need her dad now." " I'm past doing much." " Yes." "I'll look after her." "What'll you do?" "I'll try to drink less." "Eh, Victorine?" "Daddy will try to drink less." " How many have you had?" " Not many." "You enjoy that stuff?" "Not at all." "Why drink it then?" "Don't know." "It's Marcel's fault." "When I come in, he says," ""What'll it be?" "A little shot?"" "And being a foreigner," "I try to get along with everyone." "Now what's he up to?" "Where is he?" "I saw him in the bar." "He was blotto." "I'll go get him, by God!" "I'll find you and drag you back by the balls!" "Don't be stupid, Victorine." "I'm protected by important people." "You can't fight 'em!" "Selling booze to poor slobs like your dad is legal!" "Even if it's slowly killing them." "Killing is my business." "And fires are my business, making assholes like you sizzle." "Did you say assholes?" "Here I am in my tracksuit." "I'm planning to buy a dog, too." "Hi." "It was me who shot your boyfriend in the back." "Hi." "I've heard a lot about you." "Still grieving?" "I'm okay." "You get over everything." "If I were your age... and as cute as you are..." "Right." "Marcel?" "I'd take the guys for a wad." "I'm still young." "I need time to think it over." "What's to think about?" "You've got two choices:" "Either you milk the guys, like the gent says - and that's my advice, too - or you take the first jerk who's dumb enough to want you, even if he's a cop, or his feet stink," "and you say "yes."" "And you'll be lucky to have him." "And don't let yourself go, or the guy will split." "Trapping a guy doesn't mean a girl can trot out in her old clothes." "You have to be attractive... always ready for use." "That's what I'd say if I were your father." "You're not my father." "That's the problem." "You're right." "I'm not your father." "He's my father." "As you can see, he's wiped out, soaked like a sponge." "He could die any minute." "But you'll go before him." "How do you know?" "Lost any weight lately?" "Me?" "No." "You're going to." "Without knowing why." "At first you'll be glad to regain your youthful weight." "Then you'll find you can't stop losing weight, even if you eat like a pig." "Your tracksuit will start to flap around on you." "A real mess!" "The dumb doctors won't know why." "They'll say it's anemia." "You'll hang on to that story as hard as you can," "even when you can't walk on your own, or get out of bed." "That's when I'll visit your crummy house to say hello - when you can't get out of bed." "Why the jerrican?" "How should I know?" "My buddy said, "Take this jerrican to his place and pour it over the bed."" "I'm just obeying orders." "Jeanine, help!" " What can I do?" "I don't know." "Stop her!" "I told you not to get cancer!" "Now you're amazed?" "Shit!" "I forgot my lighter." "I'll get a kitchen match." "The doctor said to hold on for just four more days." "Well, I can't." "Well, big daddy, how do you feel?" "Please, miss, no." "I take back what I said and did!" "The slug in Paulie, too?" "I was an asshole, a real right-wing asshole!" "Now what's left of you?" "I say she got laid." "When she has that look, it means she got laid." "Come on, Victorine." "We're your real buddies." "Sorry, little fella." "There isn't enough for everyone." " Go home." " It's Gael, Daddy." "Look!" "He's yours." "Gael!" "Come say hello to Daddy." "Now I remember you." "Your name's Gael?" "Sure it is." "Right?" "See, Daddy's memory isn't all gone." "Tell me your name." "Gael!" "That's it!" " What do you want to do?" " Eat." "Pull up a chair." "All the chairs are taken." "Taken?" "By whom?" "Victorine, what's going on?" "I don't know." "It's your house." "You work it out." "Is he mine, too?" "I don't know that one." "Can I have a little soup?" "How many of you are new?" " We wanna stay, mister." " We like you." "We like Victorine, too." "How long have you been here?" " Two weeks." " Me, since Christmas." "I just got here." "Where do you sleep?" "We're short of beds." "With Victorine." "It seems she's very nice." "How do you know?" "Some guys told me." "If one of them's sad, I comfort him." "We comfort you too." "Does she get sad?" "Sure she does." "I don't want to grow up!" "Growing up isn't any fun at all!" "When you're grown up, you have no more daddy, and I like to have my daddy." "Watch the sidewalk." "Can I have a kiss?" "Can I have another kiss?" "Would you carry my schoolbag, please?" "Daddies carry cute little girls' schoolbags." "Wait for me!" "The truck!" "Give me your hand, please!" "When I grow up," "I'll have a buddy named Paulie." "I forbid you to walk on the wall!" "Come down off that wall at once!" "Victorine!" ""The drops... of dew..."" ""The... drops... of... dew..."" "I'm not a little girl again." "Do I look like I've regressed?" "Why's my Dad in class when he could be happy drinking at his bar?" "It's crazy!" " Victorine, what is it?" " I'm talking." "People will belief anything." "You have to explain it." "It's not "people will belief"!" "People can't "belief."" "You can't say, "When I was little, I beliefed in Santa."" "I can say it." "I didn't belief in Santa Claus, but I beliefed other crap I shouldn't have." "Like at school" " I beliefed I'd learn to be something other than what I'm becoming." "That even in the projects, girls didn't all grow bitter!" "That's what I beliefed." "I call on you for help, teacher." "I think you're a good teacher... teacher." "We like our teacher, too." " Sit down, Samba." " I can't resist." "I said sit down!" "Can I come closer while you dictate?" "What do you care?" "He won't rape you." " He's only seven." " I'm seven, and totally harmless." "Look how harmless I am." "I don't even dare touch you." "Dictate, teacher." "Just let it happen." ""The drops of dew..."" ""The drops of dew..."" "What'd the drops of dew do?" "Gleam like pearls, maybe?" "On drowsy water lilies?" ""Gleam like pearls... on drowsy water lilies..."" "How do you spell "lilies"?" "I don't know.Just draw one." "What'll you do when schools disappear?" "We'll steal!" "What the hell's going on?" "I mean, hell!" "Want me to finish your dictation?" "I'll give you a tough one!" "I don't need books to spout my crap!" "It's all in my head." "Yasmina, up front!" "I'm Mary Lou, not Yasmina." "Well, I call you Yasmina!" "I'll give you a sample of what I have in mind." "Don't look at his fly." "Look scared." "You're edgy." "Think of crime in the streets." "You won't rape us, will you?" "Who, me?" "Yeah." "You're all alone with two girls in an empty car." "So we're worried." " Do I look like a rapist?" " No." "That's not what I meant, but these days, you know, we gotta watch out." "Could we come a little closer?" "If you like." "Even closer, if you want to." "No, this is fine." "Otherwise... you might get ideas." "See my bra?" "Yes, indeed." "How do you like my bra?" "It's fine." "I'm not gonna take it off." "We're still strangers." "Later on, when our relationship has progressed." "Oh, well, I'll come a little closer." "Who are those kids?" "My class." "We're studying about feeling unsafe on trains." "Will you help us?" "I don't know." "Maybe." "It depends." "We were having a spelling lesson, and things got out of hand." "Got out of hand how?" "Oh, the way things do." "You never know how it starts." "For example, you're eyeing my bra." "So I figure, "He likes my bra."" "And I'm pleased." "You're the first shy guy I've met." "Naturally, that moves me." "I'll marry you, if you like." "I'll two-time you with everyone." "I'll screw every guy in every building in the neighborhood." "And if they're not built yet, I'll screw 'em on the blueprints." "Me..." "I'll welcome you back." "I'll undress you..." "I'll wash away your stains... and I'll spoon-feed you." "I'll trace a cross on your brow whenever you sleep." "I bet you've got a small dick and you come real quick." "I don't want you pawing me." "I don't like your hands." "I don't like anything about you." "Even your conversation bores me." "Yet you'll spend all your winter evenings with me." "I'm your future." "You can stop searching." "Kids, a mobile home, vacations." "You're stuck having them with me." "I'm from the projects too." "We all are today." "Rich projects, poor projects - we're all in the same boat." "All that counts is the woman you live with." "The woman I'm going to live with is you." "She'll get used to it." "Right, Victorine?" "It'll be a bit rough at first." "You'll scrutinize me, find me ordinary and dull." "And I will be ordinary and dull." "Even annoying." "I know I'll be annoying." "You'll feel blue a lot." "Then one day... by force of habit, from seeing me in the bathroom every morning, you'll realize a few things." "First, I don't cling." "I don't nag." "I respect her moods and her wish to be alone." "This is a beautiful marriage." "Happiness begins with two people in a boat that manages to stay afloat." "Dry your tears, or you'll see some of mine." "Your dad's gonna start blubbering soon." "Things may get emotional." "These two idiots really move me!" "Your soup's great." "How'd you learn to make it?" "Never you mind." "If it's good, just eat it and shut up." "Well, I think it's lousy soup!" "At least it's hot!" "And you didn't have to make it!" "They always said my soup was bad." "Now when they say it's good, I think they're kidding." "It tastes much better now." "Everyone looked down." "No one dared watch." "Where are you going?" "You through?" "I'm gonna check out the embankment." "I want to go too!" "No, Mom!" "That's not for you!" "What's this embankment?" " You never seen one?" " Sure I have." "So here it is." "To each his private garden." "Hi, fellas!" "They're the south clan." "Watch." "In a sec they'll get chatty." "What's wrong?" "You gone soft?" "Hey, guys." "It's me, Snatchie!" "Don't ya wanna talk tits 'n' ass?" "We can't." "Not in front of your man." "Hold tight." "I'll be back alone." "Hey, Snatchie!" "How are things, Snatchie?" "Come to see your girlfriend?" "Hey, Snatchie." "I'm talking to ya." "Fuck you!" "Go eat pussy!" "Hey, guys, Snatchie's in a lousy mood." "What's wrong?" "Got a bad case of PMS?" "Shall I make a woman of you?" "Don't worry about me in that regard." "If I ever want you, I'll let you know." "Want a cock instead?" "Up yours!" "I'll ream the shit up your ass!" "Why can't I go to your embankment?" "Why don't you take me along?" "I'll dump you in the garbage train!" "You can't dump your mom!" "Oh, no?" "Wanna bet?" "Wait, we'll give you a hand!" "See, there's no point in killing your mom." "A mom's job is to comfort her daughter when she's feeling low." "Yes, but, Mom, aren't you dead?" "No, I'm not dead." "No way." "Can't you tell I'm not dead?" "I may be a bit dead, just a tiny bit dead, just a teeny weeny bit." "I want a hug." " A hug?" " Yes." "I want to hug my mommy." " To see if I'm still warm?" " Yes." "I want a big, warm hug." "From Mommy?" "You're sorry for all the silly things you did?" "I'm sorry for all the silly things I did." "Hug." "Mommy." "Does it feel like an improvement or not?" "Well, yes, perhaps." "You really are nice." "Being with you isn't unpleasant." "That's all I can say for now." "Sorry." "The other day... on the bus, coming back from the visit, maybe I'm imagining things, but it felt like you wanted me a little bit." "Could be." "I don't remember." "Could be." "A little bit." "See." "It's starting to happen." "And Paulie?" "You ever think of him?" "Paulie?" "Who was he again?" "A guy you really liked." "Or so you told him." "Sure, I think of him." "Every night as I fall asleep." "When she thinks of him..." "I pretend I'm asleep." "This is my apartment." "You like it?" "Yeah, it's great." "This is my washing machine." "It's doing a color cycle." "I put it on short spin so it won't wreck his shirts." "These are his shirts." "He wears two a day." "Except Sundays, of course." "I tell him," ""Wear your evening shirt the next day."" "He says, "No." "I wear a clean one in the morning." "A guy looking for work has to be spotless."" "I just had two kids in a row." "I'm a mother now." "This mother gives me a hard-on." "Look, it's great." "I can say hi to my mom from the balcony." "She lives across the way." "Need a helping hand?" "Thanks, Mom." "I'm fine." "Just ask." "All I have to do is cross the street." "No, Mom." "I'm fine!" " What color cycle you on?" " Cool." " Did you put the softener in?" " Yes, I put everything in." " And now I'm putting you out." " Can't I keep you company?" " No, Mom." "No way." " Why not?" "Because I just turned 25 and I want to be alone." "I want to be with you." "I miss you!" "Stop pushing me!" "I can push too!" "I'm growing old!" "My head's spinning!" "I don't feel well at all!" "Neither do I." "What's wrong?" "It's true." "You're so pale." "You're not pregnant, are you?" "Want to lie down?" "Wait." "I'll go get a damp towel." "See?" "You still need your mom." "That's Maurice." "The man I live with." "He seems nice." "Yeah, he's a nice guy." "I'm not nice." "I'm in love." "They yours?" "Of course they're mine." "I thought you had two." "Soon as I turn my back, he knocks me up." "Every time I bend over..." " Go easy." "You'll kill her." " I want her all the time." "Can't you take precautions?" "Immigrants don't take precautions." "I'm out of work and I screw!" "You're no immigrant." "You're French as pate." "I'm Muhammad from Algeria." "I fuck you!" "I fuck your mom!" " Somebody called?" " No, not you, mother-in-law!" "Get out!" "I'll watch the kids so you two can have some privacy." "Privacy is when you're not around." "Thanks, love." "You're as sweet as ever." "I can die if I want to!" "So can I." "I can go nuts too, if I want to." "I can also hit the bottle." "Sorry, Dad." "Why are you here?" "How come you're here?" "I don't know." "It's weird." "I was at the bar, tasting the local booze." "Marcel said, "Same thing again?"" "So I said, "Why not?"" "And then " "And then suddenly... a kind of pain... a really awful pain..." "You better now?" "The pain's going away." "You're not dead, Dad?" "Say you're not!" "It wasn't my fault." "He wouldn't stop drinking." "Wait!" "No, don't go!" "Darling, don't go." "I don't want you to see me like that." "You can't do this to me." "I can explain." "I can explain!" "Bastard!" "Creep!" "Asshole!" "I mean really, folks." "What is this?" "Behave yourself!" "." "Shut up, or I'll burn down your bar." "The nerve." "Come on, Dad." "What the hell's going on?" "Oh, yeah." "I'm still thirsty." "My thirst isn't quenched." "Aren't you guys thirsty?" "Back home, when a guy dies, they drink to his health." "Don't they do that here?" "Come on, Dad." "I'll take you home." "To my place?" "Your place." "Yes, my place." "Watch the step, Dad." "I'll be very careful." "Now we'll go home slowly." "Slowly." "Am I in Building C, Apartment 722?" "Not at all, buddy." "This is Building F, Apartment 2 40." "Too bad." "I'm a man who can never find his home." "Why can't I?" "Where is my home?" " See this card?" " Yes, I do." " What color is it?" " Pink." "What's written on it?" "Can you read what it says?" "Sure." "I can read it perfectly." "What do you read perfectly?" "It says, "Building C, Apartment 722."" "Does that bring anything to mind?" "Lots of things." "On the other side, I wrote your name:" "Constantin Laspada." " That's your name." " Yes." "You'll remember?" "Now scat!" "Sorry, ma'am." "I'm truly sorry." "Those punk kids play pranks on me." "They think I'm drunk and change the numbers." "They think it's funny." "Little creeps!" "I'll box your ears!" "Come on, Dad." "I'm your daughter." "You're home." "No, I'll be in the way." "Sure I won't be in the way?" "We were about to make love." " It can wait a minute." "Dad stopped by." " I'll leave." "No, sit down and ignore Maurice." "I'm glad to see my dad." "I like him." "I like you too, Mom." "You know I do." ""I like you too, Mom." "You know I do."" "Watch out, Mom!" "You call that affection?" " I said "Watch out, Mom!"" " Watch out for what?" "You can't kill me." "There are witnesses!" "I'm having a fit, and I'm gonna break something!" " You having a fight?" " No, we're not fighting." " Grandma's just flipping out." " Again?" "Dump her in the garbage train." "Stop it, Daniela." "Dry your tears." "They're big tears." "I miss you, Constantin." "Life without you is no fun." "Even when you were drunk" "I'm still here." "Can't you see?" "Here." "Smell my breath." "Does Victorine Laspada live here?" "Her name isn't Laspada anymore." "It's Legarrec now." "Really?" "Why do you want her?" "Is this the wrong place?" "I don't know." "No, it isn't." "Come to bed." "We looked everywhere." "We heard you got married." "Never mind, love." "I'll explain." "Why are those kids sleeping with Mom?" "That's how it is around here." "Kids need a change of mom now and then." " Can we change our mom, too?" " Got anyone in mind?" "Yes." "Boniface's mom has big tits!" "Great!" "Boniface's mom!" "Come on, guys." "This'll be fun!" " Can we take off your bra?" " Sure you can." "What about me?" "I was just about to screw her." "What's the point?" "She doesn't get off with you." "Who says she doesn't?" "I can tell when you're on her." "She counts flies on the ceiling." " I don't see any flies." " She does." "She looks for them." " She's bored." " You bore me!" "You're dead!" "Get lost!" "I can feel life boiling inside me!" "Hey." "Do the dead always come back when you think of them?" "Not always." "Depends." "You have to think of them real hard." "Like me, I come back." "All the time." " Dad?" " Yes." "Tell Maurice I love him." " Please." " Okay, I will." "I will." "Victorine loves you, Maurice." "Get it?" "She loves you." "But sometimes she thinks of Paulie." "He senses that, so he materializes." "Don't be mad at him." "You'd do the same, if you'd caught that slug." " Guess I would." " It's no big deal." "I just watch you make love." "The main thing is she loves you." "When she takes off her bra," "I want to put it back on to take it off again." "She has narrow hips, an ass firm as apples." "And her laughter in the house is like running in an orchard." "Her name's Victorine." "God bless your parents, Victorine." "They must've had a great love for you to be so pretty." "Well..." "I'll be leaving." "I have a feeling I'm leaving." "Well, bye." "I'll be going too." "I'll go with Paulie." "Come on, kids." "Let's leave them alone." "That's the door to my apartment!" "What's the number?" ""Building C, Apartment 722."" "You've arrived." "You can go on in." "Yes, Dad." "I'm kinda scared." "Yeah, I'm kinda scared too." "You have to walk with your head high!" "Even when you want to lower it." "Yes, Dad." "See how straight I stand." "Yes, Dad." "I'm watching." "See how straight I stand?" "Yes, Dad." "You do." "You're handsome." "You're strong." "So screw all the sad bastards!" "Screw 'em!"