"More bread and butter?" "Bye." "MY LITTLE LOVES" "In Memory of Odette and Louis Robert" "Hey, Masini!" "Taking Communion today?" "Behave!" "I know him from school" "He was the biggest and strongest in our class" "But he never fought" "For no reason, without knowing why..." "I hit him" "I looked in his eyes..." "he wasn't even angry" "I felt myself getting an erection" "I pressed up against her" "Guess what we learned today" "You breathe with your mouth and nose and with your asshole!" "I don't believe it" "It's in my book" ""Two types of respiration... pulmonary and cutaneous"" "That means with the anus..." "your asshole" "When you're my age, you'll learn it, too" "It's a Paramount movie" "Paramount movies are dumb" "You never saw one!" "Going to see it?" "Any danger?" "No" "Sometimes they hide farther on..." "never mind" "Meet you later?" "All right" "Grandma, a circus!" "Again?" "He wants everything he sees..." "I'll go fix his snack" "I caught a goldfinch" "I'll check out the circus" "And your homework?" "That's a vulture" "Look at that hunk of meat!" "Christian!" "Christian?" "She often mistook me for someone else" "I should've done something, but I was afraid" "You didn't bring any rubbing alcohol or gasoline... so you won't see my entire act" "You'll only see my broken-bottle trick" "I'll smash these bottles before your very eyes!" "I break them..." "Step up and see for yourselves... each piece of glass is a killer!" "I shall now lie on them" "I invite the heaviest people in the audience... to come sit on me" "No faking here" "Our cards are on the table!" "Turn over the worst pieceas" "Okay, it's safe" "Now you can sit on me" "There, ladies and gentlemen, blood, but no pain!" "My act is over, thank you for coming" "You're next" "No" "Scared?" "I just don't want to" "She's scared!" "Let's see how strong you are" "It's nothing..." "Jump!" "Go on!" "Somebody's coming." "Let's go" "I know that girl" " Your sweetheart?" " No." "I had seen her and talked with her" "Why did she pretend not to know me?" "lend me your capgun" "A cap, quick!" "I'm proud of you." "I have to kiss you" "Why?" "You passed into secondary school" "How'd you know?" "It's in the newspaper" "Mrs. Duloup read that I passed" "They always publish the exam results" "We'll buy a paper and keep it" "Can I buy ice cream?" "If you shoot capguns at my daughter again..." "I'll deal with you!" " Me?" " Yes you!" "If you shot her for real, she couldn't tattle" "A single cone" "You don't kiss like in the movies..." "you use your tongue" "How?" "You both open your mouths... and move your tongues around" "That's disgusting!" "The next year, my mother came to visit with a man... she hadn't mentioned in her letters" "How do you do?" "You can call him Jose" "I brought you a pen and a picture-book" "Come on, it's ready" "Give your mama your room" "We'll set up a cot for you" "Mama raved about the weather where she lived" "In October, even November, I go out with no sweater" "He was Spanish and never talked" "I'm studying Spanish in school, maybe you can help me with my accent" "Will you run some errands?" "I'm busy" "Jose will go" "Don't be silly" "Go with Jose, he doesn't know the stores" "Show him which is our butcher" "One of my brothers is a mason..." "another one is in bikes" "What do you mean?" "Bicycles and motorcycles..." "He sells and repairs them" "That sounds good" "And you?" "I'm a farm laborer" "I go out to the fields..." "and vineyards" "After the school year, I was to go live with my mother" "He's over there" "What's he doing?" "Ignore him." "We're not running after a man" "Do what I'm doing" "Follow my lead" "That's it, stay like that" "Going on a trip?" "I am." "Grandma's just seeing me off" "Where to?" "To my mother's" "For the summer?" "No, for good" "Mama, he's going away for good!" "Leaving?" "Not me." "He's going alone" "Your mama will meet you, don't worry" "I'm not worried" "Do you have a good seat?" "His first train trip?" "His first long one" "Got your ticket?" "Here it is" "That's the wrong one" "I have it" "Write as soon as you get there" "Kiss your mama!" "There..." "That's the Labor Ministry" "That's the market" "A movie theater?" "There are four of them" "That's the high school" "Is that where I'll go?" "We'll see" "The place is very small but the landlord promised us the room next door" "It's bigger, but it's not free yet" "We'll put a mattress on the floor for you" "Let's hope we won't wait too long for that room" "And Jose?" "He's working." "He gets back about 7" "I was sure I saw disapproval in his eyes" "It's a nice day" "Get up now" "We'll go shopping and you can see the town" "I have work to do" "You can amuse yourself." "Read, or go for a walk" "You've seen where we live" "It's easy to find our house" "What do I do?" "Throw it back or give it to the kid" "Want it?" "No" "You on vacation?" "Now I am, but I'm going to live here" "Your folks from here?" "No..." "My uncle is" "What's his name?" "Maybe I know him" "Ramos" "A Spaniard..." "No, I don't know him" "So you're Spanish" "I'm not..." "He's not really my uncle" "Your mother's husband, is he?" "How about your father, is he dead?" "Did you like it?" "Yes" "Not me, I don't believe that stuff" "I hate adventure films" "Started high school yet?" "Yes" "You coming here to live?" "I'll go to school here" "Good." "If we're in the same class, we can be friends." "What are they doing?" "Just strolling" "All in the same spot" "It's tradition" "That's how boys and girls meet." "It's always been that way" "Cut it out, I told you not to do that!" "Why don't we walk along the boulevard?" "It's a meeting-place for every idiot in town" "Everyone goes:" "old people, young people..." "Someone told me it's tradition" "Jose doesn't have his divorce yet" "His wife wants to make trouble" "He can't show himself just anywhere" "As I already knew, but refused to admit... she had no intention of sending me to school" "Why not, since it's free?" "School is, but not the rest" "There are books and supplies and clothes" "You have to dress well to go to school" "When I was your age, I was ambitious, too" "Now I'm stuck here all day" "Just the same, we never go hungry" "Food doesn't fall from the sky" "And Jose... he'd have liked a better job, too" "Think he chose to farm for other people?" "He's happy just to find work" "I had answers for her, but I kept my mouth shut" "Any idea what you'd like to do?" "No" "You must have some interests" "I don't know, I never thought about it" "You once said radio was a good profession" "Yes, maybe Jose can find somebody... who can teach you on the job" "He knows lots of people" "But it's not easy in a small town" "Meanwhile, you have to do something" "We thought... you could help Henri in the workshop" "So are you going to school?" "I don't know" "Vacation is almost over..." "your folks better get you enrolled" "I'll tell them" "See you soon" "I knew I would avoid him in the future" "You know about tools?" "All of them?" "Not all, but a lot" "Can you use them?" "I think so" "Attachments and spare parts are in these drawers... and catalogues, with prices" "You'll learn your way around" "I'm going out, you watch the stop" "If anyone comes in to buy..." "I'll be back about noon" "If it's a repair job, note down what's wrong" "Write it in here" "The boss here?" "He'll be back" "My light doesn't work, can he fix it?" "Leave it here." "I'll tell him" "Any customers?" "A woman..." "the light was out on her bike" "I fixed it" "Seems fine.." "You already knew how?" "No, but I figured it out" "His bill seemed very high to me" "He gave you money?" "You shouldn't have accepted it wasn't him, it was a tip" "Know what he charged for a repair job I did?" "Shall we have a drink?" "Peppermint and water" "And two beers" "On Sundays, it was a whole new life" "But I was ill-at-ease" "Think she's your size, kid?" "No, he's very serious" "So I went to the dancehall... the first time since I got married" "Right off, I felt like a jerk in my suit and tie" "Boys nowadays, in their unpressed pants and no jackets... go behind the girls and feel their asses" "They dance, and that's it" "In my day, there were rituals" "You checked a girl out before dancing with her" "And if you didn't have a suit on, forget it" "Those were the rules..." "It's all changed now" "The kid's working out?" "You bet!" "The day he doesn't..." "How's business?" "Are you kidding?" "You'd laugh at what I made last month" "And I quit the factory to go it on my own!" "I could have a deal on with some friends... but I can't abandon the shop" "Can't the kid take over?" "Fire him if he doesn't shape up" "I can't" "He's my brother's nephew" "The boss around?" "Not right now... he'll won't be long" "I was passing by..." "How are you?" "And you family?" "Not bad" "Can't you stand up?" "There's no work to do" "That's no reason!" "Get up." "How does that look to the customers?" "He's a friend, not a customer" "It makes no difference..." "Get up!" "Kids sure are fresh nowadays" "No respect for anything" "I make mine go to school, but he goofs off" "He has time, he's young" "Time...!" "My father had me in the fields at his age" "You been to school?" "Yes" "And you don't work any better than anyone else" "A waste of your parent's money" "I know, I should've continued" "Continued what?" "School.." "I should've gone on" "If you'd been good enough, you would've" "I don't think that's the reason" "You act smart, but you'll end up like this.. a poor sap" "Remember anything you learned?" "Lots of things" "The alphabet, for instance?" "Of course" "Say it, just to see" "You want me to recite the alphabet?" "Since you know it..." "A..." "B..." "C..." "D..." "E.." "F.." "G..." "Is that how you learned it?" "How did you learn it?" "A..." "Bay..." "Say..." "Day..." "E..." "Fee..." "Gee... that's the alphabet!" "Absolutely!" "Get the pushcart and..." "Where you going?" "To get the pushcart" "And then?" "You'll tell me" "I deliberately took narrow, crowded streets" "I'd have a strange dream... in which the past months were one long nightmare... and I woke up happy and safe at my grandmother's" "She often went by the shope" "I got used to seeing her..." "and began to wait for her" "Don't you know her?" "She's the daughter of that Spanish refugee" "She resembled the movie star I had a crush on" "I'd go to sleep thinking of her" "They were there every evening, always at the same time" "All at once I realized it was a different boy" "I need tire patches and some glue" "it was enormous, all black!" "The windows were tinted, blue or gray" "Two big antennas, front and back... with lights on them" "And huge tires!" "One antenna was for a TV, the other for a telephone" "How can you watch TV while you drive?" "Someone said a car like that lasts 20 years... and never once breaks down" "It had everything a desk top write on... a bar, a refrigerator..." "And a place for your bullshit?" "No, because it wasn't mine" "But when I tell Titin about it..." "Titin?" "When?" "During the vacation" "So you're going back there on vacation?" "You make your own decisions now?" "It was just an idea" "Until you're old enough to do as you like... you'll do as you're told" "I'm old enough to work while others go to school... but most workers at least earn money!" "You lost a good chance to shut up!" "If Henri... wasn't Jose's brother... you'd have been out of a job long ago!" "I wouldn't be any worse off" "Balcony, please" "You'd better hurry" "It just started" "That was a heavenly ride, Stefan" "When do you want to get married?" "Tomorrow" "What's the date?" "March 9th" "The 9th day of the 3rd month of the year" "A moment I'll never forget" "I'll marry you the 3rd day of the 9th month of the year" "If you still want me" "You may hate me by then" "I'll always want you" "What was he saying to her?" "I couldn't hear" "Anyone there?" "Ship ahoy!" "Officer of the watch..." "where are you?" "Is no one on board?" "I breathed hard to attract her attention..." "I even blew in her hair" "Do you think we're going to... die?" "You said you weren't afraid" "This moment is so beautiful, I want to prolong it" "I want a year... a month..." "a few more days" "Pandora..." "It's as if we were enchanted... outside of time, for all eternity" "Eternity..." "My love..." "A violent storm blew up..." "not unusual in that region" "No one doubted that the boat had sunk" "A regrettable accident" "People said:" ""On the eve of her wedding..."" "I'll never know why I left before the end" "The girls?" "I left them at the exit" "How were they?" "I didn't see" "Old hags" "Yours was okay" "Not in the light" "I had often seen him going to work" "Why not come to the cafe?" "I don't know" "They treat us right and they have good pinball" "Been to the movies?" "Yes, the Alhambra" "What's playing?" "Pandora" "I saw it, it's an oldie" "Did you see a movie too?" "Nothing appealed to me" "I felt like relaxing at a gory thriller with plenty of action" "Coming?" "Time for my quick-change act" "I'll be back as a motorcycle dude" "Who's he?" "Louis." "He sells fuel... a wheeler-dealer" "He's old" "He's okay." "He talks to us, no hangups" "Don Juan, the heart-breaker" "Your woman's prowled by at least 10 times" "Let her, I'm fed up with her" "Watch out, she looks ready to kill" "There she is" "Now he's in for it" "You used to date her, I saw you" "For two years..." "I met her parents" "You broke it off?" "Two years with no action..." "Sunday promenades with her mother" "You used to kiss at the movies" "With her mother right behind us" "I couldn't even feel her tits" "Now she's changed her tactics, but not her objective" "How's that?" "She wants to get married..." "they all want to get married" "Women are all the same" "They won't sleep with you before." "She'll find someone" "She can marry Longa" "We've found you a bride!" "Buy a round, Longa?" "Finished?" "No, as you can see" "See you later?" "Yes" "He was the only student among the cafe regulars" "I wanted to talk to him" "You in school?" "Passed your finals?" "Not yet" "When you get your degree, what then?" "A high-school degree isn't much..." "you can go on" "More school?" "University... the "big-leauge" schools" "What are they?" "They're the best... not everyone gets in" "You have to be a top student?" "You have to have pull strings, too" "If I worked seriously and regularly at home... with the right books, could I apply?" "Now law against it" "But is it really possible?" "Possible, but difficult" "Some subjects you can only learn in class" "Foreign languages are hard, too" "Yes, languages" "Still, it should be possible" "I real a book... about this guy's high school years" "He said his French professor really made him sick" "When he lectured about passion in the works of..." "Racine and Corneille... he said the same things year after year" "Finally the words had no sense, no heart" "That professor had no business talking about passion" "He knew the plays inside-out, but he'd never lived them" "Whereas the student... felt he would live those passions, later on." "Any opinion?" "That you run off at the mouth" "Coming to the cafe?" "Want to go to the sea?" "The sea... how far?" "10 miles..." "Sundays there's a dance" "Count me out" "You'd rather see a movie" "You rather play by yourself" "Don't smoke when you play pinball" "Ruins your concentration" "Another Peppermint Jet" "Mind if I join you?" "Got a job?" "I work for a mechanic" "You're into machinery, are you?" "Not at all" "So the pay's good?" "No" "It's not a bad line of work" "The mark-up on spare parts, inflated invoices..." "Also the tips, but forget that" "Penny-ante stuff" "It doesn't matter what you work at" "The main thing is to have money behind you" "Then you do like me:" "2 or 3 Peppermint Jets... every day of your life, if you feel like it" "If I don't have a few thousand francs in my pocket..." "I feel poor and I get uptight" "That much?" "Let's see" "Don't believe me?" "Look" "Want to touch it?" "See my lighter?" "When I give a woman a light, I have to get real close" "If she asks me again, it's in the bag, she's hooked" "Stick with your mechanics, you'll do fine" "I've worn white shirts since my First Communion" "With my motorbike... whenever it's o the fritz, there goes my shirt" "Caught in the gears every time" "Another shirt down the drain" "Now when it breaks down, I don't touch it" "It take it to be fixed." "In 10 years... more guys will wear white shirts" "Boys like you will clean up" "Know her?" "How about you?" "Not interested?" "Did you know he had all that money?" "Yes, you saw it" "Where does he get it?" "I told you, from deals" "So it's true" "Catching a movie?" "No" "Got any plans?" "I'm staying here" "I'm going" "Where?" "I might change my mind" "I don't know" "It's the choir from Sainte-Marie" "Had the old lady seen anything?" "She ran off as if she'd met the Devil" "Henri's closing up shop for the summmer" "You'll have that vacation you're so set on" "You always get your own way" "Nothing else counts" "A bit much, don't you think?" "I ordered them like this" "Your cigarette!" "Shit, shit, shit!" "Have it rewoven... it's expensive" "How much?" "A fortune, but they'll be like new" "Come to Sainte-Marie?" "There's a dance." "There'll be girls" "Where'd you say?" "Sainte-Marie" "Just a minute" "I'll be back" "May I go with some friends to a village?" "It is far?" "A few miles." "Can I take Jose's bike?" "Be careful with it." "No passangers... and be back by 8." "What if the others want to stay late?" "They can do as they like." "You be here at 8." "I will" "We'll have to go get the boat ourselves" "Let's not all go in." "Beer and lemon soda..." "Okay" "We'll split the cost" "I have no money" "You're not getting any" "We'll take the Salinas road" "Leave them... follow the girls" "With them around, we'll never score." "Go casually" "I'm dying of thirst" "If we wait, we're screwed" "They said the Salinas road" "Sure... to signal us" "They never looked at us" "It's a come-on, believe me" "It was deliberate?" "Girls are like that..." "ask them and they say no" "Start the action and they say nothing... or yes" "I was afraid." "I stalled for time" "You taking the short one?" "The tall one..." "but shorty has fabulous eyes" "Yes, I saw them" "Sainte-Marie reminded me of the girl I'd caressed at the fair" "The girl ahead of us... had been singing in the choir" "What do we say to them?" "Talk about the weather..." "try to make them laugh" "Let's go, before the others get here" "Isn't it fairer to wait for them?" "All's fair in love and business" "Think they'd wait for us?" "I'll move in after you" "Move in now or you'll lose the game" "You taking the Salinas road?" "How did you know?" "When you went by, I thought..." ""I bet they'll take the Salinas road"" "You left your friends?" "What friends?" "The boys with you" "They're boring" "Take it from me, don't trust them." "If you see them coming, hide" "Maybe we shouldn't trust you" "As you like, but don't say we didn't warn you" "Ask your friend" "She's my sister" "Sister?" "You do look alike, I hadn't noticed" "The hole in your pants is in the wrong place!" "It's a nice day" "I didn't know what to answer" "Yes" "Don't you talk?" "I have nothing to say" "Are you too stupid to make conversation?" "Maybe... but you go ahead and talk" "I'll find an answer if it's not about the weather" "The boys talk, as a rule" "Maybe it's a bad rule" "Here they come" "Your friends?" "I felt relieved" "I'd wanted them to come, then I hadn't... now I didn't know" "Marius gets to Saint Peter" "Peter says:" ""You record's not that great..."" ""but I'll let you into Heaven"" "They go down a corridor" "Marius looks in all these rooms... with gorgeous naked women and bottles of champagne" "He says..." ""Is this Heaven"?" "Peter: "No, that's Hell"" "Marius: "That's for me!"" "Peter: "I don't advise it..."" ""because..."" "His story seemed to be working" "So that's the trick" ""...the bottles have holes in their bottoms and the women don't!"" "It was too late." "I'd lost the game" "Beat it, okay?" "Done whispering?" "I fast-talked her!" "When I went up to her, I had no idea what I'd say" "I closed my eyes to shut out the others" "I wished I could close my ears" "I wanted to look at her, but she kissed me" "What's your name?" "Francoise, and yours?" "Me?" "..." "Daniel" "Want to see me again?" "Yes" "Ever go to town?" "On market days, with my mother" "Never alone?" "No" "How can we do it?" "Come back here next Sunday" "Sunday I'd be gone on my long-awaited vacation" "But I had no illusions" "The others would be back" "You'll come?" "Yes" "What are you after?" "I knew what was on her mind" "But my gesture had been innocent" "Had she already slept with a boy?" "No" "Don't want to?" "No" "Why not?" "We shouldn't" "Yes, we should" "No, we have to go out together first... get engaged to be married..." "And then..." "It seemed to me I'd heard it all... that I knew the whole thing by heart" "Understand?" "Yes" "Lie down" "What for?" "No reason... so I can look at you" "How long were we there?" "Two hours?" "..." "More?" "I made this dress..." "the hem's only basted" "Wait for us!" "We can't go back together, we'll be seen" "I'll go with my sister, you wait here" "We'll be at the dance tonight, but so will our parents" "Come have your snack" "That's all you have to tell me?" "Tell you?" "..." "What do you mean?" "Here are you friends..." "Hello" "You've grown..." "Did you go on with school?" "No, I'm working as a maechanic" "Let's go to the forest" "I was stronger than you!" "I let you win" "I knew you'd sulk otherwise" "The man came, that saved you" "Is that so?" "No" "Don't" "Well?" "What're you going to do?"