"PAUL AND HIS WOMEN" "Mathieu, hand me the pliers." "Mum, I totally forgot!" "Look how he treats the first woman in his life." "The one and only!" "I'm in a rush to get to the airport." "Look at me." "I've looked at you for 50 years and see less and less well." "How are they?" "Perfect!" "Now I have to go." "Take care." "The Mexican police charge in first." "Remember your last demo in Tokyo." "Michel!" "I'll see you when I'm back." "About publishing the report from my last round table." " Certainly, Solange." " Bye." " Mme Girard, your glasses!" " Thanks." "Bye!" "I'm honoured to meet my future biographer." "It's this lunatic's idea." "It wouldn't have crossed my mind." "Your life story deserves to be told." "I hope I don't disappoint you." "I've done so little." "If you want to visit my gem, my baby, my pride, feel free." "I can't stand women in sneakers." "They're such passion-killers." "To the left, please." "You didn't give him your first novel." "Hello, Fabrice." "Look, I'll get back to you." "At last!" "We'd given up on you." "He's only 26 minutes late." "Usually, it's well over an hour." "Better late than never, right?" "It's hard to get away on time." "My clients love it when I say, "Sorry, but I have a lunch planned." ""The leak under your sink can wait till 3:30!"" "Thanks." "Cheers." "We were saying, Jeanne's so easy." "I leave early, get home late, play football every Sunday and she never complains." "Careful, though." "Not a word from Muriel for 10 years, then she just upped and left!" "My wife was the same." "But my gear thrown out on the landing spoke for itself." "Muriel doesn't stop now: she wants 150 euros more of maintenance." "Ouch." "Forget women." "How about real life?" "Wives are real life." "You don't exactly have a track record in that department." "I'm not complaining." "A pitcher of water, please." "Aren't you fed up with 20-year-old girls?" "Definitely not." "They're not pains, they don't moan and they soon get bored." "Like me." "Thanks." "Hello, ladies." "Did you read your horoscope today?" "You didn't?" "Well I did." "We have a date tomorrow." "10, Boulevard du Temple." " In a very nice bar." " OK." "Tomorrow, 8pm." "Be there." "Miss!" "Mr Girard's secretary for you, sir." "Put her through." "Yes, Elizabeth?" "We left the restaurant at 3." "Why?" "What do you mean, he's vanished?" "I understand your concern, but calm down." "Men like Paul don't just vanish." "Did you call Patrick?" "He might have some idea." "My pleasure." "He must be somewhere." "You should've been more careful." "For Mum's sake." "Losing a son is a terrible thing." "But as usual, you could only think of yourself." "But now your number's up." "The Day of Judgment is nigh!" "Nobody came!" "I'm looking for Mr André." " He's right there." " Thanks." "Oh, my poor darling!" "Are you OK, my love?" "We're here, Dad." "Are you being seen to?" "Pauline, go and find a doctor." "Quick!" "My heart nearly packed in when I heard." "I love you so much, my sweetheart." "Don't worry." "You're going to be fine." "The doctor's here, darling." "Thank you so much, doctor." "OK, we'll carry on looking." "We've tried 5 hospitals so far." "Yes." "Paul Girard." "The glasses designer." "What do you mean, no record?" "He must be somewhere!" "And your cop pal?" "If he's not in an ER unit, we should call the morgue." " Are you Mr Girard?" " No." "Are you Mr Girard?" "Mr Paul Girard?" " Is your name Paul Girard?" " Yes." "You should have said." "People are looking for you." "At last!" "Go easy." "I feel like I've been beaten up." " You could've died." " Who says I didn't?" "Not a scratch on him." "I knew you were lucky, but this is ridiculous." "We'll never leave your side again." "An angel lifted me up at the moment of impact and gently put me down about 10 yards away." "They're calling me Miracle Man." "I'm glad to see you.." "Didn't you hear me?" "Bruises:" "left arm, left leg!" "Sorry." "And a slight deformation of the arch of the foot." "I'll drop you off." "No more cars for me." "I walk from now on." "Mr Girard, on behalf of the whole staff, we're delighted to have you back among us." "We were very worried and very concerned about you." "But you're here now and that's fantastic." " Thank you, Mr Girard." " To Paul!" "Thank you, everyone." " I'm very sorry." " What about?" "Biographies of the dead outsell those of the living." "Did you have an accident?" "A door slammed in my face." "Or rather, it slammed into a door." "Elisa, I don't want you to write my life story." "Why not?" "There's no point." "It won't interest anyone." "Don't say that." "These people look up to you and admire you." "I'd rather they loved me." " He's acting odd." " A brush with death has odd effects." " He talked about his wife." " Isn't he divorced?" "Practically." "He and Beatrice separated years ago." "It's the shock." "He just needs a good night's sleep." "The phone hasn't stopped." "Customers, lawyer, insurer, banker..." "They're all asking after you." "And the others?" "My family, my mother..." "Your mother's in Mexico." "What about my wife?" "Who, sir?" "Sebastian, can you hear me?" "Sure." "Hi, Dad." "So you're back then?" "See this?" "Know what it is?" "My car." " Fuck!" " Fuck, as you say." "I ought to be dead now." "And you, a near-orphan." "I'm a near-orphan with Mum!" "You could've visited me in hospital." "I was all alone in there." "When I found out you were fine..." "Fine?" "I'm aching all over." "Plus..." "I don't know..." "I'm feeling down." "No one realises, but I'm feeling down." "You look right as rain to me." "If you'd died, I'd have been right there." "If I'd died, I wouldn't need you, son." "Do you really need me?" "You want me to come down?" "Just say the word." "Where are you perched this time?" "Can you see the eagle?" "She's brooding." "In a few days, the eaglets will hatch." "My very first birth!" "You should think about having kids rather than worry about fledglings." "Do what you like, if it suits you." "Take care." "Sure thing." "You take care too, Dad." "See you." "Ms Charvet, I'm surprised to see you here." "He loves talking about me, but it's pointless." "Your success alone deserves to be..." "My success deserves nothing." "I came for a private chat." "Wonderful." "A biographer's job isn't to show only the tip of the iceberg, but to bring out the hidden side, the private life." "That's where the secret of success lies." "A convincing argument, but it's still no." "I have no secrets nothing to bring out." "Go probe another iceberg." "Some people would love it." "Mr Girard, Michel asked me for your life story." "Well, tell him no." "Nice to have met you, Elisa." "Yves, I don't know if I'm coming or going." "When it happens, you don't think." "It's afterwards, when you have time." "I don't feel happy about avoiding death." "I do." "You're here with us and have so much still to do." "Yeah?" "Like what?" "A new shop in Tokyo, a new house..." "No one cares." "Especially not me." "You nearly died." "Asking questions is normal." "Why the accident?" "What does it mean?" "It means my life is summed up in eyewear catalogues." "It's not bad." "No one needs me." "Not even my son." "I'd be better off dead." " Be grateful, will you!" " Grateful to whom?" "You need to calm down." "How about some walnut liqueur?" "The one from the monastery." "What do you think?" "Good." "It's not the distilling that makes good liqueur, it's the picking." "You're so clear in your mind." "You've made your choice and you're proud of it." "You've nothing to grumble at." "Your talent is acclaimed worldwide." "That doesn't help when you're all alone in an ER unit." "Yves..." "Yes, Paul?" "I've loved few women." "Few have supposedly loved me." "What do I have left?" "You, nothing." "But them..." "I tried everything to convince him, Michel." "This was a big contract for me." "Well he has a contract too, so don't worry." "He's a bit depressed right now." "He'll get over it." "Keep your research going and get writing." "When he reads what he's done, he'll be proud." "Thanks to you." "All I want is his life, so I can make mine better." "So I carry on then?" "A retreat group for next weekend." "Business is booming!" "We're closed." "OK, what's the real problem?" "Being all alone at 50 and not understanding why." "Asking yourself if one woman, just one, truly loved you." "That's why you don't want your biography written." "You're not dead yet." "Ask the women yourself." "Revisiting the past never hurts anyone." "It often helps you forgive yourself." "Do it." "I can't just turn up and say, "Hello." "Remember me?"" "I'll look a fool." "I didn't say it was easy." "Look at this." "Chloe!" "You keep up with Chloe!" "Smart girl, eh?" "You taught her everything." "She's making a name for herself in eyewear." "And a monastery with 56 monks is a good market." " You're scared." " Me?" "Of what?" "There's the address, the date..." "Am I all right?" "Physically?" "After all I've been through, I'm not too...?" " What about my clothes?" " I could lend you my habit." "Eyewear trade fair" "Organiser:" "Chloe Savignac" "Hello, Paul." "I didn't expect you." "I heard you had an accident?" "Do I look hurt?" " Hello." " Hello." "Did you book?" "I'm not a guest." "Is Chloe Savignac here?" " I'll check." "Mr...?" " Paul Girard." "Chloe just popped out." "You know Chloe?" "Not yet." "Your secretary told me she was your last protégée." "She doesn't need me." "She's going it alone now." "I thought I told you to stop writing my biography?" "Michel said you signed a contract and I've been paid an advance." "He can't force me to tell my life story." "I'll negotiate ending the contract." "I can't pay the advance back." "I'm overdrawn." "Michel, it's Paul." "Can you get back to me?" "You're very nice, but you're timing is awful." "Michel will find you another biography." "I don't want to see you again." "Breaking up again?" "You're a real expert." "Chloe." "I hope he didn't hurt you." "Not at all." "It's all my fault." "It's not what you think." "Chloe!" "I'm not breaking up with her." "She's my biographer." "Your biographer!" "What, she follows you around jotting down your Caesar-like quote?" "She's researching me." "Well, you're so mysterious." "Michel's silly idea to have someone write my life story." "That's horrible." "You only do that to dead people." "Well, I nearly was a dead person." " Didn't you hear?" " Who from?" "The papers?" "I was in a serious car accident." "Look." " So you were." " I'm a walking miracle." "You already thought you were God." "A miracle is downsizing." "I need to talk to you." "You look fantastic." "You've flowered into a woman." " You're so beautiful..." " Must be my age." "Women blossom with age." "Am I more beautiful than when we lived together?" "Mr Thanh Tien, China's biggest importer of glasses." "The biggest market in Asia." "You're quiet." "Normally you'd be trying to steal the market." "What's up?" "I'm watching you, wondering why we split up." "A real waste." "You see me as a waste?" "I see the woman you are now, see myself alone and see it was a waste." "Don't punish yourself." "Chloe, can I see you?" "Later." "Downstairs." "Please." "Can we talk in private?" "Not now." "Just five minutes." "Am I disturbing you?" "You're with someone?" "Sorry to barge in, but you were right earlier." "Something is up:" "I've changed." "I'm still energetic, but inside." "I'm imploding with the questions buzzing round." "It's so stressful." "Because of the accident?" "I flew out and it saved my life." "I don't know how, but I actually flew." "So I keep wondering why." "Your usual luck." "Now I'm asking: why was I so lucky?" "Why have I been reborn?" "Is it a chance to get things back, things I let slip by?" "Things, people... women." "You." "You didn't let me slip by." "We lived together for 2 years." "I haven't forgotten that." "No amnesia." "Then you'll recall the cavalier way you left me!" "Or rather, dumped me." "Just like that, without a word." "Didn't I leave you a letter?" " A Post-it on the fridge." " See?" "It wasn't even I who found it." "It was our cleaning lady." ""Sorry, I'm leaving you." "Can you move out soonish?" ""Don't hate me."" "And you still hate me." "You were a kid." "I was scared..." "You're right." "My behaviour was inexcusable." "A Post-it or a letter are the same." "It's just a question of style." "You were in a hurry." "She didn't overlap with you." "She was a pain-in-the-arse anorexic." "It barely lasted 3 weeks." "Ah, how silly of me!" " How about a drink?" " Sure." "Scotch." "Same here." "We'll drink to meeting up." "I'm getting married soon." "Just think: if you hadn't left me," "I wouldn't have met him." "He's Canadian." "He's fantastic." "He wants me to open a store in Montreal." "I think I'll do it." "You wouldn't hesitate a second..." "Paul?" "He gave me a fright and I knocked it over." "No harm done." " Would you like a drink?" " Sure." "He just upped and left?" "Without a word, as usual." "I'll be honest with you." "I was touched to see him." "Paul was my first true love." "I believed his every word." "He's being honest when he says he loves you." "But success is his real passion." "He was also my first heartbreak." "I cried for two days." "Then I got angry." "Really angry." "And I set out to prove I'm as strong as he is." "Seemingly you are." "Paul taught me the trade, but also not to waste time." "Especially not in suffering." "Not bad for one man." "Not bad." "I'm glad he came by." "Maybe the accident did change him." "Yeah, but still..." "Thanks a lot, Michel." "When's the next shuttle to Paris?" "Who cares!" "Michel says you're carrying on." "Don't count on me for help." "Success doesn't protect you from disillusion." "Note that." "Do you mean Chloe?" "She's becoming a top designer." "At what price?" "She said it's thanks to you." "She still loves me, but she'll get over it." "She'll marry a Canadian and open stores in Montreal, Taiwan..." "She'll be the success I am." "In other words, good." "Make it alone, end up alone." "You can note that too." " Not bad." " It's got all the options." "It's my plaything." "And I just love the colour!" "Keys, documents..." "Hey!" "Drive carefully." "Not remind him of the accident." "He's bad enough." "I was surprised when he asked for a new car." "I'm more surprised by where he's going." "Same with Chloe." "He needs to know if she really loved him or not." "Big deal." "You can't take love to the grave with you." "I say you can." "That way I'll go peacefully." " Another one?" " Sure." "Really." "An angel." "The eye-witness said, "Like an angel lifted you up" ""and gently put you down 10 yards away."" "I always knew you had a guardian angel." "You look in tip-top shape." "And still as handsome as ever." "You get lovelier year by year." "That's what men say." "Though they're fewer and fewer." "Anyway, how's life?" "How's life?" "I nearly died in a write-off!" "I'm in shock." "I keep thinking about it." "How odd." "You were never obsessive." "Did you see a doctor?" "I'm physically fine." "It's in here I'm unwell." "I keep questioning my life:" "was I right, was I wrong, did you love me..." "Did you love me?" "You've so oversentimental." "This won't do." "Remember my cousin Edward?" "He's a wonderful shrink." "He works in Paris." "I don't need a shrink." "I've been wondering: if I'd died, you'd be my only widow." "How would you have felt?" "Don't be silly!" "How can I be your widow?" "We separated 10 years ago." "I haven't seen you for 4." "You're right, I'm nuts." "It's just a shock to your system." "It'll pass." "Mind you, this talk of widows is very timely." "I was thinking we could divorce." "Sorry, I need to change." "I've been with Jacques-Henri for 8 years now." "The solicitor I told you about." "It's crazy being your wife when I'm with him." "Tell me." "What do you think of this little number?" "You won't say, but I've put on weight, right?" "I agree to the divorce." "You couldn't refuse anyway." "Jacques-Henri said after 10 years that's impossible." "So I'm honoured you're asking me?" "Don't be grumpy, sweetie." "Bea, if someone asked you, how would you describe our marriage?" "I'd say... conventional, conceited, too many guests, boring at first, happy at the end." "Not our wedding, our years of marriage." "You mean living together." "That's a lot more hazy." "If I had died, would you have come to my funeral?" "My poor sweetie." " Hello." " Hello." "Elisa Charvet." " Delighted." " Thanks for seeing me." "It's only natural." "I've so few details about Paul Girard's past." "I spent all morning digging out photos." "I found a few that should amuse you." "I've a surprise for you." "You've met, I believe." "I believe we're hardly ever apart!" "Elisa seems charming." "Don't be such a boor." "It's normal she follows you around." "A biographer follows in the wake of her..." "What would you call it?" "I don't know." "Her object of research, perhaps." "Perfect!" "I was your object-wife, now you're the object of a woman." "So what did you think of Elisa's first novel?" "I love it." "I can't put it down." "Thank you." "I'm very glad." "Fantastic, eh?" "You haven't read your biographer's novel?" "I've nothing against Elisa." "I just don't want my life story told." "Michel's forced it on me." "I wasn't talking about you, but about Elisa's novel." "Anyway, he loves people talking about him." "And he talks about himself alone." "Cheers." "Sweetie, Paul almost died." "He hired a novelist to write his biography in case he dies next time." "You speak of my death as though I were a ship passing in the night." "It'd suit you both if I died." "You'd suddenly become rich." "I didn't need you to be rich." "You married me for that!" "He left me once he was as rich." "It had stopped being fun." "Isn't that right, Paul?" "Beatrice doesn't know how to lie." "She speaks frankly all the time." "It's brave of her." "It's hard for actions to follow words." "She hasn't changed." "Always smiling, always listening, never moaning, never bored..." "She's the greatest gift life has given me." "Does she still play golf?" "Sadly, no." "She stopped just as I started." "Now she likes to ride." "She's mad about horses." "Horses?" "Look, Paul!" "Photos of your first store on the Rue Meunier." "More of a shop than a store." "40 square metres at best." "Funny, eh?" "Remember it?" "Suddenly the truth hit me." "Beatrice cheated on me non-stop." "Every instructor she had:" "driving, swimming, tennis, golf..." "She was mad about you in the beginning." "For a year or two, maybe." "She didn't put the first tear in the marriage certificate." "Watch it, you're scaring me!" "I know what I'm doing." "The first tear isn't the question." "It's: what was the point?" "Beatrice would have married anyone for the sake of convenience." "She'd have had the same swimming, tennis and golf instructors." "Or horse-riding, like now!" "She's the same with Jacques-Henri." "Hark the pot calling the kettle black!" "You're always saying you obtained success alone!" " Just the other day..." " I don't want to hear any more." "A nice decaf: absolute pleasure!" "So you just happened to be passing?" "No." "I came to spend time with you." "It's good to see you, son." "And?" "And..." "I need to understand." "I was only 19 when you were born." "Your mum died in labour, but you've known all the other women in my life." "I've known all the others, that's for sure." "Maybe that's why I prefer to watch my eaglets hatch all alone in the forest." "I bet there were a few I didn't meet." "You met the most important." "How about a little pick-me-up?" " No, thanks." " Are you sure?" "As far as I see it, the one woman who really meant something is Agnes." " Agnes?" " Right." "She raised me for 7 years." "That's quite a lot." "I still see her." "Not often, but I sometimes stay with her at weekends." "I call her too.." "It's good having a woman to count on now and again." "Why didn't you tell me you saw Agnes?" "You never asked me, Dad." "Actually, make me one of those." "I'm glad to know you can see reason." "We'll take a short break and be right back." "Well I never!" "Paul Girard!" "You took your time coming back!" "When the devil don't want you, you drink to that!" "Although you are a bit young to die." " I hurt her, right?" " To say the least." "Agnes saw me like her:" "an artist, a creator." "In fact, I'm just a shopkeeper." "You weren't fooled by money." "You were subjugated to it, perverted, corrupted by it." "You treated her like dirt." "What are you getting at?" "What are you looking for?" "Forgiveness?" "You got married without telling her." "Agnes heard from a friend." "What was all that about?" "That's not how it was." "How was it then?" "Agnes and I hadn't made plans for the future." "Is that right?" "Then what did my daughter mean to you?" "A bit of black booty good for screwing?" "Take that back immediately." "Take it back." "You left her for a rich bitch who'd pave the way to success." "That's the truth." "I'm sorry." "It's good to get that off my chest." "Your health." "I nearly died two years ago." "My heart." "I wanted to see someone again." "Like you with Agnes." "And?" "It wasn't a very good idea." "But who knows?" "It's not the same for everybody." "Paul?" " You were great." " Really?" "You liked it?" "Fantastic." "I saw you from time to time in magazines." "Your glasses meant I could keep an eye on you." "I live down there." "I won't ask you up." "My son's asleep." "Sebastian didn't tell me you had kids." "Not kids." "A kid." "And that's hard enough." "Remember how I said we'd grow old surrounded by children?" "We'd never have made it." "Did you love me, Agnes?" "Singing is what makes me happy." "But it's love that keeps me alive." "Carry on, it's nice." "Can you say it again?" "Yes, Paul." "I loved you." "And you loved me too." "I really missed your love when you left me." "That's the void that hurts most." "Your little looks, your words of advice, your gifts..." "I threw them all out one night." " You threw my gifts away?" " I got them back." " So you kept them?" " Not exactly." "You've given me time to forget them or lose them." "Remember when we first met?" "It was close to here." "There were people about, it was raining, but you were singing anyway." "You looked gorgeous, in a red, clinging dress." "I came up to you..." "You looked so lovely, I draped my raincoat around your shoulders." "Your raincoat?" "Are you sure?" "Oh, yes." "I definitely put my raincoat round your shoulders." "I believe you." "I just don't remember." " You must have hated me." " For what?" "Falling in love with another woman?" "You only love women who resist you." "Have you loved a lot of other men after me?" "I mean..." "How's your love life now?" " You've fallen in love, right?" " Just recently." "At my age, it's silly, eh?" " You've never been so lovely." " Thank you." "How about you?" "Me?" "It's all right." "Bye, Paul." "I'm glad you came." "Get it, will you?" " Hello." " Marc, it's Paul." "Can you hear me?" "Sure." "What's up?" "My love life hasn't been a total failure." "It's been a terrible fiasco, an utter disaster." "I betrayed the only woman who loved me like an arsehole." "I could've lived happily ever after with Agnes." "But I threw it all away for money and convenience." "I'm revolted with myself, Marc." "Life's barely worth living." "Marc?" "Marc, can you hear me?" "Good morning, Paul." "Good morning, Mr Girard." " Hello, sir." "I must warn you..." " Make me a coffee first." "Hold on a sec..." "Ms Charvet has taken over your office to make headway on her book." "Thank you, Elizabeth." "Good morning." "I didn't want to risk losing all these precious documents." "This wall now tells a story: yours." "In my office?" "Is it in the way?" "I'm sorry, I didn't really think." "But don't worry, I'll..." "That was your 2nd year at law school." "You were young but already a father." "Meeting the young Agnes Toussaint changed your life." "What's interesting in your story is, you always meet the right person at the right time." "On the contrary." "If I met Agnes now, I wouldn't leave her." "Someone had to put a pencil between your fingers." "It was thanks to her that you went to art school." "But..." "But what?" "But you were ambitious and impatient and you didn't want to be an undiscovered talent." "I had a child to raise." "To succeed, you needed contacts, and Agnes couldn't help you there." "So you'd go out alone." "I'm not sure I'll like my biography." "Let's just say that Agnes was a talented artist who didn't share your vision of success." " Plus you met someone else." " Beatrice." "I do know my own life." "But whatever she says, I didn't marry her for money." "Her arrogance and sense of freedom made her irresistible." " But..." " Another 'but"?" "We can stop now if you like." "No." "You've started so you'll finish." "But..." "Beatrice needed her freedom." "You can call it that, I suppose." "She needed an ambitious husband." "She wanted you to succeed." "For Beatrice, art and money were never incompatible." "You designed some pink and yellow glasses for her." "She had them made and it gave you an idea." "The glasses could be more than a medical necessity." "Good old Beatrice..." "Would you like my jacket?" "No, thanks." "I've lots of allergies." "Not to me, I hope." "I enjoy listening to you." "I just want the book to sell." "Chloe wasn't a mistake." "Are there really no cats here?" "Absolutely." "I don't like cats." "I love them." "I hate being allergic to them." "When I say I don't like cats..." "Chloe used me." "She didn't." "You were the right person at the right time for her." " And once again..." " Once again, what?" "Meeting her was important for you too." "She was beautiful and gifted, but she made you realise that if you didn't react, you'd be upstaged by a new generation." "That's not how it was." "You turned 50, you were No1 in eyewear, you could have rested on your laurels." "But no." "You started researching new materials." "Chloe reawakened you." "Of course, if you'd died in that accident," "I'd have an ending, but now I'm a bit stuck." "But I'm alive, thank God." "For which, I apologise." "You look lovely." "I'll let you into a little secret." "I was scared of Agnes at first." "Of Beatrice too." "Scared of not being good enough." "Chloe was different." "My position played in my favour." "And now, I think..." "I'm scared of you." "You forget that I've met all your women and I know all your seduction techniques." "I didn't think of that." "Something crazy happened!" " What now?" " Same for me, Fabrice." " I've fallen for Elisa." " That's good news." "Right." "Once she's in his bed, he'll let us sleep at night." "My wife went nuts last time." " Who's Elisa?" " His biographer." "You were right, as usual." " My biography opened my eyes." " Biography or biographer?" "Both." "Elisa telling me my story has shown me what I've missed out on." "Your table's ready, gents!" "Michel, pay someone to tell my life story." "It could help me." "Laugh all you like." "I've always claimed to be self-made." "In fact, women made me." "From my mother to Chloe." "They all played a part." " In your great drama." " Smart arse!" "The great drama that Elisa wants to turn it into." "I won't lie:" "I'm terrified." "A new relationship at my age, after all my failures..." " I like Elisa, but..." " She's not my type, right?" "A brainbox, not a babe, not into money or power..." " Is she cute?" " Yes." "But that's not an issue." "I don't get it." "Are you in love or not?" "Of course, I am." "Why do you ask that?" "Why does he ask that?" " Is loving your biographer normal?" " Yes." "It's a way of loving yourself." "Thank God you didn't find him a male biographer!" "The thing is, they're not suited." "He'll be broken in pieces again." "I'm not sure Elisa will fall for him." "You must think I'm mad." "I fling myself at you, smother you, give you declarations of love..." " It's age." " I know I'm no spring chicken." "I mean my age." "I feel like time's..." "I only have a few years left." "You must stop the gifts." "I know: appearances aren't important." "Your sneakers..." " What about them?" " They're proof." "You think I dress badly?" "No." "You're beautiful." "The most beautiful woman I know." "You have to let me finish your biography." "It's going pretty well now, so don't distract me." "You'll be upset, if I muck up." "And once the book is finished?" "Who knows?" "Maybe you won't like what I wrote." " We might part on bad terms." " I doubt that." "I won't tell you what I think." "Read it, digest it and give us your opinion." "And take your time." "Fantastic!" "She understands everything." "Yes?" "I must be mistaken." "I'm looking for Elisa Charvet." "Theo, is Mum in?" "I think she's gone out." "Sorry." "A whole day to read it!" "I bet he's rewriting it." " It's your first biography." " And the last." "They all react like that." "If he doesn't like it, he should say." "Elisa..." "Please don't." "Biting nails drives me mad." "They're all the same." "At first, they pull faces, then they get into it, and when they read the proof, they panic." "They don't recognise themselves, they see themselves as strangers." "But they're all proud in the end." "Michel, if Paul refuses publication, do I still get paid?" "Serves you right." "You should pack up that filthy habit." "Have you settled in?" "She was just delaying her killer punch." " Who was?" " Elisa." "The one I've fallen in love with, like a stupid fool." "She's a good writer, but a dreadful woman." " What happened?" " The worst." "Now the book's finished and she doesn't need me, she spills the beans:" ""I'm married, I have a son, I don't love you, I don't need you."" "What did I ever do to him?" "Why do you always take it out on him?" "I think I'll give up secular life like you." "You came here to avoid any more hurt." "I'm going to become a monk too." "Then we'll always be together." "Home made." "It's good for what you have." "You'll sleep like a log." "Though not like a monk." "That takes time." "Going to bed at 8 o'clock!" "I never thought I'd see the day." "Time for Matins, brother." " 4 o'clock!" " Right." "Wrap up." "The chapel's freezing." "It's never above zero at this hour." "Even in summer." "I read your biography." "It's really good." "Not too much praise, yet you feel the author was won over by her subject." "You drank all of it?" "OK, we'll talk later." "He's hurt and doesn't want to see me?" "Because I have a son and live with Jean-Claude?" "I was surprised, too, when I found out." "You hired me to tell his story, not mine." "My life didn't start when Paul Girard found out I existed." "Clearly not." "For my novel, you didn't ask if I lived with someone." " True." " So what's the big deal?" "What right does he have to meddle with my life?" "I've never seen you like this, so worked up." "I'm not worked up, I'm angry." "And you've never seen me angry." "Do you find that normal, her not telling me?" "Letting a man love you when you don't love him." "No, it's not normal." "How long were you together?" "What do you mean by "together"?" "How long had you been sleeping together?" " We hadn't been, Yves." " Oh, I see." "You told her you loved her though nothing had happened?" "I'll deal with delivery myself:" "we'll have one pair for each monk every year." "On behalf of all the short-sighted, thank you." "Did that "we" mean you're really moving in here?" "I haven't got anywhere else to go." "After what I've been through, I deserve some peace." "My son, you don't take holy orders because of a doubt." "You should have tried with that young woman." "And then, if..." "I object." "There are no ifs when taking orders." "It's a sacred principle of vocation." "You become a practising Christian by practising." "Yes, yes, we know, Brother Jacques." "But you still should have tried it on." ""Tried it on"?" "Slept with her." "In half an hour, we'll serve luncheon." "Peek-a-boo!" " Mum!" " Yes, son:" "Mum." "Mum's always here when her boys need her." "And you need me." "Michel phoned Yves who phoned me." "As I hate the phone, here I am." "It's colder here than in Paris." "Fetch my shawl from the car." "With pleasure." "Even if we have to knock him out, he'll be in Paris tonight." " How are you?" " Very well." "Haven't you lost weight?" "Mind you, it's hard to tell in that habit." "I've always respected your choice." "You'd say, "What else could I do?"" "Basically, dedicating yourself to God is like dedicating yourself to all mankind." "Couldn't you, with your age, intelligence, vitality and generosity, play a role in active life?" "What kind of active life?" "Do you know what they do to baby daughters in India?" "Sadly, I do." "But if you're happy here, all alone in the middle of nowhere..." "Come on, Mum." "You said were cold earlier." "Are you sure this walk is purely for health purposes?" "So you fell in love with a woman without asking if she was married?" "Like with the pill:" "men stopped asking." "They jump on a woman without stopping to think." "When I met your father," "I asked, "Raoul, are you married?"" "He told me he was." " Dad was married when you met him?" " Yes." "But the marriage was on the rocks." "Stop pulling that face." "You're not sitting on an ants' nest." "You haven't changed a bit." "I remember your tantrums whenever we went to the country." "Do you call that the country?" "Climbing up the steepest rocks you could find just to watch me fall down?" "Forget the victimhood." "Your dad adored you." "You know... the night after my accident," "I realised that Dad died at the same age I am now." "That's no reason to hide away in a monastery." "I think you're less gifted than your brother for such things." "Mum, I'm truly in love." "And truly heartbroken." "And to think that you were finally ready." "Buck up, now." "At your age you can find another." "Another?" "Michel said that once the book is out, you can do what you like." "But you are contracted to promote your biography, which I found marvellous." "The joys of love are but a moment strong" "The pain of love lasts a whole life long" "Now in harmonies." "Enough already with that song!" "I get it." "I feel so guilty." "I spend my time looking after the poor, and abandon my own children to their follies." " What follies?" " Look at you both." "The youngest thinks all's well because he's found God." "The eldest, who makes glasses, suffers from sentimental short-sightedness." "I really brought you up badly." "You could say: the youngest is at peace and fulfilled, and the eldest a renowned eyewear designer." "Quite." ""All is well in the best of worlds."" "Paul, give me an honest answer." "Was I a bad mother?" "Frankly, I prefer it when you look after the poor." "Where are your glasses?" "I think I'm sitting on them." "Sorry, Michel." "I'm not much of a socialite." "I've no desire to rub shoulders with journalists and authors." "I'm a good mother." "If I go out, Theo won't revise for his maths test tomorrow." "I should listened to Paul in the beginning." "The pair of you are impossible." "I should have picked another life, another writer." "You'll do very well without me." "No one knows me anyway." "They all want to see Paul Girard." "Don't you want to see Paul Girard?" "Never again." "Too bad." "You're seeing him tonight." "Theo, you will do me the favour of revising your maths." "Or I won't pay your mum and you'll all starve." " That's disgusting!" " I know." "And I don't negotiate." "You will get out of those rags, put on make-up, a dress and a smile." "You have 30 minutes." "I'm waiting." "So Grandpa was already married." "Dear Lord!" "An adulterer!" "It's hard for a monk." "I hope they won't banish you from the monastery." "Your grandpa didn't love his wife when I met him." "Whereas you, Paul, flung yourself at Elisa, without asking if she still loves her husband." "She won't come right out and say she loves you." "Lisa doesn't love me." "Stop thinking all women love me." "I've never said that." "I'm surprised any love you, you're so self-centred." "I know." "Everyone tells me." "You look so handsome in that suit." " Really?" " How about me?" "That suit's a sham." "You can see the cassock underneath." "Paul, believe me." "A woman can't write with such passion without loving you." "I'll go and get ready." " Are you sure about the suit?" " Yes!" "So Elisa could become my fourth stepmother." "They're starting to add up." "You know, these days..." "Sure." "At my age, stepmums hardly matter." "If Mum hadn't died, I wonder what would have happened." "She might have been the only one." " Do you believe that?" " No." "But your dad does." "When they met, they were teenagers." "He was convinced she was the one." "Could he have remained faithful?" "Who knows?" "He's always tried to be." " And he's always failed." " You have to ask why." "He blames it on the women." " Confession time!" " No." "Yes." "Come on." "Women?" "Well, Father, women are very episodic for me." "When you're up in the canopy with the birds..." "You distance yourself somewhat?" " Your words, not mine." " That's honest enough." " Already done?" " It's not Sunday." " Is the biographer coming?" " Who knows?" "I hate evening dress." "You look like a bear in a jacket!" "Carry on like that and I'm going." "Hello, Father?" "Beating the retreat?" "Ensuring big brother got here." "I heard he tried to squat the monastery." "He hasn't perked up much." "You came?" "We come out of the book looking good." "We wanted to find out if that was down to you or to her." " We suddenly feel like we counted." " Like you've finally paid homage." "But we could be wrong, sweetie." "Yves, isn't that forbidden by religion?" "What?" " Polygamy." " Oh, no!" "Adultery, polygamy..." "Some family!" "I'm going back to the trees." "Can you spare a minute?" " Thanks." " What for?" "Don't deny it." "I'd forgotten how lovely they are." "More than lovely." "I'm proud of them." " Of what they are now?" " Yes." "What?" "You've never wondered if you had something to do with it?" " No." " You should." "What size habit did you want?" "I imagined you to be a country casual, pearl necklace, lacquered hair..." " I'd no idea you were so young." " Thank you for the compliment." "I could have turned out like that." "That would surprise me." " I didn't imagine you like that." " You mean black?" "He never mentioned me?" "You didn't even know I existed?" "You know him as well as I. He doesn't linger in the past." "Except recently." "He's been lingering a lot." " It's his age." " And the accident." "Whatever the case, we are still young and beautiful, while he's turned into an old fart." "Here she is!" "Smile." "Let me be the first to congratulate you." " Paul's mother." " I know." " Mme Girard, I admire you." " Thank you." "The book is great." "But you pay too many compliments." "Still, he's my son and he is talented." "Well done." "It's magnificent." "I adored it." "Congratulations." "You captured him perfectly." "It really is wonderful." "And we're delighted with the way you painted us ladies." "Thank you." "Let's hope it's a big hit." " Come forward." " A big smile!" "Put your arm round her." "You four!" "You should stand next to him, not me." "A waste!" "Such a lovely, brilliant woman." "Paul can't see straight." "Which, for an optician, borders on the ridiculous." "He was so lucky to have met us and to have you for a mother." "Now he's letting go the only woman who can knock some sense into him." "If I'd been a better mother, he might see more clearly." "You look great." "Low necklines suit you." "Paul Girard taught me that a little femininity helps." "Even a novelist." "Your new novel starts well." "It should be on the shelves for back-to-school." "You write well, Elisa." "Trust yourself, the rest will follow." "But take care too." "How are things?" "Leaving Jean-Claude has been hard, but I feel a lot better." " You left Jean-Claude?" " Yes." "My son and I are decorating and having a great time." "Good for you." "Any problems, call." "I'm here for you." " Promise?" " I will." "Your cheque's waiting in Accounts." "Is she still here?" "Stop staring at the mobile." "Michel said he'd call." " I hope it works out." " I hope he's on time." "Depends how he plays it." "I'd be humble." "Not too humble." "It's not him." "It's Michel." " Well?" " It's going down." "It's going down." "Miss!" "Miss!" "Do you know Paul Girard's biographer?" "A marvellous, brilliant, intelligent woman." "Good-looking too, as a bonus." "Because I know the guy the book is about." "Writing such a good book about such a lowlife must really need talent." "I know him well." "He's always talking about himself." "Even when he knows he should shut up and listen, he can't." "But that was then." "Now, he has become a changed man." "You wouldn't recognise him." "Today, he has decided to shut up." "Did you throw those awful sneakers away?" "You have very beautiful... sandals." "OK, we call a truce." "At the dinner table?" "Right." "You can't." "Lunch?" "Of the top of my head..." "Monday." "I left Jean-Claude." "Dinner on Monday, right?" "Isn't that today?" "It is." "Subtitle" " Mark Bryant for TELETOTA"