"What are you going to do now?" "Nicolas, I asked you something." "I was scared to death." "You screamed as if your throat was cut." "What did I shout then?" " I don't know." "Idiot." "Here you are, this is a starter to begin with." "Are you new?" " I'm a stand-in." "What are these?" ""Amuse-bouches"." "Freshly made." "I understand that it is not frozen." "I asked if you know what's inside." "What is this?" " I will have to ask." "No, taste it please." "As you wish." "Is there any problem, Mr. Delamont?" " No, not at all." "What is it?" "Cheese?" "Fish?" "Neither." "It's minced white meat, I suspect young rabbit ... mixed with bits of black olive." "A delicious combination, I think." "Very tasty." "What's your name?" " Nicolas Riviere." "Thank you very much." "Bon appetit." "He has pianist hands." "Did his nose caught your eye?" " Not really." "What struck me was his look." "He seems very intelligent." "The desserts for table 5." " What was that?" "Who is this guy?" " One of my best customers." "Totally crazy." " A little respect, please." "If you want to get out of this bussiness, call me." "I might have something for you." "Sit down." "Doctor Ferrieres will come soon." "The summer edition of Burning Lust, please." "Unfortunately, that is sold out." "Can I offer you Hot Nights?" "You rather help me to clean up." " How unromantic you are!" "That's kind of you." "How do you mean "kind"?" "I am your anti-depressant." "The sun that brightens up your day." "Your Romeo." "Shakespeare, put that rack inside before everything gets wet." "Visit him in prison?" "That's not possible." "During preliminary examination that is not allowed, sorry." "Why not?" "I can help him." "You help him best by helping me to understand what happened." "I'm cold." "You are beautiful as drowned cat." " Drowned pussy, you mean." "I have to change at home." " Aren't we going to eat something?" "If you take care of me when I get sick." "I got a call of somebody called Flavert." "Frederic DelaMont wants to talk to me tomorrow." "The man from the restaurant?" "Really?" " He's not the pope." "He's a hotshot though." " The head of Delamont International." "And very rich." "I've read about him." "You get a kick out of that, don't you?" " Absolutely not." "They are all murderers." "I do not know him." "But he is kind of strange." "He wants me to have medical checks first." "Are you the personal physician to Mr. DelaMont?" " Yes, that's right." "He's not an easy patient, I suppose." "Lie still now and remain silent." "This is a Japanese battle-axe." "The samurai went at each other with these." "A bloody affair." "You are punctual." "That's good." "I have the results of your medical tests." "Nothing wrong with you." "At least, almost nothing." "Affected bronchi as a result of tobacco use." "Do you smoke a lot?" "It depends." "One and a half to two packets a day." "How tall are you?" " 1 meter 76." "I thought so." "Turn around please." "My shoes are taller, so we are exactly the same length." "How much do you weigh?" " 70 kilos." "I weigh 76." "I must put myself on a diet." "Shoe size?" " 42." "Unbelievable." "What kind of job did you want to offer me?" "I want you to be my taster." "Your taster?" " Yes, maybe it sounds a bit strange." "My own cook takes no risks." "At home nothing can happen to me." "But I need someone for my business lunches and dinners." "Use this as an ashtray." "First you will make sure that I don't get cheese or fish down." "I cannot stand those." "An allergy." "Pretty simple, right?" "And second?" " Everything in its time." "I take you three months on trial." "I'll pay you 35,000 francs." "That seems reasonable." "And why me?" "Physically you're the ideal person." "In good looks as well as in appearance." "Appearance is something mysterious." "All six candidates I had selected, he pointed down." "Too big, too small, wrong hands." "He was very fastidious about that." "He was horrified by thick fingers." "And the mouth was important." "One guy was exactly right." "Length, weight, hands ..." "But he thought his lips were too thin." "Not enough Burgundy." "You talk as if it's normal to hire a taster." "Have you never thought that this is a little bit strange?" "He had strange ideas but he was a special person." "Indeed." "And Nicolas Riviere?" "I thought him an unpleasant person." "Already when I saw him in the restaurant." "He had a fake smile." "Read it well, line by line." "For that salary I expect you to be constantly available." "Even at night?" " Yes, 24 hours a day." "Also take a good look at paragraph 7A." "I demand absolute discretion." "Too bad you're not mute." "Where are you now?" " At paragraph 10." "That goes too far." "I can not stop smoking in one blow." "No?" " What I do at home, I want to decide myself." "Then here our ways seperate." "You realize that damaged taste buds are not of any help?" "!" "I will try." " No, I want to be sure you quit." "Will you let somebody shadow me?" " That will not be necessary." "I'll watch a picture of your lungs every month." "My last one." "You get new clothes and tomorrow you will be picked up at eight o'clock." "I have a dinner appointment." "I wonder how you will do." "Is it a stained-glass window?" "It reminds me of Mexico, or actually of Beatrice." "I met her there." "She led about a group of elderly tourists." "And since than we are together." "Consider the following picture." "Do you think I'm crazy?" "I want to understand." "And to help you understand what happened." "I must remember well what is said during those business dinners." "It is a strange guy." "Thoroughly neurotic." "Here." " No, I want to stop." "He can not stand it?" " It's not that." "Didn't you hear me this morning?" "I'm getting an aversion to it." "And, how do I look?" "Look at me." "You do not kick into that trap, huh?" " Why?" "I don't know." "All that money, the life of luxury ..." "It might go to your head." "Where do you take me for?" "I'm just curious." "Isn't it still a fun job?" "You earn a lot of money." "That changes a man." "No, because then you won't have anything to say to me anymore." "Your limo is here." "Damn, I got a boner." "You have to sit in the back." "I want just as soon in the front." " That is not what Mr. Delamont wants." "Do you already work a long time for Delamont?" " Six years." "You know, Francois ... isn't that your name?" "Please call me Nicolas." "I am just an employee." "According to Mr. Delamont you're not." "What did he say then?" " That you count... that you may not lack anything and that nothing should happen to you." ""Pot-au-feu de pigeon"." "Taste it." "Delicious." " I do not ask that." "I know this dish." "I wonder whether you taste something special about the sauce." "I taste garlic, onion, a hint of lemon." "There is a special ingredient inside." "You have a lot to learn." "Philippe puts verbena in his broth." "Listen, I want our taste buds to be perfectly in harmony." "If we have "mouton musette" to eat within a few months..." "I need nothing more to ask." "Then I will see from your eyes that we have the same sensation." "Can I ask you something?" "Call it professional interest." "Where does your dislike for fish and cheese come from?" "My father was a wholesaler of cheese." "One day he went to Corsica with some business associates." "They got on the boat in Marseille and at night he drowned." "Did the boat sink?" " No." "He was seasick, leaned over the railing and there he went." "A month later, fishermen found his corpse." "Eaten by the fish." "That was very traumatic." "I was six years old." "Terrible." "Now my appetite is gone." " I'm so sorry." "You shouldn't believe everything I tell you." "If you take everything for granted, then it's not going to work." "Do I look like the son of a cheese maker?" "Not really." "You can act very well." "Don't lick my boots." "You're not a waiter anymore." "The relationship between Delamont and Nicolas Riviere was quite unusual." "Why exactly?" "How shall I put it..." "It struck me ... that Riviere had a huge influence on him." "I have here a copy of your employment contract." "You were hired as a cook and dietitian" "I understand that Delamont was scared stiff of certain foods." "Fish, cheese." "It was more subtle, Your Honor." "Because of his delicate taste he made high commands on the preparation." "Good cooking is an art." "Couldn't it be an act?" "A way to humiliate people?" "They share an apartment with five persons." "Nathalie Guibert, bookseller." "Felix Violet, political scientist, works for an advertising photographer." "Marco Fanfani." "He ..." " I want to know who she is." "Beatrice Simonin, born in Angers." "Studied English." "Father was a shopkeeper and deceased two years ago." "She was a tour guide and now has a kiosk." "She's his girlfriend since one year." "How are you doing?" " Good." "Have a look." "Did you buy it?" " Company car." "Delamont doesn't want us to go by subway." "That goes much faster." "He says the subway can lead to all sorts of diseases." "That guy is crazy." " Lucky for us!" "Get in, princess." "We go for a ride." "Do you know the boss of the supermarket opposite the kiosk?" "That asshole with the loden cape?" "He has exactly the same car." "He is lonely." "Therefore I have a weak spot for him." "If you distrust everything and everyone..." "Or you hire a confidant." " What are you actually doing?" "In my contract it says "personal adviser"." "Let me see." " Don't you believe him?" "What kind of advices do you give?" "Lately we were having dinner with some Japanese." "I noticed that he hesitated about an investment ... because of the Asia crisis and all." "Did you talk him round?" "I would never dare, although I studied economy." "Once you will be the ruin of him." "They are just jealous." "Soon nobody wants to know us anymore." "You better take care." "There hides a capitalist in everyone of us." "Nothing can happen to me." "Kiosk owners will never be rich." "Why don't you try to find another job?" "My idea!" "It pays poorly, but I want to feel free." "That's the way I am." "No problem." "Please tell Delamont I'm on my way." "Do you have to work overtime?" "What I don't understand is that Nicolas withheld so long from you... what he did for Delamont exactly." "Did he feel ashamed for the kind of work he did?" "This is Nicolas Riviere, my taster." "We are honored to finally meet you." "Let's order." "No, leave it up to him." "What do you advise us?" "The rice is excellent." "Perfectly cooked, full flavor, slightly spiced with ginger." "I'm afraid that the chicken soufflé with Thai basil is a little too spicy for you." "I would recommend the tenderloin with fine herbs." "Very delicate." "For you I advise the king prawns and grapefruit with seafood." "But please keep it away from Mr. Delamont." "That's how we do it here, gentlemen." "What sauce shall I take?" " Not that one!" "Are you crazy?" " I'm sorry." "Let's forget it!" "It was an accident." "I was too hasty." "Awful." "Do you know what that is, "nuoc-mam"?" "Fermented fish extract." " Exactly, the worst there is." "But perhaps it's only my imagination." "Smell it." "It's like cheap soap that smells of carnations... but absolutely not "nuoc-mam"." "Here you are." " You want me to taste it?" "For spirits and wine I do not need you." "Cheers." "To our cooperation." "Do you know who Rene Rousset is?" "A chef who works for me now." "He will soon take you under his care for a crash course." "We go to the house where I was raised." "It will be for a couple of days." "Do you live alone?" "I never wanted to live together with someone." "We look alike a lot." " Yes, indeed." "Did you have a pleasant night?" " Certainly." "I have not been here for 15 years." "It is the home of my youth." "I was never able to sell it." "Too many memories." "It is difficult, but fasting is good for you." "You will get hardened." "As a child I sometimes fasted." "Did you eat here with your parents?" " Rarely." "Father was away many times." "Mother was suffering from her nerves and preferred to remain in Lyon." "She was admitted to hospital later on." "I talk about this in a rather cool way because I had little contact with her." "Your bean-salad was a masterpiece." "Thank you." " It's no ordinary appeaser." "It's full of vitamins." "Do you want a dessert?" " No." "I don't want to put out poor Nicolas' eyes." "I will stand by you." "We have to share both love and sorrow." "Rossignon." "Are you deaf?" "Your blood pressure is normal." "When I woke up, I felt oppressed." "An anxiety attack." "I will give you something." " I had that same nightmare again." "I'll be back right away." " No, I'm okay now." "Sit down." "It's because of this house." "I was always afraid of the dark." "They always put on a night light for me." "As soon as Lili, my governess, had closed the door..." "I counted to one hundred and then switched off the light." "Then the slimy monsters arose from the floor." "I could see them in the dark." "And I still see them." "There was a plank across the room, like a bridge." "I pulled myself together, went out of bed and walked across the plank." "A misstep and I would be engulfed." "On one night ..." "I heard my mother sobbing." "She wailed like a wounded animal." "Then I stepped wrong and fell off the bridge." "The door opened, Lili entered and asked:" "What are you doing?" "I was terrified." "My father had just died." "I'm completely cut off from the world." "I find it difficult." "I'm sitting here for ten days, locked up, without being able to call." "It is a detoxifying treatment." "I want your body cleansed." "In the city you just come into temptation." "But why am I not allowed to call?" " It is a retreat." "And I'm here to support you." "Because of this reason I have canceled my appointment in Tokyo." "Is anyone worried?" " Not really." "Caroline could call somebody for you." "Not your parents, I presume?" "Don't look so depressed." "Do you drink two liters of water a day?" " I piss like a horse." "You should drink as much as possible." "My stomach is swollen." "Flatulence?" "That is normal." "That's because of those hunger suppressors." "If you have cramps, you take one of these tablets." "No excessive constipation?" " Are you kidding?" "But where is he exactly?" "And you can not give me his number?" "Unbelievable." "Precisely, he should call me." "Who I am?" "That's none of your bussiness." "Excellent, I'll wait for your call." "And?" " What a bitch." ""You don't have to worry"." ""Our rule is that students are not allowed to call private"." "Bullshit." "What are you afraid of?" "Nothing." "I just want to talk to him." "Is that so weird?" "Where is he?" "Nicolas, nice to see you." "We celebrate in style that you're allowed to eat earthly food again." "Follow me." "René has prepared a surprise for you." "After this difficult but useful Lent you may eat the forbidden fruit." "My punishment for what I did to you." "When I look at this, my stomach turns upside-down." "I think this is not a pleasant sight, but I quite understand you." "I let myself go a little." "Take it easy, there's more to come." "What more is there?" " Poached turbot with butter sauce." "Regional cheese specialties and apple-pie for dessert." "How is that Condrieu?" "Excellent." "But everything tastes fine, even the breadcrumbs." "My food phobias are known to you, but what about yours?" "I like everything." "Really everything?" "Except offal." " Funny." "I am very fond of that." "Especially tripe." "That's because of my father." "He would commit a murder for a plate of tripe." "About the only thing we had in common." "Do you like tripe?" " No, I think it's disgusting." "I'm feeling sick." "You've eaten too fast." "If you have fasted, your stomach has to get used to food again." "This will make you feel better." "How are you?" "I spent the whole night vomiting." " It's my fault." "No, shouldn't have been eating so gluttonously." " Take a good rest, that's best." "That's bile." "Rossignon will take care of you." "I have to go to Paris." "I will be back at the end of the week." "Take some rest." "You had put an emetic in his food to make him take an aversion to cheese and fish." "This was done by Rossignon, at the request of Delamont." "But you knew about it." "How long has he been sick?" "Three days, I think." "But Rossignon said that no harm could be done." "When Delamont came back, he confessed coolly what he had done." "Were you there that day?" "Do you know how we call this?" "Complicity of attempted poisoning." "Do you hear that?" "Poisoning." "We can stop now." "I'm willing to pay you compensation." "That's normal in business life." "It's up to you." "I give you a check and we stop." "Or we continue our cooperation." "Is that clear?" " Completely." "You are a bastard." "But I will go on with it." "This is a milestone." "From now on we dislike the same food." "Your training is over." "We have put a major step." "To celebrate that, René made one of his specialties." "Tripe according to an old family recipe." "Believe me, you'll feast upon it." "And?" "Delicious." "Watchman, Santa Claus, garbage collector." "Regular work was not your cup of tea." "Therefore I do not understand... why one day you gave up your freedom." "I wanted to know how far I could go." "A kind of test I imposed myself." "I was on the other side." "You look bad." " I've worked hard." "Have you had anything to eat?" "You're skinny." "There was nothing wrong with the food, but I had a bad stomach." "How are you?" "I wanted to call, but that was not allowed." "Who else was there?" " There were 15 students." "Yes, that's what Caroline said." "Did you call Caroline?" "After I didn't here from you ten days long, I started calling." "I found the number in the telephone book." "You shouldn't have done that." "It's part of their method." "They can go to hell." "You live only for Delamont." "Did you say who you were?" " Yes, so?" "You can't do that." " Now it is quite clear to me." "You are becoming a filthy rat just like the others." "Like who?" " Toadies you called them." "You despised them, remember?" "This guy goes to work the clever way." "I don't recognize you anymore." "This has to stop." "I don't want this kind of life." "Where are you going to?" " Leave me alone." "Much better than whiskey, huh?" " Yes, very nice." "Mouline, a "Cote Rotie"." "The oldest chateau in the country." "It reminds me of my youth." "You have improved a lot, Nicolas." "Usually I admit nobody into my private life." "It proves that I trust you." "Everyone is jealous." "Flavert walks around sulking, Caroline doesn't understands a bit of it... and my staff thinks you know too much." "And?" "What do you have to tell me?" "I've lied to you." "About what exactly?" "I find this very hard." "A lie is easily told, regret comes later." "There is someone in my life." "Yes, and?" " I should have told you straight away." "But when you asked me, I answered what you wanted to hear." "I care about her very much and I do not see a reason why it would interfere with my work." "Beatrice Simonin, born in Angers." "She runs a kiosk in Saint-Jean." "These photos were made at the railway station." "It looked very passionately." "What a dirty trick." " Don't exaggerate now." "What should I do with someone who is lying to me?" "Never heard of corporate espionage?" "Luckily I have a good security service." "Maybe, but you have lied." "I assume you have told her about me, about us." "She thinks I'm your private secretary." " You're lying to everyone." "But I have done that consciously." " Worse is that you lie to yourself." "You don't want to admit that you are a taster." "That's beneath contempt for you." "So you've understood nothing." "That is nonsense." "I have always joined in the game." "It is not a game, Nicolas." "Tomorrow I'll write my resignation letter." "Who is calling at this time now?" "I'll take it." "We can't just stop here." "That's beneath us." "This is what I wanted to tell you by all means." "See you tonight." "We have dinner for two." "And you were right, maybe it's better that Beatrice doesn't know exactly what you are doing." "That is our secret." "That was Delamont." "What did he say?" " He will not let me go." "And what will you do now?" "I do not know." "I've been thinking." "If that job has any future, you have to go on with it." "Do not worry about me." "I love you." ""That leg of lamb was not 7 but 8 hours on there"." "How dare you?" "!" "Was I right or not?" " Yes, of course." "The wine was fantastic." "I take the stairs." "Better not." "One day we should really visit La Belle Etape." "All wines under 100 francs and all beautiful." "I want out of here." "Let me out." "Nicolas, do something." "Let me through." "I want out of here." "Luckily you were there." "Are you okay?" "We take the stairs." "He had mysophobia." "I had to disinfect his phone every morning." "I emptied his garbage can a few times a day." "And he was very punctual." "In seven years he was never too late for an appointment." "I find that commendable." "Was he afraid of poisoning?" " Food poisoning." "He didn't assume that someone would deliberately poison him." "Shall I tell you what I think?" " That's why you are here." "He carried around with him a big sorrow, but he didn't let it appear." "Did he tell you anything?" "Some things you can feel." "And that taster thing was nonsense." "That was a cover." "A cover for what?" "I do not know." "He had everything: power, money ..." "he was lacking nothing." "Only a Nicolas Riviere." "It is terrible what has happened." "What about Nicolas Riviere?" "Please answer honestly." "It sounds crazy... but they seemed to be made for each other." "Hello, Flavert." " Mr. Flavert, please." "Okay, if you stop saying Nicolas." "Isn't that the way waiters are addressed?" "Do you have an appointment?" " In my case that's not necessary." "He storms at everyone at the moment." " Not me." "No, with slaves that is not necessary." "He has hit me." "You are witness." "I'm going to accuse you of that." "Where is he?" " On the telephone." "I don't care." "He bumped his head against the elevator." "He is furious, and I'm afraid he will remain like that." "He was provoking it." " Sure." "He is extremely jealous." "Jealous?" "You have a unique profession." "There are millions of Flaverts and hundreds of Delamonts." "But there is only one Nicolas Riviere." "I envy you more and more." "Tell me..." "Tell me everything." "How was it?" "What?" "I have so often wanted to hit someone, especially Flavert." "But I've never dared." "Tell me... what kind of feeling does it give?" "The pleasure... is intense, but only for a short while." "It's a strange sensation." "And it hurts." "I almost broke my wrist." "And further..." "Perhaps that is personal... but the kick was inside the moment where I decided to hit him." "When I walked out the elevator, I was not planning to do it." "It happened very quickly." "Incredible." "And who pays the rent?" "The house is his own." "It's a service apartment, so to speak." "And if you get the sack?" " That's out of the question." "When do I get to see this Mr. Delamont?" " Soon." "Come on, let's go inside." "How should we ever settle in here?" "Frederic knows a guy for that." "He will settle everything." "What's the matter?" "Don't you like it?" " Sure, it's stunning." "Is this marble?" " I suppose." "And the taps are certainly made of gold?" "You think I get a kick out of this, but this luxury is repugnant to me as well." "Don't talk nonsense." " Really, I haven't changed." "I gather as much money as possible and then I quit." "Then we will see what's coming next." "Do you know how much I earn?" "50,000 net." "A starting salary, he calls it." "You get addicted to that money." " Please trust me a little for once." "Why you see everything so negative?" "Everything I do is wrong." "He twisted him round his little finger and got Delamont into his power." "He deceived him until the end." "Until the bitter end." "It's incredible that Delamont let himself be manipulated that easy." "Everything suddenly went wrong." " Also business?" "Yes, of course." "Three weeks after Nicolas entered service, Delamont started to make mistakes." "He lost his head completely." "Like someone who is in love?" " Exactly." "He was like a mistress who takes over power little by little." "Frederic, I jumped." "I was in a funk like crazy, but I did it." "What a fantastic experience." "The wind in the parachute is deafening." "Do you see me?" "I hope you see me." "I pull the line, and make a turn." "You don't know what you miss." "That was great." "I really had the jitters about you." "I am also proud of you, Frederic." "You were really brave as well." "Somehow I knew he was totally crazy." "But I wanted to join in his madness." "One step further more and more." "I loved Beatrice, but it was predictable." "With him I felt as if I was sucked into the unknown." "It was scary... but it also gave me a kick." "You drink too much." "You talk nonsense." " No, I mean it." "She is happy." "Isn't that where it's all about?" "I don't understand the both of you." "If she would have a real vocation, to be nurse or something like that." "It is not about money." "But selling newspapers all your life: is that all there is?" "That's ridiculous." "Or do you want to pull my leg?" "That's it, isn't it?" "Don't go on and on about it." "What's wrong with you?" "Leave me alone, okay?" "Nice house, just a little impersonal." "You have changed a lot." "I don't recognize you anymore." "Tripe, prepared according to an old recipe." "Do you serve out yourself?" "It's his specialty." "You got your first star for this, didn't you?" "Indeed." "What's so funny?" "Don't mind me." "I have failed." "Shall I tell you something?" "You are a bunch of losers." "It's not about money or status ... but to appreciate beauty." "You ridicule everything." "Go away if you do not like it." "Everyone has his own lifestyle." "Come on, let's go." "You're right." "Everyone has his own lifestyle." "Have fun in your fucking kiosk." "And?" " Beatrice left furiously." "I want to hear everything." "Is Beatrice not here?" " The regular saleswoman?" "No." "When will she be back?" "No idea." "I had to replace her for a week." "Marco?" "This is Nicolas." "Do you know where I can find Beatrice?" "Are you happy?" "Don't be so gloomy." "I mean: are you happy with our cooperation?" "I love surprises, and that's fine with you." "I never thought I would ever be able to share so much with someone." "This memorable event has to be celebrated." "I have exactly the same one." "From now on our watches truly tick alike." "Could I have a few days off?" "Already now?" " A couple of days." "I have to arrange something." "Beatrice?" "She doesn't understand, huh?" "She is not on the same wavelength as we are." "As far as I am concerned, you go away with her for a week... but not until ten days from now." "I need you at present." "Aren't you going to put it on?" "Golding is a major customer from the United States." "He wanted to decide about the menu." "He thinks he is Lucullus." "Sing praises about the food." "A large contract is at stake." "Flavert, halfway the meal you start talking about the new design." "Then, I will take over and settle it." "Here we go." "This is already a bad start." "Sally here is a wine connoisseur." " That's eveident." "She has continued her studies for it." "Please sit down." "My wife had the same disposition." "Men are less gifted in this matter." "I'm going to surprise you." " With pleasure." "You did it perfectly." "You are a terrible liar." "May I ask you something?" " Go ahead." "Have you really been married?" " Is that a strange thing then?" "I was acting the husband for two years." "She was beautiful and a great skier." "But we had little in common." "Moreover, she had cold feet." "Doesn't anything strike you?" "Do you see that we resemble each other more and more?" "Although I am a little older." "Amazing, huh?" "That's a good omen." "We are on the right road." "I go to my American." "See you at the bar." "You have managed that rapidly." "She is beautiful." "And intelligent." "She is an interpreter." "Did you just chat up with her?" "With a sultry glance?" "I do not know." "Sometimes it happens of it self." "I will just say goodbye to her." " Why now?" "You are simply going to desert her?" "Isn't that rude?" "That's true, but ..." " Aren't you allowed to have an affair?" "Things haven't come to such a pass yet between Beatrice and me, happily." "I think you have half a mind on her." "Go ahead." "I will book a suite for the both of you and arrange everything." "Come on, go for it." "You will do me a favour." "You are welcome to it." "What are you doing here?" " Make sure you do not catch cold." "I asked what you are doing here." " It's your task to taste, not to consume." "And, how is she?" "Does she have cold feet?" "This can't be true." "Go to the suite next door." "Nicolas, don't think that this is purely a perverse fantasy." "It's something different, something more subtle." "We play the same music, four-handed, without a false note." "It was all orchestrated, to continue his metaphor." "Anyone would have resigned after such a trick." "But not you." "Didn't you think of it as abnormal?" "To be honest..." "I admired him for that very reason." "That I don't understand." "Do you know what he once said?" "That he would have committed suicide, if he wouldn't have met me." "That's what he said." "He had seen it all." "Power, money." "I am Frederic Delamont." "I want to talk with you about Nicolas." "Go ahead." " Not here." "Shall I take you home?" "In your Mercedes?" "No thanks." "There is a café further on." "Is that okay?" "I will close and go along with you." " Please give me a Paris Match." "14 francs." " You're beautiful." "Nicolas is a man of taste." "Have you come for this kind of crap?" "Nicolas will not appreciate this, but I had to." "I've often asked him if I could meet you ... but he never replied to that." "It's off between him and me." "What do you really want?" "Very simple." "Since you have left him, he is not his old self anymore." "He is allways late, absent-minded, and doesn't sleep well." "Poor guy." "Im afraid that he loves you." "And you, wouldn't you also like to make up again?" "Or am I wrong?" "He and I have completely drifted apart since he works for you." "Because he never told me what he was doing." "Out of shame." "That is wrong, and therefore I have come to see you." "It's in all the magazines:" ""Industrialist employs a taster. "" "I can't believe it." "And you pay him 50,000 francs to taste your food?" "60,000." "I raised his wage last week." "I do not get it." "Or does he have to fuck you?" "That's out of the question." "I don't feel attracted to men." "You are completely beside the mark." " Well, well!" "I don't understand a bit of it." "I'm tired." " I understand." "I will let go of him if need be." "I want you to make up again, really." "But I'm not sure if Nicolas still wants to make up." "I have no idea." "Why are you doing this?" "What do you really want to say?" "That I can jump into the lake as to him?" "Do you ever look into the mirror?" "Everything about you is fake." "Your face, that smile of yours" "I loathe both of you." " I just want to save your relationship." "Too bad we misunderstand each other." "Did he really say that?" "But I am the one who was not allowed to tell you anything." "Nonsense, it's the other way round." "He can no longer live without me." "Beatrice, I miss you." "And ten days later you moved in with Delamont." "I could move into the apartment above his, with a private entrance." "That's why." "Didn't you realize that doing so, you completely delivered up to him?" "What time is it?" " Two o'clock in the morning." "I need to talk to you." "Come to my office." "Tell me." "How did it go without me?" "Why do you look at me like that?" " I don't understand well." "Suddenly you leave without a word." "As if I do not exist." "Maybe you do not exist without me, indeed." "It's a Hungarian one." "Would you like a glass?" "Do you know why I just left without you?" " It was the first time." "To see if I could manage without you." "The answer is no." "It was terrible." "I missed two contracts." "That is not in my line." "Don't get me wrong." "I never wanted to be dependent on something or on someone." "I'm afraid we have rushed matters too fast." "Why?" "If a relation gets close to an addiction, you will have to kick the habit fast." "That's what we are going to do." "Come over here." "Thursday you'll go to Tunis." "From there you'll fly on to Tozeur, at the edge of the desert." "What should I do there?" "You're going to taste loneliness for me." "We will come out stronger, both of us." "Didn't you bring me a souvenir?" "A desert rose or something like that?" "He does know that I'm back, doesn't he?" " I've passed the message." "With Tunis Air to Orly-Sud, arrival at 6.30 p.m." "Why was Francois not there?" " He didn't have time." "Where is Mr. Delamont?" "Go to sleep." "You look tired to death." "I ask you: where is Frederic?" "Answer me, damn it." "I'm back." " I see." "Sit down." "He just came back from North Africa, that's why he is so tanned." "He is our man in the Maghreb." "It's better that I leave." " No, why?" "Sit down." "Please give him a cover." "This is Vincent Granet, my taster." "Mr. Granet, how is the chicken?" "What is your opinion?" "Very subtly marinated in honey." "And perfectly done to a turn." "Excellent, then we can eat." "You have a great taster with him." "Befor this interruption, I was talking about an American style campaign." "We are willing to invest in it significantly." "Mr. Riviere, would you like glass of Mouline?" "You let me languish in the desert and then you give my job to this jerk." "We are not married." "I am free to to hire and fire." "Granet's contract ran until the day you came back." "It's simple like that." "Simple like that?" "I know it has been hard for you and your logbook was very moving." "But trust me, I have also suffered." "Has he really left?" " Of course." "He could not match up with you." "You are jealous." "So, you didn't kick the habit completely." "Let's hope the loneliness caused that." "Listen, Nicolas." "I know that I'm not mistaken in you." "Your behavior in the restaurant, your onset of jealousy ... are false notes which may never happen to us again." "Mark you: us!" "Do you agree?" "Yes." "This weekend we go skiing together The mountains will do us good." "You want it medium-rare?" "I'm so glad to be here that I do not care about a failed omelet." "These are my only pleasant childhood memories." "I came here often with my governess, Lili." "I loved her." "She had enormous breasts." "She died last year." "I felt safe with her." "Delicious." " It's nothing special." "Don't be so modest." "Tomorrow we go skiing at eight o'clock." "Then the snow is still untouched." "How was it?" " It's a tricky slope." "A bluff downhill and a lot of unevenness." "And then?" " A bluff downhill again." "Ice?" " I didn't notice anything." "But is it wise that you start with such a difficult course?" "Is it bad?" " My leg is broken." "Let me see." " No." "Tell Rossignon and Francois to collect me with my plane." "Hurry." "I'll never forgive you this." "He complained of dizziness." "Sometimes he experienced severe balance disorders as well." "I thought of a disease of the inner ear, but there was nothing wrong with it." "Then I understood that Riviere suffered from depersonalization." "There were symptoms of a progressive psychosis." "I can not stand any longer that you are living upstairs, Nicolas." "You go to a hotel and await further instructions." "I have no use for you at the moment." "How can you possibly feel what I feel?" "You have two healthy legs." "And I?" "A shin-bone fracture." "That will definitely take two months, plus rehabilitation." "But can I still taste for you?" "Rene planned to prepare tripe voor you." "The body is a unit." "I'm just a broken leg." "I breathe, I think and I piss with my leg." "And you frolic cheerfully around." "We live in two different worlds." "And what if Rossignon would put my leg in plaster as well?" "Is that all that what you are after?" "That you pretend?" "Sad." "Pack your bags." "Francois will bring you to the hotel." "Beatrice, it's me." "Don't hang up, please." "I need to talk." "I fear that I'm going crazy." "No, I no longer live with him." "I'm in a hotel." "Please listen to me." "It has ended with Delamont." "Really, believe me." "He is still a bit hazy." "It was a double fracture of the leg." "But he will be fine." "It will heal completely." "Thank goodness!" "Do you have much pain?" " It's not that bad." "It was pure insanity." " You may well say so!" "It's madness." "You should never have done that." "But I've done it for you." "That is exactly what I regret:" "that you've done it for me." "After everything we have experienced together." "Did you forget about that?" "Our dream of perfect harmony became almost reality." "We were so close by." "It's a great pity." "You should have broken your leg sooner." "I expected that of you." "It seemed so obvious to me." "So simple." "Do you understand?" "What you have done now... appears to me like an empty gesture." "An empty gesture?" "I loved you." "More than I ever loved someone before." "An almost perfect love." "A perfect symbiosis." "I believed in it, really." "This can't be true." "You see?" "If you would be attuned to me, you would say what I thought right now." "That we have gone as far as possible." "And that it is time to separate." "Peacefully." "You will get a one year's salary." "Rossignon will take care of your recovery." "Don't try to contact me again." "You know, Nicolas... for me this is also terrible." "Then I landed into a black hole." "That's what We call a depression." "A divorce depression, in your case." "You got into a clinic where you received high doses of anti-depressants." "Maybe." "Nobody told me anything." "Rossignon visited me only once." "He said that nothing was wrong, except my leg." "I asked how Frederic was doing, and he said that everything was fine with him... but I didn't believe him." "I knew he was in low spirits." "Why did you think like that?" "Because you hoped that he was struggling, just like you?" "Maybe." "One day I read in the newspaper that the Delamont shares had slumped." "That was a cold comfort." "Don't I look like an idiot?" " A little." "The doctor said that you have improved a lot." "You have contact with reality again." "Hopefully you are able to stop your medication soon." "Felix found a job for you." "A simple job at a record office." "It's very kind that all of you want to help me." "Come on, let's go." "I don't know what is wrong with me." "I'm afraid." " That's is normal." "A glass of champagne maybe?" "." "Not exactly, with all that medication." " Only a little bit." "Anyway, you look good." "What do you think?" "No, am I right?" " Yes." "Great." "You please yourselves, as soon as I have turned my back ." "Pick up the phone." " No, I'm not able anymore to call." "It will do you good." "Just say 'hello'." "Hello, this is the madhouse." "Okay." "Who was that?" "Frederic." " What did he want?" "He wants to see me." " No, that can't be true." "You are not going, are you?" "Call a taxi." "I want to know how he is doing." "Are you all alone?" "Rousset has gone." "I just wanted to take a bath." "Come inside." "What do you have say?" "Beatrice is waiting outside." "Did your nurse come along?" "I wanted to know how you are doing." "And I know now." "You have completely changed." "As if nothing ever happened between us." "Unbelievable." "I think you have put on flesh." "That's because of the anti-depressants." " Yes, of course." "You are drinking whiskey nowadays?" "You are not the only one who has changed." "Sit down." "I have pain in my back." "I had a bad time during the past months." "Because of you." "Very annoying." "And then you fall into bad habits." "She will grant us a couple of minutes, doesn't she?" "Sit down." "I've missed you very much." "And I know you've missed me." "I can read your mind." "I hear your heart pounding." "We are nothing without each other." "I'm leaving now." " You won't, you know better than that." "Otherwise you wouldn't have come." "If I would ask you to kneel for me... and lick my feet, then you would do it." "Come." "Come here." "Lick my feet, Nicolas." "We will start all over again." "You're a poor bastard, Nicolas." "A loser." "A gutless fool." "Do you hear me?" "A gutless fool." "Translation by Vasili Teleandros © 2010"