"TALES OF THE FOUR SEASONS" "A SUMMER'S TALE" "MONDAY, JULY 17" "TUESDAY, JULY 18" "MOONLIGHT PANCAKE HOUSE" " Margot?" " Yes?" "So what'll it be?" "Cocoa with whipped cream." " Dash of ginger?" " No, thanks." "Right with you!" "Finished?" "Coffee?" "The check?" "WEDNESDAY, JULY 19" "Hi!" "Hi." "Have we met?" "You don't recognize me?" " We met in Rennes?" " No." "Last night, in the restaurant." "The waitress?" "I didn't recognize you with your hair wet." "Yes, I forget how it changes me." "Well, I'm going in." "Was it nice?" "The water?" "Chilly." " I like it." " Borderline." "This is your first time here?" "In Dinard, yes." "I'm from nearby..." "Rennes." "I'm from Saint Brieuc." "Waiting for someone?" "Not now." "Not exactly." "Sit down." " My stuff's over there." " Go get it." " You alone here?" " For the moment." "On vacation?" "Yeah." "I mean, you're not here to work?" "I work, as you know." "I'm just an ordinary vacationer." "But I'll be working as of August 15." " Where?" "Here?" " No." "With a design firm in Nantes." "I just got my master's in math." " I got my Ph.D. in ethnology." " Ethnology?" "You sound surprised." "Did you think I was a career waitress?" "Not really." "Lots of students take summer jobs." "Have you?" "No, I'm lucky to have math." "Makes it easy to tutor or find high-level temp jobs." " You'll be an engineer?" " No." "Computers?" "No, I'd rather teach." "I'll earn less, but I'll have lots of free time." "That's nice." "Maybe." "I don't want to plan my life around money." "If I had, I'd have ruined mine." "What'll your doctorate get you?" "Nothing." "Not even the right to do research." "I have a plan, but I can't talk about it yet." "After high school, I needed a change." "I went to Vietnam and Malaysia." "I fell in love with a guy who had a job back here." "We nearly got married." "That killed my wanderlust." "I realized I had a lot more to say... about Brittany than about Indonesia." "So I did my thesis on the people here." "Mainly the descendants of the old Newfoundlanders." "We know lots on the Celtic Bretons, less on the Gauls." "I was so fascinated... that when my guy and I broke up, I just stayed on." "The weird part of it is... that I later met a guy who's really a world away:" "He's in the Peace Corps in the South Pacific." "I could have gone out there too." "But no." "I'm waiting faithfully, like a sailor's wife." "I earn some money working in my aunt's restaurant." "So I'm pretty free." "Tomorrow I go see an ex-Newfoundlander... who now lives on the Rance river." "Want to come?" "You got a car?" "I do." "The guy's only 12 miles from here." "Okay." "THURSDAY, JULY 20" "Folklore doesn't interest me much." "I'm better at composing than playing." "But nothing's ever really new." "American rock grew out of blues and country... which both have roots in old Irish ballads." "Brittany has a rich tradition." "Do you know it?" "Not well." "I can't say I like it." "Bagpipes always sound the same: boring." "No, there are lovely things... like Celtic troubadour airs." "I don't know them." " And the chanties in the restaurant." " You noticed?" "I always notice music." "Did you pick them?" "Yes, I bought the tape for my ethnology work." "Did it inspire you?" "There's a current of Celtic rock... and another of sailor's rock." "I prefer the latter." "I want to write a song like "Valparaiso."" "You know it?" "Lots of people sang on board... but it was mostly for fun." "They weren't work songs." "Not like the long-haul traders... the old sailing ships." "There the chanties were timed to the work:" "raising the anchor or running up sail..." "We "hoisted" sail." "Only flags were run up." "So it was... it was all lost." "Those work chanties are gone." "We used to do what we called "working your back"... digging trenches in the salt in the hold... to salt cod after it was sliced and cleaned." "They were taken down into the hold... laid out and salted one by one." "To make room for the cod, you had to dig... and the songs paced the shoveling... set the work rhythm." "A couplet for so many shovelfuls of salt." "I hear you sing well." "Could you sing us something?" "The most common of the chanties... was one about ranks... mocking a captain who limped." "We were always giving nicknames... and making fun of people who had peculiarities." "We called the captain "Lug-leg"... because he dragged his leg." "Sailors said "lug" for "drag."" "Lug-leg, if you keep it up" "You won't have any sailors left" "Lug-leg, if you keep it up" "Not a seaman will remain" "Do you know Lug-leg" "The Grand Banks fisherman" "The Grand Banks are between..." "France's St. Pierre and Miquelon Islands... and Canada's Atlantic coast." "So, where was I?" "Lug-leg, the Grant Banks fisherman" "Who's always chiding his sailormen" "Lug-leg, if you keep it up" "You won't have any sailors left" "Lug-leg, if you keep it up" "Not a seaman will remain" "Come for dinner tonight." "I'm buying." "I can't do it all the time, but now and then." "Thanks, but don't bother about me." "The folks I live with are away, so I can cook." "Being alone after dark is sad." "Not for long." "I have friends coming in soon." "A good reason to come tonight." "No, I'll make music, and I'm expecting a call." "Okay." "See you tomorrow, if you're free." "If I'm not, I'll call you." "How are you, Mom?" "No, I was out walking along the river with friends." "No mail for me?" "FRIDAY, JULY 21" " Cute girl." " Which one?" "The one you were ogling." "I don't ogle girls." "You should, since you're alone." "Maybe I looked at her, but it's not what you think." "In fact, I'm expecting someone." " So you told me." " I said "friends," but in fact..." "It's a girl?" "You guessed it." "Your girlfriend?" "Not exactly." "When's she due?" " Around the 20th." " That's today." "In theory, yes." "She's coming to join you, right?" "No, I'm the one who..." "It's complex." "I'd have to tell you the full story." " So tell." " It's pretty dull." "It's not." "Okay, but I'll simplify it." "We met a few months ago." "She's a bright girl." "Terrific IQ" "Tried for diplomatic school, but then lost interest." "Hates the atmosphere." "We have a lot in common." "Because of your music?" "That's one thing." "She's not in love with me." "I feel she doesn't take me seriously." "At least for now." "We planned to vacation together." "Then she left with her sister for Spain." "On her way back, she'll visit cousins... who have a place nearby." "She said they bore her and told me to stop by." "Charming!" "She even asked me to take her on a trip... to the Isle of Ouessant." "Neither of us knows it." "Me neither." "I must go someday." "If she backs out, think of me." "Promise?" "Sure." "Do you know when she's coming?" "You checked with her cousins?" "You'll laugh:" "I don't know where they live." "Around here." "That's all she said." "No name or phone number." "She didn't have it when she left." "She was supposed to send it but hasn't written at all." "You came anyway?" "You think I'm bats, huh?" "No." "I think it's lovely." "Worse still, I don't much love her." "Not madly." "Her not writing doesn't matter." "At home we never dated." "We ran into each other." "It became a habit." "A habit of coincidence." "Quite a system!" " I must be going." " Coming to dinner?" "Not tonight." "I want to make music." "And wait for a phone call." "See you tomorrow, if you're free." "It's Saturday, but I'll fit you in." "SATURDAY, JULY 22" " Coming with us?" " No, I'm off to bed." "Come on, it's Saturday." " We'll go to "The Hut."" " What's that?" "A disco in St. Lunaire." "Okay." "MONDAY, JULY 24" "How can you be comfortable with all those guys?" "I'm comfortable with everyone." "It's my training." " As a waitress?" " No, dummy." "As an ethnologist." "I'm curious about people No one's totally uninteresting." "Not as individuals, but in groups, yes." "I hate groups." "I don't like to join them." "Anyway, I couldn't if I wanted to." "Got a lot of friends?" "A few good ones." "I see them one at a time." "Guys?" "Yes, Lena's the only girl I see now." "No female friends?" "You, now." " This the first time?" " Just about." "Guys and girls can't be friends?" "Sure." "Why not?" "But mostly I want a girlfriend, not a buddy." "And if you can't find one?" "Without a girlfriend, I shun friends." "So you put up with me only because of your..." "Lena?" "Yes, Lena." "I wonder what she's like." "Got a photo?" "In my bag." "I'll show you later." "The restaurant's over there." "See it?" "Cezembre Isle is there." "The Petit Bé, the Grand Bé." "St. Malo's is hidden behind them." "There's St. Servan, with the Solidor tower." "Funny, my folks had a record of Suzy Solidor." "Singing sea chanties." "I guess she took the tower's name." "She must have." "That's funny." "Where's the photo?" "I know her!" "She came and played volleyball." "I don't see you two together." "Who do you see me with?" "No one?" "On the contrary." "With the girl the other night, yes." "Which girl?" "You know." "The brunette in the tan dress?" " You're crazy!" " Why?" "She's pretty." "Maybe, but she's not my type." "I'm sure you're her type." "She was eyeing you." "She wasn't." "You're putting me on." "Her type doesn't go for me." "Look who she was with." "She sent them all packing." "What's wrong?" "It's nice to be in love." "WEDNESDAY, JULY 26" "She's a week late." "She has a poor sense of time." "And never sends a postcard." "I know the type." "You kidding me?" "I'm only half waiting for her, and having fun meanwhile." "I met you, so I'm not wasting my time." "Thanks." "What if you hadn't met me?" "I don't know." "But I don't like "if's."" "Exactly where did she go?" "Around Spain." "Nowhere in particular." " Driving?" " Yes." "With her sister, you said?" "And her sister's guy." "That all?" "In a car." "A car has at least four seats." "I don't believe they took another guy." "Anyway, I've imagined the worst, so why discuss it?" "You're philosophical." "And not madly in love." "I told you so." "If she doesn't love me, tough." "A girl I love has to love me." "Since no one loves me, I don't love anyone." "Want to know what I think?" "Neither of you loves the other." "Is she even for real?" "You saw her photo." "Photos prove nothing." "Maybe she's real, but you hardly know her." "She's not why you're here." "If so, you think I'm an idiot?" "Well, I am." "You may not see what I mean." "I'm not strong on conquest... on pushing my luck." "But I like luck to push me." " Understand?" " For example?" "The day she said she'd be here on the 20th..." "I ran into a friend from here... who lent me his room for my vacation." "Such situations excite me." "They may or may not make things happen." " Is that crazy?" " Certainly not." "I'm really that way too." "My interest in Brittany arose because the time was right." "For my love affairs too." "Circumstances were against me, but it all worked out." "I saw I valued my independence." "My guy's an archaeologist." "We can't go along on each other's field trips." "Then you'd always be apart?" "Not always." "A bit." "That's not so bad." " You love him?" " Of course." "But he's still a stranger." "I can't get in too deep yet." "When he returns, we'll be here for quite a while." "Then we'll see." "But your problem's not mine." "THURSDAY, JULY 27" "Instead of hanging around, get a girl for the summer." "Even if I wanted to, I couldn't." " Why not?" " It's my fate." "I never achieve anything I don't believe in." "You believe in Lena?" "I wonder." "You think too much." "There are lots of pretty girls here." "But I don't know them." "And I don't talk to strangers." "And the one the other night?" "Will you say hello if you see her?" "Yes, if she looks at me." " Then what?" " Nothing ventured, nothing gained." "That's not true for me." "If I don't like the girl to start with, I mess it up." "I'm the opposite." "I didn't start out liking my first boyfriend." "It only worked because he tried hard." " It didn't last?" " It lasted three years." "With the other guy, I made the pitch." "That's better." "I like to initiate things." "So do I." "What do you mean?" "You just said you didn't." "No, I like to initiate." "I try hard... when I feel there's the slightest chance." "But I dream of being an effortless lady-killer." "They work hard at it, even if it doesn't show." "There's one thing I refuse to do." " What's that?" " Join a group." "Soléne's an independent girl." "The girl the other night?" "You know her?" "We're both from St. Brieuc." "I haven't seen her again." "She's a temp in a bank at home." "She's here on Saturday." "I think she's split up with her boyfriend." "Wants a guy for the summer?" "I guess so." "She must have found one by now." "She's hard to get, but that won't bother you." "I'm luckier with picky girls." " Lena?" " Yes, for example." "If you like." " What are you thinking of?" " Nothing." "That's not true, I admit." "As you guessed, Lena's a pretext." "I only want a girl for the summer." "I'd take the first one to come along, but no one's come... so I just dream of the prettiest." "Cynicism doesn't become you." "I'm joking." " Not entirely." " Meaning what?" "You know what I mean." "FRIDAY, JULY 28" "My only problem with a group... is not how to communicate, but how to be." "To be or not to be." "That is the question." "Pedantic, maybe, but true." "It's true for everyone." "Groups intimidate individuals." "Some people fit in easily and blossom." "I feel everyone's alive around me but me." "I don't exist." "I'm transparent." "Invisible." "I see others." "They don't see me." "You're lucky." "I'd like that at times." "I'm not like you." "I'm not curious." "I'm not an observer." "I'm not anything." "That's not so!" "When I'm with a really crummy guy... really insignificant... girls notice him, not me." "And the harder I try, the worse it is." "Through running yourself down?" "It's vanity, no?" "Listen, I don't think I'm a horror... or stupid." "It's that I'm hard to pigeonhole." "I seem young." "People expect me to be cute and sweet and then find I'm not." "Like you, they call me a cynic." "Not true!" "It is." "You're the only girl who can bear me." "Even Lena..." "Stop it!" "Or you may become unbearable." "You say you seem young." "You do." "So be patient." "Your day will come." " You think so?" " Of course." "Some people lose out with age." "Your kind improves." "How do you know?" "Intuition, feminine or not." "I've been told that by a graphologist... who seemed reliable." "He said I'd come into my own at 30 in every way:" "emotional, physical, intellectual." "He impressed me." "He's right." "You'll find love, but not yet." "Maybe that's why girls hold you off." "They want to wait." "In my case, guys rushed me... and I rushed to them." "At 18 I longed to be a woman, to have a baby." "Then I learned to wait." "But for some months I've felt rushed again." "You want your boyfriend back." "Mainly to see if I love him." "I'm sure you'll find a great girl, better than Lena." "From the way you talk about her." "Meanwhile, I can't live as ectoplasm." " You mean in a cocoon?" " That's no better." "If you can't realize yourself in full, do it halfway." "Maybe you can even stretch it to three-fourths." "You're great:" "You kid me about what I kid myself about." "Are there topics you avoid?" " Lots of them." " Like what?" "I won't say, not even to you." "I won't even tell them to myself." "And Lena?" "She joke about your foibles?" "Yes, unfortunately." " She knows it annoys you?" " Luckily, no." "She does it naively." "She's sensitive, but she lacks your humor." "Sometimes, to muddle things..." "I fake anger over trivialities." " It works?" " Yes." "Sly devil!" "Now you can't say you wasted all your time with me." "Silly." "It was purely symbolic, and it'll stay that way." "That's how I took it." "Then everything's clear." "What are you whistling?" "Did you write it?" "No." "Well, yes." "But it's not ready yet." "SATURDAY, JULY 29" " Have you seen Ronan?" " Who?" "Ronan." "He was with us the other night." "Tall and dark." "He has a kayak." "No." "Your pals aren't out this early." "I know." "In fact, I'm trying to avoid him." "In that case..." "I'm not in the mood for him today." "What are you up to?" " I'm going swimming." " Alone?" "Yes." "Not waiting for anyone?" "Maybe Margot, but I doubt it." "Saturdays she's busy." "She and I know each other from Saint Brieuc." " Is she your girlfriend?" " No." "I only met her last week at the restaurant." "Makes no difference." "With us it does." "We meet now and then on the beach." "You alone here?" "At your parents' place?" "Not even." "Surprised?" "I just had a chance to borrow a friend's room." "It's my first time here." "I know no one." "Except Margot." "I don't feel like swimming." "Let's go to St. Malo." "In my car." "What'll we do there?" "We can swim there." "The tide will be in." "My uncle has a boat." "We can go for a ride." "I don't even know him." "You'll be welcome." "He and my aunt are easygoing." "I'm always bringing friends." "Cheers!" "Your uncle plays?" "No, his wife Maiwen." " Don't mess with it." " Don't worry." "I can play." " Know that?" " No." "I am a pirate's daughter" "They call me the buccaneer lass" "It's a sea chanty!" " You don't know it?" " No, never heard it." "It's pretty." "Keep going, if you can." "Sure I can." "I wrote it." " No!" " I did." "Can you read music?" "I can make it out." "I sang in a choir." " That's it." " Right?" "That's it." "Go on like that." "Right." " Four times?" " No, three." "That's it." " Once more." " And then..." "It goes up." "Keep going up." "Yes, it's a natural." "That's it." " Then the end." " Am I in tune?" "Do I hold it?" "One beat?" "Can you read all the lyrics?" "Yes." "Shall we try it?" "Sure." "I am a pirate's daughter" "They call me the buccaneer lass I love the wind l love the swell I slice through the sea as through a throng" "A throng, a throng" "Quickly, quickly, my pretty ship" "We will give 'em all the slip" "And sail to San Francisco" "Going by Valpa..." "No, that's off." "To the Aleutian Isles" "Across the Indian Sea l want to go to the end of the world" "To see if the earth is round" "That's terrific!" "You really wrote it?" "You have a lovely voice." "I like writing songs." "Gets me off math." "They're mostly blues... but hearing a sailor sing gave me the idea." "The words are tougher." "I usually work with a buddy who's a poet." "If it's not too folksy, take it." "The girl it's for won't like it." " Margot?" " No, someone else." "Your girlfriend?" "In a way, yes." ""In a way"?" "Then drop her." " I will, if..." " If what?" "If she doesn't show up." "She hasn't written." " Where is she?" " In Spain." " With a guy?" " Hardly." "With her sister." " When's she get back?" " She was due a week ago." "Another reason to drop her." "I have, just about." "You got a guy?" "I have two." "I dropped the first one last week, and the other today." "Can Gaspard come boating with us today?" " Delighted." " Sure." "Alain." "Maiwen." "I am a pirate's daughter" "They call me the buccaneer lass I love the wind l love the swell I slice through the sea as through a throng" "A throng, a throng" "Quickly, quickly, my pretty ship" "We will give 'em all the slip" "And sail to San Francisco" "Going by Valparaiso" "To the Aleutian Isles" "Across the Indian Sea l want to go to the end of the world" "To see if the earth is round" "I'll let no one pass me by l'll never, never give way I always sail in a straight line" "As light and white as a swan" "A swan, a swan" "Welcome to the club, my dear Gaspard." "A great sailor is born." "I don't know about that." "To our niece too." " And our accordionist." " He's back." "I enjoyed it." "Nice outing on the water." "How did you come to write such a song?" "And in the rock era!" "That's not my usual style." "I do mostly blues." "I have a classical guitar which I don't usually play." "So I noticed." "I handled your three flats by switching to a minor key... but don't use naturals that aren't on my accordion." " How's it tuned?" " A standard diatonic scale." "Where the notes were missing, we went la la la." "That made it special." "Yes, it matched the local color." "But a pirate's daughter..." "It's an odd idea, eh?" "No, really." "I admit, when I write other music..." "I have different aims." "I wanted to write a sea chanty... that didn't just revert to an old tune." "I didn't try to modernize an old tune." "I tried to put myself in the mind... of a sailor writing a song." "But it's not a sailor's song." "No, it's a love song." "He wrote it for a girl." "For you, of course." "No, for someone else." "But he's sweet and gave it to me anyway." "I... did write it..." "Okay, relax." " Don't justify it." " I did write it for a girl." "It's not worth discussing at the table." "We're off to bed." "You'll be okay?" "You know the house, Soléne?" " No problem." " Good night." "Listen, my uncle doesn't care... but I have a principle." "You may not think so, but I have principles." "I never sleep with a guy the first time." "Me too." "I'd rather wait." "Take the daybed." "I'll go upstairs." "SUNDAY, JUL Y 30" "Margot!" "You were missed yesterday." "I was in St. Malo." "We went boating with my uncle." "Why don't you come someday?" "Thanks, but the restaurant keeps my busy." "I must be off." "Have fun." "You've got a great place!" "You kidding?" "It's not mine." "Belongs to a friend." "I sleep in the kitchen." "Anyway, I must be off." "And I warned you... never the first time." "Absolutely." "You tickle me, Gaspard." "I love you." "You know, beginning August 5th I'm on vacation." " You coming here?" " No way." " And you?" " I go to work on the 15th." "I may stay here until then, or I may not." "Where are you going?" "I don't know." "I feel like wandering." " Far?" " Not necessarily." "I was born here, but I don't know Brittany well." "I bet you haven't seen Ouessant." "No." "I'd love to." "Want to go?" "I'll take you." "We can stay with friends, even if you're broke." " Money's no problem." " Well, then?" "Let me think." "About what?" "Scared of your girlfriend?" "She's not here." "She may come back." "Well, make up your mind... now!" "I'm no substitute." "It's yes or no now." "Well?" " Hold on." " No." "One, two, three..." " Let's say yes." " "Let's say yes," hell!" "Just "yes"!" "Just yes, then." "Yes?" "I said yes." " You're on?" " Yes, yes, yes!" "If you duck out, we're through." "I'm set on that." "Another principle?" "No exceptions to that either." "MONDAY, JUL Y 31" "How's my Romeo?" "You were right." "She's nice." "Just nice?" "Among other things." " Feel reassured?" " About what?" "About there being nice girls around." "About your own existence, as you said." "From that point of view, yes." "You look all dreamy." "So what'll we do?" "Don't want to talk about it?" "Okay with me." "You still want to see me?" "Sure thing." "Besides, she's away this week." "I see." "I'm the substitute." "In fact, a substitute for a substitute." "You're organized!" "Shall we go?" "I don't want to discuss it, but I do anyway." "I feel so differently now that I can't shut up." "Want to shout it from the housetops?" "No, simply tell it to you." " You elated?" " Sure." "Triumphant?" "That's not the word." "You're triumphant." "Just look at you!" "And I saw you as a lovesick puppy." "I was wrong about Soléne." "She's your type after all?" "No, but we have a lot in common." "More than I have with Lena." "So which do you choose?" "At first I let her lead me on... mainly for revenge on Lena... or to feel what Lena feels when she's courted... to put it mildly." "I was sick of feeling inferior to her." "I wanted to give her something to scold me for." "But now I value Soléne for herself." "And so?" "So I've made a decision." "If Lena's not back by the weekend..." "I'm off to Ouessant with Soléne." " That so?" " She's hot to go." "You're still playing both ends." "It's either or." "Don't say that!" " So to you, all girls are the same." " I'm saying the opposite." "You disappoint me." "How could you fall for such a vulgar girl?" "She's not vulgar." "And you threw me in her arms." "Come off it!" "You lack the courage of your convictions." "I was right about a substitute." "You sicken me!" "All guys are blinded by vanity." "No risks for you." "Some nit snares you and you think you're a great lover." " What am I doing with you?" " Come on, Margot." " You distort what I say." " I don't!" "I got the picture." "Leave me be!" " Sorry." "Did I hurt you?" " Yes." " You hurt me too." " I'm glad." "We gonna part stupidly like this?" "Yes, stupidly." "Your stupidity saves you." "I refuse to take you seriously." "Boys are so dumb!" "They're so dumb!" "Even the dumbest girls don't sink that low." "You're right." "I'm a jerk." "What I said wasn't what I meant." " Just the opposite." "I..." " Shut up!" "Don't make things worse." "What I meant to say was..." "I'll never betray Lena unless she betrays me." "You're funny." "Always justifying yourself." "Look, I never asked Soléne to go to Ouessant." "It just came up in conversation." "I wouldn't ask two girls to go." "Two?" "Three." "You forgot me." " That was a joke." " Really?" "Serious with the others, but a joke with me!" "Friendship's a gag, but trifles are serious!" " You're committed." " How do you know?" "I can be replaced at the restaurant." "Okay, let's go." "You'd die if I said yes." "No, because I've got myself into a bind." "I won't get you out of it." "Shall we make peace?" "Sorry." "My reactions are unpredictable." "Don't judge me by them." "You can be as irked by a friend as by a lover." "I had the wrong image of you." "Takes getting used to." "I disappoint you?" "On the contrary." "You're not as dumb as you look." " Girls like you." " Not the one I want." "You really want her?" "You're right..." "I'm not sure." "I'll wait and see." " You have to choose." " I doubt that." "It would serve you right if you had to choose." "I bet I won't have to." "They'll both dump me." "Why this lack of confidence?" "You don't believe any of this." "Sometimes I'd like to bite you!" " Go ahead." " What would your girlfriends say?" "That leaves no trace... but it's to be applied sparingly." "TUESDAY, AUGUST 1" "Gaspard?" "It's Margot." "Hi." "How are you?" " Did I wake you?" " No." "I can't come this afternoon." "I must go to St. Malo with my aunt." "See you tomorrow, okay?" " I'd given you up." "When'd you arrive?" " Just now." "I tried to call you." "Did you get my letter?" "Not till I got back." "I wondered if you were still here." "You could've left an address." "You're right." "I didn't." "Anyway, I wasn't here." "We found each other without effort." "That's better." "You're tanned and handsome." "Just right." " What are you up to now?" " I was just passing by." " Looking for me, I hope?" " No, I didn't expect you." "Well, here I am." "Do you mind?" "Did you have other plans?" "Come." "My cousins are on the beach." "You do pretty well." "I'm glad to see you." "Believe it or not, I've thought a lot about you lately." "You're not easily forgotten." "In fact, you're better at a distance than up close." "Then I'll leave." "You've vain." "It was a compliment." "You hold up at a distance, like a good painting." "I'd gotten it." "Some guys just collapse... like the people I've met lately." "What people?" "My sister's boyfriend, for one." "He's not really nasty, but what a pest!" "The kind who's always arguing." "You say white, he says black." "How can my sister stand him?" "When I'm there, I take the heat." "You can give as good as you get." "And how!" "At first I enjoyed the game." "Game, hell!" "He has no sense of humor." "Two weeks of that is exhausting." "I'm amazed I didn't fry my brain." "Two weeks?" "I left them after two weeks." "They went on to Italy." "But you didn't come home?" "I needed a change of scenery." "So I went to see friends..." "I'd vaguely promised to visit." "Who?" "You don't know them." " Where?" " Above the Riviera." "With your "ex" of two years ago?" "Not with him." "With friends of his." "He's not there this year." "Don't worry." "He and I are through." " You could've written." " I didn't think I'd stay." "And you're so jealous, always imagining things." "Did you have fun there?" "Not much." "They were all over me." "It's no fun having three or four guys after you." "Three or four?" "At least three." "The fourth wasn't bad, but..." "Some days I'd like to be stupid and ugly." "I only meet guys who want to paw me." "Never anyone I can just talk to." "I think it's a shame... that nine times out of ten, when a guy talks to a girl... he's got another thought in mind." " What thought?" " An ulterior motive." "Don't play dumb." "You understood." "No harm in thoughts." "Cynicism doesn't suit you." "Cynical?" "Why?" "Yes, cynical, like the others." "Whereas you can usually be talked to." "And the others?" "I seldom meet a boy whose conversation is anything... but a bid to puff himself up... to strut like a rooster." "Those three down there were unbelievable." "You took them down a peg?" "Of course... but being on the defensive is tiring." "Another thing... and not just because of them..." "I came to hate the south." "I wanted coolness... mist... wet sand." "A sea without tides is dreary." " When do we go to Ouessant?" " Whenever." "Tomorrow?" "You kidding?" "I just got here!" "After Monday it'll be too late." "Know what I found down south?" "There were lots of old books in my bedroom." "Jules Verne, adventure stories." "I found a story set on Ouessant... told by the nephew of a salvager." ""The Secret of the Seas." In paperback." " You know it?" " You bet!" "It was my bedside book." "I know it by heart." "I can describe the characters." "Old Mengham, with his derby hat." "Captain Prigent, the godfather." "Carsen, Le Louarn, Marie Naour." "It's no kid's book." "It won a major prize." "Not the book, the author..." "André Savignon... for "Daughters of the Rain."" "It takes place on Ouessant, but it's too sad for kids." "On the life of the islanders." "I'll lend it to you." "Good!" "We must go there!" "I'll be gone for months Leaving Margot" "Raise the sail, Santiano I was sad My spirits were low" "Leaving the harbor of St. Malo" " What's that song?" " "Santiano." You don't know it?" "Sure I do." "Very timely!" "In the mist you can see St. Malo." "There!" "You said you'd write me a sea chanty." "It's not quite ready." "Hurry up and finish it before I leave." "You work in... business." " You're at a business college?" " Yes, I'm in business." "I worked for a French company in New York... in plastics." "I dabbled in music but gave that up." " It wasn't really my thing." " But you did some nice stuff." "I wasn't a pro." "I couldn't live off it." "You aren't making it your life?" "Yes, I am." "It can be my life without becoming... a commercial product." "You can live off it and stay outside the system?" "I'm going to bed." "I'm tired." " Already?" " Yeah." "I'm bushed." "See you tomorrow?" "Let's meet at "La Potiniére," behind the big hotels." " What time?" " 2:00 p.m. Okay?" " What are you doing, Gaspard?" " Guess I'll go home." "Come with us to "The Hut."" "I have to be up early." " That's too bad." " Thanks anyway." "See you soon. 'Night." "So, what's next?" "We go for a drink." "WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 2" " I tried to call you." " I was asleep." "This time I can't make it." "Lena!" "See, you were wrong to despair." "What about Soléne?" "No problem." "Good thing I didn't really commit to her." "She's delightful, lovely... but Lena is one and only." "She's my ideal... even is she isn't the ideal woman." "She's my kind of woman." "I feel it so strongly that I can't explain it." "I've never seen you so elated!" "Meeting Soléne made me realize... how much I cared about Lena." " And it gave me confidence." " Really?" "You're very clever." "I'm so happy for you." "That's why I'm telling you." "I know it won't upset you as before." "What upset me?" "Nothing." "Forget I mentioned it." "I have to go." "To all your loves!" "Hi." "Is Lena there?" "Sorry. I couldn't reach you." "Our plans got changed." "I'm at their mercy." "I don't have a car." "But I'll come tomorrow." "THURSDAY, AUGUST 3" "Sorry about yesterday." "How could I reach you?" "You're never home and I'm out a lot." "And my cousins hog the phone." "I told you:" "I'm not free." "I have commitments." "Cedric and Thomas make plans." "As their guest, I have to go along." "Usually it's fun too." "Tomorrow we go to Jersey... to meet an English friend for a golf match." " You play golf?" " No." "Well, a bit, and I'd like to learn." "Sunday there's a garden party." "When are you back?" "Monday or maybe Tuesday." "And our trip?" " We'll go later in the week." " We can't!" "Wednesday's too late!" "Next Monday I start work." "I'm due in Nantes Saturday to get the key to my room." "And all my stuff is in Rennes." "You've got three days." "That's enough." "And we won't find a room in August." "We'll go for the day." "I just want to see the island, not spend the night." "That's not what you said." "I said nothing." "I hate being rushed." "Get back by Sunday." "Impossible." "If you really wanted to..." "It's not up to me." "Don't look so dismayed." "Three days is more than enough!" "I told you:" "I hate rushing things." "For someone who wants to be different... you have no spirit of adventure." "I don't like your cautious, bureaucratic side..." "Bureaucratic?" "Now I've heard everything!" "A journey must be prepared." "Are seafarers bureaucratic?" "You're not a seafarer." "Just a common tourist." "I'll live with it." "We could have found a room." "And I have a tent." "I don't want to spend the night there!" "You don't want to spend time with me." "You said part of the vacation was for us." "I haven't seen you." "I told you:" "I have to spend time with my cousins." "They say I'm with you a lot." "No, They have their girlfriends and understand you have a guy." "They can't understand why that guy is you." "So what?" "So nothing." "I told you what they think." "They can't see what I see in you." "They feel that... you don't make the grade." "And that our trip isn't so innocent." "What matters, their opinion or yours?" "The point is, they think I'm your girlfriend." "If so... and I don't want to be mean..." "I don't think you make the grade either." "So what?" "So nothing." "But it puts me in a spot." "If you cared for me a bit, you'd understand." "I wish you'd just act like a friend." "You know you're more than that." "Maybe." "But it's a shame." "It was so nice the other day." "You regret it?" "You make me regret it." "To say the least!" "I just want to hold your hand." " Then your arm or your shoulder." " I said no!" "Let go!" "Just your hand." "I'm not doing anything." "Why?" "Because!" "I don't have to explain." "Why do we have to do what you want, not what I want?" "I say the same thing to other guys." "I'm so much better than all the guys who buzz around me." "Why should I do what they want?" "Why should they impose their will on me?" "I don't want to give anybody... anybody!" "... the slightest portion of my freedom!" "Or only to the man I love... when I meet him." "I thought I loved two boys." "It was a mistake." "I won't make a third mistake." "Just leave me alone!" "Leave me alone!" "Go home!" "One more step and you'll never see me again." "FRIDAY, AUGUST 4" "You said we'd never meet again:" "I'm free as a bird." "Lena gets back tomorrow." "Maybe not until Monday." " What about your trip?" " To Ouessant?" "There's a snag." "We parted on bad terms yesterday." "That's her:" "One day's all white, the next all black." "Tuesday was our whitest day, yesterday our blackest." "At any rate, it was very gray." " So you're not going?" " Just for the day, which makes no sense." "If she doesn't back out." " Go with Soléne." " No way!" "Why not, if Lena drops you?" "I promised Lena and it seemed to matter to her." " You said if she doesn't show up..." " But she did." "And it made you mad..." "rightly so." "Aren't you meeting Soléne tomorrow?" " Yes, at 10:00 a.m." " Will you go?" "Sure, to explain and verify." " To verify what?" " The difference." "It'll make me love Lena again." " The opposite may happen." " Then I no longer love Lena." "Which may be true." " So you'll go with Soléne?" " Not to Ouessant." "Even if you drop Lena?" "If I go, it'll be with you." " That's no solace to her." " Yes, it is!" "Sure, because I don't count." "Why are you so mad at her?" " Two days ago you idolized her." " No reason." "But she's right." "I don't stand a chance with her." "She'd told me before." "Now I believe her." " And as a friend?" " I much prefer you." "Why did she show up so late?" "I don't know." "She was with some guys." " Lovers?" " Not even." "I hope not." "I don't question her." " Does she question you?" " No." "She's too involved with herself." " You told her about Soléne?" " Lena?" "You crazy?" "So you hide things too." "I wish I could be frank with her." "But she overreacts." "I didn't want to spoil our first idyllic day... or make our second one even stormier." " And I hate lying." " Nonsense." "All the more reason to tell her." "If it doesn't come up, I don't have to lie." "How can I tell her the truth if I don't know it myself?" "Does Soléne appeal to me or not?" "Either way, I'd be exaggerating." "Did you tell her about me?" "Of course not." "Yet you had nothing to hide." " You know how you feel about me." " Sure." "We had other things to discuss." "More important that the little waitress!" "Don't talk like that." "Okay." "Mentioning other girls might intrigue her." "I want her to become interested in me by herself." "Anyway, that's not my problem." "It's not "Does she love me?" It's "Do I love her?"" "Our happiness Tuesday was too good to be true." "It wasn't real." "I wasn't myself." "You'll like this:" "I'm only myself with you." "I'm not myself with Soléne." "It's like a journey, being in a story." "Trying to be someone who isn't me." "And with Lena?" "I also play a character I invented for her... to cope with her scorn." "I have to." "She sees me her way, forcing me out of myself." "You change with me too." "I can't make up my mind about you." "First I saw you as lovesick... then as a clumsy Romeo... then as craftier than you seemed... then as quite naughty... then as basically decent but still a bit crafty." "Not far off." "So you're not comfortable with me?" "Sure I am." " You're yourself?" " Yes." "That's not surprising." "It's easier with a friend than a lover:" "You don't have to pretend." "Maybe Ouessant isn't a good place for a romantic escapade." "That's what I think." " Then you come with me." " That again!" "What about my job?" "You said you could get time off." "Maybe." "But you asked the other girls." "They didn't turn you down." "I'm turning them down." "I've picked you." "I'll give them all up for you." "Don't give up anything for me!" "Actually, I'm not." "They'll both back out." "You resent being a substitute?" "No, I'm above all that." "You see..." "I want to go to Ouessant." "I'd like to take a few days off, get some fresh air... get away from the restaurant." "Spend a few whole days with you, even if it's risky." "But I'd just be a stopgap... and I don't want to be." "We'll go later... after things don't work out." "Winter is the best season." "What's wrong?" "You're crying?" "No." "Laughing." "Why?" "Your predicament makes me laugh." "You're like a bum who wakes up a millionaire." "Are three girls at a time too many?" "SATURDAY, AUGUST 5" "I warn you, I don't have a car." "Mine's on the blink." "We'll go by train." "Costs about $40 each." "We'll split it, okay?" "There's a snag about Ouessant." "About Ouessant?" "I'd promised to take someone else." "Who?" "Your girlfriend?" "Why not say so?" "So go with her!" "I'll leave." "Good-bye!" "No, I'm not going with her." "We just about broke up." " She's back?" " Yes, and things are lousy." "So?" "Where's the problem?" " I said I'd take her." " You said you'd take me." "But she was first." "I should have told you." "But aren't you two through?" "That's why I hate to play dirty with her." "What's dirty about it?" "If you ditch her, you're free of her." "Let's go somewhere else." " Won't change a thing." " To Guernsey or Sercq." "I know all the islands." "We said Ouessant." "Why change?" "There's no point." "Unless you're hoping to patch things up with her." "Then don't count on me." "I'm very exacting... about some things." "I commit all the way, and I expect the same." "I hate double-dealers." "Men are so low." "They don't take risks." "They never ditch a girl until they've snared another." "You told me you had two guys." "I said I was dumping two." "That's not the same thing." "One was my real boyfriend." "The other... was a possible replacement." "You see..." "I wasn't afraid of dumping both." "Now I have no one but you." " I have no one either." " Liar!" "She's here." "Is she staying with you?" "I told you there's nothing between us." "She's staying with her cousins." "Is she a slender girl with straight blonde hair?" "Are her cousins called Cedric and..." "Thomas." "You like that girl?" "Surprised?" "Nothing surprises me." "So go with her." "I don't want to, even if she does." "It's a matter of principle." "Like you, I also have principles." "Weird principles!" "I could go to Ouessant with a male or female friend." "But not with you." "I'd rather go somewhere else." "I don't see the difference." "I also asked another girl to go." "Margot... she's just a friend." "You don't waste any time!" "Now I'm in third place!" "I though you were naive." " So say I'm cynical!" " Cynical?" "Not you!" "No one could say you were that." "But you have a twisted mind." "If you took Margot, I'd understand." "Friendship's serious." "Maybe more than love." "Enough said." "Answer me:" "Are we going or not?" "You won't go somewhere else?" "You're so stubborn!" "Want to go or not?" " To Ouessant?" " Yes, since you insist." " No regrets?" " I may seem indecisive, but I'm not." "My problem has been solved." "So let's go." " Tomorrow morning?" " No." "I've got things to do here and in St. Malo." " Let's say Monday." " No later." "I can only stay till Friday." "That'll be fine." "We'll catch the train at Lamballe." "Tuesday we board the ferry even if it's stormy." "We're both good sailors." "I'm a pirate's daughter" "They call me the buccaneer lass I'm a girl from Ouessant" "People stop and stare at me" "I have to go." "I promised some people I'd stop by." "I'm going to a party tonight, but I can't take you." "I'll sleep till noon, so I'll phone you... at 2:30 p.m. sharp." " If you're at home." " I'll be there." "SUNDAY, AUGUST 6" " You're there?" " Of course." " Is this Lena?" " Who else could it be?" "No." "Aren't you in Jersey?" "Yes, but I'm catching the boat in an hour." "You're right." "Let's go to Ouessant tomorrow." "You said you didn't want to go." "What?" "I want to more than ever!" " Can you hear me?" " Yes." "So..." "Hope I'm forgiven for the other day." "I was in a foul mood." "I swear it.:" "Now I'll be an angel." " You don't believe me?" " Yes, I do." "I want to see you." "Let's have dinner." "I'm all out of coins." " Can you hear me?" " Yes, but..." "See you at "La Potiniére" at 8.:30." " Yes, it's me." " l'm me too." "I just called." "Your line was busy." "Your visits go okay?" "Yes, but they're not over." "Tonight I have to go to a party." "Come with me." " In Dinard?" " No, St. Malo." "We can sleep at my uncle's." "Take your things." "Meet you there at 8.:00 p.m." "I'm coming!" "I have to run." "Big hug!" "Hi." "Is Margot there?" "She's in the kitchen." "Don't disturb her." "Ask her to call Gaspard as soon as she can." " Sure." " Thank you." "Hi, Gaspard. lt's Thierry." "I've finally got something for you." "That eight-track tape recorder I told you about." "The guy's willing to sell." "It's a steal." "$600 now, and the rest in six months." "That's great!" "My savings, plus next month's pay." "I can do it." "I can just make it." "But we have to move fast." "Be in La Rochelle tomorrow morning." "Tomorrow morning?" "Okay, I'll be there." "In fact, it's great timing." "I'll leave now." "Thanks." "Hi, Gaspard." "It's Margot." "What's wrong?" "Now or then?" "Big difference!" "Now I'm happy." "Then I was sad." "Suddenly, my whole life changed." "I'll explain." "I'm on the 5:00 boat." "Meet me at the pier?" "I gave in to Soléne... because I felt Lena would ditch me in the end." "But she came back just for me." "I was ashamed." "Serves you right." "You had two irons in the fire." "Three!" "Now I count too?" "Deciding on the phone is tough." "Leaving without a word?" " I'll write them." " To say what?" "The truth." "I found an eight-track recorder." "My music comes first." "They're nice girls." "They'll understand." "Without the music, what would you have done?" "I have no idea." "I've never been in a spot like that." "Things always worked themselves out." "They have again." "Now you and I can go to Ouessant whenever you want." "That's no longer possible." "My boyfriend wrote." "He'll be back in September." "So I'll go with him." "He wanted to go there too." "I'm so sorry." "I told you:" "Nothing ever happens to me." "Not even an innocent outing with a girl." "It's my fate." "You had it coming to you." " No." " Yes." "Think about it." "Time to go." "I'm in Rennes now and then." "We can meet." "Best of luck!" "I won't forget our walks." "Me neither." "I'll be gone for months I'm leaving Margot" "Raise the sail, Santiano I was sad My spirits were low" "Leaving the harbor of St. Malo I was sad My spirits were low" "Leaving the harbor of St. Malo"