"JACQUES BREL HIGH SCHOOL" "TALES OF FOUR SEASONS" "A TALE OF SPRINGTIME" "KANT" " CRITIQUE OF PURE REASON" "Sorry!" "I'll be right back." "Hello, I'm Gildas, Gaelle's boyfriend." "Excuse me, I thought you were her." "No, I'm sorry." "It's my fault." "I thought she'd left." "I should've knocked." "She stayed to see me." "I thought you knew." "I did, I wanted to drop off some things." "I'm just leaving." "Please." "It is your house." "Did Gaelle finish her training?" "Yes, she's leaving Sunday." "I came to see her." "I'm doing my military service nearby." "I understand." " Jeanne!" " Gaelle!" "How nice to see you!" "How are you?" "Fine." "I've been trying to call you." "I wanted to ask if I could stay two more days, until Sunday night." "Or Monday morning, because..." "It's no problem." "How was your training?" "Fine, thank you." "As I expected." "You expected it to go badly!" "It was better than I expected." "It's fine, even if I wasn't selected." "There was a selection?" "They only admit the ten best to the second level." "I never counted on it, anyway..." "Tell me, when can I come and see you?" "See me?" "You're seeing me now!" "To thank you." "Are you home tomorrow or Sunday?" "I don't think so." "Don't worry about it." "You've done so much for me!" "We're cousins, it's normal." "I just came by to drop off a few things." "It's spring!" "Today it seems to be here for good!" "Hello?" "Yes?" "Yes." "Jeanne?" "It's for you." "Really?" "Hello?" "Corinne?" "But how did you know I was here?" "A lucky guess?" "A really lucky one, I just stopped in." "I've been here for five minutes, and now I'm leaving." "Congratulations." "I'm so sorry, I can't tonight." "I'd planned..." "Yes, I know." "Listen, I really didn't have anything planned." "All right, I'll come." "In Montmorency?" "I know where it is." "5, Clemenceau Avenue, fourth floor." "No, I'll remember." "Is there a door code?" "All right." "Take care." "See you later." "Would you like another drink?" "No, thank you." "My name's Natacha." "I'm Jeanne." "I'm a friend of Corinne's." "Corinne?" "Who's she?" "This is her house, I believe." "I don't know anyone." "Me neither, just Corinne." "She's not here." "She went to pick a few people up." " Did you come alone?" " Yes." " From Paris?" " Yes." "When are you going back?" "As late as possible." "Do you want to leave?" "Yes, the person I came with had to leave suddenly." "I'm sure I'll be able to get a ride." "Maybe not right now?" "I'll wait." "I can drive you back now, if you like." "You said you wanted to stay as late as possible." "I could always drive you home and come back later." "When Corinne returns?" "Not even." "I don't especially need to see her." "She has lots of friends here tonight, she'll forgive me." "She's an old friend from college." "We had lost touch." "She invited me out of politeness." "I'm not sure why I came." "Actually, I know very well." "No, I don't." "You know what I mean?" "Perfectly." " And even..." " What?" "You can have a lot of reasons for coming." "Maybe you wanted to see someone besides Corinne who isn't here either, but who might come by later." "That's possible, but that's not it." "The situation isn't much like a novel." "Or maybe more so, because it's totally ridiculous." "If someone was wearing the ring of Gyges" "The ring?" "The ring of Gyges." "Plato wrote about it." "A ring that makes you invisible." "Anyway..." "If someone could've witnessed since earlier this afternoon, everything I've done and said even they wouldn't understand the meaning of the situation." "Assuming there is one." "The only one I see is completely childish." " What is it?" " It doesn't matter." " Tell me anyway." " Really, it's nothing." "It's not because I'm bored." "Even if I'm not doing anything, my thoughts keep me amused." "But tonight, I'm in a childish, impatient mood and I don't feel like doing anything." "Are you waiting for something?" "I'm not waiting for anything or anyone." "Not even Corinne, as I said." "I'm waiting for time to pass, the night to end, the sun to rise." "Do you have insomnia?" "Not at all!" "On the contrary, before speaking with you I was fighting off the urge to sleep." "So sleep." "Where?" "Here?" "No, at home, in Paris." "You've nowhere to sleep?" "Exactly." "Even though I have the keys to two apartments." "The place I wanted to use is occupied by the person I'd lent it to who's staying longer." "I can't kick her out especially since she's with her boyfriend." " And the other?" " It's empty." "But I don't want to use it precisely because it's empty." "But I think I'll go after all." "Are you afraid of being alone?" "That's not it." "The person I usually live with is away on a trip." "When I'm alone, I'd rather be at my place than his." "It's just a whim." "What if you go somewhere that's not his or yours?" "That's what I'm doing." "I'm here." "It's not a place to sleep." "I know of one." "Where?" "At my place, in Paris." "My father is never there, you can use his room." "Please, don't bother." "I don't know why I told you that, it's silly." "It's no bother at all, on the contrary." "Since my father has lent me the apartment I should make full use of it and invite whoever I please." "I don't want to spend one more second in this place." "You don't either, you told me." "Come on, I don't like to beg." "Since my mother left, six years ago Dad doesn't like this apartment." "He only keeps it for me." "My mother lives outside of Paris with my brother." "For many reasons, I don't see her often." "The best one being:" "I want to stay in Paris for school." "I'm at the conservatory, for piano." "Really?" "When my father's not traveling, he stays at his girlfriend's." "He's 40, but he acts like he's 20." "You see, it's no big deal." "Was he the one with you tonight?" "Tonight?" "Do you mind if we go through the kitchen?" "I'm thirsty." " No." " No, it was a friend." "My friend, my boyfriend." "He's almost as old as my father, and my father's girlfriend isn't much older than me." "Does that shock you?" "No, it's a matter of taste." " Is your boyfriend your age?" " We were born a few months apart." "You could say I'm the older one." "Why did your boyfriend leave?" "William?" "He had to work." "He's a journalist." " Do you want some?" " Yes, please." "He was supposed to leave tomorrow, but he called the paper and they said he had to leave tonight, on a specially chartered flight." "He didn't have time to take me home." "What do you do?" "I'm a high-school teacher." " What do you teach?" " Philosophy." "Philosophy!" "I should've guessed." "People generally think the opposite." "It's the way you look." "All teachers aren't necessarily ugly!" "It's more your way of speaking." " Do you think I'm pedantic?" " Not at all." "So how do I speak?" "Very simply but with great ease." "Especially concerning thoughts." "You talk about your thoughts." "I'd say that's what really interests you." "That and other things." "You're right, I think about my thoughts a lot." "Maybe too much." "That has nothing to do with me teaching philosophy." "I don't know." "My father is like that, and he's not a philosopher." "He has a job that's part creative, part administrative at the Ministry for the Arts." "He tends to make generalizations, but you don't." "If I do, I try to hide it." "And you?" "My thoughts are more like daydreams." "I don't like general ideas." "But I'm okay in philosophy, I passed with an "A"." "An "A"?" "That's great." "It's nice." "We're lucky, we've two bedrooms on the courtyard." "The problem at my boyfriend's is the room faces the street." "It's very noisy." " Did you install double-glazing?" " No." "Give me your bag." " Do you want a drink?" " Yes, please." "What are those things?" "Things?" "That's a good name for them." "If you knew how I curse them..." "They were the start of the quarrel between Mom and Dad." "I'm exaggerating, but not much." "A young architect who Mom admired I suppose she did more than admire him but that's none of my business convinced her to redo the kitchen which, at the time, wasn't practical and ruined the apartment." "He had an incredibly stupid idea as architects sometimes do which was to delimit a space, forcing people to step around it to protect the dining area." "You understand?" "My father let himself be persuaded, but the funny thing is once it was finished, it was my mother who was the most disappointed." "She quarreled with the architect and left us." "That's the way I saw it." "I was 12 years old." "Actually, things had been difficult between her and my father for years." "My father, who's full of contradictions, was for it at first." "They've caused so many problems, you could've removed them!" "That's just it!" "The horrible thing is:" "They are attached to the cement floor with steel bars." "We'd have to use a jackhammer and we'd risk breaking through the ceiling downstairs." "I've gotten used to them." "I'm not totally against them." "They are a bit bizarre." "And I don't believe in delimiting space." "But they can be used for other things." "For example, to lean on when talking." "For example." "Come on, I'll show you your room." "It's nice that they kept the original doors." "Aren't they beautiful?" "Here it is!" "This is your father's room." "He might be annoyed." "I already told you, he's never here." "I'll get you some sheets." "We'll put them on later." " Do you want to see my room?" " Yes." "You can put your things in here." "I'll make some room." "This has always been my room." "I still have my toys." "My brother's room is off the living room but it's not fit for use." "We use it for storage." "You'll be more comfortable in my father's." "I like it here, I don't want to leave." "I know I'll have to someday." "But there are things I'll never get rid of." "Look at this." "It's empty now but it's one of the first gifts I ever received." " Is that you?" " No." "It's antique." "Is it your mother?" "No." "Your grandmother?" "No." "It's my grandfather!" "That's my grandfather, too, when he's older." "This is my grandmother." "What does your father do, exactly?" "Exactly?" "It's a bit wordy: he's a rapporteur for a commission that allocates grants to young artists." "Is it interesting?" "Yes and no." "The work is too administrative for his taste." "I don't think he's made to be a bureaucrat." "His dream was to be an art critic." "But the two aren't incompatible, right?" "Right." "He says he's writing a book but he constantly changes the focus, and it never amounts to anything." "In my opinion, women have been a bad influence on him." "Women?" "First, his wife." "My mother." "She wasn't interested in art?" "On the contrary." "But in her own way." "She'd have liked him to be an artist a creator, which he isn't." "He is too critical with himself and admires others too much." "Does he paint?" "Not at all." "Ideally, she would've wanted him to be a painter or an architect or a musician or a writer, because that's where his talent lies." "He writes well." "Sometimes really well." "But it's extremely difficult for him." "It annoyed my mother to see him rewrite the same page, it discouraged him." "And the others?" "The other women?" "Now there's Eve, his girlfriend." "She's different." "She's a bit of a vampire." "She steals his ideas." "She wrote an article for a small magazine." "She's fairly talented." "In any case, writing is easy for her." "It's not personal at all, very journalistic." "Doesn't that stimulate your father?" "You don't know him!" "It kills his inspiration instantly." "Recently, he's given up." "There's his manuscript." "He hasn't touched it." "It's very sad." "In any case, that girl is a bad influence on him, on every level." "My only hope is that it doesn't last." "He thinks he's in love, but he's fooling himself." "Do you think she loves him?" "Her?" "No." "I'd say she doesn't." "She likes him." "He's 40, in his prime." "He's given her so much more than she's given him." "She's given him nothing." "What's worse, what she gives him is bad." "She's such a nasty person." "God knows I've tried, but I've never been able to agree with her about anything." "You'd think she was jealous." "Jealous of me, jealous of my father and me." "It's absurd." " Do you play piano?" " Not at all." "I'm not very good with my hands." "Songs of the Dawn, that's wonderful!" "You know it?" "Yes." "It's Schumann's most beautiful piece." "Want to hear it?" "Maybe it's a little late..." "I think it's rather nocturnal, despite the title." "If you're worried about the neighbors, don't be." "A pianist lives upstairs, he'll understand." "Downstairs, it's offices." " Do you have classes tomorrow?" " Not on Saturday." "I do, usually." "I get up at 8:00." "I'll try not to make any noise." "Sleep as late as you like, I'll be back at noon." "In any case, I never sleep very late." "I'm warning you, I've just started working on this piece." "Natacha?" "It's me!" "She's not here, I'm a friend." "Sorry!" "May I go in the bedroom?" "Just a second, please." "I'll get my things." "I'm so embarrassed." " Excuse me." " I'm the one who should apologize." " You should've come in." " Take your time." "Come in, it's no problem." "Anyway, I'm done." "As I'm going on a trip I came by to pick up a few things." "I'm Natacha's father." "Yes." "Didn't she tell you I was coming?" "She must've forgotten." " I'm so embarrassed." " No, I am." "Neither of us has to apologize." "The only one to blame is Natacha, and I forgive her." "I've given this apartment to her." "She's at class, I suppose?" "She'll be back around noon." " You'll be here?" " Yes." " Can I leave a message with you?" " Yes." "Tell her I'm going to Rome, I'll be back Wednesday." "I'll come by Thursday at 7:00 p. m." "to drop off the suitcase." "Thanks, good-bye." "Good-bye." "Don't get up." "Flowers!" "That's so nice!" "They're beautiful!" "The flowers are really beautiful this time of year." "Thank you!" "Thanks for putting them in my room." "I'm so touched." "No one's bought me flowers in a long time." "Did I wake you this morning?" " No, I slept till 9:00." " That's all?" "It's a good thing, your father came." "To pick up his suits." "I should've told you, but I completely forgot." "Were you up?" "Barely, I was in the shower." "You didn't see him?" "Yes, because I had the silly notion to rush into the room to get my things." "Naked?" "Almost!" "In just a towel." "Who knows what he thought..." "At the time, I didn't look at him." "I don't think he looked at me." "So you almost didn't see each other?" "I did when he left." "I was dressed." "That reminds me, he gave me a message for you." "He's going to Rome, he'll come Thursday at 7:00 p. m to drop off his suitcase." "I suppose he was very, very nice?" "More than you would imagine." "He kept apologizing, which made me more embarrassed." "I felt very awkward." "I felt like I was intruding." "But I invited you!" "That's what he said, but I realized I was kicking him out of his own room." "He doesn't live here!" "It's still his room." "It doesn't seem neglected." "It's in order, as though he lived there." "I'm aware of the way people organize their things since I'm incredibly fussy about it." "For example, earlier, I sat here to correct papers because I didn't want to move even an inch, the papers and books on his desk." "It's best not to touch his work." "But for the rest, it doesn't matter." "I'll say it again:" "Stay as long as you like." "That's nice." "Just tonight and tomorrow." "Monday, I get my apartment back." "Okay." "Not only is it no bother, but I'd be glad if you stayed." "I'd really feel as if this was my home." "It's not easy to understand, but I'll explain." "What are you doing this afternoon?" "I usually do some shopping." "It's not very urgent." "If you don't mind, I'd rather stay here and read." "How about a trip to the country?" "I can drive you." "We have a house by Fontainebleau where we hardly ever go for different reasons, each one stupider than the next." "I'd like to enjoy it before it's sold." "The cherry trees should be in bloom." "It's beautiful." "Let's go!" "At the Seine, turn left." "You could wait for me!" "Hurry up, then!" "It's so beautiful!" "It doesn't seem abandoned to me." "My father took good care of it last year." "I'm afraid that this year he may not." "It's silly, I'm afraid I'll crush the flowers." "You'll get your feet wet!" "Wait, I'll lend you a pair of boots." "Don't mind the wallpaper." "My mother put it up." "I don't like it but we haven't had time to redo it." "I don't hate it, I like the colors." "This is your room." "The stone walls are so pretty." "Yes, and they help make privacy." "Come see my room!" "I thought primroses blossomed later." "It's the season, but the violets are already done." " Really?" " Yes." "It's charming now." "The grass is short but if we don't take care of it, by June it's a jungle." "The trellis needs to be painted, it's starting to rust." "This is my favorite part of the garden." "My mother didn't like it." "She wanted to cut down the trees." "Why do you laugh?" "I've noticed you almost never talk about your mother." "When you do, it's to criticize her." "I criticize her the way she criticized me." "There was no pleasing her." "Now it's over." "We live far apart and she tends to leave me alone." "Do you think I'm being mean?" "No." "I do respect her." "I know if she criticized me it's because she had high hopes for me too high, and I had a lot to live up to." "You seem to be doing very well." "Yes, since I graduated and began at the conservatory." "The separation has helped." "You still criticize her." "Out of habit." "But I shouldn't." "Each time you catch me criticizing her, give me a penalty." "What kind of penalty?" " You decide." " Really?" "Do you still see each other sometimes?" "Rarely, but with regularity." "I spend a couple of weeks during summer vacation in her house on the Atlantic coast." "I love the ocean." "I need to see it at least once a year." " Seen the Dune of Pilat?" " I've never been there." "It's one of the most beautiful sights the ocean on one side, the forest on the other." "Near here, there's a view of the forest that's extraordinary, too." "We can go tomorrow, even if it rains like today." "This is a workout!" "Almost there!" "My Amazon is covered in fog!" "You can't see anything!" "Stop shaking the flowers, you'll knock them off." "Come over here, I don't want to get insecticide on you." "I think we did enough for today." "We'll paint the trellis next time." " Are you free next Sunday?" " Yes, Mathieu won't be back yet." " If he is, he can come." " No, he won't be there." "He can come another time." "He's a decent handyman." "That'll show Dad!" "We'll show him that we can get along without him." "Are you sure he won't come?" "The way he's been traveling when he's back, all he wants to do is see his sweetheart." " But he could bring her." " No." "She doesn't really want to." "She gets bored here." "Mostly, I don't want her here." "You don't have to be here." "The idea that she could be here, with or without me, makes me sick." " It's like a desecration." " Aren't you overreacting?" "To think of her walking where I walked as a child of her smelling the same flowers, sitting in the same chair where my mother, yes, my mother, held me on her lap..." "I hope you're joking!" "It's illogical, but sometimes I think of my mother with nostalgia." "You forbid your father to live with a woman, and you say you love him?" "Any other woman, no!" "With you, for example, I wouldn't mind at all!" "I'd be delighted." "Too bad that won't happen." "You didn't tell me what you thought of him." "Yes, I did: extremely polite." "To the point of being embarrassing." "And physically?" "You seem to be blind to his charms." "Maybe less than you think." "I mean, I can see why young girls like him." "He's not 20 anymore, but there's something youthful about him." "And he has nice eyes." "Too bad I don't take after him." "I've eyes like my mother's." " Penalty!" " Penalty!" "Tell me what I have to do." "Nothing, it was just a joke." "I'm not joking." "You decide." "Okay." "I'll tell you a story." " Is it a fairy tale?" " No." "Though, if someone had the ring of..." " Gyges." " ..." "Gyges they might've solved the mystery." "It's a mystery?" "If you like." "Let's call it "The Necklace Mystery. "" "It's a true story." "If I tell you, it's because I've decided to let everyone know." "No murders were committed, the police weren't involved, but a theft did occur." "The necklace was stolen?" "Whose was it?" "It was mine." "Who do you suspect?" " Well..." " Eve?" "Yes." "What does your father think?" "I don't think my father believes her completely." "That's what's serious." "It proves he'll defend her in spite of everything." "Do you have proof?" "I'll tell you the story." "You'll decide if I'm crazy." "Among the jewels my father inherited from his mother was a necklace which he planned to give me on my 18th birthday, March 22." "He didn't tell me." "It was to be a surprise." "But Eve was in on the secret." "The day before my birthday, the necklace disappeared." "A short time before, he was going to a party with Eve he lent it to her, without my knowledge, obviously." "She didn't return it right away." "She kept it for a while, and, what is worse, wore it." "One day, either unconsciously or as an insult she came, when I was there, wearing the necklace." "I thought my father had given it to her." "I was furious." "Not because I wanted it I didn't know what my father had planned but because it was a family jewel and personally, I feel that Eve isn't part of the family." "The day before my birthday Dad asked me if I'd seen the necklace." "He looked upset." ""The last time I saw it, Eve was wearing it." ""I thought you gave it to her. "" "He answered, "I'd never do that." ""I just lent it to her." "I wanted to give it to you." ""She gave it to me one morning." ""I put it in my pocket to bring home." ""I know I had it when I came in, then I can't remember. "" "According to him, it was in the pocket of his trousers where he keeps his keys." "When he took out his keys he felt it in his pocket and thought the first thing he'd do was put it back in the jewelry box." "The telephone rang, he went to answer he forgot about the necklace and changed his suit." "If the necklace was in his pocket, it could've fallen out." "That's what seems obvious." "The problem is, it wasn't on the floor of the closet." "Or anywhere else." "Not in the closet, not in the bedroom, nor anywhere else." "Are you sure your father's telling the truth?" "How sure can we be of anything?" "Why would he make up such a complicated story and say he wanted to give it to me when he wanted to give it to her?" "There's a better explanation." "When I came home, a few days earlier I found Eve making my father try on his old suits." "He tends to accumulate things and she helps him sort them out." "One of her rare good points." "It's quite possible that she, when rifling through the closet found the necklace, either on the floor or in the pocket and stole it." "When we get back, I'll show you." "It was a pair of trousers like this." "With flat pockets, it could've easily fallen out." "We can try with my necklace." "Let's see." "So, he folded the trousers to hang them up..." " There." " It would've made noise." "I forgot to tell you, I was there." "There?" "Where?" "When?" "The living room, when Dad came in." "I was playing piano, it must've drowned out the noise." "I answered the phone, just as he opened the door." "It was Eve, calling to remind him of something." "They spoke briefly, and I started playing again." "Do you really want to leave tomorrow?" "I've no reason to stay, my cousin is leaving." "There is one reason:" "I'd like it." "We had two wonderful days." "We can do it next Saturday, if you like." "And until then?" "Until then, you're free at night, and so am I." "Monday, I'll take you to dinner." "I'd rather eat at your place." "Another time, when I've had time to clean up." "Okay." " Good night, then." " Good night." " Sleep tight." " You, too." "Jeanne, is that you?" " Yes." " Wait, I'm coming!" "I'm waiting." "I've been trying to reach you for the last two days." "Were you out of town?" "I went to the country." "You're here, that's the important thing." " Guess what?" " I don't know." "I was selected after all." "Congratulations!" "I found out just after you left." "I hadn't waited for the results." "A friend called to tell me my name was on the list." "I have to stay another week." "You don't mind?" " Not at all." " I can go to a hotel." "Are you crazy?" "It's no problem." "I told you, I hardly live here." "I just came to pick up some books." "I feel really bad about it." "It's so nice of you." "Gildas will pick me up Saturday." "We're leaving Sunday." "Would you like to come to dinner with us Saturday night?" "I don't know if I'll be free." "Say yes, we really want you to come." "I'll call you." "You'll be here?" "I'll be here every night between 6:30 and 7:30." "Great." "Don't bother trying to call me, I won't be there very often." "Who's there?" "Guess what happened?" "Your cousin is still there?" " Exactly." " No!" "I'm so glad!" "Now you can't escape!" "Her class's been extended so I thought I'd make you happy, her happy..." " And you, too, I hope?" " And me." "The only problem is I didn't dare tell her I wasn't at Mathieu's." "Because then she'd feel obliged to go to a hotel." "I don't want her to know all my secrets." "Maybe I'm wrong, but she's a bright girl and as she's a bit nosy, I'm almost positive she already suspects us of running away." "She wouldn't be wrong." "I am running away." "Really?" "What do you think?" "Don't you think it's strange that I don't want to stay at my boyfriend's?" "I never really thought about it." "Is he really on a trip?" "Yes, I didn't lie." "You said you didn't want to be alone in a place that wasn't your home." "From what I know of you, it seems normal." "Not only is it not my home I hate it." "At times, it's the place I hate most in the world." "I want to destroy it, to blow it up." "I feel like an arsonist." "I seem like a calm person, but sometimes I have violent thoughts." "It scares me." "When I associate Mathieu with his territory I hate him more than anyone in the world." "It's awful, isn't it?" "It's a very serious thing." "Especially for you, so sensitive about space." "Not always." "But when you love someone you should allow them a private space of their own." "This is the workplace." "For most couples, work is immediately a separate domain." "But as we both work at home fairly often..." "There's a simple solution:" "get a larger apartment." "We will, but not right away." "Last year, I earned my teaching degree." "This year, I'm working here before getting tenure." "I asked to be placed in the same town as him or at least close by." "Mathieu is a researcher with the NSF and next year, he'll work as a research assistant in Grenoble." "The only thing left to do is marry." " For real?" " For real." "Don't you believe me?" "Yes, if you say so." "You don't seem too happy about it." "On the contrary!" "What bothers me is being married without being married." "It used to be called "unclean living. "" "That's a great term for it." "I have plans tomorrow and Wednesday, so you're off the hook." "But Thursday, you must have dinner with us." "Dad will be there." "You have to come." " Hello, Dad." " Hello." " How are you?" " Fine." "Jeanne, this is my father." "We met briefly, but I didn't know your name." "She's here because she lent someone her place and they've taken root." "The way you put things!" "Don't worry, I'm leaving at the end of the week." "You can stay, I'm never here." " Except when you are!" " I'm dropping off my bag!" "You don't need an excuse!" "Will you eat with us?" "I can't tonight." "Perhaps another time." "No, I've got you, and I won't let you leave." "In that case, let me make a phone call." "Too bad if she's not there!" "You're staying!" " I'll go do the shopping." " No, I'm going." "No, I'm going." " I am!" " I am!" "I'll just buy bread!" "I'll be right back." " Knives." " Thanks." " The tomatoes or the salami?" " Whichever." "Have you known each other long?" "No, since Friday night." "We met at a party that I happened to be at." "Natacha was very nice." "I didn't know where to sleep." "You're very kind to lend your apartment!" "While you..." " Were you on a trip?" " Not exactly." "I mostly live at my boyfriend's, but..." "I live almost totally at my girlfriend's." "I've no reason not to stay with her." "Me neither." "But he's away on a trip." "It's a bit hard to explain." "I'm being incredibly fussy." "Fussy?" "What do you mean?" " I'm so clumsy." " Me, too." "Eve?" "Ten minutes ago." "I'm staying for dinner." "I couldn't get in touch with you." "You said you might have plans tonight." "Then come!" "She can say what she wants." "I hope you're over that nonsense." "Besides, she's here with a friend who's very nice." "You don't know her." "Wait." "Natacha?" "Is it Eve?" "Tell her to come." "Come, she invited you herself." "Do you want to talk to her?" "She's in the kitchen." "Come." "It'll be a chance for you to make up." "She made the first move, you can't refuse." "You're not obliged to continue teaching?" "Not after I've fulfilled my five-year engagement." "Actually, I like it." "Wouldn't you rather do as I do?" "Have a more active life?" "Organize conferences work for the press, television, publishing?" "That kind of thing isn't for me." "Maybe it's suited to your personality, but definitely not to mine." "In that sector, we're always dependent on someone or something, even at the highest level, if we make it." "Whereas, in my class, I am the absolute master." "When the students allow it!" "But that's my job." "They listen to you?" "Bravo!" "If they don't listen, it's my fault." "That's not the question." "I believe they listen to you, but how?" "I know what I'm talking about." "I'm working on my master's in Philosophy." "But I keep my philosophy to myself." "I have no desire to share it with people who couldn't care less whether it's mine, Plato's or Spinoza's." "That's where you're wrong." "That's what I thought, but it's false." "My students don't come from an intellectual background." "I teach in a working-class suburb but I claim they are interested in philosophy, even fascinated." "All of them?" "Enough of them." "More, I'm sure than in literature or history." "It seems odd, but for them it's a question of pride:" "It's embarrassing to get a bad grade in Philosophy." " Really?" " Yes." "It's like saying they're unable to think." "We can brag about being bad at math, but not philosophy." "Everyone thinks that their philosophy is better than the others." "They're not mad, it's the teacher that's wrong." "You need to show them that the philosophy you're teaching is capable of broadening their own, and won't replace it." "It's difficult and fascinating work." "That doesn't mean, as you might think amusing them with pop philosophy psychoanalysis, social science, all that stuff." "I plunge them into hard-core philosophy." "As it's not familiar, they're curious." "By "hard-core" philosophy, do you mean metaphysics?" "Not exactly." "Because once again for the "big questions":" "...God, the universe, freedom they have answers." "Naive ones, but answers nonetheless." "It's what I'd call transcendental philosophy." "Transcendental?" "Yes, Kant!" "You make them read Kant?" "I don't refer to authors specifically, at least at the beginning." "I try to make them think about thought itself the act of thinking." "I use the term transcendental in a general sense." "Does that include Husserl's interpretation?" "Of course." "And for you?" " What?" " What does "transcendental" mean?" "What she said, a philosophy placed on the highest peak which surpasses all points of view, transcends them." "That's not it." "You're confusing "transcendental" and "transcendent," like 99%/ of people." "Then there's nothing shameful about it." "That didn't stop me" "From getting an "A", I know." "I only got a "B", myself." "Don't be mad, I just wanted to show Jeanne that that's not what we learn in philosophy class." "I'm not mad, I'm going to get the dish." "Excuse me for having used such jargon." "I could have said it another way." "Words don't matter." "Your students can follow you in that kind of thinking?" "They follow and even lead." "Dad, can you help me?" "Lead?" "For example with five or six students, I started a maieutic dialogue, like in Plato's Theaetus." "Is science perception?" "Do we see through our eyes or with them?" "While I didn't want to get too involved we found ourselves questioning the possibility of synthetic a priori judgments like in the Critique of Pure Reason." "You were saying, your students..." "Question the possibility of synthetic a priori judgments!" "Yes, anyway..." "Do you know what a synthetic a priori judgment is?" "If I knew, I forgot." "And you?" "Yes." "A synthetic a priori judgment is one that, while a priori, is not analytical." "To be more precise, excuse the jargon it's a judgment in which the predicate isn't inherent in the subject." "For example?" "Let's use Kant's example." ""All bodies are extended in space," is an analytical judgment." "But "All bodies are heavy," is a synthetic judgment but a posteriori, because the idea of weight is not contained in the subject idea, but validated by experience." "And "synthetic a priori"?" ""All bodies are... " What example does Kant use?" "Kant's example is: "Everything that happens has a cause. "" "We can also use mathematical propositions." "When I say:" ""A straight line is the shortest path between two points," it doesn't stem from the concept of straightness nor from experience." "Yes, because space is an a priori form of perception." "Bravo!" "You didn't forget a thing!" " You learned that, at least?" " I told you, no." "Maybe it was discussed, but I wasn't there, or I wasn't listening." "That didn't stop me from getting an "A"." "The other day, Jeanne and I went to the country." " It's a marvelous place." " It's in a nice area." "We started working on the garden." "We couldn't paint the trellis because it was raining but I sprayed insecticide everywhere." "Everything was wet, so I don't know if it'll work." "We'll do it again another time." "You sprayed more on me than on the flowers!" "When are you planning on going?" "I need to know, otherwise I'll ask my friends to help." "As soon as possible." "There's no need to bother your friends, unless they'd like to." " Next Saturday?" " Why not?" "Okay with you?" "I can't, I have an article to finish." " You can finish it there." " That'll be hard." "Go without me." "Will you be coming, Natacha?" "I thought so, but I made other plans for next Saturday." "That shouldn't stop you from going." "That's nice, but I have plans, too." "Actually, it's more of an unavoidable obligation." "My cousin asked me to dinner." "It seems as if no one's going." "I'll go." "I'll go alone, it wouldn't be the first time." " I've never stopped you from going." " Me, neither." "I want to show you something." "Excuse me, Eve." "What was your thesis on?" "What is it?" "...in relation to Jansenism." "What interests me..." "I watered the plants on the balcony." " I'd have done it." " You're in a hurry." "No more than you." "I didn't know philosophers were so precise..." "Fussy!" "...about everyday things." "Why not?" "Besides, I'm not a philosopher, I'm a teacher." "You're more of one than Eve." "She thinks it beneath her to straighten the apartment to help with dinner, to put away a chair..." "She doesn't live here, thank god, but still..." "Did you notice how she never misses a chance to show off her knowledge?" "I'm the one who started." "For you, it's normal, you talked about your job to answer a question but she was just being pedantic." "Even Dad noticed." "In my room, looking at pictures of my brother we talked about you." "He said you don't seem like a teacher." "You know, the stereotype of the schoolteacher..." "Anyway, he liked you a lot, and thought you were pretty, too." "You made quite an impression on him, you know?" "He said that?" "No, but I can guess." "The way he looks at you." "He doesn't look at ugly women." "His Don Juan habits!" "His sweetheart was keeping an eye on him." "She can't be very fond of you." "I think you're unfair with her." "She's very pretty and very intelligent." "She does tease you a little, but in a nice way." "You consider that nice?" "You're just being diplomatic, but that's fine." "What my father needs is someone like you." "He needs people who are calm." "He doesn't need all these nutcases who chase him." "Most of all, I think he likes you." " I'm too old for him." " You seem almost our age." " Anyway, he's too old for me." " You think he seems old?" "And he's your father." "What if he wasn't, if you'd met him without knowing me?" "That's beside the point." "I don't like to think like that, in the abstract." "In any case, he's involved with someone, and so am I." "He's not really involved." "I'm sure he won't be with her much longer." "From what I can guess, you're not really involved, either." "What are you talking about?" "What did you guess?" "What did I tell you?" "You don't talk about your boyfriend with a lot of enthusiasm." "Sorry, but in that area, I keep my enthusiasm to myself." "Maybe I'm wrong, but continuing to speak in abstract terms you do admit you aren't impervious to Cupid's arrows?" "No more than anyone." "I don't know..." "If that was the case, I'd already be in love." "Stop staying "if. " I don't know what you're trying to say." "Nothing." "I like to dream." "I don't." "I'm free tomorrow after all." "Shall we go to the country?" "We can even leave early, I don't have class this Saturday." "I'm the one who isn't free now." "My cousin asked me to dinner." " You said you were obligated." " Yes." "Your father can drive you." "He won't go." " Is that what he said?" " No." "I'm certain he won't." "He won't leave his sweetheart just to go pull weeds." "Yesterday, he said he was going." "He seemed to make it a point of honor." "I doubt that." "That's not where his honor lies." "I'll stick to what I heard." "I read between the lines." "His answer was conclusive." "There are no lines." "We'll see who's right." "I could always get out of it." "If I feel obligated, perhaps my cousin does as well." "The problem is, your father..." " Does he scare you?" " Not at all." "I don't like to get involved in other's affairs." "What affairs?" "There aren't any at least when Eve isn't there." "She won't be there, and he won't either." "Darn it!" "I want to go!" "I don't see why I should wait on his decision." "And you, even less!" "We swore we'd go back in a week." "I'll get dressed." "That's Dad's car!" "You were right, he's here!" "Darn!" "She's with him!" " Hello, Eve!" " Hello." "Don't we look dumb?" "We all said we couldn't come, then we do." "No, I said I would come." "I can finish this by myself." "Why don't you go help in the kitchen?" "I didn't go with them on purpose." "I wanted to be with you, we haven't been together in the garden for a while." "...I thought I was so original, I did the assignment on the Mona Lisa." "When we handed in our papers, the teacher said to the class:" ""Everyone's done their assignment on the Mona Lisa!"" "I was so mad." " Do you want me to do it?" " No, I love peeling potatoes." "If you want to smoke, the garden's better." "I don't especially want to smoke but I love smoking when doing manual labor." "Not when cooking!" "Yes." "But if the smoke bothers you, tell me and I'll stop." "You know it bothers me, but I won't be staying." "Unless Jeanne wants to take a break?" "No, I'm fine." "I've never seen anyone smoking while cooking." "I know it's not proper, but I'm being careful." "Don't worry, I won't get ashes in the food." "I knew it!" "All I have to do is brag about something and bang!" "I'm sorry, I hope one less slice of potato won't make a difference." "One less cigarette won't make a difference!" "You're right, I've a brand-new pack." "Stop it." "Don't worry, I'll smoke it over there." "I'm sick of peeling potatoes." "Not that plate!" "Let go, you'll break it!" "Let me go!" "Don't you know it's an antique plate?" "Perhaps the oldest thing we have." "So?" "If it broke, it would have been your fault!" "Is that any way to act?" "You could've asked nicely." "You weren't holding it, it might've shattered." "In all my life, I've broken fewer things than you." "A plate is not an ashtray." "It's not my fault if there are no ashtrays!" "When there are no ashtrays, one doesn't smoke!" "What kind of a dictatorship is this?" "I wonder how your guests survive." "Perhaps, because you never have guests." "You should sell this shack!" "It's too kind of Igor to take care of it to bother to paint a bit of metal just to make you happy." "Since you're here, we don't need to stay." "We're going back to Paris." "That's the most sensible thing she's ever said!" "I'm glad they're leaving." "We don't need them!" "What is it?" "You don't agree?" "I think you're exaggerating a little." "They were here first." "They said they were coming, we didn't." "She didn't!" "That's no reason to impose ourselves." "Anyway, not today." " If you're on their side now" " I'm not on anyone's side." "It's none of my business." "If you want to stay on good terms with your father it's best if we leave them alone and I don't know, go for a walk in the forest." "I know a nice little restaurant." "I've no reason to give in." "I didn't say I was coming, but neither did she." "And what you call being on "good terms" with my father has nothing to do with her, luckily." "He thinks it's normal that I don't get along with her." "It makes him sad, but he thinks it's his fault, not mine." "What are they doing?" "Close the door!" "All right, good-bye." " Wait a minute, Eve!" " I've a train to catch." "Your father's staying." "Eve, wait." "Let her go, don't worry." "It concerns me, too." "Did I forget something?" "I just wanted to say that Natacha and I are leaving." "You can stay." "That's nice of you, but you've no reason to leave." "I had said I wasn't coming." "So did I, but if you want to do me a favor, drive me to the station." "Here he comes again." "You're crazy, there are no trains at this hour." "I'm sure there's one at 1:30." "If you keep stalling me, I'll miss it." "Let me finish what I'm doing, we'll leave together." " That'll take two hours!" " Not even half an hour." "No, Natacha and I will leave." "I won't allow it." "We just showed up, you were here first." "Are you joking?" "Jeanne, we're not leaving." "You can't tell me what to do." "I can do what I please." "I'm getting my bag, and I'm leaving." "Jeanne, don't be mad!" "If you start fighting, too..." "Someone has to stay calm." "This is too complicated for me." "Good-bye." "A decision must be made." "We're going back to Paris." "You can finish what we were working on." "Thanks." "Aren't the lilacs beautiful?" "It's too bad we can't pick them, even with a ladder." "The apple tree isn't in full blossom yet." "Maybe next week..." "Does it bear apples in fall?" "It's full of apples, but it's mostly the mice that get to eat them." "There's Dad!" "Good, he's alone." "She caught a train after all." "Don't worry about her, she has work to finish in Paris and she didn't really want to come." "We definitely need to discuss this, but not today." "Have you eaten?" "Yes, we didn't expect you." "There's a lot left over, anyhow." "What time is it?" "I must make a phone call!" "Excuse me." "Here, take the rope." "William's here." " How are you?" " Fine, and you?" " Fine." " Jeanne, William." "A friend." "We're doing some gardening." "Want to help?" "I'm not very good at gardening." "Anyway, it's dirty work, and I'm almost finished." "Want to go for a walk in the forest?" "I haven't shown you my favorite view." "We're going." "We'll be back for dinner." "Okay." "If you want to take a nap, use my room." "I'd rather stay in the garden." "I'm going to do some reading." " Would you like a coffee?" " No, thank you." "Natacha?" "I'll get her." "Jeanne?" "Hello, Natacha?" "You're not coming back?" "You'll come by the house tomorrow?" "I'd like to see you before I leave, okay?" "Take care." "Good-bye." " They're not coming back?" " No." "That's what I thought." "After all, they don't get to see each other very often." "I don't know why, or rather, I do." "They feel shy around me." " In that case, I'm leaving." " What?" "I was just waiting for Natacha." " If she's not coming, I'll go." " You can't leave me alone." "Three women dump me in the same afternoon." "Only one is important for you, and you let her leave." "Because she had a good reason to leave, but you don't." "I came to be with Natacha, and as she's not here..." "I've really no reason to stay." "I canceled a dinner tonight, maybe I..." "I believe it's too late." "Stay for dinner." "The roads are awful at this hour." "It'll be better after 9:00." "Take this." "I don't know what got into them." "It was bound to blow up, you had the misfortune of witnessing it." "Taken separately, they're charming." "The worst part, I'm sure she told you is Natacha accuses Eve of terrible things." "Yes, I know: the necklace." "It's so unbelievable." "I can't see what Eve could do with it." "She can't wear it or sell it." "She doesn't need the money." "She's anything but a thief." "I can't accuse Natacha of having hidden it to make it seem as if Eve had stolen it." "She'd want to wear it too much." "She's not Machiavellian, she's more of a kleptomaniac." "I put it in my pocket, or at least I thought I did." "What if it simply fell in the street?" "We'll just chalk it up as one of history's unsolved mysteries or one of our family's." "It's not the first!" "To return to this morning's argument what saddens me most is that it's not a typical hatred a conventional hatred as might exist between a daughter and her father's mistress." "After my divorce, I was alone for a time having quickly left the woman for whom I'd supposedly divorced." "Later, I had a fair number of girlfriends without any signs of disapproval from Natacha." "But, with Eve, it's lasted longer than with any of the others." "Natacha thinks I've made my choice." "She's wrong." "We loved each other passionately perhaps because we didn't think it would last." "I expect her to leave me at any moment." "This morning's fight would give her a good excuse." "I know that she has another man in her life, but Natacha doesn't so she's much less of a threat than Natacha believes." "Maybe it's because of the age difference." "It must bother her to see you with a young girl almost her age." "She goes out with a guy that's almost my age!" "That bothers me even more." "After all, you and Eve don't shock me even though I can't stand there being an age difference." "I'm three months older than Mathieu." "It's funny, I could picture you with someone older which proves I find you very young, because I like opposites." "Contrary to what you believe, I don't find you too old for me." "Contrary to what I said, I don't find you too old for me." "What causes a problem is that you're Natacha's father." "It's better that way, anyhow." "That way, we can talk without this sort of unspoken seduction, it's relaxing." "Anyway, I find you very relaxing." "I've only known women with emotional problems including Natacha." "If she's like that, so am I." " You haven't seen me get angry." " You get angry?" " I almost did, this morning." " You controlled yourself?" "Thanks to Natacha." "If she'd continued I'd have taken my stuff and left, like Eve." "I hate imposing myself." "I don't understand." "Why were you upset?" "It had nothing to do with you." "That's just it." "When it's something that matters to me, I control myself." "But there are some things I can't stand." "I was being obsessive when I got angry this morning." "I get obsessed about making sure people are free." "Sometimes to the point of being tyrannical." "To make it worse, I live with a compulsively messy man." "What happens?" "We have spats, nothing serious." "If I didn't stay at Mathieu's this week it's not because I feel lonely without him but because I can't stand his kind of order." "I can only stand it when he's there." "Because you love him." "Yes, I'd have to love him a lot." "Are you sure?" "If you were madly in love with him you'd forget your own sense of order and accept his." "I'd never be madly in love." "I'm not mad." "As you said, I don't have emotional problems." "As for me, I've never been loved in any way but madly, unfortunately." "I've always wanted to meet someone like you who loves me." "Do you want to know what I'm thinking?" "I probably shouldn't say it." "Besides the age difference you're not so different from Mathieu." "Because of my obsessions?" "No, besides obsessions." "You're as neat as he is messy as only a mathematician could be." "It's so cliché!" "He looks like a mad scientist!" "I've nicknamed him Zépherin, after the guy who was so messy his room only had 10 square feet of clear space the only place the cleaning lady was allowed to sweep." "What you have in common is the poetic fashion with which you live your lives." "As far as you're concerned, it's a theory." "The idea I have of you comes from Natacha." "But I'm sure about him." "Even though he's a scientist he's a poet in everything he does." "That's probably why I forgive his messiness even if sometimes I want to strangle him." "You're different." "Your poetry, if it is poetry doesn't stop you from being precise, even meticulous." "For example, I was sure you'd come this morning just because you said you would, even though Natacha said you wouldn't." "I told her I'd be coming." "I even confirmed it on the phone on Friday afternoon." "But I was still unsure if Eve would come." "When I say yes, it's yes." "Me, too." "I always believe it when people say yes." "I don't understand Natacha's insistence." "What insistence?" "What did she say?" "Nothing." "Maybe I misunderstood." "May I sit next to you?" "Yes." "May I hold your hand?" "Yes." " May I kiss you?" " Yes." "Jeanne, stay here." "No." "I said yes." "Isn't that enough?" "All the more reason." "You got what you asked for, it's over." "I can't ask for anything else?" "No." "I gave you three things." "That's a lot." "Do you know the tale The Three Wishes?" "A couple is given three wishes." "The husband wishes for a sausage." "The wife, furious with him, wishes that it hangs from his nose." "The only thing left to do is wish it off." "You chose your wishes well." "I could've asked for more." "Yes, but it's too late." " You'd have granted them?" " Naturally." "It's not what you asked for, but how you asked that caught me off guard." " Were you shocked?" " No, surprised." "I'm often taken by surprise." "You're quite good at it." "I don't usually do that." "I follow my instincts, it's always worked before." "Even when it's serious?" "If you were seriously in love with me would you have done that, at the risk of ruining everything?" "Certainly." "What proof do you have that I'm not seriously in love with you?" "What you just did." " That's not proof." " It is." "I'm not in love with you, but I could be." "In a way, I want to be." "If I acted so suddenly it's because I didn't want to be trapped by your strategy." "My strategy?" "What strategy?" "The one to normalize or sterilize, to remove the erotic from our interaction." "I'm your friend's father, I'm taboo." "There's no unspoken seduction, as you say." "I don't like that." "Instead of making me comfortable, it chills me." "I feel stiff and awkward." "I like desiring and being desired especially when it's unspoken, even if it goes nowhere." "The frantic and possessive love I had for Eve took away my taste for it." "It came back when I saw you, not the first time when you were leaving the bathroom, but at dinner." "You're not listening?" " I know what you're thinking." " Tell me." "Something like, "I've heard this all before. "" "That's not what I was thinking." " What were you thinking about?" " My class, Monday afternoon." "The present situation doesn't interest you at all!" "The situation is what made me think of it." "I was trying to remember what I was thinking when I said yes." " Transcendental thought?" " More like psychology." "Well?" "Upon reflection, though I haven't had much time I think I wasn't thinking of anything." "I mean not of any of the things which guide people's conduct with each other:" "Attraction, repulsion, love, hate domination, submission..." "I wasn't thinking of you, nor Mathieu, nor of myself." "You're saying you acted automatically?" "Not exactly." "I acted logically." "Following the logic of numbers, the number three." "Things always come in threes." "Yes, it's a game." "Also, there's the tradition of the number three:" "The triangle, the syllogism the Holy Trinity, Hegel's dialectic, et cetera..." "All the things that define a closed world that set up permanence and are perhaps keys to the mystery." "But I didn't feel pulled by an outside force." "It was by free will." "Logically, it was the only honest response." "I could've said no, but I'd have felt I was cheating." "It'd be "no fair" as I used to say when I was little." "That's sort of my reason, too." "Sort of?" "It's not the only reason." "There is one person whom I did it for or rather, did it against." "They determined my choice." "Do you know who it is?" "Neither you nor I." "You said it wasn't your boyfriend." " Eve?" " No!" "It's Natacha." "We were speaking of her, and I was a bit angry with her today." "I hope she'll forgive me." "But it wasn't done to spite her." "She wanted to push you into my arms." " She told you?" " No, but I know her." "She would, if only to spite Eve." "What I wanted, by going along with it was to show how silly it was and sabotage your little plot." "Plot!" "If there is one, only Natacha's in on it." "It was done innocently, I hope you believe me." "Of course." "Can we stop talking about it?" "Can you put on some music?" " What do you want to hear?" " You choose." "This." "Do you know it?" "It's Schumann." "Den Kreisleriana." "No, it's Etudes Symphoniques." "Is it Natacha?" "She plays it very well." "This was four years ago." "Her technique was uncertain." "Would you like to sit on the couch?" "I'm fine in the chair." "I'll move, if you like." "No, stay." "Let me listen." "Yes, I'm still here." "Tomorrow, I'm leaving in the morning." "I don't feel like coming back tonight." "They left this afternoon." "No, it's late." "I'm not going to drive back when I'm tired." "I'm exhausted, I'm going to bed." "I think you've jerked me around enough for one day." "Please, Eve!" "Don't get angry!" " You're not leaving?" " It's late." "All the more reason." "Stay in Natacha's room, you can leave tomorrow morning." "I have a lot to do in the morning:" "Move out of your apartment, clean my apartment prepare for my class." "You'll have more than enough time if you leave early." " Excuse me, but..." " But?" "I don't want to make you lie." "Lie?" "Excuse me for listening, but it was hard not to." "You said I wasn't here." "So I won't be here." "I'm leaving." "It was too complicated to explain!" "I would've had to explain all about you and Natacha tell her that William had come by." "She's very jealous of you." "She would've started worrying and not slept all night." "I'm not sure she'll sleep any better after what you told her!" "If the man I love spoke to me like that, I wouldn't sleep all night." "Jeanne, why are you so angry?" "If I am, I'm angry at myself." "To have believed Natacha and came to not have left this morning, or earlier when she called." " If I wasn't here, you'd have gone home." " Probably, but now it's too late." " No, because she wants you to return." " I'm not at her beck and call." "Fine, do what you want, in full freedom but without handicaps." "My presence here is a handicap." "Good-bye!" "I'll be hurt if you leave." "Let me go, please." "Jeanne, listen." "If you think Natacha and I have cooked up a ridiculous plot..." "My daughter's childish whims are her own affair." "I had nothing to do with it." "If anyone was pulled into things today, it was I." "I hope you believe me." "I believe you." "But if you keep repeating it I won't believe anything you say." "Not anything?" "It's a figure of speech." "See?" "I'm joking." "Good-bye." "You're leaving?" "I have to clean up my apartment." "Your cousin is really leaving?" "Yes, I just called." "She was leaving to catch a train." "We must see each other tomorrow." "Mathieu's coming back tomorrow." "We'll see each other another day." "It sucks that we have to part on such bad terms." "As far as I'm concerned, I'm not leaving on bad terms." "I just thought that yesterday was a bit eventful." " When did you leave?" " Last night." "I had dinner with your father." "He said lots of nice things about you." "He doesn't blame you at all." "We listened to your Schumann recording." "It's beautiful." "You were 14?" "Etudes Symphoniques..." "I hope I've made progress." "You could've stayed for the night." "No, I had too much to do." "It would've delayed me." "Please don't be too angry with me for abandoning you." "When it comes to love, you're allowed to abandon even your best friend." "William is almost the same age as my father so I don't like to see them together." "Besides, they're both extremely shy." "His arrival completely disoriented me I didn't expect to see him." "Really?" "Yes." "If I knew he was coming, I would've told you." "You didn't tell me your father was coming." "My father?" "That's different." "If that's what you're mad about, I was wrong." "What I said was, he wouldn't come alone." "He did come, but with Eve." "Believe me, he'd never have come alone." "That's not my opinion." "If that's your opinion, keep it to yourself, it's not my fault." "I wanted to be alone with you." "I don't see why I'd have gone there if I knew the others would come." "I don't know why this is so important to you." "I made a mistake." "It happens!" "I mistook my wishes for reality." "I want to believe you." "You want to believe me?" "Why wouldn't you believe me?" "I believe you." "I see." "Perhaps my father told you he'd called me to say he was coming?" "I don't have to believe him!" "I don't have to believe you, but I do!" "What are you getting at?" "I'd really like to know." "You think I organized all this to leave you alone with my father." "You must think I'm very clever, but I'm completely innocent!" " What about me?" " Not you!" "The fact that you'd accuse me shows that you're not." "You accused Eve about the necklace." "I don't see the connection." "Unless you're accusing me of plotting something?" "To have hidden it myself?" "You're crazy, Natacha!" "Why don't you go all the way, while you're at it?" "You say you're my friend, and you see me as an enemy." "You don't even try to see my true reasons, which have nothing to do with that." "I have my own problems, and so do you." "I wasn't even thinking about you and my father!" "You're discreet, you'll understand if I am, too." "I don't talk about it, but it exists!" "If William came, it only had to do with us." "Not as part of some intricate plot!" "We're having a lot of problems, he and I." "Do you think everything's easy for me?" "My father's paranoid enough!" "I don't need you to be, too!" "I say what I mean." "Maybe I shouldn't say anything, since no one believes me." "Dad doesn't believe me." "I'm sure you don't, either." "I'm sure you really believe I hid the necklace." "Natacha, let's stop talking about the necklace." "Even if you tried to set me up with your father I'm not angry." "I think it's sweet." "I wasn't trying to do anything!" "You're all so twisted!" "Natacha, why are you acting like this?" "You're so sensitive." "Natacha, I found the necklace!" "The necklace!" "What are you talking about?" "Here, look." "Is this it?" "It is!" " Where was it?" " In a shoe." "In a shoe?" "Come on, I'll show you." "When I went to pick up the shoe I turned it over, and it fell out." "Where was the box?" "The box was up there." "I knocked over the box when I reached for my pants, and..." "See, my clumsiness is useful, sometimes!" "Who could've put it in the box?" "Not I, even if that's what you think!" "I don't think that." "It could've been Eve, to spite you, or for another reason." "It could've been your father." "He could've wanted to put it away and then forgot." "He doesn't have amnesia." "Maybe it's none of us." "Who then?" "No one." " It didn't get there by itself!" " Yes, it did." "That's the key to the mystery!" "It's so simple:" "Dad's initial theory was that the necklace had fallen when he hung up his trousers." "So he looked in the shoes that were on the ground but not in the boxes that were up there." "Do you understand?" "Do you think he put the shoes in the box between the time he hung up his pants and realized the necklace was missing?" "Yes!" "They're old shoes that he hardly ever wears." "That has to be it." "Great." "Contrary to what you think, I don't like accusing people." "I'm happy to have my necklace back." "It's beautiful, don't you think?" "What's wrong?" " It's nothing." " You're crying?" "It's nothing." "I'm sorry about before." "I was being stupid." "Sometimes my imagination plays tricks on me and I get totally thrown off track." "Me, too!" "In any case, the time I've spent here hasn't been entirely wasted." " I felt like I was intruding." " No!" "At least I did something useful." "Do you think they'll believe us?" "I don't know about Eve but I'm sure your father will." "If they're still together, which I doubt." "But as their relationship will be over shortly..." "Did you see how he came back yesterday?" "Life is beautiful!" "Flowers in thanks for your hospitality." "I didn't unwrap them, in case you want to take them with you." "Take care, Gaelle"