"Didn't you got the clothes I've sent you?" "Were they too big?" "I'm okay like this." "If you want to we can go shopping." "Buy something else" "If you want to." "Had a good trip?" " I do not like flying." "Have you been living here long?" " Ten years." "I came here for my masters." "I met Luc and got married   and I got a job here." "That's how life is." "And this is my palace." "There's the kitchen in front, the living room." "There in the corner is Luc's desk." "It's a bit messy." "That's how he is." "You'll learn his ways." "I work in the living room The bedrooms are upstairs." "Want to see your room?" "Ok?" "It has its own bathroom." "I have to go get the kids I'll be away for half an hour." "Can I leave you alone?" "See you soon." "I'm glad you're here." "You can take a look around the house if you want." "Excuse me." "I didn't know that ..." "I'm Juliette." "Excuse me." "Come on darling open the door." "Can you see I'm holding Lia ?" "Aunt Juliette will stay with us for ever?" " Not for ever." "Just for a while." "Be nice to her, OK?" "She is tired." "Leave her alone." "Hi, auntie." "Here are my Princesses." "This is Cli lis, but everyone calls her Little Lili." "And this is miss Emilia." "Will you smile for Juliette honey?" "Want to see my room?" " Oh no don't start!" "Quick to the kitchen." "It is tea time." "Take your sister too." "Have you looked around?" " Yes." "In the library there was an old man." "Oh, don't worry." "That's Lucs father." "Grandpa Paul has lost his tongue." " Little Lili!" "He has brain damage and can't talk." "He reads the entire day." "He is adorable." "Have you ever been in Lorraine?" " No." "Never." "Everybody thinks it's Germany." "It's freezing." " Yes it's always freezing." "Not always." " Eat your food, ok?" "were you born here?" "Yeah, but my Dad is from Poland he came here after the war." "Luc's mother is Russian, his wife English and his children French-Asian." "A real-Benetton family." "Mama, you have no accent, but auntie has a bit." "She has lived in England longer." " Where is the pitcher?" "Katrina dropped it." "I didn't buy a new one." "She's the charwoman." "She comes on Thursdays." "Watch out, she destroys everything." "That is why we call her Katrina." "Actually she is called Marie-Paule." "Lea said you did research at the CNRS." " You don't have to be so formal you too." "Papa is a lexicographer." " Lexicographer, darling." "We create an interactive dictionary that can be reactivated." "You must be activated." "Three letters in 7 years." "The Academy is faster." "Do not." "Otherwise you go to bed." " Compare what is comparable please." "Why didn't I meet you earlier auntie?" "Because I was travelling." "A very long journey." "Want some more?" " No, thank you." "You don't like it?" " Yes." "But ..." "Where were you travelling exactly?" " Enough questions already." "You leave your aunt alone and you finish your meal." "How long do you think she'll stay?" " No idea." "As long as necessary." "A couple of weeks, or months." "You have any objections?" "Frankly, yes." "She may be your sister, but ..." " But what?" "You heard Little Lili' questions ." " So what?" "The travelling excuse will not last long." " As long as it lasts." "We'll see." "We'll see." "We'll see." "What will we do?" "What will you say?" "The truth?" "I don 't know." "Leave me alone." "It's our first night." "I just found my sister again." "You don't know what that means to me." "I just got her back." " But you barely know her." "You're the last time but a few hours visited." "You were just a teenager when she ..." " Shut your mouth." "I shut up." "I shut up." "But think about us a bit as well." "Look there are petals." "Hurry up, we're late." " As always." "What have you done?" "What now?" "Emilia, you have to change clothes." "Eat quickly, Little Lili, we are too late." "Even more yoghurt." " Bye, Grandpa." "You never eat breakfast?" "It depends." " Me, I'm never hungry." "Ever since I was very little." "Mama always nags about it ." "Did you know me when I was little?" "Yes, of course." " When I just came from Vietnam?" "I do not believe you." "Your nose is longer." "Daddy." "Did you have a good sleep?" " Very good, thanks." "You're not coming?" " Bye, auntie." "You have new lunch coupons." " I know." "Your gym clothes are in your bag." "Ok?" "And make sure you don't lose them today." "Mama?" " What is it?" "Aunt is a bit strange, no?" " Why do you say that?" "I do not know." "She says almost nothing." "You should give her time to get used to us." "have a nice day." "Go ahead." "And look if you can find your pink beret." " I will." "Bye mom." "You okay?" "Really?" " Yes." "The police station is close to the university." "We can meet after my lesson." "There is a pub across the street." "Ok." "You know what they want from you?" "I need to present myself there once a week." "And nobody came to visit you there?" "I mean ..." "There were people visiting?" "Volunteers." "At the beginning." "Do you blame me?" " For what?" "For not coming." "But at first, I wrote to you." " Oh, yeah?" "I received nothing." "One evening daddy saw me." "He and Mom were furious at me." "He forbid me to write again." "She said that you no longer existed." "But I was still so small, you know." "I wanted to tell you that ..." " What?" "It was social services that contacted you." "Not me." "I've never asked anyone for nothing." "They did the right thing." "They did right." "You have a beautiful name." "I do not like my name." "Fontaine is beautiful." "I always liked those." "Water, rivers, streams." "The Orinoco." "Do you know the Orinoco?" "Nowadays fountains are scarce." "Even in villages." "Have you notice that?" "Really." "The mayors transform them." "They fill them with earth." "They plant flowers." "Of those rotten geraniums." "As if people don't like the sound of water!" "I will not keep you long." "You have to come sign in." "So you sign ..." "Did you find a job?" "Not yet." "I am searching for employment." "A house?" " I live with my sister." "That is important." "Family is important." "You 're lucky." "Loneliness is not good for a man." "But I am not going to talk about my life." "See you in two weeks." "Should I sign something?" " Oh, yes." "There." " There?" "Thank you." "It is not true!" "He again." "One of your many lovers?" " He is Bamakal." "Prosper Napoleon Bamakal." "Son of a prince with blue blood." "Enrolled in the first year for the third time" "I'm starting to like him." "I try to explain but he will not understand." "I've had him all year." "Are you leaving?" " yes I'm done." "Did you finished correcting the papers?" " I have like ten left." "You 're lucky." "I have not yet begun." "When I see the stack, I give up." "The school board wants us to have them done by the 18th." "The supervisor." "The supervisor." "Did you decided about that symposium?" " I don 't know." "We shall see." "Didn't we agreed to meet at the cafe?" "It didn't took me long." "Michel, this is Juliette, my sister." "This is Michel, a colleague." "You've never told me you had a sister." "And such a beautiful one." "Never mind him." "Michel, is an expert in love letters." "Even though that's a bit misleading." "What are you doing on the 26th?" " Why?" "I'll throw a dinner with Samir and Kasha." "I think I can make it." "I'll let you know." " Great." "And do not forget the papers." "Should we go shopping?" "Is it good?" "Do you remember Chez Bouchard's in Rouen?" "This place reminds me of it." "I was taking you there on Wednesday's after dance classes." "The lesson at Stabush's mother." " Yes, the fat Mrs Stabush." "She could no longer dance, she was so fat." "And she had a moustache." "We were all a bit scared of her." "I would finish classes and we'd go Chez Bouchard to drink tea." "You always eat that cake." "I can't really remember." "You were seven or eight." "The place was full of elderly ladies." "I don't remember it." "I don't know why." "Why don't I remember it?" " Please, stop." "It is normal." "You were still very young." "Yet it is strange not being able to remember." "You can't come in." "This is my room." "You'll show her your room later." "Little sisters!" "They're difficult." "Mom used to leave you in peace?" "It went well." " Then you 're lucky." "Is mom your real sister?" " Of course." "Are you also the daughter of Grandma Lizbeth ?" "Look, that's the dolls cemetery." "I do not like dolls." "When they give me one, I bury her." "My PC." "I play DVDs here and type my papers." "That I made for Mother's Day." "Katrina destroyed it." "She says she didn't but she's lying." "That's my secret book." "Actually, not really secret, because I leave it all over the place." "I write poems in there." "Should I read you one?" "No." "Please, auntie." " No." "I said 'no'." "You are lucky." "You've got a sister, your family, and a house." "It's true." "Most people released have nothing." "They don't know where they should go." "If they were married they are now separated." "I was already separated." " Yes." "I read about it." "You had a good work training in prison." "Secretaries are always needed." "And are you up to date with the computer?" " Yes, I think so." "Good." "Then it will be easy." "I made appointment for you at this company." "Ask for Mr. Dupuis." "He knows about you." "We will see each other regularly." "And if you have questions or problems, call me." "Ok." "Then I should go." "You are not alone and it's only two of us working cases." "Your sister has a nice house." "Goodbye." "Was she the probation officer?" " Yes." "Is she nice?" " Yes." "People poking around in your life always seem nice." "That is true." "We have also experience with adoption." "So many conversations, counsels psychologists." "A doctor made Luc strip in his underwear and walk back and forth." "I thought he would grab him by the throat ." "He was not so happy with all those interrogations." "Shall we have a cup of tea?" " Yes." "It took almost two years with Little Lili, slightly less with Emilia." "The first time we went three months to Vietnam." "We fell in love with the country we wanted to stay longer." "We were lucky to get Little Lili to the hotel immediately." "Then it was so slow, so many formalities." "Ms?" " Yes, Marie-Paule?" "Shall I start ironing?" " No, do the doors first." "Thank you." "How old was Little Lili?" "Two years old, but she looked much younger." "Did you meet her mother?" " No, but I have all her details." "It was important for us." "We did not want her not to be able to find her later." "But for Emilia it wasn't possible." "She won 't never know who her mom was" "Sometimes it is better not to know." "It was you or Luc that could not have children?" "Neither of us." "We both can have children" "But I did not want a child in my belly." "It's because of me." "Of what I did." "I didn't try to understand." "I'm going to smoke in the garden." "It is not my problem." "You are paid to deliver." "Yes." "Goodbye." "Well." "Now to you." "I'll get straight to business." "This is not charity." "I want skilled workers." "I don't care about anything else." "What's her name again?" "Mrs Balboukian   said that you can work with Excel, DTP and all that." "Yes I can." "And you are half English." " Right." "And I speak Spanish." "Spanish is not important." "But there are often documents in English." "Monsieur Dupuis, Raymond is waiting." " Later." "How long were you in prison?" " Fifteen." "Fifteen years." "Fifteen years?" "Is not that ..." "You must have done something really big to get you committed for so long." "committed." "What have you done?" "For such a sentence you must have murdered someone." "Whom have you killed?" "Your husband?" "A lover?" "The other woman?" "Who?" "I'm talking to you." "Whom did you kill?" "My son." "My six years old son." "Get the hell out." "You hear me?" "Get out of here." "It's nice." "It suits you fine." " Thank you." "Will I see you tonight?" " No, I'm tired." "I'm really tired." "Are you sure?" "Excuse me." " Go, go ahead." "Do you want my picture?" "Have we met?" " I don't think so." "What do you want from me?" " I wasn't really looking at you" "Nonsense." "You were staring at me." "Are you looking for a man?" "So?" "Did you like it?" "No, not at all." "But that's okay." "Honey." "Want a cookie?" "Sit down." "Let your dragon drink." "Are you okay, Juliette?" "Aunt, look." "The monkeys." "Sometimes they spit on people." "It's not good they're caged they have done nothing." "Prisons are for bad people." " Come on, let's go." "What did I do?" " Nothing." "Come, we must go home." "Do not be ridiculous." "What do you think I was asleep all this time... and suddenly the fairy godmother lea woke me up?" "It's easy for you not to look back." "Auxerre wins Sochaux 3-2, Lens, Lille is 2-2." "Monaco is winning Bordeaux with 2-1." "Saint-Etienne beat Marseille with 3-0." "PSG was beaten by Nancy, 3-1." "PSG is fucked." "What are you doing?" "Can't you see?" "I peel potatoes." " Very funny." "Michel will not be amused." "3-1!" "The kids are asleep?" "Yes." "They were running around all day." "They were dead tired." "And your sister?" "What about my sister?" "Is she sound asleep?" "No ..." "I do not know what are you..." "Talking?" " Yes, we talk." "So have you asked her yet?" " About what?" "Why." "Why she did it." "You're not thinking right." "You're not serious." "What do you talk about then?" "Sisters talk about things." "It is not for you." "You want me out of this?" " No." "But you say nothing." " What do you want me to say?" "Something like this takes time." "It is not easy." "My sister was dead to my parents." "You don't know how this is." "She is suddenly in my life again." "Everything happened ..." "Damn." "I don't want to talk about it." "And your father agrees with me." "Right Grandpa Paul?" "There is no greater Nancy supporter than my dad." "Tell them that this is the last." "Watch out, that plate is glued." "Katrina?" " Yes." "Okay off to bed." "The last one." "Michel, it is a scandal   that you live in Lorraine and you support a team that is 3/4 mad of Brazilians." "Three quarters?" " Three quarters." "There are only two Brazilians in PSG." "Take your glasses with you." " You're boring Juliette." "Nope." "I love football." "I've played himself in the past." "Really?" " yes, you don't remember?" "The perfect woman." "Beautiful, intelligent." "And also likes football." "But I can't stand supporters." " Take that!" "Please, Samir." "An Iraqi surgeon, paid by Al Qaeda   that has slaughtered many in surgery, will not make fun of me!" "You know what that Iraqi will say?" " That's enough guys." "You'll play football on Sunday?" " No I can't." "He has too many papers to correct." " that will be the third week." "Yes the third week that 200 exam papers are waiting on my desk." "Come now." "Come on." "You always play together?" " We try to." "Sometimes there are ten of us, sometimes 40. can you imagine?" "You should come watch." " Why not?" "You like it here at Nancy?" " Yes." "Lea said you lived south for years." " That's right." "Where?" " In Carcassonne." "It's beautiful." "The Montagne Noire, Toulouse nearby." "Are you from Paris?" " Yes, but it's exhausting." "Too many Parisians." "I'm going there as little as possible." "It suits me well here." "Well you have some fossils as well, but that's okay." "My colleagues made that for me." " Not bad." "Funny, but it itches." "Really, it itches." "It is too small and it itches." "They made it for you and you have to wear it." "Can I sit with you?" "In prison, I had always books next to my pillow." "The idea that I had them were made me feel secure." "A kind of fortress wall." "On the other side, was the world." "A world without me." "That was doing all right without me." "Sylvie." "I have read that so many times." "During the week I usually eat from cans." "Usually boiled beef or sausages with lentils." "I can't cook and I'm not interested either." "I eat in front the TV." "At weekends, I cook fresh vegetables." "Recommended by my doctor." "He is right." "You can't eat canned food every day." "If you say so." "And what about eggs?" "Yes." "But not every day." "That's good, because I only eat them on Sunday." "That reminds me of when I was a kid." "A fried egg or a soft boiled egg in front of TV." "Would you like sugar?" " Sure." "One, please." "Do you watch TV?" " No." "It does not interest me." "I thought everybody in prison are watching TV." "Do not always believe what you hear." "Can I have a spoon?" "I force myself to watch." "It's like a punishment ." " A punishment?" "There is so much evil in all this." "Such evil." "A large pile of garbage   that every night gets presented to us." "And every night the heap's larger, uglier." "Closer to you." "Is everything okay with you?" "We'll check, Mr Bamakale." "But computers make no mistakes." "It made two last year miss." "Both concerning me." "The server is doing it now." "So be patient." "And stop sending me notes every other day." "You'll have to excuse me." "I have an appointment" "You saved me." "I thought you were going straight home" " I wanted to talk to you." "Come on." "The tests showed that he had metastases everywhere." "He died two months later." "When exactly?" " On March 4, 1999." "When we found out I wanted to let you know." "I had this huge fight with Mom." "She went and told him and I had to promise never to contact you." "He was crying." "He was hooked up to dozens of tubes.." "He ..." "He weighed just 50 kilos." "And I promised him." "I'm sorry." "Did you ever think of us when you were there?" ""There"?" ""There" was a prison." "Do you know what a prison is?" "I, your sister, I was in a prison." "She still lives in Beaufans?" " Mummy?" "No." "I had to find a home for her." "I brought her here." "Then four years after the death of Dad she began to lose her memory." "Small things, but still." "Now, she doesn't recognise anyone" "When I go to see her, she thinks I'm a nurse or a neighbour." "They never talked about me?" "What did they tell other people?" "Anybody who knew the family knew better than to mention it." "And the new friends thought I was their only daughter." "They thought that or they were told that?" "They were told that." "Parents!" "And you?" "They had brainwashed me." "Last week I slept with a man." "What?" "I've slept with a man." "With whom?" "Where?" " A guy from a cafe." "We went to a hotel." "Just like that?" " Yes, just like that." "It is difficult, aunt." " Yes, but you have to learn." "Learning is difficult." "Go ahead." "Yes, that's good." "I'll never get it right." " Of course you will." "I used to play this with your Mummy." " My Mummy?" "My mum played piano?" "I don't believe you." "They played very well." "And this piece we found funny." "Because it's called Fontaine like you?" "I never saw Mummy play!" "She won't let me play piano." "She wants me to learn the flute." "If she sees us, she'll be angry!" " No, she won't." "Don't worry." "That is very good." "Now alone." "You have all the qualifications for the job." "But in your case I can not decide alone." "The director of the hospital will have to decide." "You see yourself as a secretary?" "That's a strange question." "If he approves it, nobody here must ever know that you were a doctor." "And especially that you..." "You know what I mean." "Don't thank me, I'm not doing it for you." "What did you want to do?" " I couldn't have become a doctor." "Our parents would have freaked, but there was never any chance of that." "I was always more attracted to literature and languages." "The day I told them, I could see the relief on their faces." "When you were little you wanted to be a "dancer-veterinarian"." "You wouldn't believe that it is difficult to combine both." " hello there Lea!" "Hi Monsieur Lucien." "How are you?" "Fine." "Aren't you going to introduce me?" " My sister Juliette." "Monsieur Lucien." "Your sister?" " Yes, my sister." "I see." "Hello." " She's off limits, Monsieur Lucien." "I'll stay away from her." "I promise." "He comes down here to try to chat up women." "He'll hit on anyone." "Does he ever get anywhere?" " You'd be surprised!" "When's Mummy coming home?" " She's getting your sister from school." "And Auntie?" ""Imperial arbitration"!" "That's really a Parisian newspaper." "Are they together?" " I haven't a clue." "Eat up!" "Doesn't Auntie have a job?" " Why'd you ask?" "No reason." "I just thought she must have a job because she's pretty old." "Well?" "What's her job?" " You ask her, smarty-pants." "Can't you see I'm trying to work?" " Work?" "What crap." "Give me a kiss." "No kiss." "No kiss, I said." "Well, that's just about everything." "Come back in a few weeks." "I'll call the hospital to see what's happening." "It would be the perfect job for you." "I'll be in touch." "I was wondering..." "I read your file and the notes on your trial..." "You never said a word throughout the investigation and the trial." "Why?" "You even refused to talk to the psychologists." "Their report runs two lines." ""foreshadowing the choice of silence"" "Psychological problems from the divorce, murderer of her son ..." "And you think I'm going to talk to you now?" "Leave me alone." "It's been ages since you dropped by the lab to pick me up." "Did you miss it?" " Yes." "I like it when you surprise me." "Michel coughed his lungs off." "He could not take it anymore." "How about a movie and then dinner?" " Sure." "Is there anything you really want to see?" "There's a Kurosawa at the Cameo." " No way!" "Japanese films put me to sleep." "Well, they're probably still showing The Shop Around The Corner." "But we'll be really late, if you want to catch dinner." "It'll be fine." "Are you sure Katrina doesn't mind?" " What's Katrina got to do with anything?" "She's looking after the girls, isn't she?" " No." "I asked Juliette." "You asked your sister to look after them?" "Have you lost your mind?" "She killed her kid, remember!" "That's insane!" "That painting is called Grief." "You startled me." " Hello." "Impressive, isn't it?" "It's a whole universe." "Who's the artist?" " Emile Friant." "Famous when he was alive, totally forgotten since then." "I'll show you another of his that is my favourite." "The first time, I saw it, it blew me away." "She looks exactly like a girl I was in love in my 20's." "This is my revenge." " Revenge?" "She is trapped in the painting." "And I it can look at her whenever I want." "She can say a thing." "Lea is amazing." "She's one of the best specialists in France in her field." "But she doesn't have the killer instinct." "In our work, you have to." "Do you have it?" " Do I look like I do?" "No idea" "I don't know you well enough." " No I'm not into that anymore.." "You were?" "What changed?" "Nothing." "Everything." "Life." "Life changes us." "Life ..." "Lea told me you're looking for a job." " Yes." "Yes, I had an interview for a secretary's job at the hospital." "Secretary?" "That's what you do?" "Yes." "I mean, no." "It's complicated." "In that case, I'll shut up." "You wanna go somewhere?" "To drink to your health?" "Or maybe to the health of the girl in the museum, right?" "You finished your dessert." "Wash your teeth and don't wake up your sister." "When is mom coming back?" "After the meeting." "Late?" " I think so." "If you're nice I'll come up for a kiss." "Come on, Grandpa." "Is it all right with the bank?" "The account yes, but the check book ..." "That I do not get till I have no job." "Any news from the hospital?" " Nothing." "Don't worry." "I will not bother you for long." "I'll think of a solution." "No..." "I didn't mean ..." "I ..." "I want a story." "I come up, Peaches." "You should read it." "The old man in front of him smiled   and for a moment Badjii saw in his face  the face of a boy his age or a girl   or an infant." "In the sky the stars danced," "And the moon came up, as the full belly of a woman."