"FLYWEIGHT" "Bugger!" "Piss off!" "Bugger you, stop it!" "At about 1 PM, we said." "Get yourselves in line." "Just stop it." " 50." "How much?" " 50." "Get in line!" "Is that all right?" "52." "Come on!" " 54." "How much?" " 54." "Very good." " You're too tensed up." "48?" "48." "I'm sure I'll weigh enough." "How much?" "48." "Piss off." "Bugger." "44." "What?" " No, no." "Here, come back!" "Try it again." "Leave him alone." "How much?" " 44" "Come on, next!" "But I can still put more on." "Next!" "54." "Aren't you getting weighed with us now?" " That's not your worry." "Matar, are you nervous?" "Come on, give it all you've got!" "Keep your back straight!" "Look straight ahead." "Chin up." "Faster, David." "Bend your legs, knees together." "Look straight ahead!" "Come on!" "I don't give him five minutes..." "Twice running in less than two minutes." "All right, leave him alone." "Stop protecting him!" " Let him be." "A great jockey!" "Do you find that amusing?" " Yes." "Stop it!" "No!" "You lose." " That's what you think, my friend." "What are you doing, damn it?" "Finish your drink, otherwise you'll be hungry in the night." "I'm tired of going to piss all night." "How long are you going to keep staring at me?" "What do you always do in the evenings?" "That's not your affair." "If it's any help to you you can get in through my room." "It's on the ground floor, so you won't have to climb up." "Why are you making that suggestion?" " Don't know." "To do you a favour." "If you want to do me a favour, pass me my jacket." "What are you doing here?" " Training to be jockeys." "Are you all together?" " Yes." "Full time." " Really?" "What's your name?" " I'm Katia." "And you?" " Raphael." "Aren't you ever allowed out?" "Not very often." " Would you like to come in for a while?" "How?" " You can climb over." "Bloody hell..." "Can you come over here for a moment?" "He's off." "Can you give me your phone number?" " Yes." "In the weekends, when I'm allowed out... 06 26 22..." " Mathieu." "I like it." " Come on, you'll see her later!" "Wait a minute..." "Don't you want to know my name first?" "So what's your name?" " Katia." "And you?" "Anthony." " Anthony?" "Good." "She smells good too." "Something different from horse smells for once..." "What do you always do in the night-time?" "What are you doing?" "Are you going for a run?" "You must be kidding." "How come you don't weigh yourself with us any more?" "You're lucky to be with "Aga Khan"." "It's a fantastic stable." "The best." "Cover up the smoke alarm." "Do you think I can make it?" " What?" "Getting into "Aga Khan"." "No idea." "I have the talent." "But talent's not enough." "Perhaps you could..." " What do you want me to do?" "I don't know." "A few tips." "You're small, and thin..." "It could work." "But the school principal will decide." "So do your work properly, that's all they want from us." "Perhaps you could give me..." " Have you got a light?" "I don't smoke." "You're so skinny and you don't smoke?" "I'm not that skinny." " You're a beanpole." "Bugger it!" "Can I come with you to the next event?" "Would today suit you?" "Look straight ahead!" "Towards the horizon!" "How long can you manage that at a time?" "Imagine the race, man!" "Five minutes?" "Ten minutes?" "More than ten minutes?" "I can go longer, you want to bet?" " Slow down!" "Slow down, man." "You'll do yourself a real mischief some time doing that." "Work up to it slowly." "Go." "Gently." "Gently." "Good." "Keep your back straight." "Right, keep going." "Gently." "Watch your knees!" "And your bum!" "Wait for it at first." "That's the way." "Stay with the pack." "And now gradually faster." "You're head to head with number two, it's sticking with you." "At the first bend number eight is leaving a gap for you in the middle." "You accelerate to close up from the inside." "Can you hear the crowd?" "Your mount still has reserves, so hold back and wait." "A little bit more, just a little bit more..." "The second bend, number eight takes the lead." "Your mount takes off." "You are second coming out of the bend." "Number eight falls back after the bend." "You overtake him on the inside." "You are accelerating more and more." "Your mount is fine, the finish is less than 150 metres away." "Can you hear the crowd?" "You've almost won." "Victory is yours!" "Can you hear the crowd?" "A few seconds more." "Number eleven comes up." "You are neck and neck." "Another 50 metres, 40..." "Almost there." "You're urging your mount onwards." "A hard fight..." "The crowd is going wild!" "One more stride and you come second." "How come?" "Bum up, knees together, perhaps then you'll be first." "Another one?" " Yes." "Let's go." "The race starts in 14 minutes." "All jockeys to the weighing please!" "All right?" "I'm too heavy." " What?" "I'm too heavy, too heavy..." "Are you joking?" " Take a look." "My hands." "And?" " They're out of proportion." "My feet too." "At the weigh-in they'll see." "What nonsense." "It's the tension." "Do you know him?" "In the yellow jacket." " A growth spurt." "Rubbish!" "Here, take a look." "You see?" "You see that?" "Yes, it is bigger." " It is bigger." "Number 14!" "Eliab to the weigh-in please!" "Come on!" "Please sit still." "Right down to the last gram." "What's the idea?" "In my room it was minus fifteen degrees." "Yes, it would be." "It doesn't seem to bother Louison so much." "What do you do every night?" "Hey, lick me..." "If you could see her you'd understand." "It's not about beauty." "She likes me the way I am." "Size and weight don't bother her." "She just likes me." "I climb over the wall every evening to see her." "In the next village." "What's her name?" " Marline." "Hey man, watch out, it's not a plaything." "So... now I have to sleep." "What's that for?" "The key to it is this here." "That's the secret." "Two fingers can hold a one-ton horse." "If you want more power, then do this." "You understand?" " Yes." "Stand up." "Get onto the bed." "Hold it tight." "As though it were a rein." "Ready?" "Is it working?" "Stay like that." "And now let me down very very gently." "Careful." "Go on." "That's it." "Stay like that." "But don't do anything silly." "If you can't go on, tell me." "Do you want to come this evening?" " Where?" "To see Marline and her girlfriends?" "Perhaps one of them fancies beanpoles." "But don't let go of me." "Don't do anything silly." "You're not serious about that, eh?" " What?" "Your T-shirt." "What wrong with it?" " It's dreadful." "Here..." "You're wiry enough." "Take this one." "Come on." "But watch out, after all Marline is still going with me." "If you make a pass at her, I'll sock you one, all right." "Why would I do that?" "You haven't seen her yet." "But she wouldn't suit you anyway." " Why not?" "She doesn't like horses." "She thinks they stink." "Oh yes?" "So what will you do?" " How do you mean?" "If she wants you to stop." "Will you give up your dream for the sake of a girl?" "What dream?" "Come on, keep going!" "Are you still acting the boss?" " No." "No!" "Look out..." "Very gently..." "That's the way." "Gently..." "All right?" "You're bleeding." "Shall we go?" "They won't wait for us." "And besides, that's not polite." "Do we really want to go?" " Yes." "Why, are you hurt?" "Come on." "One, two, three." "What's going on, are you coming?" " Yes." "Well?" " I'm coming." "Quick, the bus is coming." "Shift yourself!" " I can't, I'm too short." "Think of something!" "Damn!" "Eliab!" "Eliab, is that you?" "David, wake up." "The school director is waiting for you." "Go back to your rooms, there's nothing to see here." "What's going on?" "I think he's going to move to "Aga Khan"." "Where are you going to?" " I've been sacked, arsehole." "Don't look so innocent." "But that's not what I wanted..." " So what do you want, eh?" "What do you want?" "Come on, say it!" "Why are you still here, Eliab?" "Come in here now David, or else I can still change my mind." "Move!"