"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." "Good day." "You don't mind we meet here?" "Of course not." "I love cafés." "It's one of the things I missed most in prison." "The atmosphere of cafés." "The smoke and buzz of conversations." "Is it raining outside?" "No, I've been swimming." "You swim?" "Me too, but not in pools." "I told you about the Orinoco, yes?" "Yes, the first time we met." "It's a huge river." "Over 1,500 miles long." "It never ends." "And it's powerful." "Rapids, waterfalls and flood plains..." "You've seen it for real?" "Not yet." "It's a project of mine." "What's keeping you?" "I have a young daughter." "She lives with her mother and I don't see her very often." "Her mother moved away." "And my daughter has moved away, too." "You know, the Orinoco is a real mystery." "Several expeditions have set out to find it." "But none ever succeeded." "They found small streams, but not the real source." "Am I boring you?" "Absolutely not." "It's fascinating, isn't it?" "We know everything nowadays but we can't find the source of a river." "I've missed out on many things." "I signed and approved the papers." "For the job at the hospital." "They asked for my opinion." "Thanks." "No problem." "What do you drink?" "Coffee please." "Coffee for the lady." "I'll have the same." "Are we going soon?" "Patience, your highness." "Did you bring a sweater?" "It can get cold out here." "Will you be OK?" "You have everything you need?" "We'll be back tomorrow." "Damnit!" "You little devils!" "Are you set?" "Another couple?" "Natalie, use the same knife for the pineapple." "Bedtime, kids." "I don't have to like Rohmer!" "It's a free country." "How can you teach literature and not understand Rohmer's movies?" "Léa didn't say that." "She just said that she doesn't like them." "I can't believe what I'm hearing!" "How do you explain Racine to your students?" "That's irrelevant." "What's Racine got to do with anything?" "Rohmer is the Racine of the 20:th century." "But if you guys are too stupid to see it..." "Have some of this and chill." "Next you'll be telling us Stallone is Shakespeare." "Screw you!" "You don't care for anything except soccer." "What about you, Juliette?" "What do you think?" "Juliette says nothing." "Juliette looks at us and judge." "But who is Juliette?" "A woman of mystery." "A spirite, a goblin..." "Screw you." "You're a pain." "Get some fresh air!" "Ladies and gents, pray silence!" "I humbly propose a game." "The winner will receive my deepest consideration." "You can shove your consideration!" "Thanks." "And a kiss from Juliette." "Gerard, you can be such an ass." "The game is to figure out why Léa hid her delightful sister from us all this time." "Where was Juliette?" "What was Juliette doing?" "Knock it off!" "Was Juliette on the other side of the world?" "Was she not speaking to Léa?" "Cut it out Gerard." "Was Juliette hidden in Switzerland?" "You're getting on our nerves!" "A lion tamer of a circus?" "A Mossad spy, an amnesiac?" "Answer us, Juliette!" "Answer us!" "Shut the fuck up Gerard!" "Let Juliette speak!" "For once I found myself an interesting heroine." "You're an asshole." "The truth..." "Juliette disappears." "Juliette reappears." "Juliette?" "Go to bed." "Not before I know where Juliette was." "The beautiful Juliette." "Juliette!" "Juliette!" "I was in prison." "Fifteen years." "I killed my son." "That'll teach you, Gerard." "Well done, Juliette." "Now what, loudmouth?" "OK, she wins." "I give up." "Sorry about him." "He's an ass when he's drunk." "But he's a good guy." "They all think you were joking." "But I..." "I'm sure you weren't." "Before I got my job at the university I taught in prison for ten years." "I rarely talk about it" "I used to go in three times a week And I'd come out three times a week." "That changed my whole life." "My whole way of looking at things." "People..." "The Sky..." "Passing time..." "Everybody I met behind bars, it seemed like they were just like me." "They could have been me and I could have been them." "It's a fine line sometimes." "Will you be okay?" "Yeah." "Thanks for the ride." "Don't, please." "I'm still a long way away." "That's only true of Raskolnikov." "You can't extend the notion of redemptive guilt to humanity in general and suggest that each murder contains its own redemption." "Yet the aim of the novelist is to reconstitute the world." "Dostoyevsky is no exception." "You know full well that the narration in this novel is impersonal but also incomplete." "It's as if the author refused to show a plain worldview because he knows that there are numerous interpretations and motivations." "And numerous shades of truth." "The first draft is in first person..." "So what?" "!" "The initial project was to portray a single soul that might give us an intimate, universal insight of murderers." "You don't know what you're talking about!" "What do you know about murder and murderers anyway?" "And what did Dostoyevsky know about it deep down?" "Well?" "Nothing!" "Nada!" "Zilch!" "Even masterpieces are no more than hypotheses simplistic extrapolations that are nothing compared to true life." "Nothing." "OK?" "If you quit viewing books as a last word on something, you'd spout less bullshit." "I..." "I am terribly sorry." "I apologise." "I don't know what..." "Excuse me." "Good morning, I wondered if I " "Not now!" "This is not the time!" "Madame Cuvelle." "Madame Gonzalo." "Madame Fontaine Madame replaces Seriani." "Lovely." "We'll see each other soon." "This is your desk." "Your job is essentially to type up medical reports and perhaps help out your colleagues from time to time." "The trial period is three weeks." "The director will then decide." "I'll let you get settled in." "Not too fast." "Go on." ""I've loved you so long"" "Mom, come play, mom!" "Come on." "Aunty said you played very well." "Come on." "Behind the piano." "I'll play the right side." "Just like old times." "Here we go." "Just a minute." ""At the fountain as I was walking by, the water was so clear"" ""That I want for a swim..."" ""The water was so clear" "That I want for a swim"" ""I've loved you so long" "I can never forget you..."" "Rubbish." "Bravo, mom!" "Bravo aunt." "It was a bit high." "It was not bad." "It's not easy meeting someone new at my age." "I dislike going out." "And being a cop scares people off." "But I could be at Social Services, it'd be the same really." "A desk job." "This is where I met my wife." "They've redecorated, but it's basically still the same." "Where did you meet your husband?" "At college." "He was a doctor, too?" "No, he dropped out after two years." "So what does he do?" "Should we really talk about him?" "When did you last see him?" "At the trial" "he testified against me." "And he gave me an attitude." "Like my wife." "Ever since, she's never..." "She sends my daughter here by plane or train with a label round her neck like a parcel." "How's work?" "It feels strange." "Aren't hospitals that?" "No, it's not." "It's..." "I imagined lab tubes and microscopes." "It is more the re-start, that something fresh is starting." "I can't explain it very well." "You're doing fine." "Nobody giving you any trouble?" "No..." "By the way, I think I'll soon be..." "You remember my Orinoco project..." "After all this time, it's much clearer in my mind now." "There's nothing that makes it worth staying here for." "That's great." "I'm happy for you." "There, there." "What's that?" "That's an X." "And that?" "You need to find that." "It's a T. Where is it?" "Here?" "Nope." "There?" "You idiot!" "I told you." "You never listen..." "Will you shut up?" "It hurts." "What happened?" "Where does it hurt?" "In my shoulder." "Your shoulder is dislocated." "I'll put it back." "It'll hurt but once it's in, that's it." "One, two, three." "Ready!" "Feel better?" "Yes..." "Yes..." "lots." "What a trick." "Where'd you learn to do that, Auntie?" "The scouts." "The scouts?" "What's that?" "I want to be a scout." "With the kids, it's hard to keep up my research." "I go to less conferences, I publish less..." "But I like working here." "I get on with my colleagues." "Michel, for example, is the kind of guy who'll never let you down." "Has he always been single?" "Yes." "His wife died in a car accident." "We've known each other since." "He didn't tip me off." "I heard it by chance from a secretary." "He's actually pretty secretive." "Check that out!" "Look who Monsieur Lucien has on his arm." "Wicked." "There's always hope when you're a guy." "Had you forgotten me?" "What's that?" "You forgot me all those years, didn't you?" "Open it." "Take one out." "It doesn't matter which." "That was the first thing I did every morning." "Write your name and the number of days you'd been gone." "I suppose you could say it only took a second and it was just a few letters and figures" "but I thought about you so hard in those few moments." "Every day." "It was just us again." "Yes." "Good morning, sir..." "I'll be right there." "It's called teamwork." "Even if you each have your individual tasks to do there has to be unity, team spirit." "We're not machines." "Several of your co-workers say you are cold and distant." "You never talk to anyone." "It's disappointing." "Very disappointing." "Does that mean I'm out of a job?" "Of course not!" "I didn't say that, did I?" "Just don't forget you're on trial." "Make an effort." "That's all I'm saying." "Try to be less... withdrawn." "Open up a bit." "Of course, I understand that it's not..." "Finally." "I mean, I understand but..." "What do you understand?" "Okay, Little Lili, lights out now." "No, please!" "Leave it on!" "Mum, I want to ask you something." "Yes?" "When you and Auntie were little, did you spend a lot of time together?" "Quite a lot, yes." "But Auntie Juliette was much older than you." "So she protected you?" "Against absolutely everything." "So why did she stop one day?" "Because I wasn't a little girl anymore." "Sleep now." "We all need protecting, don't we, though?" "Even when we're grown up." "That's what your Dad's for." "Goodnight." "You know, I really like Auntie Juliette." "Me, too, sweetheart." "It's a shame she never had children." "What makes you say that?" "I'd have liked to have some cousins." "Go to sleep." "Will you be back..?" "Want to go for a walk?" "Your call, really." "For two years, the only walking I got to do was in a tiny triangular courtyard with big, high walls..." "I counted my steps." "Every step I took." "And kept on counting later when I was at Centrale." "The guards called me "Walker"." "The other inmates called me Nobody." "I guess I always gave the impression not to be Someone." "Not so fast." "There's a Giono novel that has a great female character who's withdrawn into silence." "She calls herself Nobody." "The main character falls madly in love with her." "Do you see the world through books you've read?" "Books have been a big help to me." "Sometimes, they are better friends than people, don't you find?" "Breakfast." "Hey!" "That's mine!" "I'm terribly late." "I gotta run." "I have a meeting that will finish late." "So do I. I won't be home either." "I told you about it." "What about us?" "Katrina will look after you." "Katrina's away wreaking destruction and havoc at her mother-in-law's." "Papy Paul can look after us." "Please?" "Maybe..." "What?" "Maybe..." "Maybe..." "Juliette could look after you." "If she doesn't mind, of course." "No, it'd be a pleasure." "Yes!" "Thank you, Auntie!" "Thanks." "Hi everybody." "Laurent Taskon, 11." "Frédéric Taskon, 6." "Cécile Tramelle, 18." "No way!" "Did she bribe you?" "I'm using a new system of bonus points." "Female?" "Plus 3." "Belly showing?" "Plus 2." "Thong showing?" "Plus 5." "No bra?" "Plus 4." "Belly button pierced?" "Plus 1." "You slimeball!" "I'll tell Juliette on you." "She was beginning to like you." "She told you that?" "Perhaps." "Seriously, what did she say?" "Look at you!" "You're like you're 15 years old!" "Frédéric Trousseau, 8." "C'mon, Léa, tell me!" "Ludivine Trussi, 5." "What were you talking about?" "Types." "I'll tell you later." "Frédéric Trousseau, 8." "Ludivine Trussi, 5." "May I?" "How did it go?" "Are they asleep?" "Like logs." "I'm going to go to bed too." "Luc home?" "Not yet." "You're still coming tomorrow?" "Hi, Mummy!" "I already said I don't need anything!" "It's me, Mum." "I don't know you." "If you don't leave this minute, I'll call for help!" "Mum, it's me." "Your daughter." "Oh, I know who you are." "I told you before, I don't need anything." "I brought you some flowers." "Don't think you'll get round me like that!" "Mum..." "Stop calling me that!" "It's very annoying!" "Don't just stand there, fetch a vase!" "Go." "Everything I have gets stolen here." "It's a funny job you do pestering people all day." "Can't you take your junk somewhere else?" "My darling Juliette..." "Are you back from school already?" "Come and give me a big kiss!" "Come and kiss your Mummy!" "Yes!" "Come on, sweety." "What's wrong?" "I am so happy to see you!" "I am so happy!" "They locked me up." "I'm all alone here, you know." "I'm all, all alone." "Take me home with you." "Take me home, please." "What are you doing, pressing up against me?" "You've got a nerve!" "Get out of here now, both of you!" "Go on!" "Out!" "Michel?" "It's Juliette." "How are you doing?" "Fine." "I'm in town." "I thought maybe we could meet up?" "I'm really sorry." "I have a meeting starting in half an hour and..." "After your meeting maybe?" "I can go for a walk in the meantime." "It'll probably drag on." "And I promised a friend I'd meet him afterwards." "Another time, okay?" "Okay." "Sorry to bother you." "Bye." "Bye, Juliette." "Hello?" "Anyone home?" "Happy birthday to you!" "Congratulations!" "Open it." "Thanks." "The worst thing, maybe, was the end the last few weeks before it was over." "I started having nightmares." "Always the same one." "I had my suitcase." "I stepped outside and found myself in the middle of nowhere." "There was nothing and nobody there." "Just emptiness." "One day, they told me I had a visitor." "I thought it was a mistake." "It was the first time ever." "There was a young woman waiting to see me." "She sat there and she smiled." "I recognised her." "It was Léa." "I listened to her without saying a word." "She promised she'd come again." "But I didn't want that." "She belonged to a part of my life that had died." "Then, just before I went to sleep, I thought back to when she was little." "Little Lala." "The gaps in her teeth, her smile..." "Her hand in mine." "It was that little girl that made me come back." "Luc wants to take a trip to the mountains." "Being fit for his stupid soccer games is all that matters to him." "When I was little, I so wanted to be like you." "And now..?" "Know what I thought of last night?" "The Green House at Hossegor." "When was the last time we were there?" "The year I broke my wrist?" "I went back once more after that." "I thought it had been knocked down." "Fifteen years ago, it was still standing." "I took Pierre there." "You look very beautiful, Auntie!" "Do you think so?" "These ones or these ones?" "The red ones." "After the restaurant, which nightclub are you going to?" "That's for us to know and you to find out." "Are you ready?" "Absolutely." "Can you dance, Auntie?" "As a queen." "I'd love to come with you." "You're still a bit on the young side, cupcake." "I'm not a cupcake and I'm eight years old!" "Eight years old!" "Eight years old!" "Be good." "Don't give your father a hard time." "He looks exhausted already." "No clutter." "Don't come home too late, will you?" "You can bank on it, sweety!" "Bye mom, bye aunt." "Allow me." "You can tell me anything." "You can talk to me..." "I'm not other people." "Juliette, I'm not other people." "Juliette Fontaine?" "Follow me." "My name is Segral." "I'm your new probation officer replacing Inspector Fauré." "Sign the bottom." "So he finally did it?" "He went to see the Orinoco?" "If going to see the Orinoco means blowing your brains out, then yeah." "Ten days ago." "Juliette!" "We're going to the clinic!" "Kaisha gave birth last night." "I'd rather stay here." "Really?" "Yes." "The Director wants to see you." "He asked me to tell you." "That's too much sugar." "Two spoonfuls is enough." "What have you done now?" "Is that okay, Auntie?" "That's perfect." "Now, the butter." "No, Sun." "Is there enough raspberries?" "Yes." "Let's butter the cups." "There you are." "Good grief, it's a party?" "!" "Is everything alright?" "You tell him." "What?" "I got a full-time contract." "That's great!" "That calls for a drink!" "Finally a researcher from CNRS who knows something!" "Hi everyone." "Hi, loners." "I brought with me a whole tribe of starving Iraqis!" "Why are you here?" "Why not?" "Suns little sister." "My cute little one." "Have you seen her, baby?" "Come on, look at her." "Wait, that is you." "Oh yeah?" "I'm you, as a little girl." "We gave her a beard, just like you." "It's a miracle." "She sleeps." "Did she take after me?" "Not very much no." "Careful, don't burn yourself." "They've eaten well I see." "What is it?" "," "Thanks." "Juliette?" "It's 8:30." "If you want me to give you a lift, now's the time." "Coming!" "Mother." "What was it this time, Marie-Paule?" "A cat?" "The wind?" "The holy spirit?" "What's that?" "Why?" "Where did you get this?" "Where did you get this?" "Marie-Paule, would you check on Emelia please?" "Yes ma'am." "A garden in the rain Is peaceful and sad too" "Mummy, I feel the same When I'm far from you" "Your smile lights up the sky And makes me so happy" "If one day you must die, do it after me." "Your loving son, Pierre." "LABORATORY ANALYSIS BIOLOGICAL MEDICINE" "I have to go." "No, stay." "Is something wrong?" "No, I'm fine." "Are you sure?" "Yes." "What is this?" "Where are those studies conducted at?" "It's Lili, isn't it?" "No." "Do you swear?" "Yes, Samir." "Really?" "It's not about the girls." "You know him.." "It's somebody who died." "A long time ago." "What's wrong?" "Nothing." "You sure?" "Yeah." "So why all the mystery?" "And that's not your handwritings." "I can't explain now." "Please, no questions." "This is just very important for me." "Very, very important." "I'll have to consult a colleague whose field this is." "All I can say for the moment is that it doesn't look very good." "Not at all." "I'll call you as soon as I know." "Good." "They're still here, you know." "In the end, war is pretty weak." "It can't destroy everything." "Come on now." "Are you okay?" "I'll call you," "Sorry..." "No problem." "I got the keys." "Well?" "What?" "Isn't it nice?" "What do you think?" "It's not bad." "You don't sound convinced." "I am." "It gets plenty of light." "I liked having you at home with us." "Yes but..." "It's time for a home." "Madame Fontaine?" "Let me show you something." "The prince drove slowly through the forest" "His horse was quite quiet" "His hooves made no sound on the moss." "The branches weeks as a wonder... " "Mom." "Phone." "Samir?" "Yes, go ahead." "The sky slowly shifted." "Will I come in time, the prince asked." "He thought about what the magician had said:" "The night is your sole enemy." "When they dressed her in the world of darkness." "Then you no longer see the difference between shadow and fog." "That difference is wolf." "Then you know it's too late." "And your pretty girlfriend is forever lost." "Hurry if you love her." "It struck the prince's heart, for he knew.." "Well," "He was thinking of her smooth face in the darkness..." "Well," "Are we?" "We are too late." "What is it mommy?" "It's nothing." "Don't worry." "We'll go." "We'll go." "And what if we hadn't?" "Do you think others at that time counted?" "Do you think we made our priorities about others?" "You guys all had your lives." "You had people that you were going to hate for the simple reason that they existed." "Why didn't you tell us?" "I was there." "We were there." "We could've been able to help." "Help?" "What help?" "Help how?" "What was it you were going to do?" "Really?" "When he screamed in agony?" "When his limbs twisted?" "When he choked?" "When he could not?" "," "What were you guys do to?" "!" "What did you do?" "I'm here now." "And I love you." "I love you." "Tell me." "Tell me," "Go on." "Tell me," "Say it." "Tell me." "I already knew from the start." "From the first signs" "I had done the studies in the lab myself." "And then one night Pierre grabbed the blade for his poem." "He was so proud of it." "My little man." "He was so nice" "So happy" "And I saw the death in him." "I felt it..." "A pain so deep that my belly and my heart shivered and kept me cold." "I went away with him." "People said I abducted him." "I suppose I did." "I ran away with him." "One evening, we had a little party, just the two of us." "It was in the Green House." "He could barely move anymore." "We sang and we laughed." "And I read him all his favourite stories." "Then, I put him to bed." "I told him I loved him" "I laid next to him until the morning." "Afterwards, nothing seemed important anymore." "I longed for prison." "One way or another, I was guilty." "I had brought a child into the world only to sentence him to death." "Anyway, there was nothing to say." "Trying to explain it would be trying to excuse it." "There is no excuse for death." "The worst prison is the death of your child." "There is never any release from that prison." "Isn't it beautiful?" "Yes..." "It's Michel!" "Is anyone home?" "Yes, I'm here." "I'm here!" "Translated by pasakor  voice ((c) 2008)"