"Diego..." "It's me." "I'm back." "Well, I just wanted to tell you that that I'm here." "Can I come up?" "AN AUTUMN WITHOUT BERLIN" "What are you doing here, silly?" "Where are all your curls?" "Why didn't you tell me you were coming back?" "Well, here I am." "Are you going to stay?" "You aren't going to tell me anything, are you?" "Nice pyjamas." "You don't like them?" "I do, really." "I love rocker stuff." "I can't breathe." "You know what?" "I missed the south wind." "Your room... it's not a room anymore." "We didn't know if you were coming back." "Anything else?" "Dad is going to be angry." "Where is he?" "With a patient." "And how is he?" "Normal." "And you?" "Well." "Me too." "Can I stay at your place?" "Come on, Diego." "Say something." " 20 cents..." " Okay." "...and another 50." "There you go." "Okay, thanks a lot." "Your receipt." "Ane!" "Oh my god!" " You're pregnant!" " Yeah." " I can't believe it." " Yeah!" "But whose is it?" "Whose is it going to be?" "It's Iker's!" "That's wonderful." "I'm so happy for you." " Are you well?" " Yeah." " Yeah?" " And you?" "Well, quite well." "In the end..." "You haven't rung me in all this time." "I know..." " I'll let you work, okay?" " Okay." " I'll come back and we'll talk." " Okay." " Tomorrow, we'll do something cool." " Whatever you want." " You have to tell me everything." " Everything." "Sorry, I haven't seen her for a long time." "I brought you something." "Why did you come?" "To stay with you." "I saw your things." "Why did you hold on to the keys?" "Well, I don't know." "I wasn't going to throw them away, was I?" "Do you want supper?" "12th ANNUAL LITERARY CONTEST FOR SHORT STORIES" "PRIVATE FRENCH CLASSES" "Alright, ladies..." "Now we're going to do exercises to strengthen the pelvic floor." "We are going to squeeze the vagina." "Strong." "Okay?" "Now squeeze and release." "We squeeze, squeeze your vagina, not your face." " I don't know what I'm doing here." " Do the exercise." "The vagina has to become a boa constrictor, that crushes that penis." "It turns it black and blue." "Squeeze, and..." "Squeeze, and..." "Good?" "Do you feel it?" "Release." "It makes you tired, right?" "This is quite useful." "Now, let's all go our mats." "Let's all go to our mats." "Okay." "Listen to the sound of the sea." "Relax." "Lie down." "Assistants, place a hand on the stomach." "And soothe your partner." "Say relaxing things to them." "It's important for them to be relaxed." "You have to tell me things to make me relax." "So that they feel how their oxygen..." "I'm looking for work." "Tell me something more interesting." "That doesn't relax me." "This isn't going to take away your pain." "Pain exists, and it's strong." "But this is a good pain." "There are other pains that are bad." "Pain for the loss of a loved one." "Pain from frustration." "But not this one, ladies, this is a good pain." "This one is going to change your lives, I assure you." "Are you alright?" "Are you all relaxed?" "And we breathe..." "Not really." "You're staying at Diego's." "You will bring forth life." "This is the greatest thing you can do on earth." "Bringing forth life, okay?" "Listen to the sea..." "And we breathe." "What are you doing?" "What you see." "I'm hanging up the wash." "I'm looking for work as a French teacher for children." "Ah." "Now you only speak French, right?" "I speak German." "Pardon?" "Have you spoken German over the years?" "Have you been there?" "In Berlin?" "No." "I would only go to Berlin with you." "I'm going to bed." "Your brother told me that you've just returned from Canada." "Yeah." "I came back a couple days ago." "The goal is for him to pass the entrance exam at the French school." "Very well." "You will come three days a week." "Tuesdays..." "Thursdays..." "Well, I'll let you know." "And the occasional Saturday, if you don't mind." "No, whenever you'd like really." "I'm available." "I have to go." "I'll be back in three hours." "Alright." "Don't worry." "And you, behave well." "Bleu." "Blue?" "'Blue' is English." "Bleu." "Noir." " I don't know." " You do." "I told you this one earlier." "Chien." "Come on." "Grab your things, Nico." "Let's go outside." "My mother told us to stay here." "Yeah, but you don't want to study." "So, we can't study wherever we want." "Allez, allez." "On y Va!" "His name is Nico." "He's really funny, you know?" "He has huge blue eyes, and a face like an alien." "But he's smart." "He told me he didn't want to learn French." "And this afternoon, I took him for a walk." "There's a short story contest." "Do you want to submit anything?" "No." "But why not?" "I think you would have a chance." "I said no." "Okay." "Sandwich?" "No." "I don't feel like a sandwich." "We could go out to eat tonight." " I don't feel like it." " Come on..." "I'll treat you to a pizza." "Sure, we can celebrate me finding a job." " I don't want to go out." " Well, why not?" "It's a really nice night and I saw they had..." "No." "How long has it been since you last went out?" "What do you care?" "Some weeks, a month?" "Two months, three months?" "More or less." "Alright, well..." "Let's order by phone." "It's really good." "What are you doing here?" " I live here." " Only Diego lives here." "You left." "Well, I don't know." "I came back." " How's it coming along?" " Well." "Quite well, I think." "Can I test it on you?" "Okay." "Let's see." "Do you think she's going to like it?" "Of course." "Today, we were looking at the garden." "And how are you?" "Well." "I saw your mother today." "And?" "No, well... it's not normal for her to do your shopping, is it?" "I made you breakfast." "Well, I have to go." "I'll leave it at the door for you, okay?" "Tu a envie?" "My mother says it's bad for your teeth." " May I have two, please?" " Yes." " How much is it?" " Two euros each." "Thank you." "We're behaving a little naughty." "C'est trop bon." "Do you want to shoot?" "Okay." " May I have thirteen?" " Sure." "Hold this." "Here I go!" "Hold this, Nico." "Hello?" "What's wrong, Pili?" "No, it's..." "I can't go now because I'm working." "What's wrong, Pili?" "He always opens the door for me, but today he didn't." "I don't know what's wrong." "I'm really worried." "But... he won't let you in the house?" "Come on." "Let's go." "Diego?" "Diego, are you okay?" "Please." "Please, Diego, say something." "I just want to know if you're okay." "Go away!" "He's fine." "Don't worry." "Really?" "Well, then I'll go." " Okay." " Goodbye." "Goodbye." " Shall we go in, Nico?" " Yes." "Come." "Put the teddy bear over there." "C'est une terrace." "Secrète et magique." "What?" "Outside, there is a magic terrace." " Do you want to go outside?" " Yes." " Do you dare?" " Yes." "It doesn't seem very magical." "Well, we have to clean it a little for the magic to appear." " Will you help me?" " Okay." "Can the teddy bear stay here?" "Of course, don't worry about it." "I'll keep it for you." "Close your eyes." "Do you feel the warmth?" "Yes." "Can you tell me a story?" "Sure." "Once upon a time, a little prince who lived on a planet hardly bigger than himself and who needed a friend..." "Diego, do you want supper?" "Are you going to come out?" "What the hell are you doing?" "Eh?" "Why don't you shut yourself in there forever?" "What do you want, Diego?" "What do you want from me?" "To destroy me?" "Eh?" "I'm sorry." "Shall we go to Berlin?" "We're in Berlin." "I mean it." "Get on a plane and go." "It could be nice." "Nice?" "Like in stories?" "No." "Better than in stories." "I'll get it." "Sorry, have you already started?" " I told you not to come late." " Sorry." " I'll get you a plate." " Okay." "Okay, okay." "That's good." "They're really good, dad." "And the sausage is great." "I'll go get the cheese." "Oh!" "You should go see a dentist." "It hurts here." "It's been hurting in the back for a couple days." "Do you clean your molars well?" "Inside and out?" " Three times a day." " Yeah, three." "It's because you're upset." "Don't be stupid." "I don't need presents." "Can you pass me the screwdriver?" "What's that?" "That." "You don't need a screwdriver to change a light bulb, do you?" "I don't know what's going on." "Two have burnt out already." " Why don't you have a look?" " Okay." "Let's see." "Come on, hold me." "Pass me the light bulb." "Let's see." "No." "Something's missing here." "The thingy!" "Ah!" "Let's see..." " I don't know... it doesn't work." " I turned off the electricity." "In case you were electrocuted?" " Shall I turn it on?" " Okay." " What are you doing?" " I'm covering you." "But I'm still getting wet." "That's true." "Can we come up?" "Are you with the kid?" "Yeah, we got caught in a downpour and he's freezing." "I won't bother you, sir." "Okay, we'll go for a spin so you can think about it." "Let's go." "Diego!" "Wait for me here." "Diego?" "Here." "You scared me!" "Look, Nico, this is Diego." "So you're the kid that speaks French, right?" "I don't know that kind of French." "Well, you have to study." " I'm going to take a shower." " Okay." " Do you like the book?" " Yes." "So?" " Shall we study a little?" " No." " Why don't you ever want to study?" " I don't want to go to the French school." "I know, but why?" "They cut the kids' hair and then they eat them." "Who told you that?" "My friend Gorka went to the French school, and they took away his hair." "And I never saw him again." "I wouldn't want to go to the French school either, then." "Do you like it, Nico?" "Yes." "Though I like it more with churros." "I like it more with churros too." " Well, there weren't any churros." " No problem." "Is he your husband?" "My ex-husband." "But exes don't live together." "Go ahead, Nico." "Give me your hand." "That's Diego's mother." "Do you remember her?" "What's up, Pili?" " How is he?" " Better." "I came to leave him this book." "I think it's one he likes." "I can give it to him if you like." "We had chocolate and Diego's the one who ate the most." "What's wrong with her?" "Nothing." "Give her a hug." "Come on, let's go." " Diego." " Yes?" "Can I ask you a question, even though you won't like it?" "I don't know." "How long has it been since you've seen your mother?" "I don't think that's any of your concern." "I would love to see my mother." "Pardon?" "I'm telling you the truth." "The truth?" "Yeah." "Why don't we talk about you?" "Look at me." "It's been longer since you've seen your father." "It's not the same." "It's not the same." " No." " No." "Because you left." "Right after your mother died." "June!" " Hello." " Hello." "What's with the long face?" "I didn't sleep very well." "Well, I have a great plan." "What?" "Guess." "I'm not going to tell you." "This is going to relax you." "It's nice and cool." "Also, it's organic." "Oh really?" "How nice!" "All done." "And what do we do with the cucumber?" "For now, it's for your eyes." "So what's up with Diego?" "It's been a long time since I've seen him." "Not much." "Did something happen between you two?" "Last night he said some harsh things." "Were they true?" "Hey, Ane." "Do you think Diego would come with me to Berlin?" "Do you what me to tell you what I think?" "I don't think so." "These are for you." "You can't give these to me." "These too." "They're just stories." "They're your stories." "And yours." "You're going to drive me mad." " You don't like your present?" " I love it." "Aren't you missing a story?" "You took it, right?" "Yes." "I stole 'Berlin'." "Listen, I know it by heart." "Really?" "Let's see." "A sigh..." "Congratulations!" "Thank you." "Look, this is Ane." " Hello." " Hi." "You must be Nico." "What a belly!" " What should we do?" "Where are we going?" " Don't ask." "Just walk." " Do you speak French?" " Me?" "No." " I speak Latin." " What's that?" "Something very hard." "Hey!" "It's over here." "We're not going to Diego's house." " Why not?" " Because." "Let's go somewhere else." " Do you want to come?" " Yes, I do." "Nico!" "Nico, come here." "Ane, I don't want to go." "Let's go anywhere else." "I don't feel like going up." "Ane, I mean it." "He's going to get angry." "He doesn't want people over." "Happy birthday to you" "Happy birthday to you" "Happy birthday, June" "Happy birthday to you" "Do you want to go out?" "Yes." "Spin around, one, two, three..." "One, two, three..." "Quickly." "Wait, you're going to get dizzy." "Don't get dizzy." "You were right." "It's starting to rain." "When are we going to Berlin?" "Whenever you want." "But for now, off to bed." "You have a fever." "Going outside is bad for me." " You see?" " Come on." "Let's go." "Dad." "Why didn't you go see a doctor?" "He doesn't like doctors." "Why?" "How much time have we spent like this?" "Too much." "I miss her so much." "Me too." "It's Pili." "I'll let her in." "Hello, Pili." "Diego is feeling better." "Don't you worry." "What happened?" "Nothing." "He has strep throat, but he's fine." " Is he alright?" " Yes." "He's better now." "Pili." "Do you want to come in?" "He's sleeping." "You're feeling better?" "Delicious." "We had such a good time at the party..." "What's that for?" "For Berlin." "You were serious, right?" "You look beautiful." "What?" "When are you going to go outside?" "June..." "Okay." "I'm sorry." "But you promise we'll go see Ane's baby when it's born?" "I promise." "I'm going to get some milk." "Does it hurt?" "Why didn't you come before?" "I don't know." "It didn't hurt that much." "The cavity is subgingival." "What?" "It's below the gums." "We'll have to pull the whole tooth out." "No!" "Don't worry, first we'll take an X-ray." "Okay." "Hey, how did you decide to become a dentist?" "Well..." "Life takes you where you desire most." "Repeat after me." "We're going fishing!" "We're going fishing!" "Hey Nico, you speak French quite well, don't you?" "Nico, you're test is pretty soon, right?" "I'm not going." "No?" "Why not?" "Because of what they did to Gorka." " What did they do?" " They shaved his head bald." "Nico..." "Yeah?" "Do you want to know what really happened to Gorka?" "Yes." " Even if it makes you sad?" " Yeah." "Well..." "He was sick." "And that's why he didn't have hair." "And where is he now?" "Did he die?" "Yes." "That's a lie!" "I still can't believe you caught this." "The dentist is going to charge me a lot." "I don't think we'll be able to go this year." "Well..." "What's wrong?" "Next Autumn." "I'm glad there was a little ham left." "It's really big." " Good morning." " Good morning." "The test will take about one hour." "First you'll do the writing part, then the speaking." "I'll call out your name and you can go in, okay?" "Jon Berriatua." "María Calvo." "Pablo Bilbao." "Very well." "Come this way." "When kids die, can they still play?" "Yes." "Of course." "And finally..." "Nicolás Elorza and Paula Goitia." "Hi, lker." "What's up?" "No!" "Really?" "And how is she?" "Okay, okay." "I'll be there in an hour or so." "Okay?" "Hi, Diego." "Ane is in labor." "See you at the hospital?" "Okay, okay." "Okay, bye." "Bye-bye." "Sorry about that." " How did it go?" " Ane is fine and the baby too." " Where are you going?" " To my dad's house." "What's wrong?" "I believe what you tell me." "That's what's wrong." "You never showed up at the hospital." "I couldn't make it." "Then why did you say we'd meet at the hospital?" "Just tell me one thing." "Are you coming with me to Berlin?" "Call me when you want to go out." "Can I stay over?" "Is Diego ignoring you?" "More or less." "And what about when you leave?" "I don't know, dad." "When I leave I'll try to be better about it." "Don't sleep on the couch again." "We stored your mattress in the garage." "You're going to drown." "You're salty." "Are you alright?" "Oh..." "Dad, no!" "I have an idea, come on." " What?" " Come on, let's go." "Mother, forgive us." "Okay!" "Hi, Diego." "What?" "What's wrong?" "What does the letter say?" "I'll be right there." "But why aren't you dressed?" "They award ceremony is today." "And you got first prize." "Why did you do this?" "I told you I didn't want to take part." "I'm sorry." "I'm not going." "Then why did you call?" "So I can tell you I'm sorry?" "It's obvious you don't want to be with me." " If you think that, just leave." " No, Diego, it's not that." "You deserve something good." " They'll give it to me either way." " Yeah, but I want us to go together." "Please, Diego." "You have to try." "This doesn't happen every day." "I can't." "If you don't come with me, I'm leaving." "And this time, I'm leaving for good." "After seeing that lovely video, showing the previous eleven ceremonies for this contest, we shall now continue with the award ceremony." "The second prize for best short story goes to..." "Javier Lekuona Basterretxea." "I want to thank the judges for awarding me this prize." "I'm really happy and honored." "Thank you." "And now, it's time for the grand prize." "The first prize goes to..." "Diego Badiola González." "The 4000-euro prize has been awarded for his short story, 'Berlin'." "Let's have a round of applause." "I can't." "Of course you can, Diego." "Come on." "Just go up, get it and we'll go." "Diego?" "Is Diego here?" "You go up." "How can I go up there?" "Come on, just try." "You go." "Okay, well let's continue then." "Wait, somebody's coming up." "Let's have big round of applause." "Diego couldn't be here because..." "He doesn't feel well, but he wanted to thank you." "And..." "And that's it." "But since I'm already here..." "How embarrassing!" " No, it was a great speech." " Sure..." "Thank you, Diego for creating worlds that have let us keep moving forward." "How was it?" "Don't be daft." "How long do you think we could live in Berlin with 4000 euros?" "As long as we want to." " Where's your mother?" " She'll be right back." "So?" " Did you pass the test?" " No." "No?" "But Nico..." "What did you get?" "Four out of ten?" "Three?" " Two?" " One." "One!" "?" "But Nico, you did horribly." "I didn't want to change schools." "Well... it's no big deal." " We had a good time, didn't we?" " Yeah." "I'm going to Berlin." "Where's that?" "Well, it's in a country called Germany." "When will you come back?" "I don't know." "You're not leaving forever, are you?" "I can send you postcards if you like." "Okay." "Okay, it's a deal." "It's a deal." "Hello, June." "Where did that huge teddy bear come from?" "June gave it to me." "I don't understand how he failed the test, as smart as he is." "I don't understand either." "I'm sorry, Sophia." "Don't worry." "Here." "Thanks for everything." "Well..." "Goodbye." "Goodbye." "Nope, too bulky." "Out." "Do you like it?" "Well..." " Wait, June." "Open up your suitcase." " No, dad." "Nothing else fits here." "Look, cheese, the good stuff." "Ham and croquettes." "Come on." "I can't take it." "How would I pass through security?" "Go get a bag." "Oh, and this." "Let's see." "There, that's better." " Wait, wait!" " No." "Dad, really, nothing else fits." "Can you believe this?" "Croquettes..." "Beans from Gopegi." "And peppers." "See, they don't take up any space." "Thanks." "Don't be silly." "Shrimp!" "Don't be jealous." "Are you okay?" "Yeah." "You have everything in that?" "You have to travel light." "But you have to take the basics." "You and I are the basics." "Did you know they have student teachers who give free German classes?" "I'm okay with what I know already." "Oh, okay." "And we can have a garden on the terrace." "Sustainable agriculture." "There are lots of different kinds of beers." "I think we could just spend the day drinking beer, right?" "And we'll be normal?" "No, of course not." "We'll still be 'desastrofke'." "It's Ane." "I'll be right back." "Hello!" "Surprise." "Wow!" "You didn't have to do this." "You don't have to buy me anything." "Well, I didn't exactly 'buy' it." "Let's see." " Wow, it's great!" " Do you like it?" " Did you make it?" " You can tell, right?" "A little." "But it's really good." "Let's see." "Does he like it?" "Yeah, he likes it." "Oh it's coming." "My postpartum depression is coming." "This is how we'll do it." "We're not going to talk." "We're going to hug and then go." "Okay?" "Okay." "You've helped me out a lot." "Let's go." "To us." "To you." "And to Berlin." "What's wrong?" "Nothing." "Do you want to dance with me?" "What?" "Do you want to dance with me?" "Diego!" "Breakfast is ready!"