""TOO BEAUTIFUL FOR YOU"" "I understand, sir." "I'd help you if I could." "I'll even lend you a car." " I'm the temp." " I called the factory!" "No cars that color for a month!" " Can I help you?" " I'm the secretary." "Go in the back office." "Through the corridor." "I handled your order." "The problem is you cancelled it." "You phoned me personally." "I'm not crazy." "You said, "Forget the bronze, I want royal blue now."" "That's what you told me last night." "This morning you say you've thought it over." "You'll take the bronze." "But that car's gone." "I sold it to someone else." "Sorry, that guy's a pest." " Bernard Barthelemy." " Colette Chevassu." "She is very nice." "Maybe beautiful isn't the word, but nice." "Imagine a woman who is always seeking to be even more of a woman." "More noticed more desired who is always looking for something." "Pushing back the frontiers." "What frontiers?" "Of modesty." "Modesty is essential for a woman." "Pushing modesty back doesn't mean it vanishes." "It just recedes." "It stumbles..." "Catches itself..." "Right now, for example even though I know you all you're looking at me and I'm scared." "Scared of what?" "Of what I'm going to say." "Of what I want to say to you." "What are you going to say?" "Everything." "What's "everything"?" " Is there a point to this?" " Of course." "Look!" "My hands are already shaking just from thinking of what I'm going to say." "I'm already shivering." "It's a pleasure." "Ask your questions." "What questions?" "Your questions about me." "Concerning what?" "What a bitch!" "What a magnificent bitch!" "Don't turn your back on me now." "After eyeing me for five days, you turn your back." "That's a lousy way to act." "I want to touch your skin." "Come on." "You're going to turn now?" "You won't be mean, you'll turn around." "It's lovely waiting for a man." "You can't tell a man you don't know, "I want to be in a bedroom with you."" "It isn't done!" "And why not?" "What if you suddenly said it?" "Would it bother anyone?" "A bedroom." "That's all." "A bedroom." "It's hard to say what I'd like to say to you." "I don't have the nerve." "What if we did some work?" "Yes, we'll work." "Okay." "You're right." "It'll be better." "Yes." "What did you want to tell me?" "It was about your eyes." "Yes?" "They hurt me." "They disturb me, destabilize me." "They please me, too." "She is a bit of a slob." "I tend to ignore that." "You're falling in love, old sir." "And hard." "If one could only make them all happy." "Give them all flowers." "Exactly what's going on between us?" "You have big hands." "Mechanic's hands." "I like mechanic's hands." "It's your mouth I like." "My mouth?" "Yes, your mouth." "What's so nice about my mouth?" "I like this woman." "Do you like the music?" "What music?" "Don't you hear music?" "Where?" "In the house." "There's music in the house?" " What's this music?" " A Schubert impromptu." " Did you buy it?" " Yes." " Why?" " What do you mean, "why"?" "You heard me!" "I asked you why." "Don't yell at him." "He has to do an essay on Schubert for his music class." "An essay?" "An essay." "His life, his work, his influence." "But this music shatters me." "Suddenly, a spark, deliverance, a door opens." "It all falls into place." "I know all the "why's" and "how's."" "I'd lost faith, and there it was, after so much plodding." "It flows in a steady stream, with no crossing out." "A spring I thought was dry came to life." "No fatigue, no anxiety, no wish to eat or piss." "Hours later I was still writing..." "How can it be?" "How can it be?" "It can, my friend." "That's all." "Some guys have all the luck!" " Bernard's a lucky stiff." " Why a lucky stiff?" ""Why a lucky stiff?" His wife, damn it." "Thanks." "I'll say it no matter what happens." "She gives me a hard-on." "At first I didn't much care if we made love." "Remember, on the train?" "I just felt good, I was near you." "I felt good, too." "I could have changed my life then, gone away, anywhere." " With me?" " Of course with you." "Why didn't you?" "I still believed in life then." "I vibrated." "I vibrated, too." "Everything around me reeled." "Where to go?" "I felt bad, I felt good." "I recognized nothing." "Not my house nor my happiness." "I felt like a thief." "What's going on?" "A visit." "An early-bird visit." "You're not the early-bird type." "I am this morning." "Is she the temp?" " You came to inspect the temp?" " No." " Feel better, now?" " You bet!" "I mustn't laugh." "She'll think it's at her." "Why make fun of her?" "I'm not making fun of her." "You're spying on me now?" "Spying on you?" "You show up unannounced, which you never do." "I call that spying." "Get me some coffee?" "Of course I'll get you some coffee." "Do me a favor, bring us two coffees." "Right away, sir." "What's the matter, love?" "You seem so sad." "I'm scared." "Of what?" "I suddenly had to see you, touch you." "I love you, you know." "Not like at first." "I love you more than at first." "I love you, too." "Excuse me." "Maybe she thinks I'm your mistress." "What kind of nonsense?" "I tell you, she looked at me oddly." "What do you mean, "oddly"?" "Wait, I'll be right back." "What are you going to do?" "I'll be back." " I'm Florence Barthelemy." " Colette Chevassu." "Wait for me!" "What are you doing?" "Are you out of your mind?" "Cheating on her with me!" "She has it all, I have nothing!" "What do you see in me?" "Charm?" "I'd have to be loaded with it!" "Can't you leave me alone?" "You can see I'm reeling!" "Beauty hurts." "I want to know you." "I've no hidden treasures." "What you see is what there is." "We need to be together, even if that's dumb." "The dumb things in life are the best." "They decided to meet discreetly in a motel on a main highway." "Practical things, motels." "You park, no fuss, you're instantly inside, in the person's arms." "It mostly happens at lunchtime." "Lots of folks aren't hungry at lunchtime." "See all these cars?" "These people aren't hungry." "I'm not hungry, either." "Remember this image." "The man sitting on the bed against the light." "How big the room looks and how far away he seems." "I have to tell you, Bernard I'm savoring my fondest memory." "There'll be others later but this one's the loveliest." "My fondest memory is of you stepping out of the shadow and coming toward me." "You're sure you want me?" "If not it'd be too lousy." "I'm falling hard." "She's a nobody." "This'll be over quickly." " Do I know her?" " No." " Is she beautiful?" " No." "Is she tacky?" "She's plain." "What does that mean, "plain"?" "She can't be if you're screwing her!" " Don't you screw her?" " I do." "How is it?" "Terrific?" "Does she do things I can't?" "You make me want to cry, you jerk!" "Who is this girl?" "What's so special about her?" "I have to know or I can't fight back!" "Stop!" "I'll stop." "Stop, I said!" "It's not me, it's my ass." "It ignores my orders." "Look, it's moving on its own." "Tell it to calm down, please." "Why?" "Don't you like my little caress?" "It's a caress for you." "I don't have to move much." "Ever so little..." "Like so." "Terribly gently." "Stop." "I'll stop." "Do it some more." "I'll do it some more." "I've just made love for three hours." "Three unforgettable hours." "I've still got nervous cramps." "Why tell me all this?" "Happiness." "A gift." "Sharing." "This is my house." "Which I must now enter." " See her today?" " No." "Then why are you bathing?" "You bathe every evening." "Her smell?" "I'm like a hooker, smells don't scare me." "Where do you screw her?" "A hotel?" "Are you discreet at least?" "Florence." "Yes, I'm Florence." "I'm your wife." "Got anything to tell me?" "Music again?" "A Schubert quartet." "That's all we need at meals." "So appetizing." "It's romantic music." "It's not supposed to be cheery." "There are limits." "Listen, sounds like the end." "What did Schubert have in mind writing such sad music?" "He was sick and unhappy." "You can feel it." "He got that across!" "Great atmosphere!" "Your essay almost finished?" "If not, I'll have to talk to your music teacher." "Let's pretend she's your wife and I'm your lover!" "Can't we try?" "Why do such women excite us?" "Why should this one, who has nothing exciting about her suddenly knock us for a loop?" "A love affair is like art." "A spark, lots of patience and the patina of time." "Suddenly, a spark, deliverance, a door opens." "It all falls into place." "I know all the "why's" and "how's."" "I'd lost faith, and there it was, after so much plodding." "My love!" "It flows in a steady stream, with no crossing out." "A spring I thought was dry came to life." "No fatigue, no anxiety, no wish to eat or piss." "Hours later I was still writing..." "I almost missed your train!" "My love!" " Morning, Mrs. Delteil." " Morning, Mrs. Chevassu." "Feeling cheerier?" "I try to keep going." "I'm here if you need me." "Thanks." "You're sweet." "She doesn't look so hot." "Sure, she never goes out." "Just waits, weeping, for the phone to ring." "Excuse me, it's absurd." "I'm still hoping." "I can't give him up." "Some guys are bastards!" "Deserting a woman like her!" "Maybe he finds her too beautiful." "Too beautiful?" "I mean too sublime." "Too ideal." "What's left to desire when you live with that gem?" "You have it all." "What else can you hope for?" "Nothing." "To die." "I can't just turn into a fat slob." "Oh, it's you, Mom." "It's me." "It's my mother." "I'm in the middle of dinner." "No, never mind." "I'm listening." "What can I say?" "Nothing to be done?" "You heard the doctor..." "I must know you." "What does "knowing" a woman mean?" "It's like music." "You learn the notes, then you play." "I don't get music." "I'm like a blind man when I hear it." "But whenever a smile walks by, I catch it." "I don't let it fly away." "So where does your screwing around leave me?" "Pascal, we have to talk." "I need to talk to you." "Something's happened." "Something disturbing." "I have to talk to you!" "You don't want me to touch you?" "Listen, I have a problem." "I can feel you're tense." "I'm tense, my nerves are raw." "In fact I'm all upset." "What's your problem?" "It's a love problem." "How do you explain that, Marcello?" "Marcello doesn't explain." "He doesn't explain women." " Shall I tell you of my desire?" " Yes." "I won't touch you I'll just tell you of my desire, okay?" "You can see my hands are behind my back." "They're not moving." "Tell me of your desire." "It's a desire for pleasure." "For the pleasure you'll give me drop by drop just by letting your veins throb inside me." "And I..." "I'll spit you sweetly into your mouth." "I love you." "Don't say "I love you."" "Just be quiet and listen to me." "I'm talking about my desire." "I want to be on top of you." "I want to make you explode in slow motion." "I want to make your heart burst with impatience." "I want to bring you to a point where coming for you will become so..." "I want to stay here." "I love the rain when I'm in bed." "As soon as you touch me, I take off." "I don't know what's happening." "Your hands, your fingers, are like nothing I've ever known." "I'm going back to the garage." "I miss you already." "How come we feel so good?" "Maybe that's what a couple is." "Something simple." "I'm going back to the garage." "I'd like to live with you." "I'm going back to the garage." "I don't mean for long." "A few days, a few nights." "So, it's you." "I'm sorry, madam." "I have a funny feeling." "I want to cry." "Yet, I also want to laugh." "Maybe I really want to vomit." "Sit down, meanwhile." "I don't want to sit!" "Or chat or have tea!" "I'm in a humiliating position and I don't know how to get out of it." "Why humiliating?" "You wanted to see what I look like." "Why not?" "I don't like your looks." "They're common and ugly!" "You have no charm, that I can see." "Sorry." "The words slipped out." "I'm vile." "What did you do to attract him?" "It wasn't love at first sight?" "A woman who gives love ends up being loved." "Idiot!" "You don't know what it is to turn a man's head!" "All men are at my feet, including Bernard." "I snap my fingers and he comes!" "He's my guy!" "Can you lend him to me a bit longer?" "He likes it with me." "He's calm." "He rests." "I'll return him to you like new." "You can start all over again." "You ought to go home." "I'd like to dress and leave this room." " Is that what you use?" " Why are you being so familiar?" " What's your gimmick with men?" " Take it easy!" "I'll explain it to you." "Getting things going is the hardest." "Arousing their curiosity, it's always pretty mild." "Men sense that I'm somehow worth the effort." "But they think, "She's too crummy, people will laugh at me."" "Usually they just think about it and do nothing." "They go their way." "But sometimes one of them stops." "He's curious and vulnerable." "Bernard's vulnerable, even if he seems tough." "When they feel 40 coming, it destabilizes them." "They become kids again." "But you're so beautiful." "Why are you so beautiful?" "I want you to fire that floozy at once!" " Why "floozy"?" " She's unworthy." "Unworthy of you, me, us!" "A woman needn't be beautiful, she just has to be a woman." "I call her a whore." "A shitty secretary who fucks her boss to get ahead!" "Don't look at me like that, you heard me!" "A little slut!" "I apologize, Florence." "I'd like to be her, dumpy like her!" "What's with the music?" "It's specifically for you!" "To welcome you home." "When you deign to return." " I don't want music." " I do!" "As a kid I never heard music." "Now I listen to it." " A very lovely lady visited me today." " Lovely?" " Very lovely!" " What'd she say?" "Sit down, I'll tell you about it." "It's simple, you see." "I was alone and miserable." "Miserable!" "Thinking, "I screwed it all up." ""My life, my novel, all down the drain."" "That's what I was thinking!" "Just then the doorbell rang." "Someone?" "Please come in, madam." "Care for a drink?" "There she was, saying nothing." "She seemed a broken woman!" "That's her!" "See what you've done?" "The harm you've done?" "Gorgeous women create havoc." "They do." "This is where I step in." "I haven't said much so far, but now I step in." "Marcello's nice, a terrific guy." "They'll be happy." "The sun was invented by an Italian." "So was the opera." "What a terrific guy, Marcello." "What'd I tell you?" "It's funny I don't desire her." "How come I don't desire her?" "It's the first time." "We don't always have to screw." "We're fine like this, in our little hideaway." "I'm thinking of your ass." "What'll it say if we ignore it?" "It'll sulk a bit, that's for sure." "I'll explain things to it." "Say, "It's not serious, you have to rest now and then."" "A love affair is like a soccer game." "There has to be a halftime." "You rest, look at each other and then start over." "Will you toss me aside when you're tired of me?" "I love you, idiot." "You don't love me." "You screw me, subtle difference." "I keep wondering why." "Probably an old fantasy, on the ancillary side." "Or else you're dumb." "Maybe that's the reason." "Dumb like a real boss." "What does "ancillary" mean?" "It's an affair with a servant woman." "From the Latin "ancilla," a female servant." "Once you've screwed her you throw her out." " Know what shatters me about you?" " No." "That you're shattered." "How do you know I am?" "I don't feel like going home." " I don't feel like going home." " Okay, we got it." "We're in the same boat." "Where have you been, you bastard?" "Screwing again?" "I can't face this dinner." "Why not?" "I'm in love." "Do you understand?" "In love." "Who's that guy?" "A pianist, my love." "Why is he in my house?" "Why are you in my house?" "Dad!" "What's the matter, son?" "I want to be a musician." "Music hurts." "It breaks your heart." ""'When a woman no longer loves you... '" ""..." "Pierre-Alain thought..." ""...'What stops you from loving her anyway?"'" "What stops you?" "Do I type that three times?" "Type it as often as you like." "Why are you wearing a white dress?" "I always wear white dresses." "I've worn white dresses for 14 years." "I've never told you you see, I've been polite but now I must." "For 14 years, I've wanted to eat your pussy." "Fourteen years, every night." "How many nights I've gone to sleep thinking:" ""Florence Barthelemy just sat down on my mouth!"" "What if tonight we all say what we think?" "Terrific." "No?" "Of course, you never get steamed up." "When I suggest anything, you look pained." "You're the pain!" "Look how uptight you are!" "You wouldn't be half-bad if you tried, but you don't!" "Why isn't my wife like her?" "Why is mine so drab?" "My God, she's drab!" "Why did she slap me?" "You cheat on your wife." "That's all you deserve." "That's for my wife to decide." "Let her slap me." "Florence, say something." "I can slap, too!" "I'll pick someone and knock his head off." "We're all very nervous." "Why is she crying?" "What's she got to cry about?" "Who can have parties anymore?" "I know it's all over!" "No more parties!" " You're being ridiculous!" " Don't touch me, please!" "You're watching a little group split up!" "Happiness flitting away." "What an atmosphere!" "Because an idiot rocked the foundations." "The building was ready to cave in!" "We were friends." "We made loads of money." "In winter, we skied, in summer, we sailed..." "Now what's left?" "I would like to speak." "Speech." "It's a speech about love." "Love and friendship." "I'm happy to be alive." "Those of you I don't know, I'm happy to know." "We're going to spend the best years of our lives together." "My God, she's lovely!" "Look at that bitch!" "I know some think I'm a bit too beautiful." "I see it in their eyes." "To all those and to the rest I apologize." "Beauty doesn't mean much, you know." "I'm a woman like any other." "I quiver I get upset..." "Men push me over and take me." "Tonight Bernard will do it." "Tonight and all the nights that follow." "I've had few lovers." "A few, while waiting." "They didn't damage me." "They just soared over me." "Now I intend to let myself be probed more violently." "Are there any questions?" "No one is asking questions, dear." "Go ahead." "I'm listening." "Ask your question." " Where did she come from?" " A crasher." "Let her talk, damn it!" "I worked at City Hall I've just been fired." "I loved the weddings the lavish ones." "Now you know everything." "Now and then I slip in I'm taken for a cousin a distant relative and I look at the bride." "Give her some champagne." "She's a scream." "She's like my sister." "What sister?" "The one I never had." "I would like to propose a toast to wish you every happiness." "The happiness I don't have and never will." "But I haven't the strength." "I can be beautiful, too." "It's an inner beauty but it's as good as any other kind if you know how to look for it." "Excuse me, I don't feel well..." "Don't make fun of her." "No one's making fun of her." "Why should we?" "She's unhappy, she needs help." "Sorry, I guess I vomited on your rug." "Take my rug." "Leave my man." "Right." "It's a pretty rug." "Pure wool, the only kind that lasts." "I'm going home." "That's good thinking!" " Everyone keeps his nose clean." " Right!" " I had a coat and purse." " I'll take her." "Marcello will take her home." "On his big bike." "Marcello's sweet." "You bet!" "I even lend them my place for siestas." " You jerk!" " Did I say something dumb?" "Take her home!" " Why the panic?" " Me?" "Panic?" "Yes, you!" "Why are you pushing me?" "Stop it!" "Want me to push you?" "Everyone knows you're screwing me." "I'm the fill-in secretary, Colette Chevassu." "Who likes getting humped." "I was passing by, walking my dog." "There were lights laughter, partying." "I couldn't help coming in." "Got a drink for a girl who's all shook up?" "She the one?" "She's the one." "I don't like these people." "This woman you see here, who you think is ordinary if you knew how she makes love..." "Or, rather, if you knew how she gives love." "Love, you guys." "Genuine love." "We see each other every day." "Every day, a day of joy." "We're drunk with it." "When you don't know anymore who you are or where you are, all that counts is her skin." "Her mouth her eyelids closing." "The wonder in her smile when pleasure floods over her." "Nicely put." "Why not say it?" "Why always lie?" "The woman who gave birth holding my hand who gave me a smile with the child, deserves to be told." "I respect her and tell her everything." "She understands me." "Otherwise love would be shit." "A prison of shit!" "Go away with her." "What do you mean?" "Live with her for a while." "Take a trip." "I have a little house down south." "It was my parents'." " Like it?" " Yes." "We'll hole in, like thieves shutters closed and make love in every room." "We'll do that." "The jerk's hiding." "Don't worry, it's nerves happiness breaking free great jolts of happiness." "I'm hurting her." "A woman's dumb, always going to pieces." "She tries to be a bitch, then, suddenly, she breaks up!" "I feel like making love, Marcello." "Tell me about your wife, if you're bored." "I'm not bored." "You are." "We're together barely two days and you're bored." "So talk about your wife." "All right." "Maybe I was wrong to put on this old robe." "But I like this old robe." "It's my robe." "It's my life!" "Poor devil was bored." ""God, I'm bored," he thought." ""How come I'm so bored?" ""When I think how happy I've just made that girl."" "It was good, you know." "I liked it." "So did I." " More coffee?" " Please." "What do they have in their heads?" "I'll tell him I'm going shopping I'll get out my old bike." ""What's with the bicycle?" he'll say, horrified." ""You can't go on a bike!" "We'll take the car."" ""It's my bike," I'll tell him." ""For going shopping."" "He won't insist, you'll see." "He'll say, "Hurry," and when I get back he'll be gone." "Gone, like a loser." "What are you doing?" "I'm off to buy bread and wine." "On a bike?" "Certainly, on a bike." "Wait for me." "We'll take the car." "I don't want the car." "I'm happier on my bike." "That's idiotic!" "I can't let you go like that!" "A man wants to live several lives." "But he can't, he only has one and it's short." "She's going to call." "I know she's going to call." "You were right, Pascal, he just wanted some fun." "He's gone and it's over." "Now I'm coming back." "Coming back home." "I want a baby." "We're going to move." "We'll live up north." "As far north as possible." "In a spot where there's no sun at all." "Our only sun will be our child." "He'll rise like the sun." "As for us we'll drink beer." "Why this craving for beer?" "I never drink beer." "The craving of a pregnant woman?" "Already?" "So young and fat already?" "And she thinks it's funny." "Her guy just walked out." "Soon she'll start singing." "I mustn't hum Schubert." "Schubert's not my style." "Bernard, how sweet of you to come back." "I thought you were angry." "Wait, I'll set your place." "I cooked a chicken with spring vegetables." "You'll see, sweetheart." "At first it won't be easy but you'll get used to it." "You'll like it with me." "I've never been screwed so well." "How do you manage to screw me so well?" "It just happens." "You're so gentle." "You set it off." "I love you, Bernard." "I'm nuts about you." "I'm a wreck." "It's funny..." "I've always known I was plain." "It didn't bother me." "I mean with men I always felt fine." "Fine in my body and in my head." "Sure, I've been lovesick, like everyone." "I'd rather have been beautiful, I can't deny that." "But I've known moments of great happiness." "Men are wonderful, you know." "When they let go when they suddenly become heavy and defenseless." "A woman's memory is in her shoulders." "That's where it all happens." "Why have you stopped listening?" "There are some people I know." "Is that a problem?" "Why should it be a problem?" "You suddenly seem uncomfortable." "They're just pals." " So go say hello to them." " Why?" "Because they're your pals." "No point." "They can see I'm with someone." "That means you can't say hi?" "I'm tired, Colette." "I've screwed too much, drank too much." "My mind is on my kids." "Maybe you'd like me to leave?" "I'll go say hi to my pals." "Do you mind if I powder my nose?" "I mean, really..." "My nose is shiny." "Unlike my future which doesn't shine at all." "It's dull." "You leave her, you're a shit!" "I'll punch you." "I'll never be a writer!" "You will!" "Just keep working at it!" "Instead of playing loser!" "We're all losers!" "I want to be in hotel rooms and hooker bars." "Colette and me, it's all over!" "You have to welcome her home." "She'll be depressed." "I don't want her to be alone." "Wasn't I alone while she was sucking your cock?" "I hope she sucked it!" "She sucks mine." "She's very good at it." " Believe me, I'll miss that." " So will I." "She'll find a new cock to suck, don't worry!" "Shitty life." "Life isn't shitty, love is." "Shall I put on some Schubert?" "You got some?" "Keep me from falling asleep." "Don't let me fall asleep." "Once I'm asleep, you'll leave." "I won't." "Me, leave?" "Of course, I'll leave." "Stay a bit longer." "I'm a coward." "Will you call me now and then?" "Tell me how you are?" "Coward." "I'm a coward." "The most important thing in life is to go on living." "I'm a woman who is alive." "Look how alive I am." "This is stupid." "What's the point?" "Is it the same room?" "The same room?" "I don't know." "They're all alike." "I want to talk to you." "What about?" "About me." "Lie down on the bed." "What for?" "Lie down on the bed." "There, I'll sit in the armchair." "Now what happens?" "I'm leaving you." "I'm walking out of your life." "No word at all." "Not a phone call." "My only memento is an old pay slip." "For four years, all I've done is fake things." "My smiles, my orgasms, my moods." "I never feel good." "It's like an ice-cold hand has me pinned to the wall." "I wish that mysterious hand would disappear." "I'm going to try to run away." "You've met someone?" "No." "I'm all alone." "I'm all alone, too." "I have a family, but I'm all alone." "It's weird." "They say having kids changes a woman." "It hasn't changed me." "Florence, my love, please, the nightmare's over." "Be patient, we're cured." "Careful, someone's watching us." "What are you doing here?" "You'll catch cold." "You're not dressed." "Here." "Take my coat." "It's so good to see you." "Don't move." "My wife's splitting." "Wait for me!" "I can explain, it's nothing at all!" "Shit, she's gone for good." "Where's she gone?" "Colette." "My love." "What's up, fella?" "Something wrong?" "Want some help?" "There are kids sleeping!" "She took my coat!" "Your Schubert's a pain in the ass!" "A goddamn pain!"