" Hello, Madame Rosa!" " Hello, Mr. Mimoun." " Hello, Madame Rosa!" " Hello." " Hello, Madame Rosa!" " Hello." "He's on his last leg just like me." "How's your health, Madame Rosa?" "My health..." "I wouldn't wish it on a dog!" "My legs won't carry me anymore." " Let me take that." " Thank you." "See you later, Madame Rosa." "Yes, see you later, Madame Lola." "These stairs are going to kill me." "Let me know where you are I will write Okay..." "Madame Rosa..." "Okay." "So long." "So long." "The money orders..." "Yes..." "The family means nothing." "I know familes who go off on vacations and abandon their dogs." "They tie them to a tree." "You know how many dogs have died of a broken heart because they're abandoned all alone?" "But I'm not a dog..." "You are more precious to me than anything in the world." "Why do you receive money orders, for my keep?" ""The man hesitated a moment, then abruptly said:" " Then, you don't have a mother?" " I don't know, answered the child." "Before the man could respond, the child added:" "No, I don't think so." "Others do." "But not me." "After a moment of silence, the child continued:" "I don't think I've ever had one." "The frail face of Cosette was vaguely lit by the glow of the sky." " What's your name?" "said the man." " Cosette!"" "I want my mother." "You're not my mother." "I want my mother." "You're not my mother." "Enough is enough, Momo." "You're asking for trouble." "I want my mother." "You're not my mother." "Everybody shut up!" "Shut up!" "I'm going to hand you over to Public Welfare!" ""I want my mother, I want my mother"." "And me, do I have a mother?" "You're a pretentious one... justi like the other Arabs." "You give them a hand and they take a leg." "You're a trouble-maker." "And trouble-makers are put in jail." "Your mother knows what you're up to." "So if you want to see her again, you've got to lead an honest life, you understand?" "Now listen, Momo, you're the oldest and you must set an example." "No more raising havoc here about your mama." "Besides, I'll tell you something about your mamas, you're lucky not to know them, because at your age you're still sensitive and your mothers are all whores." "At times it's beyond belief, and do you know what a whore is, eh?" "People who sell their ass to whoever comes along." "Is this a manner to talk?" "You sold your ass too when you were young and beautiful." "Listen, Momo, you're a good kid." "But you've got to calm down, because I need your help." "Well, Madame Rosa, I know I can't have a mother, but how about a dog, instead?" "A dog?" "A dog in this place?" "Are you crazy?" "Besides, you've got to feed a dog, eh?" "Who would send money orders for the dog?" "Here, he's coming all by himself." "Ah..." "Isn't he cute?" "Oh, he's so nice!" "Here you hold him!" "There you go!" "Pet him!" "Don't scare him!" "It's said that "One moment of love is worth more than 70 years of adoration without love."" "And Sidi Abder Rahman, the patron of Algiers, said" ""Love everyone you want, you will have to leave them." "Live as you want, you will have to die."" "Continue reading." "Mr. Hamil, why are you always smiling?" "Every day I thank God for my good memory, Mohammed, my son." "Fifty years ago, when I was a young man," "I met a woman who loved me and whom I loved, too." "It lasted eight months, then she moved to another place." "And although it's been fifty years, I still remember." "Mr. Hamil, when I was a little smaller, you told me that it's impossible to live without love." "Is it true?" "Did I say that?" "Yes, Mr. Hamil." "Mr. Jamil, why don't you answer me?" "Mohammed, my son, there are certain things that it's better not to know." "Mr. Hamil, is it possible to live without loving someone?" "What a nice doggie!" " Is he yours?" " Yes." "Can I hold him?" "What's his name?" "Super." "Is he for sale?" "I don't know..." "How much do you want for him?" "500 francs." "Doctor, please examine this kid." "You told me it's bad for my heart to get upset..." "He went and sold his dearest possession and then he threw 500 francs into the sewer!" "Even at Auschwitz, such things never happened." "Calm down, Madame Rosa." "I don't understand..." "What did you say he sold?" "He's completely insane." "Completely." "I want you take a blood test, because I'm afraid that he's syphilitic being an Arab." "Watch what are you saying, Madame Rosa!" "What's all this talk about?" "Syphilitic Arabs!" "Old wives' tales." "Spread rumors like this and that's how you wind up one fine morning in Auschwitz!" "Now, tell me exactly what happened." "Well, he took the 500 francs, and threw them down a sewer." "He loved that dog more than anything else in the world." "The dog would sleep in his arms." "And what does he do?" "He goes and sells him and throws the money away." "Is that true, Momo?" "This child is not like the other ones." "And my fear is he'll suddenly go mad, you know what I mean, Doctor." "I can assure you, there's absolutely no reason for concern." "Come, come Momo!" "Don't need to cry!" "but go ahead and cry if it makes you feel better." "Does he often cry?" "Never!" "This child never cries." "God knows how much I suffer." "Here you are, Momo..." "He's better already." "He's crying!" "Everything's normal." "You did well to bring him over, Madame Rosa." "Very well, I'm going to give you some tranquilizers." "Take two per day." "You just worry too much..." "Doctor, when you raise children you have to worry, otherwise, they'll grow up to be bums." "Goodbye, doctor, thank you." "Goodbye, Madame Rosa." "No." "As I've said, it's impossible to keep him." "He's too old for the class." "But I'm telling you he's eleven." "Come now, Madame." "He's always been precocious, right, Momo?" "Here's the proof in black and white." "See the date for yourself." " He'll be eleven in one month." " Yes, yes, of course..." "Of course..." "But during his last medical check-up..." "Mohammed, could you wait outside in the hall?" "Well, go on, do as the principal says!" "School, you know, isn't everything in life." "School won't make you a Mensch!" "Whereas with Mr. Hamil you'll learn Arabic, and he'll make a fine young Muslim of you." "And how do you know I'm an Arab, and not a Jewish like you?" "Oh, how do I know?" "I know!" "Do you believe that I'm raising you as a Muslim just for fun?" "And, by the way, when you're in trouble, it doesn't matter if you are a Jew or an Arab." "And if Jews and Arabs are fighting each other, it's because they're no different the one from the other." "And how come, if I don't have a father or a mother, you have papers proving that I was born?" "Goodness, Momo." "You're certainly full of questions today." "The papers..." "the papers are worthless." "If the French police come to search my home, I've got papers, proving that for generations I've never been Jewish." "Even the Israelis couldn't prove it." "In any case, you have nothing to be afraid of now, Madame Rosa." "It's all over with the Germans." "They can't harm you any more." "So they say, Momo, so they say..." "Don't bother, Madame Rosa." "My treat." "Oh, it's you, Amedee." "Besides, I'm planning to honor you with a visit soon." "You're going to write a beautiful letter for me." "Don't worry, Amedee." "Of course, I'll write your beautiful letter." "It's a good thing to think of your parents." "I'll bet they're proud of you back there!" "Everybody's proud of me, Madame Rosa." "In Pigalle, the Corsicans call me Mr. Amedee." "I'm respected." "And I'm the King, Madame Rosa." " King of Mishugas!" " Mishugas?" "What does that mean, Madame Rosa?" "It's a word, it's..." "it's king in Jewish." "That's it." "You're the King of Kings." "The King of Kings?" "I'm the King of Kings!" "I'll bring her back by tomorrow noon, Madame Rosa." "Yeah." "Make sure she eats something besides candy, cake and chewing gum." "Don't worry, Madame Rosa." "I promise I'll take good care of her." "See, your mama didn't forget you after all, did she?" "We're gonna have lots of fun, we'll go to circus, to the movies, and then we'll spend the night together, eh?" "What a beautiful girl I've got!" "What a beauty!" "Momo, go see who's there." "Good-bye, Madame Rosa." "Good-bye, my beauty." " Hello, Madame Rosa." " Hello, Salima." "Who gave you that black eye?" "Madame Rosa, I'm frightened..." "Frightened of what?" "My "man" wants to send me to Dakar..." "What's come over him?" "I don't know, Madame Rosa." "But I don't want to go." "He told me I'll never see my kid again..." "What's this all about?" "He's going to denounce me, Madame Rosa." "They will deprive me from my parent rights and put my kid in an orphanage." "And I'll never see him again... never..." "I always said a pimp is just a pimp!" "Listen!" "Calm down, Salima, because" "I'm gonna fix everything." "Do you know who's coming in the afternoon?" "Amedee is coming here." "Just two words from him and your old man won't give you any more trouble." "I promiss." "Dear and venerated father..." "Dear and venerated father..." "Dear and venerated father!" "I've already written that." " What's next?" " I'm looking for it..." "I'm taking my pen and greeting you." "Allow me to hear news about you." "How are you?" "..." " Just fine," " Are you fine?" "..." "I'm taking advantage of being in Europe and studying at night school to become a public works contractor" "...public works contractor When I return home, I'll build bridges, highways and dams which can gather the water and to become benefactor of my country." "Do you really want to tell them all this?" "Madame Rosa, my father is old and respected." "I musn't shame him." "You can't expect me to tell him" "I run the best sidewalks in Pigalle." "It's not proper." "Of course not..." "Dear parents, soon I'll come back to Nigeria.." " Why don't you ever greet me, Momo?" " ...to lead a decent and respectful life..." "You remind me of my son." "He's on vacation in Nice with his mother and they'll be back tomorrow." "Tomorrow's the kid's birthday, and he's going to get a bicycle." "You can come over and play with him, whenever you want..." "Stop it, Momo!" "Momo..." "Momo!" "He's going to harm us, I'm certain of it." "He's going to take a kitchen knife and maybe kill me..." "You're talking nonsense, Madame Rosa." "There's nothing to be afraid of." "Momo's just a very sensitive child." "That's not an illness." "Take the word of an old doctor... the hardest things to cure aren't illnesses." "You know very well what I'm afraid of, right?" "Enough, Madame Rosa." "You're behaving like a fool." "You know nothing about these matters... and God only knows what you conjure up." "Madame Rosa took you in when you were just a baby, and has no birth certificate." "She's seen many children come and go since then." "She registered you as Mohammed, thus a Muslim, and that's the last time whoever begot you was seen or heard from." "But you're a good child." "Most likely your father died during the Algerian war, a great and noble thing." "He's a hero of Algerian indepedence." "I'd rather prefer a father who's alive, Mr. Hamil." "He could have been a good pimp and taken a good care of my mother." "You musn't say such things, Mohammed..." "And why did they expel me from school, uh?" "Madame Rosa said because I'm too young for my age since I wasn't as old as I should have been." "Then she took me to doctor Katz, who said I might be very different..." "You are a very sensitive child, Mohammed." "that's what makes you somewhat different from the rest..." "Sensitivity is a rare thing these days." "Was my father a notorious bandit, Mr. Hamil?" "Someone who everybody was too scared of even to speak about?" "No, certainly no, Mohammed." "I've never heard anything of the sort." "And what have you heard, Mr. Hamil?" " Nothing." " Nothing?" "Nothing." "Mr. Hamil, you forgot to take your Koran." "No, I haven't." "It's in my hand." "But that's not the Koran, Mr. Hamil." "It's Mr. Victor Hugo's book." "Is that true, Victor?" "Mohammed, Mr. Hamil." "My name is Mohammed." "Mohammed?" "Of course that's what I said." "Give me the key, Momo." "You musn't tell a soul about this place, you understand?" "Never!" "Madame Rosa, what's this place?" "Why do you sometimes come here in the middle of the night?" "This is my..." "this is my country place." "It's my Jewish hideaway, you understand?" "No, but it doesn't matter." "Well, this is where I hide, when I'm frightened." "Frightened of what, Madam Rosa?" "As if you need a reason to be frightened!" "This is my puppet, Arthur!" "Come and see..." "And, today, he's going to dance for you." "May I have this dance?" "..." "Yeah..." "I don't see what's so funny, gentlemen..." "This is sad!" "It's outrageous!" "It's a disgrace to treat a child in such a manner..." "Something's got to be done!" "They're crazy!" "Something's got to be done!" "Watch out, the police!" "Here comes the police!" "I'm sorry, Madame Rosa, that's it for today." "No money order..." "No matter, Mr. Mimoun, maybe tomorrow..." "I hope so!" "What are you always smiling about, eh?" "He's been free-loading for two years, and that's his reaction." "Well, kids, things aren't going so good." "I'm getting old... and the girls know it." "They know I can't cope any more..." "So they prefer to spend a little more, and send their kids... to Madame Sophie or to Madam Aisha's on Algerian Street." "But I've found a solution for both of you." "Moishe, there's a family that wants to take you on a trial basis." "They run a Kosher grocery on Bisson Street." "You'll eat your meals there, and come back here to sleep." "And who knows, if they like you a lot, and of course if you agree, maybe they'll keep you... for good... uh?" "Michel, I found a couple, who run a Vietnamese restaurant on Prince Street" "and they want to take you in." "You'll feel right at home there, eh, but you can come back and visit Madame Rosa from time to time." "Do you promise it?" "..." "eh, Michel?" "Yes, Madam Rosa..." "Momo?" "..." "Yes, Madam Rosa?" "Take Banania out for a walk." "Take him over to Mr. Walloumba." "He's got to be around black people." "Otherwise, later he won't be able to live among them." "Sure, Madame Rosa." "Right away." "Madame Rosa?" "What do you want, Momo?" "I know you're not receiving any more money orders for my keep..." "What kind of talk is that?" "Don't worry, Madame Rosa." "You can count on me." "I won't abandon you just because you don't receive any more money..." "A gute kind Boulevard Saint-Michel is still the best;" "True, the police are always around, but they don't hastle you as much because the students are there..." "Have you always been a fire-eater, Mr. Walloumba?" "No, Momo." "I came to France to sweep the streets, but fire-eating helps make more money..." "Is it hard to learn?" "You got to know how to play with fire, Momo." "Back in Senegal, where I had a reputation as a healer, fire was the first thing you need to know about in order to chase away evil spirits..." "How's Madame Rosa these days?" "Not so well." "It's her heart." "Mr. Walloumba." "Her breathing's getting heavier and heavier all the time." "I've be doing all the shopping because she can't any longer go down the stairs." "Where are you going for vacation this year?" "I'm not sure..." "If I'll go away or not." "I don't know yet." "What's the matter little fellow?" "Don't cry!" "What's happened?" "Are you lost?" "..." "What should we do?" "I don't know..." "Take him to the police station." "Do you want us to take you to the police station?" "No!" "Then, where do you want to go?" "Where do you live?" "Where do you live?" "Who's that here?" "Uh?" "That's when I was in Sidi-Bel-Abbes." "Well, that's all over now..." "And here?" "I was eighteen years old." "And here?" "That's when I was a worker in Vavin." "No, in Pigalle." "Vavin was after that." "And this one?" "That was taken just after the war." "I was already very changed, eh?" "And that man?" "Who is he?" "This is Felix..." "This is Felix Blumentag." "I gave him my love... and he ran off with all my savings." "And then, he turned me in to the French police... as a Jew." "Of course, it didn't do him any good." "Soon after they shipped him off to Germany and he never came back." "Oh, if it's cancer, Momo, cancer is fatal..." "Momo, go get my... my wallet over there on the mantle." "Well... this isn't going to feed us for long..." "I've got to get out and see the girls, because with another two or three kids here, we'll make it." "The only trouble is that those I used to know have retired and I don't know the others." "I've lost my reputation." "What's going to happen to us, Momo?" "Don't worry, Madame Rosa, we'll work something out." "Mr. Amedee promised to help us, and, quite frankly, it'd do you good to lose some weight." "Dr. Katz says you have to lose weight, to eat less..." "What kind of nonsense is that?" "Go now and let me get dressed..." "Is that you who smells so good?" "Yes, Madame." "I'll say you're a cutey." "I've never seen you around before." "Does you mama works around here?" "No, I'm on my own." "How old are you, sweetheart?" "Eleven." "Better stay off the street, it's no place for kids." "Come on." "Let's go." "What's your name?" "Momo." "And where are your parents, Momo?" "I'm on my own, what else?" "I'm a free person." "But there must be someone who takes care of you?" "Maybe I could have a talk with them." "I'd like to take care of you." "I'd set you up in a studio just like a little king." "You'd have everything you want." "We'll see." "Wait." "Take this for your candy money, sweetheart." "Give me that, Momo!" "But, Madame Rosa..." "No buts about it, give me the hundred francs!" "What hundred francs?" "Don't lie, Momo!" "I've just met Madame Fernand, who saw and heard everything!" "Come on, hand it over!" "So it was true!" "That's not what I raised you for, Momo." "That's not what I sweated blood for." "Sure enough!" "I wish I were dead..." "Madame Rosa..." "Momo, I want you to swear this will never happen again." "I swear, Madame Rosa." "Swear that you'll never become a fancy man like these pimps." "I swear I'll never become a fancy man." "You better not, because you'd break your poor mother's heart." "Speaking of my poor mother, where is she?" "Why don't you ever want to talk about her?" "..." "Don't shout, Momo." "Please don't shout." "because I'm going to die soon.." "Come and sit down." "What do you want to hear?" "That you've got a mother and a father just like everybody..." "That's the way it is." "Your parents came one night and left you here, then your mother started crying and ran out." "I held you in my arms, Mohammed, muslim... and I promised her that you'd be treated like a little prince here." "And why didn't they ever come back?" "And why did they stop sending money orders?" "If you know, Madame Rosa, you must tell me." "Why my mother never comes to see me?" "Listen, Momo." "I'll tell you something:" "In my view, your mother might have some bourgeois prejudices." "She comes from a very fine family, and she didn't want you to find out the kind of job she had to do to earn her living, understand?" "But everything is going to be all right, Momo..." "I didn't tell you, that we're taking on two more children the twins of Mr. Moussa, the street-cleaners." "Everything will be fine, you'll see..." "Behind?" "Is she?" "..." "She fainted." "On the stairs." "Better go and get Dr. Katz." "It isn't cancer, is it, Doctor?" "No." "Not at all." "This is not cancer." "Who's the oldest one here?" "I am, Doctor." "Good." "I'm going to write out a prescription and then you'll take it to the drugstore." "Listen, son, Madame Rosa is very sick." "But you said she didn't have cancer, didn't you?" "No, she doesn't have cancer, but it's still very serious." "She should be in a hospital." "There, at least she'd receive proper care." "But what's the matter with her?" "So many things, that I'm not going to start listing them all..." "The most serious is high blood pressure." "She may have a stroke at any moment." "And she could also become senile..." "Senile?" "..." "Yes." "Hardening of the arteries." "That's what happens when the blood and oxygen can not reach the brain like they should." "She won't be able to think." "She'll become a vegetable." "But it's not cancer, is it?" "No, absolutely not." "You can rest easy on that account... it's..." "Momo, you musn't cry, my boy." "You know, it's natural for old people to die." "You've got your whole life ahead of you." ""With best regards from Mr. N'da Amadee."" "So what did Dr. Katz have to say yesterday?" "Am I dying?" "Not in particular, Madame Rosa." "He didn't say that." "Then what's the matter with me?" "He said a little bit of everything." "And what's the matter with my legs?" "He didn't say anything about your legs." "And what's wrong with my heart?" "Nothing in particular." "And the vegetables?" "Which vegetables?" "Yes, I heard him talking about vegetables." "Oh, you've got to eat vegetables to be healthy." "You always made us eat vegetables." "What will become of you when I'm gone, Momo?" "I'll be all right." "Because you're a handsome fellow... it's... it's dangerous." "You've got to be careful." "Promise me you won't hang around on the street." "I promise." "Swear to me." "I swear I won't, Madame Rosa." "You don't have to worry about that." "Never peddle yourself, even if you're offered a lot of money." "Even if I'm dead and the only thing you have left is your ass." "Never peddle it." "Why are you crying?" "I'm not crying." "And what's that?" "Isn't it a tear?" "No." "I don't know how it got there." "Well, I guess I'm mistaken." "Do you live around here?" "I'm not French." "I'm Algerian." "We live in Belleville." "What's your name?" "Mohammed." "But they mostly call me Momo." "You musn't be afraid." "You're the most beautiful little boy I've ever seen." "You're not so bad yourself." "Thanks." "Well... good-bye Mohammed." "It's you... how did you find me?" "What's this place?" "Is this a movie house?" "Not exactly." "It's an editing room." "This is where films are put together." "You like that?" "Not bad." "Especially when it starts going backwards." "What have you got there?" "It's an old umbrella that I've fixed up." "It looks funny with that hat." "Like a fetish." "Is he your friend?" "What do you take me?" "An idiot?" "It's not a friend." "It's an umbrella." "And why did you give it a green face?" "It's not a face, it's a rag." "Faces are forbidden for us." "Why did you say that?" "I'm an Arab, and Mr. Hamil told me that it's forbidden to show faces in our religion." "How old are you?" "Eleven." "As of today, so it seems." "Listen, if you can stay for a while, we'll go out and have a drink, Okay?" "..." "You really seemed interested back in the editing room." "It was fun." "You can come back whenever you like." "I'm pretty busy." "I can't promise you." "I like when you can make everything move backwards." "I live with a lady who's going to die soon." "Aren't your parents in Paris?" "Here, take this." "It's got my name and address on it." "I'm Nadine." "I have a friend who takes care of children." "A psychiatrist?" "Why did you say that?" "Pediatricians take care of children." "Only when they're babies." "After that, it's the psychiatrists." "Who told you that?" "You said you were eleven, didn't you?" "Yes." "I guess so." "You know a lot for a boy of your age..." "So do you promise?" "Will you come to visit us?" "I've got two children who are younger than you are." "You'll meet them..." "Oh, you already have someone..." "What did you say?" "Are your children beautiful like you are?" "Listen, darling, you've got my name and address." "Don't loose it." "Come to see me whenever you want to..." "Where do you live?" "Good-bye..." "But..." "Hello, Momo." "Hello, Madame Lola." "How's she feeling?" "Not very well..." "After so many years, it feels pretty empty without the kids." "At least you're still here, Momo." "Hello..." "Hello, Sir." "I heard that Madame Rosa hasn't been well, so..." "Who is it, Momo?" "Come in, Sir." "Madame.." "Madame, allow me to..." "Thank you, Sir." "Momo, turn the music off!" "Have a seat, Sir." "My name is Louis Charmette." "as it's written..." "right here." "It's a letter from my daughter who writes to me once a month." "Pleased to meet you..." "I'm a retired employee of the National Railroads." "An administrative cadre." "When I heard you weren't feeling well, after twenty years in the same building, just thought I'd take advantage of the occasion to visit." "Very kind of you..." "Momo?" "Yes, Madame Rosa." "Don't just stand there, offer the gentleman something to drink." "Will you have a little schnaps?" "No, thank you." "Please Madame, forgive me." "Doctor's orders." "It's the sugar..." "We got to be careful at our age." "Our health is all we've got left." "To your health, Madame Rosa!" "May God give you another hundred years!" "Don't even mention Him to me!" "He can stay where he is." "Why, don't you believe in God?" "I saw the workings of God at Auschwitz." "God's got eyes but doesn't see." "He's got ears but doesn't hear." "He's got a mouth but remains silent..." "It's too late now for him to ask my forgiveness because what's done is done." "I'm not afraid of Him anymore." "Therefore, for my funeral" "I want no God, I want no rabbi, I want nothing." "Just bury me under a tree." "I'll be just fine." "It's nice to be in the country!" "These legs here have been up a lot of stairs!" "Because I was tops in the trade." "I had regular customers who crossed the whole of Paris just only to see me." "If by chance I wasn't available" "For all the money in the world, they wouldn't have gone with another!" "For all the money in the world..." "they might have." "But one thing's for sure," "I had regular customers, until I passed fifty." "Then I gave it up..." "for aesthetic reasons mostly." "So I became a wet nurse..." "Wet nurse for the children of prostitutes because the children of prostitutes are like all the rest." "It's funny because my girlfriends who put their kids with wet nurses" "they had always done it in the country regions." "I should have thought of that before because kids have more fun in the grass than on the sixth floor." "And for myself, I wouldn't have to go up the stairs all the time." "Oh, my life could be so beautiful, Madame Lola, but... how are you supposed to live," "when you're just trying to survive." "I'm going to see Mr. Hamil." "How are you, Mr. Hamil?" "Hello, Victor." "I'm glad to hear your voice." "I'm Mohammed, not Victor." "Victor is your other friend." "Of course, Mohammed..." "I've put my faith in the Everlasting." "What did I call you, my little Victor?" "You did called me Victor, Mr. Hamil." "How could I?" "Please forgive me." "Don't mention it." "That's pefectly all right." "How have you been since yesterday?" "Since yesterday?" "Yesterday or today." "Well, I've been here all day, my little Victor..." "One day I'll write a real book, too." "What's Mr. Victor Hugo's best book?" "Don't ask too many questions my little..." " Mohammed Don't ask too many questions." "I'm a bit tired today." "Is there someone to take you home later?" "Inch'Allah." "There has to be someone, because I I believe in God, Victor." "Are you coming Loulou?" "Come on got to hurry up now because my coat..." "What are you doing, Madame Rosa?" "I'm waiting for them." "They said they'd come for us." "They said they'd take care of everything." "They're coming with trucks to take us to the Velodrome." "They told us to bring only the bare necessities." "They, who?" "The French Police." "They said to take only one suitcase." "Then they're going to take us to the station, where we'll leave on a train which will take us to Germany." "No one will harm us." "And they'll see to everything." "I'll have no more worries." "Momo..." "Momo, what happened?" "What am I doing here with my suitcase, like being ready to leave?" "You've been dreaming, Madame Rosa." "It doesn't hurt to dream a little once in a while." "You're already a big boy, Momo." "And you understand some things..." "You're a big boy and I want to tell you..." "Madame Rosa?" "..." "Maybe she's dead..." "Well, Momo, I've got good news." "You can all be sure that it's not cancer..." "It's only one of those spells that happens when our poor old head can't get enough circulation and since the heart and kidneys aren't what they used to be it might be better to spend some time in the hospital," "in a beautiful big room where everything will be taken care of." "So Momo, now it's come to that... the hospital!" "Hand me my wallet." "Moishe, go buy us some bread and I'll prepare dinner." " Yes, Madame Rosa." "At least that will be taken care of." "Momo!" "Come here for a moment." "What's the matter, Madame Rosa?" "Are you going to have another faint?" "No, I feel pretty good today." "But if it happens again, they'll want to send me to the hospital." "And I don't want to go." "I'm sixty-five years old..." "Sixty-seven." "As a matter of fact, I'm sixty-six." "I'm not as old as I look, you know." "And I don't want to go to the hospital because... they'll torture me." "They'll force me to stay alive," "I don't want to live longer... than necessary." "Besides, maybe it's no longer necessary." "Everything has its limits, even for Jews." "They'll torture me in the hospital to keep me from dying." "It happened to a friend of mine..." "he wasn't Jewish..." "He lost his legs and his arms..." "They made him suffer for ten years." "He was in an accident, mind you, for ten years they made him suffer in the hospital so they could study his circulation." "I don't want to spend years in a coma for... the glory of medicine!" "So if you hear any talk about the hospital, you... just take a pillow and put it over my face, and finish me off." "For thirty-five years, I gave my body to customers, and I have no intention now of giving it to the doctors." "And that's all." "Promise me?" "I promise, Madame Rosa." "Does Madame Rosa live here?" "Who?" "Madame Rosa." "That's not me!" "I'm a sick man, I've just left the hospital." "I've come to see my son before I die." "I put him in Madame Rosa's care eleven years ago." "I've got the receipt." "Wait here, I'll be back." "There's a seedy-looking guy at the door who says his son is here." "You and Moishe are the only ones left." "Then, it must be Moishe." "He's trying to blackmail the mother." "I'm not afraid of some pimp." "And in any case, he can't prove a thing because all the false papers are in order." "Show him in." "And if he wants trouble, go get Mr. Amedee." "What can I do for you?" "Eleven years ago I trusted my son to your care." "I haven't been in touch sooner, because I've been in a psychiatric hospital." "I got the receipt from my brother-in-law." "My wife had a tragic death, as you know." "They released me this morning." "I took the receipt and came right over." "My name is Kadir Youssef and I've come to see my son, Mohammed." "I want to say hello to him." "What's this again?" "Madame, I'm a sick man." "Aren't we all?" "Madame, I was for eleven years in this psychiatric hospital locked-up" "after the newspapers wrote about this tragedy." "I wasn't responsible for my actions!" "What did you say was the name of your son?" "Mohammed." "And do you remember what the mother's name was?" "Madame, you know that I'm irresponsible." "I was officially certified as such." "It's not my fault if I did that to her." "Just think, she did as many as fifteen tricks a day." "I wound up getting jealous, and I killed her." "Yes..." "I know I did." "But I'm not responsible." "I was madly in love her." "I couldn't live without her." "You most certainly couldn't live without her, Mr. Kadir, because Aisha brought in thousands of francs a day." "Then you killed her, so she couldn't bring in any more." "Aside from that, Mr. Kadir, how are you?" "How am I, Madame Rosa?" "I'm dying." "It's my heart." " Mazeltov." " Thanks." "I'd like to see my son." "You owe me for three years of boarding and it's been eleven years since I've had news from you." "News from me?" "What do you mean?" "Money." "How I was supposed to get it?" "I'd rather not discuss that." "Madame, when we entrusted you with our son" "I was in full command of my faculties." "I had three women working in the central marketplace, on of whom I tenderly loved!" "I even had a certain social status:" "Youssef Kadir, well-known to the police." "That's right, Madame!" "Youssef Kadir, well-known to police." "It was even printed in the newspapers." "Mr. Kadir, no one has the right to adandon his child, like a pile of garbage, for eleven years, without offering a penny." "But it was materially impossible." "I've got a medical certificate to prove it..." "Papers which prove things don't interest me." "Madame, I can't bring Aisha back to life," "but I'd like to embrace my son." "Ask him to forgive me and pray to God for me." "Is... is that him?" "Moishe!" "Yes, Madame Rosa?" "Go say hello to your dad!" "Hello, dad." "Excuse me!" "Did you say Moishe?" "Yes I said Moishe and so what?" "But Moishe is a Jewish name!" "I entrusted you with a Mohammed, Madame, not a Moishe." "Are you sure?" "Sure of what, Madame?" "Eleven years ago I entrusted you with a Muslim son, with a three year old muslim boy, named Mohammed!" "I gave you an Arab son in good and due form and that Arab son is what I want back." "I've got nothing against Jews, Madame, God forgive them..." "Are you sure you are not a Jew?" "You don't necessarily have to be a Jew, Madame, to be persecuted." "Jews aren't the only ones with a right to be persecuted." "I don't want a Jewish son under any circumstances." "I've got enought troube as it is!" "Just calm down and don't get upset, because there might be some mistake." "Let me check..." "Momo, hand me those documents..." "Ah!" "Here we are!" "Here we are..." "On November 5th, 1966, give or take a bit..." " What do you mean?" " Just to round things off." "I took two boys, one was a Muslim and the other was a Jew..." "The same day..." "Then..." "It's becoming all too clear!" "I made a mistake." "I mixed up the religions." "What?" "Yes." "I raised Mohammed as Moishe and Moishe as Mohammed." "Since they both arrived the same day." "Well..." "I got them mixed up." "That means that the little Moishe is now living in a very fine Muslim family in Marseille, and the little Mohammed, your son, who's right here," "has been brought up as a Jew, with a barmitzvah and a strict Kosher diet, you don't need to worry..." "What is it?" "My son is strictly kosher?" "He's been barmitzvahed?" "My Mohammed has turned into a Jew?" "What can I say?" "I made a mistake." "You must know that a three-year old boy doesn't have a striking identity, even if he's circumcized." "So I made a mistake." "I brought up Mohammed as a a good little Jew." "You have to understand that when you leave your son for eleven years without seeing him, you shouldn't be surprised that he has become a Jew..." "I was locked up in a clinic!" "Listen to me, he used to be an Arab, now he's a little Jew, that's all it is." "He's still your son!" "It's not the same!" "He was baptized!" "Mr. Kadir, please!" "He was not baptized!" "God forbid!" "No." "Moishe was brought up as a good little Jew." "Isn't that right, Moishe?" "Didn't I bring you up as a good Jew?" "Yes, Madame Rosa." "I want my son back in the same state I left him in!" "I want my son in an Arab state, and not in a Jewish one!" "In my house, there's no such thing as an Arab or a Jewish state." "So, if you want to take back your son, you'll have to take him in his present state." "Because, first you go and kill the child's mother, then you have yourself declared mentally ill and now you come and raise hell because the kid was brought up as a decent jew." "So Moishe, go embrace your father, even if it kills him." "He's still your father!" "That's not my son." "What's the matter with him?" "He's unconscious." "My God, Momo, do something!" "..." "We must call the Police for help." "They musn't find him here!" "Has all this upset you, Momo?" "No, Madame Rosa." "I'm glad to be fourteen years old." "Yes, it's better this way." "And you know, having a father with psychiatric problems is the last thing you needed," "especially since that sort of thing is sometimes hereditary." "You're right, Madame Rosa." "I was lucky." "And Aisha was very popular." "Who knows who your real father was in all that mess..." "Mohammed!" "What's happened, Mohammed?" "Mohammed, speak to me, what's the matter?" "Nothing..." " Eh?" " Nothing." "Listen, I've finished for today." "Let's go to my house where we can talk." "OK?" "This is Mohammed." "Hi there, Mohammed." "Mohammed, this is my friend, Ramon." "Something must have happened to him." "He doesn't want to talk about it." "He's in a state of shock." "I'm sure he's hungry." "I'll bring some sandwiches." " Tea is ready." " OK." "When she was young and beautiful, she peddled her ass, but it wasn't shic any more after being in a German camp." "So she opened a place for the kids of whores..." "They could be blackmailed at any time and they've got to hide their kids" "because some of the neighbors are mean and denounce you to Public Welfare..." "Is that for me?" "No, it's for me." "Don't pay any attention to it." "You said that your father came yesteday..." "He just got out of the hospital..." "He boarded me out before he killed my mother, then he was taken to a hospital as a psychiatric case." "And then he came to get me back, but Madame Rosa wouldn't allow it because it's not good for me to have a crazy father, it could be hereditary..." "Listen, I know something about medicine, and I don't believe such things." "Dr. Katz doesn't either..." "I haven't told you about Dr. Katz..." "He is well known in the Jewish community for his Christian charity..." "But Madame Rosa was afraid for me, she said that Moishe was his son and that he's a Jew." "There are Arabs named Moishe but they're not Jews." "Imagine what happened when Mr. Kadir Youssef, an Arab and a Muslim got back a Jewish son!" "He became desperate and died..." "Died!" "My God, that's horrible!" "Mr. Youssef Kadir couldn't prove a thing because when you're a whore's son who knows who the father is..." "Aisha, my mother, could do as many as twenty tricks a day..." "Being the son of a whore isn't really so bad, because you can choose the a father you want..." "True, but it's too bad that it's not like your movie room, Mme. Nadine, where you can make everything move backwards, and go back inside your mother's belly." "Madame Rosa would be young again and beautiful like in her picture..." "It's a real shame that it's forbidden for old people to have abortions." "Take Madame Rosa, for instance." "She's had enough." "What do you mean by the word abortion?" "My God..." "I've never heard such a story." "Can't we do something for her?" "Madame Rosa is the ugliest and loneliest person I've ever seen." "It's a good thing I'm there, because no one else cares." "It's awful." "I don't understand why some people who are ugly, old and sick, have everything, and there are others who never have anything." "This is unfair!" "Mr. Hamil, the rug seller, who taught me everything, I know, is blind now." "Mr. Hamil's got one of Mr. Victor Hugo's books and when I grow up, I'll also write about the wretched because that's the ones people write about if they have anything to say." "How have you been managing since Madame Rosa stopped taking in kids?" "We manage..." "Madame Lola helps us out, too." "She used to be a boxer but got injections to become a woman..." "She peddles her ass in the Bois de Boulogne..." "Let me drive you home Momo." "Ramon can come and see if he can help Madame Rosa, Okay?" "Excuse me!" "I'd like to meet our friend, Mohammed." "Why is he dressed that way?" "Are you an Arab?" "Momo!" "Momo!" "Momo!" "Yes, it's me, Madame Rosa..." "Momo, I heard it... they came in an ambulance..." "It's not for you!" "It's for Mr. Charmette..." "I saw him..." " They're coming to get me, Momo!" " Don't be afraid!" "They don't even know you're here." "You don't need to worry." "I'm scared, Momo." "I'm scared." "I'm scared, I'm scared, Momo." "I'm scared, Momo." "I'm scared..." "Go and empty that, Momo." "We're going to make you beautiful!" "You're a nice girl, Lola." "Doesn't Madame Rosa look any more beautiful?" "I'm off now." "Dear Momo, I'm dying." "Inch'Allah, Madame Rosa." "I'm glad I'm going to die." "But you won't let them take me to the hospital, will you?" "No matter what?" "I promise..." "As long as I'm around, you'll never go to the hospital." "Madame Rosa, why did you lie to me?" "Me, lie to you?" "Why did you say I was eleven when I was really fourteen?" "Because I was afraid you'd leave me, Momo." "So I made you younger." "You've always been my little man, I've never loved another." "I realized that time was passing and I was afraid..." "I was afraid that you'd grow up too fast." "Forgive me." "Listen Momo, we must get her to a hospital." "She can't stay here any longer." "I'll call an ambulance." "What will they do to her in the hospital?" "She'll get proper treatment." "In the hospital she could go on living for years." "Say, doctor, couldn't you kill her, just between Jews?" "What?" "Kill her?" "What in the world are you talking about?" "Yeah." "Kill her to put an end to her suffering." "That's impossible, Momo." "Euthanasia is strictly against the law." "We're living in a civilized country." "You don't know what you're saying." "I know very well what I'm saying." "Besides, I'm Algerian." "Over there people have the sacred right of self-determination." "Does the sacred right of people exist, or doesn't it?" "Well, of course it exists... of course." "It's a great and nice thing." "But what does that have to do with Madame Rosa?" "Madame Rosa has the sacred right of the people to self-determination." "And if she wants to die, this is her right and you ought to help her." "A Jewish doctor must do it so there's no anti-semitism involved." "Jews shouldn't torture each other." "It's disgusting." "My poor child, you don't know what you're saying." "I'm not your child and I'm not even a child either." "I'm fourteen years old, my mother was a prostitute and my father killed her." "Who told you that?" "Who told you such things?" "It doesn't matter who and don't look at me like that, Doctor, because I'm not going to throw a violent fit," "I'm not a psychiatric case, I've no an hereditary illness." "and I'm not going to kill my whoring mother because it's already done, and you can all drop dead, except for Madame Rosa, who's the only thing, person I love." "I won't let her turn into a vegetable for your own satisfaction." "If you were a good Jew with a true heart, you'd perform an act of mercy and give her an injection to save her from life." "My little Momo..." "Don't "Momo" me, will you or won't you?" "But I don't have the right to do it, Momo... it's not possible..." "Euthanasia is severely punished..." "No, she must be taken to a hospital." "It's a humanitarian gesture..." "Can I stay with her in the hospital?" "No, that's not allowed..." "but you can visit her, but soon she won't recognize you any more..." "By the way, what will happen to you?" "You can't live by yourself." "Don't worry about me." "I know lots of whores in Pigalle and I've already received several offers." "Please, don't call the hospital!" "Give us just another two or three days." "She might die on her own." "I've got to make some plans, too," "Otherwise, they'll turn me over to Welfare..." "Okay." "A few more days, but then she must go into the hospital." "We don't have the right to shorten her suffering, Momo." "In the meantime, make sure she gets some exercise." "Get her to move around a bit have her take a few steps around her room." "Two or three days, no more than that!" "What did he have to say to you in the Kitchen?" "Nothing." "Listen to me, Momo." "I'm an old Jew and I've been through everything that can happen to a Mensch..." "I know there were days that I wasn't at my best." "But I want to know." "Nothing, Madame Rosa." "You can still live very well like that." "What do you mean "like that"?" "Like a vegetable, Madame Rosa!" "They want to keep you alive like a vegetable!" "So, they are after me, huh?" "When?" "I don't know." "In a day or two..." "Well, I won't go." "What can I do?" "They're all no good." "They don't even want to help you die." "It's the Gestapo." "Let me rest..." "You've got to walk, Madame Rosa, Dr. Katz said so." "...Wait a minute." "I need to sit down." "I've gotten so ugly, Momo." "You're not ugly, Madame Rosa." "How much money is left?" "Madame Lola gave us a hundred francs." "She'll give us more..." "It's tough working the Bois de Boulogne." "I couldn't have done it." "Madame Lola is a saint." " Speaking of saints..." " Yes, Madame Rosa." "Do you remember the prayer that Moishe always used to recite?" " The one that starts with Shma Israel?" " Yes." "Shma Israel, Adonai eloheinou, Adonai ehad." "Shma Israel..." "Adonai, Adonai..." "Madame Rosa!" "Madame Rosa!" "Easy now." "What's going on here?" "Have you all gone mad?" "Put her down immediately!" "Put her down immediately!" "Hurry up!" "Come on... gently!" "Over there... very gently." "Okay." "Now everybody out of here!" "Have you gone nuts?" " You told me I had to move her around." " But not like that!" "Enough." "I will call hospital." "She can't stay here." " Dr. Katz?" " What is it?" " You can't do that!" " And why not?" "Not today." "She can't go to the hospital today..." " Why?" " The family is coming today..." "What family?" "She has no one in the world." "She's got family in Israel..." "They're arriving today." "She's got a family in Israel?" "She's never mentioned it to me..." "They're taking her back with them It's all settled." "They're flying back tomorrow." "They're very rich." "They own lots of stores..." "lots of things." "Well, this is good news." "The poor woman has suffered enough in her life..." "But how come they waited until now?" "She didn't want to abandon me." "Even now it bothers her." "But I conviced her." "I said:" ""Madame Rosa, go to your family, you'll die peacefully over there..." "You're an nothing here." "You'll be better off in Israel."" "This must be the first time an Arab is sending a Jew to Israel!" "What's going to happen to you, Mohammed?" "I'll get along just fine, until Madame Rosa's family sends for me..." "Indeed, that is good news." "She'll certainly be better off being with her family." "They've got excellent doctors over there." "Tell her relatives to step by." "I'll be home." "I don't get around so easily any more." "Oh... and if Madame Rosa comes to before her departure, give her my congratulations, will you?" "I'll tell her Mazaltov." " Momo..." " Yes, Madame Rosa." "I heard everything, you know." "I know." "I saw you when you looked at us." "So, you're sending me to Israel?" "You did the right thing." "Only, you'll have to help me, won't you?" "Of course I'm going to help you, Madame Rosa." "Hurry up, Madame Rosa, it's time to leave." "Are they here?" "Not yet." "But we've got to get out of here." "We're going to Israel, don't your remember?" "Help me, Momo." "I knew that one day I'd need this place..." "Now I can die in peace." " Inch'Allah." " Inch'Allah, Momo." "We had a lot of good times together, didn't we?" "Yes, Madame Rosa." "Now it's time to help me recite my prayer, because... this might be the very last time..." "Shma Israel..." "Blumentag..." "Blumentag..." "Madame Rosa?" "Madame Rosa?" "Oh, it's you, Momo..." "What's the matter?" "Are you sick?" "I wanted to bid farewell to Madame Rosa." "Did they take her to the hospital?" "No, not to the hospital." "She's in her Jewish hideaway." "Where?" "She left for Israel." "The came to get her in an airplane." " Who?" " Her family." "They came to get her." "And she left you all alone?" "No." "Soon, I'll be going there, too." "She's going to send for me." "But you've got a fever, Momo!" "It'll be all right." "Come on, have some dinner with me." "It'll do you good." "No thanks, I've stopped eating." "You've stopped eating?" "What kind of talk is that?" "Eating is a law of nature." "I couldn't care less about nature's laws!" "Neither could I, Momo." "Would you like to stay here with me while you wait?" "No thanks, Madame Lola." " Here, take this." " Thanks, Madame Lola..." "I went back downstairs and locked myself in with Madame Rosa." "But the odor was too much for me." "I went out again and bought make-up and then some bottles of perfume at Mr. Jacques' shop." "I wanted to punish everyone by not eating but it wasn't even worth talking to them any more and I went into a brasserie and ate some sausages." "When I got back, Madame Rosa smelled even worse" "And I covered her with her favorite perfume, Samba." "Then I painted her face with all the make-up so she'd still seem alive." "I realized she had stopped breathing." "But I didn't care." "I loved her just as much." "I lay down next to her on a mattress along with Arthur, my umbrella, and I tried to feel even worse that I could be totally dead." "It's not true that I stayed three weeks next to the corpse of my adoptive mother, because Madame Rosa wasn't my adoptive mother." "It's not true." "I wouldn't have been able to stand the odor since I had no more perfume." "When they broke down the door to find out where the smell came from they found me asleep on the mattress and they started to shout" ""This is horrible!"" "It never occured to them before to shout because life has no odor." "They took me away in an ambulance and found the slip of paper with the name and address in my pocket." "They called you because you have a telephone." "They figured that you meant something to me." "That's how you came and took me away to your house in the country without any obligation on my part." "I think Mr. Hamil was right when he still had his wits about him, that it's not possible to live without someone to love." "But I'm not making any promises." "We'll see." "I loved Madame Rosa and I'll continue to see her." "I don't mind spending some time with you." "since your kids have asked me to." "And it's Madame Nadine who showed me how to make world go backwards" "And I hope with all my heart that it happens." "Dr. Ramon even went back to get Arthur, my umbrella." "I was worried that no one would want him because of his sentimental value." "We need to love..."