"What are you doing here?" "Crying." "You're alright?" "Yes, I'm fine." " And François?" " He's in great shape." "I'm a bit tired." "But it's O.K. Want to come in for a minute?" "Why not?" "For a minute." " Why didn't you ring the bell?" " I did." "Didn't Denis let you in?" "Why did you switch off the light?" "Have you seen my face?" "Not exactly." "Let's take a look, at your face." "Why didn't you stay inside?" "Looking like this?" "Leave me alone!" "You know what François is like?" "Like lukewarm water." "I hate lukewarm water." "Let me stay here." "What happened?" "I'm leaving François." "For good." " He forced me to..." " Yes...?" "He's a pig!" " He forced you to...?" " To sleep with dogs!" "With dogs?" "Well, with one dog." "Blackpooch?" "He did that?" "You must be joking." "Blackpooch sleeps in our bedroom." "I can't make love while a dog watches." "Not even if it's Blackpooch." "Make the dog sleep elsewhere!" "He took out all the doors." "You can't blame François." "No doors, was his idea." "So was Blackpooch." "I'm leaving." "But you like Blackpooch!" "I can't stand being watched in the dark!" "This is new!" "Where did you get it?" "A present from Denis." "Cute." "I'll show you Denis' idea of fun." "Oh, great!" "This is what he likes to do." "Sexy, isn't it?" "He thinks it is." "I bet he saw it in a movie." "God, I look awful!" "I'm starved." "Got any milk?" "How's work going?" "I have two books in the pipeline." "And you?" "I'm doing alright." "Actually..." "I'm not." "If only I had a job I liked." "You're so lucky." "I never thought I'd end up doing children's books." "I had bigger ideas." "But now you like it." "I forced myself to like it." "You do the same." "I eat like a pig!" "I'm getting fat." "Look at my belly!" "It's huge!" "No wonder François cheats on me." "Really?" "Since when?" "Why do you think I'm leaving him?" "Because he's lukewarm, and Blackpooch." "He cheats on me." "How did you find out?" "Tell me!" "The bastard admitted it." "With pride." "I don't believe that." "Well, maybe he wasn't proud." "See, you bitch!" "Don't make fun!" "He said cheating is harmless." "Even beneficial because it make him appreciate me more than those dumb cows." "He called them dumb cows?" "No, I did." "Stop making fun of me." "I'm not, my sweet." "Neither one of you is entirely right." "And he didn't explain it properly to you." "If he cheats on you with his little cows it's just a passing fancy." "He's trying to exorcise." "Some exercise!" "Exorcise, dummy, not exercise!" "He cheats and the need is gone." "Exorcised!" "How often has he done it?" "Never." "It's just a theory of his." "You do look awful." "Let me make you beautiful." "I'll be 31 next month." "Congratulations." "If you start crying again, I'll slap you." "When you're 40 you'll wish you were 31 ." " Now that you're 31 ..." " Not till next month!" "Enjoy!" "Celebrate!" "Don't you mind being 30?" "29." "No, it becomes me." "I look good." "Almost as good as you." "You think so?" "Oh, excuse me!" "No, come in." " Hello, Denis." " Hello, Lucie." " What do you want?" " Nothing." "Hypocrite!" "If you want to make love, say so!" "He loves doing it in the bathroom." "Not undressed, at this hour?" " I was working." "And you?" " Just talking." "Am I the love of your life?" "The sweetest and adorable one?" "The 8th wonder of the world?" "No, I'm the 9th." "You're the 8th." "Stop talking behind my back, you two." "Let's make love." "With the eyes." "Beddy-bye, big boy." "You're avoiding me." "You're not in the mood?" "Are you embarrassed?" "We shouldn't kiss in front of the lady?" "Come on." "A pretty lady, late at night?" "Come on." "A pretty lady, late at night, in the bathroom?" "Come on!" " Didn't you like that?" " Not really." "But I do it with such love." "Damn!" "I've got a pimple." "Feel it?" "A tiny one." "Women are full of surprises." "Right, Lucie?" "Not a blemish on her face." "But her body is covered with pimples." "Serves you right!" "Beddy-bye, darling." " Still leaving on Saturday?" " Yes, why?" "Car problem." "Don't worry." "How was the recital?" "Excellent." " See you later." " Maybe..." "Now's your chance, I'm not looking." "Feeling better?" " Good night." " Good night." "Where did Helene go?" "You two do get along?" "He's housebroken." "I don't know..." "I hope so." "I'm tired." "I carry the whole load." "He has no imagination." "Men are so lazy." "It's Denis." "He's strong." "What I can't stand about François is that he's weak." "That's why I'm leaving him." "He's weak." "But you're alive." "And that's for real." ""Good night, General." "Have a nice meal"." "What's that?" "A poem by Prévert." "I'm illustrating it." "Will you run me a bath?" "That's what I need." "Who gave the recital tonight?" "Valerie Masterson." "What was it?" "Lieder..." "Brahms." "Good?" "Interesting." "There you are." " I'm going." " You don't have to." "See you." "Where are you going Saturday?" "To Provence to look for a summerhouse." "Lucie!" "I'd never seen you naked before." "Perrine!" "Why not?" "This isn't the time." " It never is." " Wait till you're grown-up." "Sure!" "I was going to tell you a secret." " I don't feelt's it now." " Tomorrow?" "I don't know." "Everyone's visited." "Except Lucas." "How is he?" "He's a heavy sleeper, thank God." "Come on, out of the tub!" "Dry my back?" "Want to be dried down to your toes, lazybones?" "What are you looking at?" "The neighbors are having a party." " You know them?" " No." "In New York, we lived on the 20th floor." "Our kitchen window overlooked the roof of the building." "A room had been added on top of it, nearly all glass." "Inside you could see a large, unmade bed." "There was a woman and a big dog." "A man too, sometimes." "I'd watch them." "François, too." "What went on?" "Not what you'd think." "It was summer." "New York's an inferno in summer." "One day, the woman was in a hammock, swaying lightly." "Lying under a fur bedspread." "In summer?" "Then we realized it was her dog." "Another night even hotter there was a thunderstorm." "I woke up all sweaty." "I went into the kitchen." "ln pitch darkness." "The glass rooftop was gleaming in the night." "There were flashes of lightning...the dog barked." "Suddenly, François was behind me... pressing against me." "He was naked and he..." "Go on." "Got a cigarette?" "I've got some." "You said you quit." "I quit smoking a pack a day." "I smoke one cigarette a week." "This one doesn't count." "What's the matter?" "The rooftop in New York." "How did it end?" "We moved." "We rented that rooftop apartment." "We loved it." "It was great for parties." "We'd have barbecues." "You see, now we'd been..." "Exorcised?" "That's it." "Will you come to the south with me?" "You bet!" "This is all I have." "Get clothes from home." "We don't leave till Saturday." "I'm never going home again." "Aren't you sleepy?" "Why?" "Good." "I'll need jeans..." "You'll wake everyone!" "How about these?" "They don't suit you." "These...don't suit you either." "T-shirts." "Let's see that one." "Isn't it ravishing?" " Perfect!" " Think so?" "Why don't we leave tomorrow?" "Let's do it!" "You wear this?" " Not in the south!" " Here?" "Sometimes." "For Denis." " Can I try it on?" " Certainly, madame." "Adorable!" "Delicious!" "Maybe without the bra." "With madame's permission." "Shall I wrap it for you?" "Off it comes." "Haven't you slept?" "In the easy chair." "I slept on the couch." "Want to come with us?" "Why not?" "You wouldn't miss much school." "Hey, sister, can I have the knife?" "That's what you wanted to tell me?" "How come I wasn't invited?" "Because it's girls only." " Hear that?" " Lucky for us." "Hear that?" " What'll we do with her?" " We'll think of something." " I'd love another yoghurt." " Great!" "Stuff yourself!" "I saw Lucie naked in the tub!" "Lucky girl." " Here you go." " I did all the work." "You devil!" "Lucie-fer-you, Lucie-fer-me." "What's so funny?" "Drink your milk, Lucifer." "I asked you a simple question, and got a dumb answer." "You may get a kick in the ass, too!" "The sparks are already flying." "I have work to do." "Bye all..." "Ciao, beautiful." "You never kiss on the mouth?" "Think you could fit me in, sir?" "A peck on your cheek." "A peck on your sideburn." "A peck on the ear." "And a peck on your smile." "Remember 15 years ago, on this very train you told me you were engaged." "You said: "You'll be sorry"." "You said:" ""Future school teachers are like nuns...perverse"." "You hit me and got off at the next station." "A man said to me, "Don't be afraid"." "I answered:" ""When someone says that there's usually a reason to be afraid"." "He said:" ""Do you often fall asleep in the bushes outside a strange house?"" "I said: "I was lost"." "He said:" ""Where have you come from?"" "I answered:" ""From a train station." "And a betrayal!"" "Then I said:" ""I want to leave"." ""But you're lost", he said." ""You've lost your way, I mean"." "Then he said:" ""You're provocative"." "I said: "My foot in your hand?" "That's hardly provocative"." "Smiling, he said:" ""That's what you think"." "Then: "You don't like being touched, do you?"" "I said:" ""Boys have clammy hands." "Yours are much nicer than hers"." " Than mine?" " Yes, shut-up." "I asked him:" ""Are you going to kill me?"" "He said:" ""No." "Just put on this dress." ""Then we'll go listen to the toads." "You can tell me your life story"." "Then?" "I put on the dress." "Very pretty and quite transparent." "I told him I had nothing on underneath." "He said: "It was meant to be worn that way"." "Then what?" "Then I left." "Just like that?" "Yes...it was raining." "Maybe not." "I thumbed a ride." "A little old lady picked me up." "She was understanding." "Someday I'll be just like her." "Pathetic..." "I've never had any guts." "Remember what I used to say?" ""The day I get my teaching diploma I'll throw myself down a well"." "Well, I got it." "You didn't stay a teacher long." "Why were you mad in the train?" "Why did you hit me?" "Because you were pathetic, too." "I envied you your pathetic adventure." "What was his name, again?" "You see..." "I feel great." "I'm so happy to be here." "Thanks." "You've torn your shirt?" "Why didn't Perrine want to come with us?" "She has a crush on a boy at school." "Take a look at this!" "Passion fruit!" "Fruit!" "..." "More fruit...!" "What is it?" "My God!" "My name is Pinson." "Fruit is my passion." "He's obsessed by it." "On the house!" "He even makes love to me on a bed of fruit!" "Wild!" "Right, Pinson?" "Isn't this great?" "The real reason I left François is that he's a man." "I'm sick of men." "Got another peach?" "Men aren't everything!" " Shit!" " Shit!" "But it was true about Blackpooch." "Don't laugh." "That's how it all started." "I've never seen that painting." "Only reproductions in books." "The first time was when I was a little girl." "It was in a big, glossy book:" ""The Gods of Olympus"." "I didn't understand it." "I've seen nudity before." "But her..." "Léda and the Swan?" "Pasiphaé and the bull?" "What a shock!" "I don't dare look at cows and horses anymore." "They might rape me one day." " One day..." " He remind you of anyone?" "As a kid, I loved going alone to museums." "Some guy would always follow me." "Always the same guy?" "Well, sometimes it was." "One day...?" "No." "You were saying "one day"." "I was in Bruges with my parents." "You can't imagine." "It was terrifying:" "black swans!" "They attacked you." "They hate the French." "They're Flemish." "I screamed." "I had to be given a sedative." "I found out later they never even attacked me." "Yet, you love animals!" "It's Blackpooch, but sometimes he reminds me of how can l say it?" "One shouldn't get too familiar with animals..." "Or they might suddenly change into humans!" "What about our house-hunting?" "You're right, the house." "Time to move on." " Where to now?" " To Upper Var." " Is it nice?" " So they say." " Let's go!" " We're there!" "What are you reading?" ""14th-Century Common Law in Bruges"." "Listen to this: "A husband may beat and maim his wife slit her open from head to toe, warm his feet in her blood"." ""He has committed no crime if he sews her up and she survives"." "Isn't that interesting?" "I mean interesting." "I'm so tired, I can't speak." "I'm so tired I'm not listening." "Where did we spend last night?" "I already forgot." "Me too." "The moon is clouded over." "Clouded over!" "Over what?" "Over you?" " I like the moon." " I prefer donkeys." "Me, strawberries." " Love." " Ice water." " Flutes!" " Sleeping!" "Good night." " What's tomorrow?" " Friday." "See you Friday." "It's so nice, it must be expensive." "What are you doing?" "Working..." "looking for ideas." "Found any?" "The problem is finding good ones." "We had a great breakfast yesterday." "What's holding them?" "When Denis orders breakfast in bed from room service he hopes some ingenue will bring it up." "I'd like it served by a shy, handsome, young man who'd shoot glances at my plunging neckline." "I'd casually expose a naked limb, and I'd..." "On the bed, please." "Closer." "Put it between us." "Could you fluff up my pillow?" "What do you think you're doing?" "Come back." "Never pounce on ladies like a starving dog." "It spoils everything." "Watch...do it again." "Move gently towards the lady." "Make the pleasure last." "That's it." "Savor it...understand?" "No haste improves the taste." "Don't freeze..." "The lady might get bored or giggle." "Now your mouth performs a ballet." "Your lips dance around the lady's." "The lady is lovely, isn't she?" "Her name is Lucie." "But you may only call her:" "Madame." "Good." "Let us proceed." "Your lips caress the lady's cheek." "Move towards her mouth." "Now do it." "Not too fast." "Savor it." "Brush against the corner of her mouth..." "Move swiftly away...then return." "Linger a little and then go on." "Now start on the other side." "Your lips caress the lady's lips." "I said: caress." "It's not a kiss yet." "Keep caressing." "The lady, becoming responsive, slightly parts her lips." "I said "slightly", Lucie!" "Yours, young man, lingering becomes somewhat more urgent..." "I said "somewhat"." "Your lips, encouraged by the lady's now part." "We're ready for the kiss." "I won't watch." "I'll butter the rolls." "Let's see." "Rolls, croissants butter...orange and blueberry jam." "Blueberry!" "That's for me." "For you?" "Orange marmalade." "Excellent after a kiss." "I said a kiss, not several." "One sugar or two?" "You know I don't use sugar." "Need help?" "Come take a look." "What's he got in his pocket?" " Something long." " And hard." " Some things are nice to touch." " Through fabric." "Pockets are usually on the side." "One on the left, one on the right." " This must be a front pocket." " He has pockets behind!" "They call them revolver-pockets." "Empty." "Maybe his revolver is in his front pocket?" "I'd say it's a pistol." "A revolver is shorter and stubbier." "What a weird pistol." "Self-control, young man!" "Learn to control yourself!" "I've peed." "He really missed his chance." "Our little creep?" " The pimply." " Little slob." "He had both of us all to himself..." "Sometimes I fantasize that two men are making love to me." "At the same time?" "Aren't we having fun?" "Feel better?" " I'm fine." " Want to go home?" "Not right away." "You're right." "Just because we found a house..." " ...nice house, isn't it?" " It's great." "...we don't have to crawl home right away." "Shall we take a few days off?" "I'll phone Denis." "Then we'll go for a spin." " How much is the candy?" " 7 francs." " And the toy cars?" " 11 francs." " How much is a kiss?" " On the cheek?" "5 francs." "20 francs on the mouth." "One hand on my breast, 40 francs." "Both hands: 60 francs." "That's it." "Take your pick." "Let me think it over." "I'll be right back." "Bye Madame..." "I mean, Miss." "Look to your right." "Isn't it lovely?" "I'll buy it for you." "Thank you." "And that one?" "It's yours, too." ""For Sale"." " Ready?" " Yes!" "I'd lost you." "Aren't you hungry?" "I want you to be ravishing." "Can I borrow your dress?" "Ever "cheated" on François?" " Heavens, no." " Why not?" "Ever "cheated" on Denis?" "Has he?" "I don't know." "Perhaps." "Never tried to find out?" "How come?" "Benefit of the doubt." "Yes, I did." "Once." "What'd you mean, once?" "I cheated on François." "If you'd forgotten..." "then it doesn't count." "I was sitting at a café in the Latin Quarter." "It was hot..." "I had an ice-cream." "Suddenly, I wanted a man." "Then and there." "I prayed someone would pick me up." "For once, I would've accepted." "Go on." "The one time you want it there's not a guy in sight." "Spit it out." "Something happened." "In the end..." "I'm so ashamed." "I treated myself to a man." "A blond." "A nice blond gigolo." "The Latin Quarter is full of them." "They cater mostly to men, but they're not fussy." "Mine was impeccable." "Cut out the crap." "Go on." "We settled on a price." "I didn't argue." " How much?" " 200 francs." " He cheated on you." " Think so?" "He took me to a little hotel." " Not too seedy?" " Quite acceptable." "Then what?" "Can't you guess?" " Was it good?" " It was all very professional." "Then I paid him." "Doesn't one pay first?" "How do you know?" "In movies it's always first:" ""Where's my little gift?"" "With him it was afterwards." "He obviously trusted you." "He took the 200 francs, lay down on the bed he said:" ""Let me tell you a story."" "So I laid down beside him." "Were you dressed?" " No, naked." " Both of you?" "Let's hear his story." "Let's say this is a 100 francs bill." "He said: "See this, Lucie?"" ""Yesterday a guy..."" "He knew your name?" "I guess I told him." "Go on." "So this guy says to him:" ""How much?"" "Was of indeterminate age, raincoat...tie..." " He answered: "Hundred"." " I told you!" "Cut it out." "Anyway...the guy said:" ""Let's go"." "And he took him to a dark street not far near an empty lot." "The guy took a 100 franc bill out of his wallet." "Brand-new, crisp." "The guy took the bill in the palm of his hand and said: "Don't move"." "He watched his hands in his pockets hidden by his raincoat." "He said: "Crumple it"." "My guy didn't understand." "Again he got the order:" ""Crumple it!" So he did." "Crumpling a 100 franc bill makes a lot of noise." "It didn't work with this paper." "I don't have my bag." "Could you lend me a 100 franc bill?" "I'll be right back." "This works better." "The guy watched him." "Just his hand, the note." "Not lower." "After 2 or 3 minutes, the guy closed his eyes." "Smiled...his head went back he said thanks, and left." "That's all." "As he dressed he spoke of his mother." "I said to him: "What about you?"" ""Me?" "I'm waiting for you to leave"." "Did I upset you?" "Upset me?" "Why?" "Because of the guy." "Him?" "Did you look at him?" "I mean closely?" "What's wrong with him?" "He's nothing." "You're jealous." "I love it." "And of me." "Doesn't happen every day." "I'm not jealous." "I agree, I was mad at you, because you switched sides." "Shall we take a nap?" "It's nice to make a conquest." "Hadn't happened to me in a week." "It's your breasts." "Yours are nicer." "It's your unshaven armpits." "Why do we shave under our arms?" "It's dumb." "Denis likes it, too." "That's why I don't shave." "As a kid he went to a concert." "A violinist, Ginette Neveu, I think." "He was in the front row and could see her armpits." "A strong woman with very hairy armpits." "He was fascinated." "Not by the music...by the hair." "His first arousal." "And you have to live up to it!" "We were so close, as kids." "Remember?" "We still are?" "Not in the same way." "Sometimes we'd sleep together at my mother's summer place when they were short of beds." "We'd lie close together and talk for hours on end." "But that's all we ever did." "We were so well-behaved." "And so innocent!" "Except once...the ultimate in sexual perversion." "After a long talk, we turned over and laid back to back ass to ass." "It was a new experience." "Very pleasant." "Remember?" "We'd pulled up our nightgowns and went to sleep, ecstatic." "At least I was." "Our naked asses tight against each other." "I'd completely forgotten." "We were very chaste." "We'd undress separately." "I never saw you naked." "I thought you were so pretty." "I loved your mouth." "We never kissed on the mouth." "I loved to look at your mouth." "I think I still want to kiss it." "still want to?" "I read that most women have at least one lesbian experience." "Have you?" "Me?" "Never." "It's men." "And you?" "Me, too." "I'm so conventional." " Not even one teeny experience?" " Sorry, no." " Wait...once..." " I knew it!" "You'll be disappointed." "My first kiss..." "was with a woman." "I was 11." "It's it already." "It was early summer." "You and I hadn't met." "I lived in Versailles." "So did my cousin Marie." "She must have been 20." "I was very fond of her." "She was beautiful." "With lovely brown hair." "I was so jealous." "Of her hair?" "Everything." "Especially her boyfriends." "One hot day I asked about her boyfriends, how they kissed and all." "I forgot to tell you." "We were in a classroom." "She was a trainee-teacher at my school." "I'd been punished." "I had to stay after school." "We were alone." "My history book was open on the table." "History bored me, except for Medieval torture." "Marie agreed to tell me all about kissing." "She was very technical:" ""Rotate your tongue clockwise..."" "I asked a lot of stupid questions." ""Should I open my mouth?" "Oh, I'll never learn"." "I was almost in tears." "So Marie got up." "She bent over and kissed me." "At length...tenderly..." "to demonstrate so I'd understand..." "a real kiss." "Then we looked at each other." "It felt strange." "It surprised both of us." "As I left I stole an apple she'd bitten into." "It had tooth-marks." "That night I slept with the apple under my pillow." "I had an experience with a woman, too." "Yours was young, mine was old." "Tell me." "Some other time." "I want to go back and see what the house is like in the afternoon." "Come on, lazybones." "And give me back my dress." " Let me keep it." "It's it." " Even if you do." "I wore it when we found the house." "I must wear it to go back there." " Superstitious?" " Perhaps." "Are you going to buy it?" "With what?" "A mint." "This place needs a big wall around it." "My grandmother's house was walled." "Not a high wall." "Though it seemed so to me." "Coming?" "At my grandmother's place, I had a white room." "But I had a blue room at my godmother's." "Do I know her?" "My godmother?" "No." "In town she always wore black." "She had a tragic life." "Be nice to her, I was told." "At her country house, she was another person." "She wore summer dresses and wide leather belts." "I loved her." "As night, the mosquitos drove us mad." "I'd shout:" ""Godmother, they're attacking!"" "She'd rush in carrying a small vile and apply scented oil on me that kept the mosquitos at bay." "I was sure no earthly delight could match her perfumed massage." "Feigning it was the heat," "I'd lay half-naked under the sheet." "It was like being lulled to sleep by angels." "Her hands in the stillness of our small house would wander all over my delighted body." "I never heard her leave." "She'd put me to sleep." "You're lovely in that skirt." "The light is perfect for pictures." "My bra shows!" "That's what's nice." "Wouldn't it be nicer without a bra?" "Here." "No, your knees." "I've never been photographed all naked before." "You're not really naked." "I've run out of film." " A decaf." " A coke." " A moka." " With cinnamon." "In New York François took me to a strip joint." "It was empty, except for one old guy sitting in the front row." "He was watching the lone stripper through binoculars." "Let's buy some film." "What happened to your cousin Marie?" "She's married with five kids." "Do they read my books?" "Still love her?" "Ever seen your godmother again?" "She's in the south." "Each year she travels further south." "She's reached Sicily, soon she'll hit Africa." "Think of it..." "Messina..." "a fine hotel... a bit old-fashioned, half-empty." "It's siesta-time, and it's hot." "It always hot in our stories!" "A big, high-ceilinged room." "My godmother lies on a bed." "She's no longer young, but what's left of her good looks." "She's naked." "No, she wears a black negligé." "She's never naked...she pretends she can't stand the cold." "The truth is she's ashamed." "In the half-lit room, she dreams of a man's hands." "Warm, rough hands..." "they're clumsy or violent." "They caress her...a man's hands." "Hush!" "On the landing a servant with the young, handsome face of a killer." "He peeps through keyholes." "That hot day, he tiptoes to the hotel's only occupied room." "Your godmother's room." "He kneels at the door." "She knew he's outside." "So she hung her panties over the keyhole." "He can't see a thing." "Serves him right." "Yet, if he realizes they're her panties he won't feel entirely cheated." "My godmother lies there, smoking." "Her negligé falls open." "She waits...she can't stand it any longer." "Then the killer-servant has an idea." "He escorts an imaginary guest to a room." ""This way Madame..." "after you, Madame"." "He shows her to the room next to your godmother's." ""Come in, Madame..." "no bath towels?"" "I'lI get you some." "Be right back."" "He leaves." "No, he pretends to leave." "Now he acts the lady's role." "He runs a faucet, sighs..." "A delicious little sigh..." "My godmother is madly jealous!" "Who's the creature next door?" "Younger than her, of course." "She listens for him to return." "He's back!" "He laughs softly." "He makes the bed squeak..." "adds a few moans." "Your snooty godmother's being punished." "So has the waiter." "He's in a real state." "So is your godmother!" "Luckily, there's a mirror." "She sees herself, she's been humiliated." "She comes to her senses, and the servant realizes he's gone too far." "But he's in luck." "Through the keyhole he sees your godmother." "She's putting on her panties." "For a fleeting moment, he sees her...naked." "It's better than any strip-joint, even from the front row." " Even with binoculars?" " Better than any porno flick." "Shall we go home?" "What about your thing with the older woman?" "Care to hear?" "Not sleepy?" "I was spending a few days with my grandmother." "She was ill." "I'd always say goodnight to her." " Goodnight, grandma." " Goodnight, dear." "Feeling better?" "It's nice." "What?" "That I don't wear a bra?" "You don't need to wear one." "That's nice." "She never moved again." "She died quietly during the night." "By morning, her body was cold." "She gave life to my mother, who gave life to me." "I gave her death." " Goodnight." " Goodnight." " We leaving tomorrow?" " I want to go back to the house." "To photograph it." "Mind if I go alone, one last time?" "Where did it come from?" "From heaven..." "fell out of a tree." "It's so cute." "I'm in love already." " Where are you going?" " To explore." "Fountain, am I beautiful today?" "The fountain has no opinion." "Or couldn't care less!" "Beauty such as mine is beyond words." "Are you cool and fresh, water?" "Damn it!" "You're out of your mind!" "I hate it when you do things like that." "That water's freezing!" "Now you look good." "I knew you would." "Don't change a thing!" "Take that off, you'll catch cold." "We'll let it dry." "I'll lend you this." "It's wet, too." "I've become less shy than you." "Are you sure?" "The other night at the hotel while you were reading..." "We'll pick that up later." "I remember a posh dinner party I went to." "Everyone was putting down topless sunbathing." ""It's so silly", someone said." "I ventured innocently:" ""It isn't at all"." ""Really?", said one snooty woman." ""Yes, look"." "And I exposed my right breast." "No, it was my left breast." "I said: "Look, no strap marks"." ""Maybe you can't see"." "So I exposed both breasts." "You should've seen the faces." "Especially the women!" "When did it happen?" " Never?" " Never." "But it could have." "If we were more social." "Denis hates going out." "The story about grandmother was part fiction, too." "She didn't die that very day." "And I really wasn't naked." "But almost." "And she did huddle against me." "Why did you make up the rest?" "It sounds so much better." "A little scissors and glue." "What about the old ladies' tea-party?" "I did touch myself." "But it was later, when I was alone in my room." "All alone." "Don't you ever lie?" "Never to you." "I'm no good at making up things." "I don't believe you." "I'm chilly." "What about the rape?" "When you fled from the train." "Was that true?" "It was so long ago, I can't remember." "As kids, we told each other everything." "Now..." "I still do!" "I even add a little." "Don't you tell me everything?" "Sure, except for the nonsense." "Tell me the latest nonsense." "A trifle." "I, too, got raped in a parking lot." "Raked in a parking lot." "How original." "I said raped, not raked." " I heard raked." " Raped!" "Raped?" "!" "That's called a double-take." "You see it in cartoon." "A martian jumps out at you." "At first you don't react." "You look away and then it hits you." "You look back, eyes bulging:" "Wowee!" "One can underplay it, too." "So you got raped, huh?" "Yes, dear." "ln a parking lot." "Really?" "Tell me all." "You scared me." "What do you want?" "I'm not afraid of your gun." "I bet it isn't loaded." "Say something!" "Get in!" "This isn't my car." "Mine's over there." "Get in!" "Take off your raincoat." "The rest." "On your knees!" "Get out of my car!" "That's all I ask of you." "Ask her what she's doing in it!" "She's being mugged, can't you tell?" "Mugged?" "I smell perfume." "He broke my bottle of perfume." "Ask her what her name is." "She doesn't want to say." "Was she at Leleu's dinner?" "See?" "She doesn't know them." "She's a whore, I knew it." "Thank God we left the kids at home." "Come on, give me a hand." "Move it!" "Out of my car, lady." "That's my car, there..." "She's a car-freak." "Women like that exist." "God, my keys!" "Now take a look at my teeth!" "Shall we go?" "Every man is a closet rapist." "A closet voyeur." "A closet traveler." "Everything OK?" "No dramas?" "Kittycat knocked over the picture of grandpa." "The glass broke." "I feelt's a shower, too." "May I?" "Can't I get rid of her?" "Nonsense." "She's leaving soon." "Come here." "What's wrong with you?" "That boy dropped me." "It happens." "What are you going to do?" "What can I do?" "Wait till the sun shines." "Where's mom?" "Get out of here!" "I said out!" "Mom's better looking." "I don't know what you see in Lucie." " Who is it?" " Me." "This one doesn't count, either." "Know what I just realized?" "I'll never be 25 again." "I'd settle for 28." "But I won't ever be 28." "I won't ever be 28 again." "I guess François must be worried." " May I?" " Yes." "Come here." "Shave it off." "You sure?" "Yes, hurry up!" "Set your little ass down." "Remember our "little asses" in bed together?" "I don't believe any of it happened." "I imagined it all." "And the young man with the suitcase?" "He really existed." "The young man on the train." "It wasn't so long ago." "He paid for all the others, the pick-up artists who'd panic, if we ever said "OK, let's screw"." "Did your guy in the parking lot rape anyone else?" "Yes, but he got caught." "His asthma gave him away." "He parted his hair in the middle." "Guess I'll go back to my weakling." "These panties are obscene." "You can see everything." "That turns Denis on." "Look, it all fits in the palm of one hand." "Go see your fella!" "I'll phone you." "Bye." "Call me when you get the photos back." "Say hello to Denis." "Say hello to François..." "and Blackpooch." "You OK?" "Vtg"