"You were marvelous at dinner." "That guy trying to piss me off." "You salvaged the situation." "And your next film." " At the same time, yes." "Thank you." "I love our complicity." "It's been very useful, hasn't it?" "Indispensable." "It's very nice, to be "indispensable"." "I'll put the car in the garage." "I'm not filming tomorrow." "We could have a drink." "That's what I was going to do." "You've changed?" "I'm going to cause you some pain, Francois." "It upsets me because I adore you, but I have no choice." "I'm leaving." "You're leaving?" "Where are you going?" "Francois, I'm leaving you." "I beg you..." "Stop acting." " But I'm not acting." " Stop it, will you?" "It isn't serious?" "Listen, you haven't stopped working, you're tired, your nerves are shot." "Go to bed." "We'll talk about it tomorrow." "You don't understand:" "I'm leaving now." "Immediately." "Someone's waiting for me." "Who's waiting for you?" "Are you crazy?" "I beg you." "Let's not make a scene." "We could at least not be ridiculous." "I've so much affection for you." "I want everything to go smoothly, to be worthy of us." "Who is it?" "Thierry Damiot." "Francais' kid?" "He's 10 years younger than you!" "That's not important." "It's the truth." "You're famous, you're beautiful..." "You could help him a lot." " Yes." "I could be useful to him too." "He's a child." "He's lost, in this environment..." "I beg you." "It's funny..." "How in one minute, a life can be turned upside down." "You've got your career." "Make this film that they've offered you in America." "When you return, we'll see each other again." "I don't think I could live entirely without you." "You make mountains out of molehills, but between civilized people," "Divorce is simply a formality." "THREE ROOMS IN MANHATTAN" "A chef salad with no celery but with a hard-boiled egg." "Say that again?" "A chef salad with no celery but with a hard-boiled egg." "Thank you." "Eat things that are easier to pronounce." "I've already seen this." "At this hour, they show old films." " Your eggs are going to be cold." " They are already." "Parisian?" "Yes." "Francois Combe." "Here, I'm called Kay." "That's enough." "It serves all purposes." "You live in Paris?" "I do." "By la Muette." " Oh?" "I live in Auteuil." "We're practically neighbors." "He's nice." "Have you been here a long time?" " Six months." "And you?" " I don't know." "Yesterday, centuries..." "It's a little nauseating, isn't it?" "I always order things I don't like." "Will you look at that?" "There's so much." "The cake is only a pretext." "A pretext to stay." "You eat, time passes..." "All this whipped cream, it reminds me of Switzerland." ""You drink milk." "But you must eat whipped cream."" "Have you ever been to Switzerland?" "I was there "for my health"." " A long time?" " Several months." "Look, it isn't tragic." "And even when I remember it, it's good memories." "It's calm." "The people are nice, they spoil you." "They fuss over you, they're concerned about you." "And then there's the mountains." "Thank you." "The mountains are beautiful." "It's like television." "You sit there for hours... and then you're not even looking anymore," "you're not thinking about anything." " I think they're going to close." " Already?" "You think so?" " Arrivederci." " Arrivederci." "An Italian!" " Have you also been to Italy?" " To Rome, yes." " Before or after Switzerland?" " Before." " Have you traveled a lot?" " Yes." "Yes, a whole lot." "And now New York." "A stopover?" "Do you know of a real stopover?" "I hate the places that close." "In the beginning, I loved New York, but then..." "All cities are the same." "You love them or you don't as a function of how you find them." " You love them?" " Here or elsewhere." "Yes, but elsewhere, you can fool yourself." " But here..." " Yes." "Here when you lose, you lose a lot." " Are you tired?" " It's my shoe." " We'll take a taxi." " No, it's all right." "Let's walk." "What I love about New York at night, is this smoke." "It reminds me of The Arabian Nights." "There's always smoke rising in the form of a genie." "A good genie, mind you." "He asks what you want, he gives it to you, and everything changes." "Already?" "Another." " I can't." " Just one, I promise." "Bartender..." "He offered us free drinks." "To toast the birth of his son." "I understood." "A happy guy, that's good." "Until the moment it all cracks." "That day, he'll be like everyone else." "He'll still have memories and pretty photos." "Not everyone has even that." "I don't have any of my daughter." "How old is she?" "12." "No. 13 now." "She lives with her father." "In Mexico." "You don't...?" "I mustn't talk about it." "I mustn't think about it." "I manage." "I manage very well." "There." "My glass is empty." "Where do you live?" "As of this morning, I don't live anywhere." "Come on." "Come on, Kay." "Come on, Kay." " Where are we going?" " To tell the truth, I don't know." " I thought we were going to your place." " No." " Oh but of course." " Oh no." "I live alone." "Absolutely alone." "That doesn't concern me." "When I lived at Jessy's, I didn't think she was like that." "I thought she loved Pierre, an airline pilot." "But not at all, she didn't give a damn." "And then this guy from Texas showed up..." "Women can't resist an oil well." " What do they resist?" " I wanted to talk to her, tell her she was wrong, but Pierre..." "She was frightful." "She told me some terrible things." "And this morning, she left with him, without a warning." "When I came back, I couldn't get in." "The apartment's in Pierre's name." "He's been gone for three days." "I don't know when he'll be back." "And then I've got all my things in there." "I have only what I've got on me." "At the agency, maybe they could tell me when he returns." "Sure." "Why not?" "I can smell whisky." "They must have been drinking." "Kay?" "You can come in." " Good day." " Good day." "Or sooner good evening." " Do you know what time it is?" " No." "Almost 8:00." "Did I wake you up?" "I'm sorry, but the door doesn't close." "This isn't the Waldorf." "This isn't the Waldorf." " Could I use your comb?" " Yes." "I look ghastly." "I haven't shaved since yesterday..." "I noticed." "Sorry." "You can't plan for everything." "The water's getting cold." "I'd like to get out of the tub." "I'll leave you then." "Oh no, that's not necessary." "But seeing this isn't the Waldorf, there's no bathrobe." "I'll get it for you." "What am I going to do?" "I can't go out like this, with a two-day beard." "It's very simple:" "You phone the porter, and he'll send someone out to buy a razor, some blades..." "You want me to do it?" "I could do that." " You want me to run your bath?" " If you would." "Hello, this is Room 23." "Can you send someone to buy me a razor, please?" " A what?" " A razor." "A what?" " A razor!" " Wait." "And a toothbrush?" "There you go." "Good." "I've got to hurry." " I'm not in a hurry." " Are you hungry?" "You've got something to do?" "No, nothing." "But we've got to eat." "We can't stay here." "No, of course not." "You're right." "Go take your bath." "I've got to buy some stockings." " You haven't forgotten anything?" " I didn't have much with me." "Are you keeping the room for another night?" "Yes, I'm keeping it." "Give me another 10 cents." "You like it?" " All the blues you desire." "Does it bring back memories?" "No." "Only a song I like." "What is it?" "What do you want it to be?" "You want me to go?" "Are you leaving?" "You've seen enough of me." "You're don't know what you're saying." "No." "It's booze and not eating... plus waking up at night." "It's fatigue." "And then to have all these days and nights behind you..." "You don't know where you are anymore." "You float." "No?" "Yes, it's like that." "You float." "Look, there's a table free." "They've got marvelous steaks." " You're a regular here?" " Yes, I told you." "I came with Jessy and Pierre, when they brought me here." "We lived around the corner." "We'll pass it later." "Maybe he's back in New York." "He's not there." "It's the three windows on the third floor." "Were you happy?" "I'd say you miss it." "I miss my things." "But happy?" "No." "But I had a place, I had some piece of mind." "It's very small." "A bedroom, a living room..." "Jessy was what she was." "All the same, it was better than being alone." "And when the pilot came?" "I slept in the living room." " Always?" " What do you mean?" " I mean...?" " You're getting ideas." "Not even." "And when you went out, where did you go?" "Ah yes." "To Number One." "I think you want to go there." "No." "It's all the same to me." "Is it all the same if we have a whisky?" "Francois, I never slept with Pierre." "I know you don't care, but..." "There was just one time... it was a little seedy." "A moment." "This past summer." "You know, August in New York, terrible heat, humidity," "when everything sticks to you." "You're both dead with fatigue and at the end of your nerves." "It was the three of us." "Pierre had his shirt off." "He's very well built." " And you?" " What about me?" "What did you have on?" "Just a flimsy robe, like Jessy." "It was so hot." "I wanted to take a shower, and Pierre blocked my way." "He said we were imbeciles, that we should take a shower together, all three of us." "We'd been drinking." "Jessy began to laugh." "Too hard." "Pierre watched us." "I passed him, and I locked myself in the shower." "And then, no one was talking." "You aren't jealous of Pierre anymore?" "Why would I be more jealous of Pierre than of..." "Paul." "Among others." "Every once in a while, I get the impression that you detest me." "No." "You must have charmed him." "It's for us that I've been charming." "You see?" "When I hear this song, it will take me back." "You also." "Whatever happens." "Tonight or tomorrow." "When you hear it, you'll think of me." "It's better when you shave." "Hold me close." "Thank you." "This memory will be truly perfect." "I've had enough of this place." "Pay the bill and let's go." "But not like that." "You've left too big a tip." "Here, half a dollar is enough." "Where do you want to go?" "You don't want to go back to the hotel?" "If you want." "Did you see?" "The porter recognized us." "Yes, I noticed." "It's stupid, but that touched me." "Sit down." " You don't think we've had enough?" " But of course." "This isn't like last night." "I feel good." "I've never felt so good." "Are you feeling all right?" "Yes." "Francois, a cigarette." "It doesn't bore you, if I talk?" "I need to talk." "And to smoke and to drink." "It's definitely your hour." "It comes from my Russian blood." "It's crazy, the number of women who have Russian blood." "But in my case, it's true." "My mother was Russian." "She was a pianist." "A very great pianist." "Her name was Vera." "You like the name Vera?" "You're not listening." "But I am listening." "While you think about something else." "Always lucid or thinking you are." "That's okay, you're resigned." "Resigned to what?" "Letting me talk." "I wanted to name my daughter Vera." "But my husband didn't." "He was Italian." "He wanted an Italian name." "She was born in Berlin." "We were at the Embassy." "He found that a Russian name was provocative." "It wasn't that." "To tell the truth, he was jealous..." "Of everything I loved, of everything that touched me." "The ambassader was fond of me." "He was an old man." "He accused me of charming him." "We left for Rome, an immense palace." "The Larsi Palace." "I'm a Countess." "It's funny." "His mother and his sisters..." "The whole family lived there." "Everyone spied on me." "It was terrible." "Then I lost courage and I left." "For health reasons?" "No." "At first I lived on the Riviera." "No doubt alone." "I won't pretend." "You look angry." "All the same I'm telling you my life story." "Enough." "Come." " Won't you let me finish my drink?" " No." "Get undressed." "Fine." " Afterwards, on the Riviera..." " Enough." "Stop talking." "You see?" "That's my life." "I adore squirrels and Central Park is full of them." "It's enough that I'm here." "I'll never see them again." "I must make them run away." "What?" "I've never seen you in daylight." "Don't look at me." "I'm tired, my makeup's bad, you can see my wrinkles." "You men are lucky." "For you, age doesn't matter." "They're young as long as they're successful, but if it all falls to zero..." ""Life at Zero", that doesn't mean anything." "From any point of view." "I would have wanted for you to talk about yourself." "I would have wanted you to crack." " Stop it." "I would have so wanted you to put your head against me, that you'd let yourself go, that you'd get rid of everything that hurts you..." "You almost have a few times." "But you didn't want to." "Which is normal." "What can you expect from a woman you pick up in a bar?" "Kay!" "With whom you made love as if it were suicide." " What is with you?" " You're fooling yourself." "There are so many things I'd want to tell you, to make your understand, even if you thought I was lying." "Maybe you can fix it." "For now, it doesn't matter." "Of course it doesn't matter." "After all these clubs, after all these bars, we can still get a little fresh air," "a little sun, a little clarity, for our final walk." "What "final walk"?" "You should have said goodbye in the street, in front of the hotel." "I know it's over." "I saw it happen." "But what have you seen?" "The room, when you paid for it." "Yes, I paid the bill." "Come on." "Come on." "Where?" "First to walk, have a drink, two drinks, wait for the sun to go down." "Because the place I'm taking you, it's less ugly at night." "Having taken so much time to meet, and we live so close to one another..." "It's here." "When I went out the other night, I forgot to put out the light." "Here it is." "Well, walk in." "I suspected it, you know." "Are you looking for something?" "They don't deliver milk here?" " I don't drink any." " Oh really?" "I can ask them to bring some up at any time." "Thank you." "I think for the morning, a Prince of Wales would be perfect." "Are you throwing me out?" " You've got something to do." " I've got to meet a guy, that's all." "There's no fixed time." "Just some time today." "You'd be on my hands." "It's filthy." "I'll clean it up." "You're good at that?" "I hate it." "You're not going to kiss me this morning?" " I'm happy." " Me too." "We mustn't say it, though." "Get dressed." "It's strange." "I've never met a man with so many suits." "I'm an actor, I told you." "Half an actor's talent comes from his closet." "When you told me your name, I didn't pay attention." "Yesterday, I didn't dare ask you." " Francois Combe." " Oh yes." "I've been very well known." "Even famous." "What's so funny?" "I saw a film of yours." "In Rome, I think." "I thought you weren't my type." "That's what you think about at the movies?" "Bravo." "That's all women think about." "What else does your success come from?" "Oh, my coffee." "I don't know what you have in the morning." "We never had breakfast." "But you're French, so I made coffee." "Thank you." "There was nothing in the cupboard." "Not cookies, nor butter." "When I'm hungry, I go to the drugstore around the corner." "I should have got up earlier, there are so many things to get..." "I never eat in the morning." "To watch my weight." "I should have bought some flowers." "No." "It's better without." "It's as if we'd been together forever." "A cigarette?" "What?" "It's strange, your cigarette." "You're never without one." "It's automatic." "I didn't even want one." "Drink your coffee before it gets cold." " Yes." "Excuse me." "Everything is broken and dirty." " It didn't matter before." " It doesn't matter to me." "When Hollywood didn't work out and I came back here," "First I lived at the Waldorf." "And then another..." " You told me all that last night." "We said a lot." "I said a lot." "You said a lot." "At last." "Yes..." "I did nothing else." " Are you angry?" " About what?" "No." "It even made me happy." "It was so much better." "Like an old couple." "Oh no." "I hate old couples." " Not all of them." " Yes, all of them!" "They both resent each other because no one has the courage to leave." "Do you still love her?" "You don't understand." "It's all about that." "It's all about her." "Always this idiotic sentimentality." "That doesn't matter for me anymore." "It's me alone." "I found myself alone." "To die alone, to cry out alone." "If you don't understand that..." "Come here, Francois." "Come here." "Come." "Don't you want to sit down?" "You were alone, but not as alone as me." "Wait!" "I have to tell you something." "I know this is going to hurt you, but you're jealous." "And I love you because you're jealous." "When you met me, I was so completely alone that I decided to follow the first man that came along." "It didn't matter who." "I love you, Francois." "But now you must leave." "Have courage, Francois." "I'll give you two hours." "Make it three." "When you come back, you'll find a fantastic lunch waiting." " It doesn't matter." " No, go." "Go." "I don't want to look at you." "Francois!" " I'll have to buy some things..." " Sorry." "I'll need some stockings." "Can I?" "The key." "I'll have to go shopping." "Go on, hurry." "Francois Combe, for the role of the Frenchman." " Here you go." " Thank you." "I ashamed to offer it to you." "A ridiculous Frenchman with a moustache." " It doesn't pay well." " It doesn't matter." "Is it that bad?" " I could hold out for a few months." " And then?" "Don't try to understand." "I don't understand myself." " If you could hire me..." " I could put you up for awhile." "A series of assignments..." "for 6, 8 months." " But that would be nothing as well." " A "flop", as you say." "Combe, with your talent, the name that you still have in Paris..." "I don't want to go back to Paris." "I don't like it anymore." "You don't like Paris anymore?" "There's no one more patriotic than an expatriate, and yet..." "Paris..." "There I was poor, I went broke..." "I had to leave the country." "It isn't true what they say, that I swept the floor of the Billancourt studios." "They wouldn't even let me do that much." "I know what's happened." "But if you had to leave a country every time a woman dumped you, the world wouldn't be big enough." "Handsome, a French accent..." "You could make it here!" "Hollywood showed me otherwise." "Here, luck comes your way several times." "But to be successful here, you have to really want it." "Think only about that." "Thanks for seeing me and thanks for the part." "I cost you 20,000 lires." "Don't you remember?" "You were filming in Rome, Via Veneto." "We met there." "I hadn't yet reached my peak." "I hit you up." " I don't remember." " No?" "Come with me." "Afterwards, we'll have a drink." "All my life, throughout Europe," "I've done business on bar tables." "Offices, even when they're beautiful, every once in a while, I escape them." " Is someone expecting you?" " No, not at all." "Here I make rain and I make the sun shine." "Could you find a job for a girl I know?" " What has she done?" " Nothing." "As a telephone girl?" "A model?" "A secretary?" " I think so." " How old is she?" "In her thirties." "Does she have a husband?" "Money?" "Enough to live on?" "No." "Does she at least have some jewels?" " Not even that." " Then she is done for!" "I thought that luck comes your way several times." "Yes." "But for girls in their thirties, it's done." "They must be set up, otherwise..." ""Otherwise"?" "There's nothing left but working in a movie house." "And not at the front, either." "Have I been too blunt?" " This isn't someone who..." " No." " It's just a friend." " Oh really?" "I prefer that." "Because in such a case, the girl would be playing her last card." "And that..." "Hourvitch, how long did you live in Rome?" "4 years." " Did you know Countess Larsi?" " Yes." "I've even seen her in New York." "New York's funny." "You meet everyone here, high and low." "She looked low." " It isn't for her that you..." " No, no." " What does her husband do?" " He's a diplomat, I think." "He's been assigned to Mexico." "The poor man." " She really opened his eyes." " Oh really?" "There was a pretty scandal." "She left him for a gigolo." "Excuse me." "Just a word..." " Taking a rest?" " Will I see you before you leave?" "No." "It's out of the question." "He really organizes his life." "Left?" "But where?" "But where?" "How long ago?" "But it isn't possible." "But I don't have the key." "I told her to refuse." "I'm the one who pays the rent, aren't I?" "Same again, please." "Hello?" "Hello?" "Hello?" "Francois, is that you?" "Francois?" "But where are you?" " I didn't know how to find you." " How long have you been here?" "What does it matter, if I come or I leave?" "What does it matter?" " Come have a drink." " No." " We have to talk." " Not now, Pierre." "Tomorrow." "Oh no!" "You aren't going to leave." " No..." " Right now!" "Come on." "Two Scotches!" "You've had enough to drink." "Are you going to lecture me too?" " That's our song." " I know, Pierre." "I know." ""I know, Pierre." "I know."" "What else do you know?" "Do you know I'm hurting?" "All the same!" "All of them!" "All made the same." "And us, like idiots, we get strung along, we believe it." "But why?" "Why?" "Kay, what have I done?" " Haven't I always been a good guy?" " Yes, Pierre, always." "Then why?" "Answer." "You wouldn't understand." "Like when I was a child:" ""You wouldn't understand."" ""Later on, you'll see."" "But I never understood." "Never!" "Even after I grew up." "I've never fallen for your stories, your dirty schemes." "You've always had me, always." "The great, the good women..." "I've got a present, something from Paris." "And I rang, I rang..." "I was always happy, every time I arrived." "Not a word, a letter." "Nothing, no one." "No one left." "The presents, the pretty words..." "In the trashcan!" "Kay..." "I'm drunk, it's true, but I swear, I will try to understand." "What's happened?" "What's happened?" "Kay, little Kay, I've had too much trouble." "Tell me." "What does he want?" " Kay, don't leave!" " Let me go!" "I don't want to be alone." " It's very important." " And I'm not?" "For me, it's my life." "Life!" "That's something proper, life." "I don't give a damn about it." "I'm sick of it." "You're always alone, in life." "Don't look at me like that, I'll explain." " He hasn't kept you?" " That was Pierre." "I looked for you everywhere and found him." "Or maybe it's that you don't want me anymore?" "He's what?" "30 years old?" "You too, you like them young." " It's exciting." " What are you talking about?" "But the pretty young man, I've already had that." "You're going to leave!" " Go on!" " Francois..." "You don't know where to sleep tonight?" " Here." " You don't have the right." "Where I picked you up, someone else will find you." "It's perfect, your little game." "Your tricks are always the same." "Or do you have others?" "What are you waiting for?" " Francois..." " I don't want to hear it." "Get out!" "Get out!" "Get going!" "But hurry!" "I'm going." "But first, I want you to listen." "Quick." "There'll be no one left." "This isn't worthy of you." "Oh yes, I see." "The ambassader bit, the Countess bit." "Before, the gigolo." "Afterwards, whatever you can find." "Wait." "Come here." "It's stupid, after all." "For you, me or somebody else, It's all the same." "You might as well make your bed here." "Take your clothes off!" "You make love well." "Why deprive me of that?" "It's true you've got experience." "How many men have you slept with?" "Can you count them all?" "Tell me!" " Answer!" " It matters so little." "Here in New York, how many have there been?" "When I say "sleep"..." "Here, taxis are the fashion." "Dirty business in the movie houses?" "Do you take them to bars or do you take them home?" "Do they walk too?" "Do they let you have them?" " Do you tell them the same stories?" " No." "You're lying!" "You lie, you all do." "Don't hate me." "Forgive me, forgive me." "No doubt it was necessary." "My darling..." "My poor darling." "Oh, it's you." "Ringing the buzzer three times..." "I wasn't thinking." "Habit." "Come in." " Francois Combe, a friend." " You can come in too." "I came to get my things." "They're over there." "You can't fool yourself, there's more there than your own." " Coffee?" " No, thank you." "I will." " Pierre makes great coffee." " Not at all in the American style." "That was you, at the bar?" "My poor Kay, how I must have tested you." " I wasn't very nice." " Neither was he." "It's going better, this morning?" " Yes." "Much better." "You're lucky." "I got a hangover that changed nothing." "You think you're going to forget, you'll no longer think about it..." "But when I came back, it was even worse." "Now it's me who sleeps on the couch." "I would never have slept on the couch." "It must be awful." " Very." "I'll take down your bags." "Do you mind?" "Well?" "I won't yell at you, even if you knew." "I've only known him the last few days." "I told her what I thought, and she threw me out." "Poor Kay." "It was a hard blow." "No." "More of a chance." " Of course, there's a guy, isn't there?" " Yes." " You know him?" " I saw him." " Handsome guy?" " Disgusting." "It's stupid, but I like that even better." "Lots of money?" "Enormous." "Then of course, I didn't carry the weight." "That will teach me, stupid dreams." "The return to France, the marriage, the whole business." "The fool wakes at last." "The good man who was taken in." "To dump me like that..." "In this genre, I never saw better." "Kay," "You knew her." "At least in the beginning..." "I'm sure she loved you." "That can't be true, but thanks anyway." " Pierre..." " My cigarettes are in the living room." " What are you going to do?" " Smoke, I told you." " And then?" " Let you finish packing your bags, leave, because I like you, but to see you here brings back too many memories." " And after?" " After?" "I'm going to ask to change airlines." "I've had enough of New York." "I'm going to try South America." "Brazilians will perhaps be more sensitive to my charms." "In fact, I'm leaving tonight." "The apartment is paid up for another month." " If your heart tells you..." " Thank you." "We've got a room." "Give me the address." "If I return to New York..." "I'll know where to write if Jessy gives any news." "Good." "Well, see you." "Maybe one of these days." "Thank you." "And again, forgive me for yesterday." "When you leave, you only have to pull the door closed." "Now do you understand?" "Yes, I understand." "It's pretty, isn't it?" "A leftover from my glory days." "5 years old." "Not even out of fashion." " Do you want to put it on?" " Yes." "How did you know?" "You want me to?" "What is it?" "Nothing." "Another Kay." "It's the hair." "For the dress, it's better, isn't it?" "And now?" "Are you going to kiss me?" " What?" " Nothing." "A little bit like another Francois." "These broadcasts you talked about the other day..." " You still want to?" " Yes, I still want to." "Good." "I'll give them to you." "After all, I win." "An actor like you for such junk..." " Thank you." "But don't thank me." "Or rather, do." "Thank me for the good advice I give you with it." "Drop everything after tomorrow." "Go back to Paris." "Transform yourself!" "Thanks for the advice." " Won't you follow it?" " Absolutely not." "Oh, it's for the good woman." "The other day, I didn't insist." "I was very gentle." "She was drowning... and you pulled her out." "Those who are drowning pull you under." "Hourvitch, I was already "under"." "Now I'll resurface." "It won't last." "She'll drag you back in and you'll fall further." " You don't know her." " You neither." "You don't know a woman until you realize she's robbed you." "Get out, there's still time." "Do like me." "I've spent my life running." " From women?" "No." "Creditors, prosecutions..." "You make another fortune, you move to another country, but when a woman has destroyed you, she's destroyed everything." " Maybe another would rebuild it." " How you talk!" "Perhaps it is true, after all, that actors are stupid." "Wait a minute, please." " I thought you'd left." " Tonight." " News from Jessy?" " I thought so." "A telegram that I've opened." "It's for you." " Do you have it?" " I brought it." " What are you doing?" " What do you want me to do?" "Are there flights to Mexico?" " I called to ask, but there are no seats left." " It's impossible." "I know a girl at Pan Am." "We're going to try." "This isn't just a ruse to make you come?" "You don't know him." "People have regrets, they can change." "Not him." "A decision is a decision." "You have to be firm." ""Michelle is gravely ill." He doesn't even say what's wrong with her." "When she was little, she was already fragile." " When did you last see her?" " A long time ago." "Not since..." "Not since I left." "It's my fault of course, but he did everything he had to." "He's very organized." "He thinks of everything." "Michelle is gravely ill, he did his duty." "He even wired the bank, in case..." "He definitely should have suspected." " Is it hard for you?" " What?" "Your daughter..." "It's like a kind of dull pain that awakens when I see a child," "or for any reason at all." "I can't close it." "Can you help?" "What if he asked you to stay for her sake?" "Oh, that would surprise me." "Would it bother you if I left some things?" "Not if you return." "You are going to come back, aren't you?" "Of course, Francois." "You should put on a heavier dress." "Down there, it's very hot." " You want to eat something?" " No." "I'm not that hungry." "And on the plane, they always give you something..." "Relax, lie down." "You've got time." "There are two hours to go." "Light me one." "Lie next to me." "You'll phone?" " If it's possible." " It's always possible." "Then I'll phone." "It's for you that I'm most concerned, because you're going to find yourself alone again." "You're going to come with me, aren't you?" "I know it's selfish of me, but..." "But of course, I'll come with you." "And even if I have no more courage, you must make me go." "Because I must." "That's right..." "I'll force you." "I'll tell His Excellency." "I had a lot of trouble finding you." "You change addresses a lot." "Combe, come here." "I'll introduce you," "You'll work together." " Hello!" " You were very good." "And you weren't bad either." "I love Frenchmen!" "Come on, we're going to have dinner and a drink." "I'm sorry, I can't." "Why not?" "Come on!" "I'm waiting for a phone call." "I always invite him and it's always the same story." " He's in love." " That's nice." "You mustn't laugh at him." "The intervention has done wonders." "In this little body there is such resistance..." "She takes after you, Madam." "I admire the courage with which you've watched her." "Thank you." "Is she awake?" "Not before tomorrow." "But she'll be very weak." "This will be your last bad night." "I'll come back this evening." " My compliments." " Goodbye." "Thank you." "You've been perfect." "You're exhausted." "I'll have them prepare you a room at the embassy." "Tomorrow, I'll send the chauffeur." "And when she wakes up?" "You don't want her to see me..." "Or talk to me." "You don't have the right!" "To spare her all emotions in her condition?" "Yes." "Such that..." "When will you return to New York?" "When I'm certain she's okay." "Tomorrow, you'll be reassured." "Why did you call me?" "I thought I was doing my duty." "Did she ask for me?" "For a child that's suffering..." "It's an automatic reflex." " Your ticket is reserved for tomorrow." " Thank you." "You'll forgive me for not taking you to the airport, as you'll excuse me for leaving you alone tonight." "One of these embassy dinners that always bored you." "I'll see you before you leave." "I must ask a question." "What kind of question?" "Financial." "For years I would have loved to be able to be with you." "And my daughter?" "But you made a choice." "I didn't choose that." "And then, I don't know anymore." "What happened, was..." "That was another woman in another life." "As for her?" "How would she find her place next to this other woman in this other life?" "Know that her life is perfect, well-organized, and calm." "She suffers no pain." "She is happy, vivacious." "Everyone underestimates the heartlessness and egotism of children." "It's their sole defense." "She knows?" "I've told her the truth." "That you were..." "That you'd left." "Mind you, I left out the details." "For later." "Even if you hadn't, I would have told her myself." "That way, if one day she suffers, and she will," "she'll know that I understand, and she'll come to me." "Anything else?" "Yes." "Could I telephone New York?" "At the clinic, it would be difficult." "Are you happy?" "Yes." "I'm happy." "There's a phone in your room." "Excuse me, I've got an appointment." " Wait!" " No." "Stay, amuse yourself, have a drink." "I have a tab here." "You"ll accompany June." "I can go back alone." " Of course, French etiquette..." "Make him drink, dance, live." " Do you want to dance?" " No." " So I won't make you." " Thank you." "Are you sad or happy when you drink?" "Forgive me." "I'm not very..." "My lighter's out." "So..." "Tell me about her." "It's the only subject that interests you." " It'll bore you." " No." "I like love, even when it's not my own." "Well?" "She smokes like you do." "What do you mean, she smokes like me?" "All the time?" "Is she pretty?" "Moving." "That's the most important thing." "And?" "Tired, wounded, even blasee." "And then sometimes..." "It's difficult." "It's good to be loved like that." ""Loved"..." "I know that she annoys me." "I know that I resent her." "But I know that I need her too." "She makes me understand the importance of human contact." "Yes." "I know." "You're a good listener." "Something must be keeping her." "She said she'd phone and she said she'd come back." "No, no." "I fooled myself." "I wanted to fool myself." "Hourvitch was right." "It's better this way." "That's all that was missing!" " Is that your song?" " Yes." "That isn't very original." "Love is never very original." " Do you like this place?" " As well here as elsewhere..." "Then why not elsewhere?" "Of course." "Why not?" "Hello!" " Francois!" " Hello?" " I can't hear." "Is that you?" " Hello, Kay!" "I was waiting for your call." "I couldn't leave the clinic." " Is your daughter better?" " Yes." "She's saved." "I couldn't stop thinking about you." "And you, did you miss me?" "A lot." "Did you go out much?" "I stayed in every night." "My poor darling." "All the ideas you must have had." "Did you imagine terrible things?" "I was concerned." "I didn't understand." "I get the feeling you're angry with me." "It isn't my fault." "Don't you believe me?" "Why do you say that?" "Your voice sounds funny." " I swear it's not true." "What is it?" "Nothing." "I don't know..." "The phone, the distance..." " I don't know." " You seem strange." "It's that you woke me suddenly." "I called you several times last night." "I said I called you several times last night!" "It was the night of the broadcast." "I came home and I went to bed." "Are you happy?" "Did it go well?" "Yes." "It went very well." "And afterwards, you went out with Hourvitch and you drank." "Absolutely not." "What made you believe that?" "Don't hang up." "I'm still talking." "Hello!" "They're going to cut us off." "I'm coming home tomorrow." "Wait a minute." "American Airlines, Flight 302." "I don't know what time it gets there." "Francois?" "Are you happy I'm coming home?" "Do you doubt it?" "Why?" "I don't know, just a feeling." "I could be wrong." "Will you be there?" "Of course." " I'm so happy." " I love you." "Yes." "Me too, I love you." "Sorry to have woken you." "Go back to sleep." " Until tomorrow, Francois." " Until tomorrow." "I'll get dressed and take you home." "I'm used to going home alone." "And then, she might call." "I would." "But I always have bad reactions." "Has she guessed?" "I don't know." " Will you tell her?" " Yes." "She's lucky." "My lighter wasn't empty after all." "Don't be sad." "Tomorrow she'll be here." "You're kind." "Don't regret it too much." "Because the whole time, you only thought of her." "Women notice these things." "Forgive me." "For what?" "For that, for not driving you home, for this situation." "It's all my fault." "Good luck, June." "It doesn't matter." "You're already here?" "I took an earlier flight." "I missed you so." " How long have you been here?" " An hour." "I was afraid you'd gone to the airport." "And my key?" "I don't have it." "Yes, that's right." "My poor darling!" "I was going to straighten things up before you came." " I couldn't know." " I should have waited." "No, you were right." "I didn't see your return like this." "Francois!" "You haven't even kissed me." "Hello, Kay." "I must look awful." "And your daughter?" "I'll tell you later." "What is it?" "Nothing." "I haven't seen you in a long time." "So I look at you." "You, your gestures..." "Which annoy you." "Larsi however has made an important one." "Does that bother you?" "No." "He's going to see his lawyer about creating a kind of pension for me." "So I won't be a burden to you." "How was he?" "The same." "He understands nothing." " Or he refuses to." "There are men like that." "It's our form of pride, or defense, perhaps." "Francois..." "What's changed?" " Nothing." "Nothing and many things." "Good." "I hope you'll tell me about it." "No, don't unpack..." "to pack again tomorrow." "What is it?" "It's true." "Forgive me, I'm already far away." "It's done, this room." "It's already in the past." "And what will be the future?" "Who knows!" "Here, Paris..." "Now it doesn't matter." ""It doesn't matter"..." "In other words, I was right to leave." "Yes." "It was necessary." "Last night when I phoned," "I had the feeling there was someone with you." "There was." "Here, in our room?" "And idiot that I am, I was so happy to call." "Yes, I know." "I wanted to tell you." "She was..." "It was all about you." "It's so difficult." "Kay!" "Let me go!" "Let me go!" "I know I've hurt you." "But don't go off to do the same thing." "Not you, Kay, not you!" "You've gone past all that." "I've finally caught up with you." ""Caught up with me"?" "I love you." "That's what I wanted to tell you at the airport." "No matter what happens, whether I'm happy or unhappy." "In advance, I accept it." "Since last night, I've wanted to cry it out to you." "Since yesterday, I've lived in fear." "Since last night, I've lived with you, on a new plane." "I love you, no matter what happens, whatever I endure, whatever..." "Kay!" "It's a strange place to talk of these things." "You're right." "Come on." "Not inside." "I'd prefer to just leave it behind." "Get my cigarettes." "I didn't think I could be jealous." " Believe me, it was..." " Don't say anything." "It was stupid of me." "Shall we go to the bar?" "No." "No more bars, no more records playing." "We'll never be alone again." "Translation by ironhills December 2010"