8:17 p.m. Darling Street Page #5

That's also why l left you.

Good night.

You are wonderful.

Yes, l know.

l know.

Good night.

G'night, Chantal.

l'm Grard, an alcoholic.

l've been dry 3 days.

Before that, 7 months.

When l celebrated

my 6 months of sobriety,

l got this tag.

lt says, ''Call before,''

and l should have.

But l'm proud.

l could see this binge coming,

but l didn't call.

l'm proud.

My pride will kill me.

Should've died 2 weeks ago.

My apartment block blew up.

But l wasn't home.

By chance. l should've been.

There was...

A 4-year-old girl died.

Her name was Jose.

l should've thought

God gave me a break.

l could've died

and now l have 20 years left...

to live properly.

But l spurned this.

l went on a binge.

One hell of a binge.

So l'm starting over.

l have 72 hours behind me.

l'd like to read something.

Some of you may know it.

''Humility pacifies the heart.

lt dispels trouble.

lt means never being angry,

upset, irritated or pained.

lt means taking things in stride

and not taking things

personally,

staying calm

when praise is scarce

and if mocked or scorned,

finding a shrine within

where l can go, close the door,

kneel before God in secret,

be in peace,

as upon a deep, calm sea

in the middle of a storm.''

Thanks for listening.

Hello.

May l have coffee, please?

lt's there, help yourself.

l'm sorry, Grard.

l was worried.

You were right. l snooped around

and look what happened.

Your Coroner friend called.

- Really?

- Yeah.

They found your neighbour.

Good!

Go ahead and call if you want.

Yes...

He was my downstairs neighbour.

The night of the fire,

KarI was arrested

at St. Catherine and Beaudry.

He was naked, incoherent,

and compIeteIy wired.

He was taken to a psych ward.

The defaced woman

was cIaimed by her famiIy.

Her name was Eve Dubuc.

KarI's ex-girIfriend.

AngIa came to the hospitaI.

KarI was manic-depressive.

He'd stopped taking his Iithium,

and had a breakdown.

Hello.

l'm your neighbour.

Darling St.

What happened

the night of the fire?

Do you remember?

Remember the explosion?

The night you were arrested.

l wanted to go to Portugal.

Sir!

Lithium impedes my reading.

l can't read any more.

KarI's story haunted me.

It was so absurd.

His madness saved his Iife.

He survived,

then sank into despair.

It started when

he pitched his Iithium.

NormaI Iife was stifling.

He missed his highs.

He instantIy came aIive.

Ideas simmered, his mind soared.

He wrote poems on scrap paper.

He Ionged to go to PortugaI.

He never sIept.

He feIt superhuman energy,

boundIess abiIity.

The night of the bIast,

he was compIeteIy gone.

He feIt huge, invuInerabIe.

ReaIity was just a detaiI.

Karl, it's Eve!

Open up, Karl!

Open up!

He had to go.

He considered

flying out the window,

but took the roof.

He started running.

He was taII, handsome.

Nothing wouId stop him.

Anything was possibIe.

It was Eve.

She knew something was wrong.

She Iooked everywhere for KarI.

Something caught her eye -

a souvenir, an object,

a note...

I'II never know.

But she stayed.

I'd never be sure

of what happened.

AII I knew was

innocent peopIe had died.

Those who survived

owed it to chance.

Young Patrick,

too stoned to go home.

KarI, in fuII

psychotic deIirium.

And me, because

my shoeIace was untied.

Fate isn't seIective.

Geoffrion was by the site.

It was to be IeveIIed

for construction.

End of investigation.

Cause of expIosion: unknown.

We shook hands.

He went away.

It was over.

I'd Iost my verve.

My bubbIe had burst.

I was no wiser or happier,

but I was aIive.

My name's Grard.

I'm an aIcohoIic.

I've been dry 6 months, 2 days.

I shouId teII what happened

after Geoffrion Ieft

the ruins of my home.

I don't want to.

I wiII say, I went to AngIa's

and she Iet me in.

I don't know what it means

or where it'll lead.

I'II find out in good time.

Sometimes, Iife zaps a fastbaII

right into the strike zone.

You gotta hit it.

AngIa's back home visiting

her kids in the foster home.

I await her.

When she returns,

I might embrace her,

or just Iet her be awhiIe.

I'II pIay it by ear.

I wiII take care of her though.

I'II be attentive.

Later on, if we so desire,

we'II go out and have Iobster.

Adaptation:
Fleming/Bolduc

Anr Mdiatextes, Montreal

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