Aux deux Colombes Page #3

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You're right.

Madame's coming to....

Already?

This Madame.

- My Jean-Pierre!

- Marie-Jeanne!

Don't worry about

what just happened to me.

My little man!

My Jean-Pierre!

- Watch out with that feather, dearest.

- My Jean-Pierre!

Angle, you're still here.

The watchful witness

of our dear past.

Her presence here

says so much to me.

I scarcely believe my eyes.

And all those things

that are still in their place.

- It's all so moving!

- Darling.

'Bye for now.

Au revoir, madame.

You'll be more comfortable

over here.

Now...tell me all!

- What, me first?

- Yes, you first.

Good Lord, I'm overcome!

So...

So I left Paris

- I had... - Your rheumatic pain?

You frightened me.

- That's better.

- Is that better?

- Go on.

- We set sail

on the 6th at 3.30.

Sister, sister!

She's alright. Don't scream.

- You see each other?

- Yes.

- When are you seeing her?

- What day is it?

- Thursday.

- Well, she's coming for lunch this morning.

- How nice!

- So, go on.

Set sail September 6

at 3.30pm

Went ashore at Lima

October 12 at 9.05.

You're so precise!

- I'll explain why.

- Good.

I get there in time

to see my papa.

- You got my telegram about that.

- Yes.

I bury him on the 15th.

I sell the hacienda on the 16th.

- 40 million.

- How much?

- 40 million.

- "40 million"!

- Yes.

- And it's been paid?

- I've got it.

- My darling little beloved!

Very well.

I'm arranging everything,

and on the evening of the 18th, alas...

Disaster.

- Yes, the horror of it.

Why did I go to the movies?

Don't try to understand.

It was a dark place

where you could go and cry...

So that's the disaster.

- I didn't go crazy.

- Ah.

- What've people said to you?

- Nothing, darling.

- You poor thing.

- And then?

Then I didn't go crazy,

but I lost my memory.

Complete amnesia,

which seemed permanent.

- There's the explanation.

- I didn't remember anything.

- And that's very understandable.

- Yes.

You'd have to experience something

similar, to understand.

I was 14 months in a clinic,

then in the rest home

run by Dr Enriquez,

where I spent 22 years.

- 22 years!

- Have you forgotten about it?

- What?

Do you have

memory problems?

No, I just realised how horrible it was...

But here you are, and here you are cured.

You're completely well?

Oh. Totally.

Miraculously.

Thanks to an idea of Dr Enriquez.

That man should be blessed.

He tried everything over 22 years.

When one day he asked himself

if the shock that I'd received

mightn't be cancelled out

by a shock of a similar nature.

So...

He had a shed made, where he

locked me in and set it on fire.

- What?

- The shock worked right away.

As soon as I was freed by the firemen,

I began screaming my name and yours!

Our address in Paris...

So there...I was cured.

It really was a miracle.

I need take no other precautions

than to avoid fires.

Sorry!

One match doesn't matter.

Thanks to this clever guy

fire restored your faculties.

Yes!

I'm completely cured.

Yes. "Completely cured."

Better than cured, besides,

as now I can remember

an incredible number

of useless details,

completely forgotten ages ago.

- The year Louis Xl died.

- No interest.

And that precision comes from my younger,

revived memory.

Let's talk about us.

Yes, darling.

Let's talk about us.

Do you have the feeling

this is all a dream?

Yes.

- My Jean-Pierre.

- My little Marie-Jeanne.

I see, I see, I see...!

What do you see?

That I put you at ease, darling.

I'm not stupid.

Apart from the joy it gives you,

my unexpected return

might cause you some trouble.

That's why I called

on the phone.

That was you?

Yes.

It was me, "the huge surprise".

So why did I do it?

To help you by softening the blow.

But who did you

have phone me?

The bewitching

Grand-Duchess Christine.

Good grief!

Direct descendent of Nicolas ll.

She was in the same

rest home in Lima.

She wasn't there for treatment.

She was in hiding.

- Because of...?

- We don't ask.

She's been like

a mother to me.

- She's elderly?

- No, she could be my daughter.

- You don't say!

- We made the voyage back together.

She was so sweet

in looking after me.

She didn't want me to

send you a telegram.

She told me in

her sing-song voice:

"Don't miss the joy of seeing

each other face to face"

- I recognise the accent.

- She put up with me on the trip.

That's exceptional.

Oh yes.

And throughout the crossing,

she spoke only of YOU!

About me?

My word!

I could have sworn

she knew you!

The telephone call

was her idea.

Oh yes?

Oh yes!

She thought that when

you heard about a huge surprise,

that'd give you a clue,

and you'd arrange to be alone.

- So you see...!

- And it's on that subject

that I want to set your mind at rest.

I'm not so foolish

to believe that in those 22 years...

...you weren't distracted.

- You bother me.

If you happen to have a "distraction"

right now

take whatever time to get rid of it.

Two days...three days...

let's make it eight days.

That'll be quite sufficient,

I'm sure of it.

Even if you feel a meal or two is required

during this period...

...you can take her!

No need to punish

some poor girl!

You're too kind.

But not later than Friday...

we'll have resumed our life together

as if nothing had happened.

That's fine, isn't it?

- No, darling.

- "No"?!

- No, darling.

- What do you mean, NO?

I'm going to tell you why.

I don't have, as you put it,

a "distraction" in my life...

that I can just toss aside.

So that's even better.

No, darling.

It's much worse.

Jean-Pierre,

you look very annoyed.

I'm very deeply distressed.

I'm going to tell you why.

It's very delicate.

But there's no other way of saying it.

- I believed you were dead.

- At what point?

There was no particular point.

I just believed you were dead.

So in the end, you thought

I was dead for ever?

As you know,

that's what "dead" means..

Why'd I think you were dead?

I'm going to tell you so you'll understand.

One fine day,

rather, one terrible day,

I open the papers and

what do I see on page one?

"Fire in Valparaiso,

"cinema completely burnt down :

I knew you were over there.

Imagine what went through my mind.

I cabled your hotel immediately,

and they replied

that on the night of the fire

you hadn't returned to the hotel.

But optimist that I am,

I didn't lose hope.

I thought you may could gone

to your father's friends' place.

But 2 days later your letter arrives.

And you said that you were going

to the preview

of Charles Band's new film.

I scoured the papers

and found that was

the evening of the film preview.

I thought you had met death

in that terrible catastrophe.

Think of it! 212 victims.

For all those reasons

you had to be one of that number.

After numerous subsequent

fruitless steps,

I had to face the fact :

I'd lost you,

and you'd died in the fire.

Now, please, understand...

think about it.

Even put yourself in my place.

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