Damsels in Distress Page #5

l never even got to tell him.

Hey! Where all your boyfriends at?

Come on!

They don't wear bikinis.

They're ladies, they wear thongs.

l can't imagine

where she could've gone.

Wherever she went,

she should be back by now.

How did she seem

when you last saw her?

Really sad about Frank.

- Still?

- Yeah.

How can someone so smart continue

mooning over a dope like that?

People aren't exactly as you assume.

The Violet you know...

...bears little resemblance

to the girl l met in seventh grade.

- You met Violet in seventh grade?

- Well, her name wasn't Violet then.

What's your name?

You can tell us your name.

We won't bite.

What's your name? Tell us.

Are you retarded?

Tell us your name.

Emily Tweeter.

- Tweeter? Like a bird?

- That's ridiculous.

Tweeter? Like a bird?

- Not an easy name to have at that age.

- Not at any age.

What was she like?

Timid. Bookish.

Classic scholarship student.

Her parents were writers.

They didn't have a dime.

Finances were the least of her worries.

- What do you mean?

- Well, she was crazy.

l got stuck rooming with her

on a trip when no one else would.

- lt was awful.

- Did she smell bad?

No. Obsessive cleanliness

was part of her insanity.

- You were nice to her.

- No.

The idea of being nice

to weird kids hadn't arrived.

- Why was she so unpopular?

- Well, she was very strange.

Constantly setting herself odd,

repetitive tasks.

Tasks?

For example, on that trip she had

with her a little square suitcase.

The idea came into her head

she had to move it...

...in a precise pattern

over and over again...

...and if she didn't execute this

movement flawlessly 10 times...

...she'd start over.

Another was to slide her hand

across her forehead...

...trying not to touch her hair

or eyebrows on either side...

...also repeating it 10 times.

Any niggling thought she'd touched

the hair, she'd start over.

- My God, that is insane.

- Why would she do that?

She had the conviction that

if she didn't complete these tasks...

...her parents would die.

- Was she Catholic?

- No.

But what made the whole thing

really sad...

...was that her parents did die.

Oh, my God.

Violet!

Violet?

Violet!

Violet, where are you?

Something's wrong, isn't it, dear?

You mind my asking?

Well, l do mind a little.

- Excuse me, Your Highness.

- l'm sorry.

- lt's just kind of awkward to talk about.

- No matter.

l hope you haven't come

to get run over on the highway.

- What do you mean?

- Suicides.

They come down from the university.

Jump out in the road.

Get hit by the blind curve.

Hope you're not one of them.

Do l look like one of them?

l don't know.

Maybe.

Messy people, suicides.

Think only of themselves

and their own deaths.

Not what comes after.

They leave quite a mess.

They don't stick around

to clean it up.

So you're not one of those depressed

students from the university?

l don't like the word "depressed."

l prefer to say that l'm in a tailspin.

A tailspin?

- Does this tailspin involve a man?

- Yes, it does.

But l'm not as crazy as l was

up till yesterday.

Apparently that's due to the salutary

effect of scent on the human psyche.

lts importance is, l believe,

almost incalculable.

At the motel,

l happened to use this soap.

lt was provided to me as a courtesy

as one of the guests.

That an economical motel...

...would provide such good soap

is quite unusual.

- The scent is very precise.

- Really?

Tell me if it provokes any particular

reaction in your psyche.

A state of mind.

l always knew she was unstable.

They're gonna have her photo

at the registrar's.

Violet! Violet!

You're back! You're okay!

Not really.

Oh, my gosh, Violet,

we were so worried.

Why didn't you tell us

or leave a note?

l did leave a note.

Would that be a suicide note?

- l wouldn't leave without a note.

- Where did you go?

l took the train to Villafranca

and checked into a motel there.

- The Motel 6?

- No, the Motel 4.

- lt's even less expensive.

- The Motel 4 in Villafranca?

- My God, you really were suicidal.

- Why'd you go?

l had to do something.

And you really thought you were

gonna find the answer in Villafranca?

l'm not sure what l expected,

but l might have found it.

What?

Soap?

This scent and this soap...

...is what gives me hope.

Hello?

ls anyone here?

Hello?

Lily?

- Hello?

- Oh, my gosh.

l couldn't understand

where everyone was.

Sorry, l just went out

to get some things.

- Where's Alice?

- Gone.

What do you mean?

Left.

We broke up.

- But when you called, you said--

- l know, l'm sorry.

l thought it better

to tell you in person.

Alice couldn't control her jealousy.

lt completely overwhelmed her.

Really? What was she jealous of?

Come on.

No, what?

You.

After a while,

l just couldn't handle it.

Things became impossible.

She was jealous of me?

Of course.

Would it be okay if we watch a film?

Yes.

What would you like to see?

l thought maybe Truffaut's

Baisers vols. Stolen Kisses.

Do you know it?

No, is it new?

lt's a classic

of French New Wave cinema.

l think you'll like it.

- But it's in color?

- Yeah.

- You don't know Truffaut?

- No.

Do you know Godard,

bout de souffle?

- Why was Alice so jealous?

- What do you think?

She was jealous

because Lily's lovely.

l don't know.

They had a lot of problems.

Of course.

You wouldn't break up

a happy couple.

- What's that?

- A note Frank left.

- Really? Recently?

- No, when we were together.

Now that most correspondence

is electronic...

...it's rare to be left anything

written by hand.

Frank can write by hand?

- What is it?

- lt's not very important.

lt's just all l have.

- What's it say?

- "Out for brewskis. Back in a giff."

What's a "giff"?

One of those little motor scooters,

isn't it?

l'm sure he meant to write "jiff"

with a J. "Back in a jiff."

But he wrote "giff."

- Could Frank be dyslexic?

- No. Dyslexics are intelligent.

- What's that?

- Frank's bean ball.

- He gave you his bean ball?

- Not exactly. This is an extra.

He thought he'd leave it here

just in case he lost his other one.

Gosh, Violet, you've really

gotta stop thinking about Frank.

Why? l don't wanna stop

thinking about him.

Recently l had a thought

that cheered me up a lot.

Life is like a long, flowing river...

...and as a long, flowing river, some

debris you never expect to see again...

...is almost certain to reappear

floating to the surface.

Frank and l may very well

be together again one day.

Maybe it'll take years,

but somewhere down the line...

...he's very likely to pop up again,

and l'll be there to catch him.

l don't think

we've spoken about this.

What?

Have you been to the south of France?

To the walled city of Carcassonne?

- l've never been anywhere.

- But you've seen pictures of it.

No, l don't think so.

Oh, it's fascinating.

- l'd like to visit.

- You never studied the Cathars?

They were a religious movement...

...very idealistic...

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