My Afternoons with Margueritte Page #3

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in Algeria.

-I know.

- You've read it?

- No, I know that Oran's

in Algeria

My friend Youssef's

parents are down there.

- Ah...good...

good.

So off we go...

''Because, from April 18,..

...''the factories

and warehouses...

..''spewed out

quantities of dead rats.

''In some cases it was necessary

to put down those rodents,..

..''that were still suffering.

''Wherever our fellow citizens met

,..

..''the rats were there in heaps,

in bins,..

..''or in long lines,

in the gutters.''

Are you asleep?

- No...I was picturing it.

Go on...go on.

- ''But the situation worsened

in the following days..

'There were more and more

dead vermin in the streets..

''...and the collectors had bigger

truckloads every morning...

'On the 4th day,..

..''the rats began to come out

and die in batches.

''From basements, cellars, and sewers.

..''they emerged in long wavering files ..

..''into the light of day,

swayed

helplessly, then did a sort of pirouette,..

..'and fell dead at the feet

of the horrified onlookers.''

It's...

...finely written, eh?

- Since the beginning I've been grabbed by the ears.

Like a rabbit.

Those swollen, smelly, shrieking rats,

...squeaking all around...

It's if I was seeing them.

Rats disgust me.

- You never read Camus ?

''The Stranger'', ''The Fall'' ?

- Don't remember it.

- Shall we go on?

-Yes.

But another time.

I've brought ou some fruit.

- Did you wipe your feet?

-How many have you smoked?

- 350...and go to hell!

- Why're you doing that?...

... on Uncle Georges ?

- I'm sick of his ugly mug.

- He's family.

- All arseholes!

- You've forgotten

to get your mail again.

- My pension!

You want...

...to pinch it!

Give it here!

Look what you've made me do!

You great oaf!

- Come and sit down.

- Let's see what'll suit you.

Not the blue...

With your Spanish looks...

....your flamenco dancer...

You like to dance?

- I love it.

- Suits you wonderfully...

....and that's not

just to flatter you.

- But I can't afford it.

You've already paid me

with your loving looks.

- Cut it out.

- And the location?

- What of?

- Your site

for my caravan.

- That'll be fixed up.

I can also

cook for...

...Monsieur Gardini.

- Jean-Mi.

- What are you doing...

sticking your nose in here!

Go to the shop

instead of staring at me

with those idiot-eyes.

That boy

is wearing me out.

Go, or you'll catch one!

- ''Hearing cries of joy

rising in the city,..

...''Rieux remembered

that this joy...

..''was always threatened.

''As he knew from his reading

..''what that joyful crowd was unaware of.

''And perhaps the day would come

where, from the bane

..''and the teaching of men,..

..''the plague would wake up its rats..

..''and send them forth to die

in a happy city.''

There.

- It's finished?

- Yes.

We've been reading it

for 10 days

Except for a few passages.

- YOU read it.

- Don't you believe it.

You're an excellent reader.

Reading is also

listening.

- Listening?

- Yes, look...

...at children.

For them to learn,..

...they learn by reading out loud.

If they read well and listen well,

..they want more

and they need more,...

- They get hooked...

like a druggie.

I've never taken drugs...

.

...never taken books.

- I'll give you this one.

This time,

keep it.

Yes. I insist.

Voil.

We're no more than passers-by.

I'm passing you a book.

I've marked...

...the bits that we've read.

- Thanks again.

- Don't mention it...

...it's nothing.

I'll help you discover writing

that I love myself...

Would you like it?

- You know how to get a man stirred up!

With your "Would you like it?".

The Plague...

''The following day...

..''the seventh of April''...

- A terrible earthquake struck the south of the country.

- As you can see, it is shocking.

- Crying babies...

- They really get the shitty end

of the stick down there...

When it's not...

... bombs,

it's a damned earthquake.

- And there's the times

they're hit with cholera.

- Or the plague...like in

Camus's book.

- You've read Camus?

- Not all... just The Plague,

The Fall, The Stranger.

- Since when have

YOU read anything?

- What's up with Francine ?

- Youssef's left.

- Where to?

-Not "where"..."with"...

with Stphanie the nurse.

- I didn't know.

I thought that you...

- nobody saw anything...

then...bang!

- Don't give me that look.

- Hard luck!.

- Are we feeling sad

or playing cards?

- There, there...

...don't cry...

...sweetie.

It's OK...

He'll come back.

How old are you ?

- 50.

- How old ?

- I'm 50 years old.

- Even so...!

- Whadda you mean..."even so"?

I didn't know there

was such a difference.

He knew that old pots...

...cook the best.

- I've just two words: ..

...Hoo-Ray!

- I'm just trying to help.

There'll be others.

It's like that Simca the doctor had.

You know him, he comes here.

His car was run down,...

...but he found a buyer.

- You're truly inspired!

I think it must be all that reading...

- I'm going.

I've got shopping to do.

- And books to read !

- Take your time.

Don't hurry back.

What a jerk!

- Those arseholes...

it's no laughing matter...

Readings complicated...

let me tell you...

...'cause you make fun of me.

You read a word...fine!...

You understand it.

And the next one too.

And you go on.

Your finger counts off the lines.

Up to the full-stop.

And when you get there,..

...you're well on your way.

The problem is

you want to put the words together,..

..but they're loose.

Like a lot of nuts and bolts

thrown in a box.

You understand?

For people who know...

...it's easy for them...

like...

...Margueritte...

...if you could see

that little grannie.

...wrinkled like a poppy...

But in her head are

thousands of shelves...

... full of books and books

and more books.

...and she knows them all.

- Hi.

- How ya going?

- Your vegetables are beautiful.

You should do that for a living.

Be a gardener.

- I wanted to be a glazier

- Glazier?...

That's not even a word!

- Yes it's a word.

- You want to get slapped?

- Calm down.

Where'd you get that idea from?

- At the church.

Its stained glass window.

It's beautiful.

- You could get an apprenticeship

at Pyrex..

I know an accountant there.

- I want to make stained glass windows,

not bowls.

- Stained glass windows.

That's not a trade.

What is it?

You're not to touch my kid!

Shut your mouth!

I've finished.

It was disgusting.

What did you say?

Apologise now!

What....excuse me?

Want another one?

What are you doing with that...

picking up manure?

I'm throwing the manure out...

get out!

You're blocking my view.

I told you to get out...now!

Son of a b*tch, you're crazy!

Out! I'll count to three.

- One!

- If I leave, you'll never see me!

- Two!

- Stop fooling....I'm sorry!

You'll regret this!

You'll be hearing from me

and it won't be good.

You'll be hearing from me!

- G'day Jackie.

G'day young man.

- Monsieur Mayor

- You didn't answer the phone.

- It's down.

- A Monsieur Gardini...

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