The Princess of France Page #2

I've been wandering around for hours.

You look pretty.

You'll call her later on to meet her.

What a pity.

I need to distract myself.

How are you doing, girls?

"How are we doing?"

Yeah, I don't know. Tell me something.

We have to catch up. What are you up to?

I'm doing fine.

I came to see Ana

and I'm making a small catalogue.

And what else?

What else, what?

Your life or Ana's.

Just tell me something.

I'm doing two plays. One with Ana.

I'm still with Guillermo, always so-so.

I'm thinking about moving out soon,

not with him.

I swim for my back, and I'm doing better.

I'm talking to mother again,

and my father's still dead.

Same here. Mine's dead, too.

Yes, I remember.

Are you feeling any better?

So-so.

Sometimes I get really upset.

It was too much.

But now it's getting better.

I sold his house, paid his debts,

I'm in charge of his theater.

I still have two or three things

to do there. It's okay.

And what about you?

It's been a year since we last talked.

Yeah, sort of.

I don't know. Many things happened.

- I see, you're pregnant.

- Yes.

- Whose is it? Ricardo's?

- No.

- Pablo?

- No.

- Guillermo?

- No.

You don't know him.

- But what's his name?

- I don't remember.

And what will the child's name be?

Victor, in your honor.

False. I don't know yet.

Who's Natalia dating?

Stop thinking about her.

So tell me something about you.

Go home and we'll talk there.

Look what she gave me.

Every time I see something of his,

I think of Ana and I get it for her.

She's building me a Bouguereauteque.

There's no motivation for the gifts,

but this time, it could not be.

I'm helping her with

the replacement job here.

- Well, not everything is possible.

- Exactly, not everything is possible.

- Back to college?

- I'm writing my thesis now.

- And how is it going?

- Not sure yet.

Do you like what you do?

It's good to finish what I started.

- Speak to him.

- Thank you.

Jimena got it.

You came back the same jerk as before.

- Does it have a title?

- No, not yet.

It's still on Bouguereau.

Thankfully.

In fact, she was showing me

one of his paintings.

- Here?

- We were looking at it when you called.

Are there postcards of those here?

No.

- Maybe, in the store.

- I'll take a look.

Okay.

The originals are here.

So it would be my unmotivated gift.

Be back in a minute.

You think you're funny, huh?

- Did you like my Natalia trick?

- Not much.

You've just changed my name for hers.

She won't notice.

We sent her to

the closed store of a closed museum.

She'd better realize what

her boyfriend is doing with my girlfriend.

Leave Guillermo out of this.

Are you getting back together with Paula?

- Come here. Kiss me.

- No. Stop it.

Come here.

Soft, not so rough.

She'll be back at anytime now.

Let's leave, then.

We sent her away already

and now you want to ditch her?

She'll tell everyone.

If you keep on talking,

you'll tell everybody.

Natalia invited me to a closed museum

and kissed me there,

after weeks of secretly

planning everything by email.

What's your problem all of a sudden?

Did you find the maintenance guy?

It's closed. Have the key?

Not to the store.

- Are you okay?

- Yes.

Kept talking to him.

- And the people from restoration?

- Not a soul.

Keep talking to him about Bouguereau.

Tell me about this guy,

so I'll forget Natalia.

Frenchman, 19th century.

Forgotten today, but key figure back then.

Painted in the 20th century, too.

Enemy of the Impressionists.

Master of many.

Female portraits,

large scale and solidity.

Models in his studio,

with such perfect results that

they exceeded all realism of the time,

becoming something stranger. Enough?

No, why? Please, continue.

- But look into my eyes.

- Why?

Yes, so I'll focus better.

Besides being a perfectionist,

he was a huge business man.

He did large scale paintings

with epic and expensive motifs

so as to purposely put them out of market,

donating them to churches and such,

gaining so much prestige

that he could push up

the prices of his other works

especially the many smaller ones,

with simpler techniques.

Those paintings that created

in every bourgeois

the need to obtain some of this prestige,

even if it'd be from a painting of

a baby girl or a barefoot countrywoman.

A whole strategy that was very successful.

Here it says that some of his paintings

ended up decorating brothels

in the United States.

Yes, the Americans loved him very much.

What amazes me is that while others

were decomposing the universe

in a variety of stains,

this guy insisted on painting

secularized little virgins

with raped-like expressions.

Okay, it's not working.

You are thinking about something else.

No. Why? Carry on.

Here, The Birth of Venus.

Many must have

touched themselves while looking at this.

It was fashionable at the time.

He did paintings that

were accepted in the salons

while Monet, Renoir

and the others were rejected.

- You like him?

- Not necessarily.

Degas said he was

a smug jerk or something.

They began calling "bouguereaute"

a certain eunuch horny decadence.

Today you were left a bit bouguereaut.

Pretty much bouguereaut.

- Do you like it?

- I don't know.

It reminds you of Natalia?

- You think so?

- True.

- You shouldn't have said that.

- But it looks like her.

Let's see another one.

Surprised Nymph by Manet.

This is the same as the last one.

Does it remind you of Natalia, too?

This one is uglier,

but it has Natalia's gestures.

- Neither reminds you of Paula?

- No.

You don't like it much

because her legs are crossed.

The other gave herself to you

and this one rejects you.

I couldn't meet Natalia today.

She slipped me a note under the door.

She'll explain to you later.

She'll turn out to be

your perfect Bouguereau.

Maybe she just likes writing to you.

So much so as to make me come over here?

You came by yourself, manipulated by her.

Okay, I learned the lesson.

Go over there. I'll take a picture.

- You think so?

- Yeah.

Seriously?

Come on. Next to the painting.

Will you call her to join the play?

One thing has nothing

to do with the other.

Has everybody answered you back?

- Almost everybody.

- Who didn't?

Natalia, actually.

Done.

Are you sure you want us

all together again?

It's a matter of recording

a pilot of the play.

If it is accepted, we'll sign a contract

to do six or seven

Shakespeare plays for the radio.

- Is there money in that?

- Yes.

- It's Guillermo. He's outside. Join me?

- Yes.

And I'll go home.

Talking about work suits you.

Focus on the play

and forget about the rest.

Just like you forgot about me,

Paula and many more.

Sure.

All the focus on the play

and sacrifice all the women?

It wouldn't resemble you

but it's worth a try.

I've changed a lot since we last met.

You won't chase us anymore?

I have no time for that.

I am very busy now.

Do you remember your lines?

"Advance your standards,

and upon them, lords."

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