The Secret of the Grain Page #8

or your friend's daughter,

you had your plan in your head.

You knew what you wanted.

But you had nothing

to invest in it.

A very thin application.

Personally,

I would not have bet on it.

But when I see the result,

all the effort you put into it,

I am bowled over!

Congratulations.

To your success!

Inch 'Allah, as they say.

That how you say it?

Very hip, Madeleine!

How's my accent?

To your success!

I'm f***ed.

Seen Julia?

No.

- You seen her or not?

- I said no.

Anybody asks, say I left.

A friend got a flat on the highway.

What?

A friend is in trouble.

I'll be back

in an hour or two, or three.

Give them the message?

What a mess.

Those shoes in the stairway!

Hurting?

Got it, Olfa?

- Look at those vegetables.

- And I'm hungry.

- I tasted it, it's good.

- Waiting tables makes me hungry.

Smell it.

She always cooked for us.

Now it's for them.

We'll eat later.

I'm jealous.

Look at that.

I don't want to give them any.

- They don't deserve it.

- That's good mullet.

She said to broil it one more time.

She only pre-cooked it.

So it wouldn't be crumbly.

I see.

Wait for the last minute.

She said at the very last minute.

OK. I'll heat the sauce meanwhile.

Olfa, help me.

This will break my back.

Careful.

One, two, up.

Up!

- You're crazy!

- We spilled it!

- My shoes!

- I better clean it or it will stain.

My God.

And we're in a rush.

That's all we needed.

I'm laughing my head off.

First second with the sauce!

Try to keep

the same height as me.

- Wait, let me help.

- Naturally, if your side's higher...

We better clean up.

No big deal. It's nothing.

Over there.

That's good.

We put it in the platters?

What a mess.

- Should we...?

- Get the plates out.

I'll put this underneath.

We'll put it in the fridge.

Let me wipe the table.

Don't lean over too much.

Or else we'll get absorbed

by your breasts, too!

Did you see when you were serving?

They were hungry!

One calls me "darling" now!

- Really?

- Serious?

- Yeah, he got brave.

- For real?

For real! He was asking questions

about Lilia's breasts.

- He asked if they were real.

- He did?

Yeah! I was dying.

His wife was right there.

He was asking me, I swear.

You said they were.

I said maybe you're used to silicone,

but those are real!

- Totally natural!

- Right. That's how we are.

I'm telling you. Starting right in!

Unbelievable.

And the grain? Do we heat it?

Mom heated it enough.

With the sauce, it'll be fine.

What do we put out? The couscous!

Where's the couscous?

Look under the table.

Riadh brought it down.

Look underneath.

- Who got it?

- Riadh.

These plates don't match.

Did you put it in the fridge?

No, can't be.

I mean it's grain.

Although, with them...

Look below.

Can't have put it there.

Do we mix it?

And we'll put sauce on each table.

Riadh!

Riadh, come down!

Come down, please.

Thinks he's here for the music.

- Where's the couscous pot?

- The couscous pot?

- Over there.

- Get it, we're serving!

Find it, hurry up!

That's not it?

That's not couscous. Where is it?

- What's that?

- The sauce!

- I brought everything down.

- Apparently not! I looked.

That's the vegetables!

- Underneath?

- Vegetables!

I got it all.

Riadh, you're in the way.

- I brought it all down!

- I got sauce, vegetables.

- What's missing?

- I got it all.

You must've left it up there.

You left the couscous pot.

Go get it, hurry up.

Come on, we're ready here.

I put it all here, Karima.

Then show me.

Go ahead, I'm waiting.

I don't know.

Go get it. There are people waiting.

Go get it.

Maybe you left it in the car.

- People are waiting.

- It's not here?

No! Stop looking for nothing.

- Want me to get angry?

- Move over!

It's not here!

Move it! You want me to yell?

You OK, girls?

- Fine.

- Let's go.

I'm waiting for the grain.

It's not here.

I brought it all down.

That can't be.

- What's going on?

- I don't know.

I told him to look in the car,

he just stands there.

Did you get it from Mom's?

Yes, I'm sure of that.

I put it in the back of the trunk.

The vegetables and sauce in front,

and the mullet on the back seat.

I'm positive.

So go get it. Come on.

I'm talking to you.

Wake up!

The car's not here.

Where's the car?

- Majid left.

- Where'd he go?

- On the highway.

- What highway?

What highway?

He went to help a friend.

- What friend?

- He broke down.

He told you that?

I can't believe this.

What's going on?

He drove off with the grain.

Sh*t.

Call him, quick.

He left the grain in the car.

He went to help a friend

who broke down on the highway.

What did he say exactly, Riadh?

No signal. Be right back.

He went to get his friend

who had a flat.

What is this? Not again.

Did you believe him?

I don't know.

How many times

has he used that story?

Unbelievable. Where did Majid go?

To help a friend who got a flat.

But the grain is in the car!

I don't know.

Did he leave alone? Did you see?

Where the f*** is he?

What is it with him?

He's a f***ing moron!

You sure? You sure that grain

was loaded in the car?

I trust Olfa. She said she got it

from Mom's. Has to be true.

My mother wouldn't let them forget.

Well?

- Voice mail.

- There. See?

I knew it was bullshit.

I left a message.

He must have shut it off.

I kept calling, same thing.

Now what do we do?

- Sure you got the grain?

- Positive.

I saw the couscous pot in the trunk.

I know I did.

A couscous pot is enormous.

It's pretty obvious.

You didn't see it?

You couldn't miss it.

Why did Majid go?

Where was he going?

How long to make another grain?

An hour, easy.

An hour? That's optimistic.

There's 100 people.

A little longer.

- Much longer.

- Longer.

He'll be back.

He has to come back.

He'll see the grain is in the trunk.

Call your mother, tell her to make more.

I'm on my way.

Are you serious? Make another one?

She'll scream. She'll go wild!

What can I do?

You have another idea?

All we needed!

And call that idiot.

That idiot Majid!

No use. He turned it off.

Doesn't even ring. Voice mail.

Olfa, call your mother.

Your father's telling you.

Here comes the couscous!

All those people waiting.

Now my mother's going to yell.

They're going to fight.

She'll blame him, he'll blame her.

It's the ain.

Get out of here.

Turn the stove off. It's no use.

What now?

Serve drinks.

I saw liquor there.

Let's serve drinks.

Only way.

What choice do we have?

You know, alcohol is nourishing.

Especially for the French.

Give them drinks,

they forget their wives. I know.

- It's in the car?

- We'll do it quick.

- Have you called him?

- Voice mail.

What a f***ing idiot!

Hello, Latifa.

How are you?

Thanks.

Karima, we've got people here.

- Change these glasses?

- No problem.

- Welcome.

- Thanks.

You both look gorgeous.

My father will be happy.

That's nice.

- How are you?

- Fine, and you?

Good. Pretty good right now.

We're a little... It's crowded,

but we can handle it.

It's beautiful.

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