“Hello, my boy!”
Lucienne kisses him, followed by Luc carrying the suitcases.
“Hello, handsome!”
Rémi offers the man his cheek.
“It’s been a long time since I set foot here!”
“A year and a half,” Rémi suggests.
“The babies will be here soon!”
“Don’t even get me started. I feel all wrong leaving Marie-Cé alone in her condition.”
“Her sister arrives tomorrow,” Luc reassures her. “There’s nothing to worry about. Where do the suitcases go?”
“Lucienne, you can have my bedroom.”
“Where will you sleep?”
“In my office upstairs. I have a good sofa bed.”
“Wait, Luc, I’ll help you. It’s this way.”
After putting the suitcases in the bedroom, Luc turns to Rémi.
“Are you well?” he asks.
Without waiting for an answer, Luc approaches and devours Rémi’s lips, then the room. Rémi says nothing, tasting the kiss, too abrupt and filled with frightened saliva. He retraces his steps.
Lucienne has sat down in the living room. She worries a handkerchief, which she raises to her face from time to time to chase away the beginnings of perspiration. She examines the room.
“I didn’t remember how beautiful your place was. It’s nicely decorated!”
She is wearing the red dress she first wore at Rémi’s birthday.
“Don’t you look beautiful,” Rémi compliments her.
“Stop that. This is the only dress I have. What am I gonna do if your customers always see me in the same dress? I didn’t think of that at all. I’m starting to get scatterbrained!”
“We could go shopping together,” Luc offers.
“Aren’t you working today?” Rémi asks.
“No! I took the day off!”
“He’s in an unbelievably good mood today,” Lucienne adds, studying him. “It’s because he was coming to see you, I’m sure.”
“Can’t hide anything from you!”
Luc kisses Lucienne on the forehead.
“Oh, that’s right, you have a pool!”
He heads towards the back, opens the patio door and undresses, keeping only his briefs. He turns back to Rémi.
“May I?”
“You’re well on your way.”
Luc is already in the water. He swims around for a few moments, then tosses his briefs onto the patio. Lucienne and Rémi step outside.
“There’s really something wrong with him,” Lucienne says indignantly. “What will people think when they see him swimming naked like that?”
“Don’t worry, my neighbours are used to it. You’ll get to know them.”
“That’s reassuring…”
“Aren’t you happy to see me?”
She turns to him, softens her gaze and takes his face in both hands, as she likes to do.
“Of course I am, but that one there, he’s spoiling my fun. Doesn’t look like he’s spoiling yours…”
Rémi watches Luc swim his lengths.
“You know me. When there’s a naked man somewhere, especially in my pool…”
“You’ll never change.”
“Did you bring your bathing suit?”
“Of course! But I’m not gonna get stark naked for you, so get that through your head!”
He laughs. Luc floats on his back.
“Aren’t you ashamed, showing your willy like that?” Lucienne calls out.
“Leave him be. He needs to express himself,” Rémi suggests gently. “Would you like something to drink?”
“White wine. Do you have any?”
“Yes! I knew you were coming!”
“You’re sweet.”
Just then, Irène comes out onto her patio.
“Ah, Irène, how are you? I have lovely visitors, as I told you.”
“Hello! I heard the word willy…”
“See? He’s embarrassing me! Embarrassing me!”
“You must be Lucienne?” Irène asks.
Luc freezes. Rémi has trouble containing his laughter.
“Will you join us for a drink?” he asks Irène.
“Gladly! Don’t trouble yourself. I know the way!”
Luc climbs quickly out of the pool and looks for his briefs, which Rémi has taken care to hide in his hands behind his back.
“You look smart now, don’t you?” he says.
“Don’t be an ass.”
“She’s blind, Luc.”
“Oh…”
“Here are your briefs. There’s a towel in the bathroom, on the right.”
“Thanks.”
“Go on, shoo!” Lucienne orders, slapping one of his buttocks. “We’re not in the country here!”
“Does he walk around naked like that at the manor?”
“On the beach? You bet!”
“Gives you something to look at.”
“I prefer seagulls to fags.”
“Are you angry with me?”
She narrows her eyes.
“You have no idea what a mess you made at the manor!”
“We didn’t do anything…”
“Hey, tell that to someone else.”
“We’ll talk about it later, okay?”
Irène crosses through the hedge at the spot they have nicknamed their secret passage. Barefoot and wearing a beige cotton dress embellished with lace, she slowly makes her way towards the stairs.
“She’s a pretty lady,” Lucienne murmurs.
“Yes, very kind. You’ll like her.”
Rémi goes down the stairs to meet Irène. He takes her arm and accompanies her to the patio.
“Thank you, my good prince,” she says in a mock-aristocratic tone.
She extends her hand towards Lucienne.
“Hello, Lucienne. Rémi has told me a great deal about you.”
“Oh?”
“Yes, and all good, I assure you.”
Luc returns from the bathroom, dressed. At his approach, Irène turns towards him.
“This must be the willy.”
Rémi bursts out laughing. Luc blushes.
“Hello, I’m Luc. Pleased to meet you,” he says.
He shakes her hand.
“An iron grip. A handsome man, from what I can grasp.”
“Yes, a very handsome man, but completely witless these days!”
“Lucienne,” Luc says, trying to calm her.
“It’s freedom, Madame Lucienne.”
“Drop the Madame, will you?”
Irène laughs.
“All the better! And those drinks?”
Rémi emerges from his reverie.
“Oh, sorry! I’m going.”
“I’ll come with you.”
“Shall we sit down, Lucienne? We’d be better off in the shade near the pool. Will you help me?”
“Of course.”
Rémi goes inside with Luc.
“The glasses are in the sideboard there. What are you having?”
“Do you have beer?”
“Yes, in the fridge.”
While Luc looks for the glasses, then his beer, Rémi watches him from the corner of his eye and imagines for a brief moment that he is the man of his life.
“Ah, my favourite too.”
Rémi smiles. He removes the plastic wrap covering the two plates of canapés he prepared. Luc stands behind him and steals one. Like a couple, Rémi thinks, like two people who know how to make each other angry while making each other smile.
“Don’t eat everything!”
Rémi turns towards him without speaking.
“What?” Luc asks nervously.
Rémi merely smiles to reassure him, but he does not know how to lie. If Luc can decipher this silence, he will be able to interpret it in several ways, from “I miss you” to “It’s too late to start your life over.”