Christiane came back just before eight. I informed her of my decision to take my mother away. As far as she was concerned, it had been obvious from the start. She packed her bag, while I made up a kind of bed in the back of the Peugeot. When everything was ready, we gave my mother one more tablet and took her out in the blanket. Her size made the operation easy, and we were able to stabilize her on the seat. Christiane kissed Gabrielle on the forehead, then me, too, and wished me a safe journey.
At that time of day and that season, the road between Saint-Quentin and Sedan wasn’t very busy. I hardly needed to use the brakes. At one point, my mother spoke in a language that was part of her dream.
There was a free parking space just outside my house. I was able to open the door of the house and come back to get my mother without any difficulty. I put her in the big room at the back, the one that Meunier had lived in for a few months. I brought water. I made sure the bedside lamp was working. My mother was still breathing, her mouth open, slightly obscenely. I put my hand on her forehead. It wasn’t a caress, I wanted to see if she had a temperature. Her arm was hanging a little and I placed it by her side. I left the room.
Catherine arrived soon afterwards. She was wearing a sweater with a very high turtleneck and her hair was pulled back. She passed me, went to the table, and put down what she’d been able to obtain from Dr. Mérieux. The morphine and the syringes.
“Do you know how to give an injection?”
“Yes.”
She closed her bag again, gave me a discreet smile, and headed for the door.
“What are you doing?”
“You asked me for help. There it is.”
“Stay.”
“I’m not the kind of person who throws herself at people, you know.”
I caught her by the arm. “Catherine, forgive me. You scared me.”
“Me?”
“Yes. You’re too intelligent, too . . . I didn’t feel as if I was in my place.”
“What place?”
“Please stay.”
There was a fiery look in her eyes. That was something I hadn’t seen in her before. And then she softened. “You must be exhausted.”
A moan came from the corridor. The effect of the Nordax was wearing off. Catherine went with me to the bedroom. My mother was gripping the sheet. It was as if she was trying not to slide off, which would have been very painful. We moved her back to the middle of the bed. Catherine lifted the sleeve of her nightdress. Her arm was as thin as a twig. Catherine looked for the vein, put the syringe in, and the liquid spread through my mother’s body.
“Have you eaten?” Catherine asked me.
“No, but I’m okay.”
“I’ll make you something. Stay with her.”
Catherine left the room. Soon afterwards, my mother gave a little chuckle, and almost immediately her eyes opened. “Vincent.”
“Yes.”
“I don’t know this room.”
“You’re in my house. In Sedan.”
She smiled and was silent for a long time. It was as if her whole body was relaxing. Then she tensed again slightly. “Your sister. Have you heard from her?”
“She’s in Rheims. She couldn’t come because she’s working.”
“And Léonard?”
“He’s with her.”
“That boy’s a wonder.”
“I know.”
“Have you met him?”
“He came here.”
“His father . . . his father thought he was crazy. He was ashamed of him. That’s why he left Madeleine. She always ends up with men who . . . She’s unlucky that way. I’d so much like to see the boy before I die. To hold his hand . . . Do you think he’ll come?”
“Of course.”
“I’d be so pleased . . . ”
She sighed and closed her eyes. I assumed she wanted to speak some more. Her mouth made as if to utter a word, but she fell asleep again, and this time I turned out the light.
Catherine was making ham and eggs. She seemed quite at home in that kitchen. She’d half opened the window, to let out the smoke from her cooking and her cigarette.
“How is she?”
“She smiled. She even spoke to me, and then she fell asleep again.”
“It’s the morphine. I made do with what I could find. Do you have any wine?”
“I think so.”
“I could really do with a glass.”
I laid my hand on a bottle of Irancy. I always had a bottle or two, in case I had guests, except that I never did. Luckily, it wasn’t corked. Catherine drank her wine, with her back to the counter, while I ate with gusto. I was on the last mouthful when my phone vibrated. An unknown number: It was Madeleine. I went out into the backyard.
“It’s your sister. I’m calling you from the bar. I was worried when I didn’t hear from you. How’s it going?”
“Ma’s at my house.”
There was a silence on the line.
“What’s going on, Vincent?”
“What’s going on is that Madame Robin isn’t free and her doctor’s an idiot. What’s going on is that I didn’t have any choice. That seems to be the fashion right now.”
“But you can’t keep her.”
“Keep her? Madeleine, you don’t seem to understand. She’s dying.”
“Ma? She’s as strong as a rock. She already pulled that one on me twice.”
“I don’t think there’s going to be a third time. She wants to see Léonard.”
“I told you, Vincent, I’m stuck here.”
“I’m not asking you to bring him. I can come there and fetch him.”
There was a second silence. “That won’t be possible.”
“I’m sorry?”
I could hear her breathing. At least ten seconds went by before she replied.
“He’s in a specialist institution. He can’t come out.”
She couldn’t have done that. I wanted to believe I was wrong. “You mean that highly regarded school?”
“No. That didn’t work out.”
“Do you mind explaining?”
“He threw a fit in his first class. You know, those few days with you . . . ” “What of them?”
“Well, he’s been a bit strange since then. He’s withdrawn, nobody can get close to him. In the apartment, he started breaking things. An apartment we’d been lent temporarily! I went to see a specialist.”
“A specialist in what?”
“Difficult children. He recommended an institution. He may have . . . some kind of schizophrenia.”
“What he has is nothing like that!”
“How do you know?”
“Madeleine . . . ”
I felt like throwing it all in her face, her denial, her cowardice, her lack of awareness, but at the last moment I restrained myself. I knew my sister well enough to know that driving her into a corner at a time like this would only make matters worse.
“Vincent, are you still there?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll see what I can do about Léonard. I’ll call you back. And as soon as I can get away to see Ma, I’ll be there.”
“If you say so.”
“Are you angry with me?”
I hung up. I didn’t go straight back into the house. I was hoping that the tension throughout my body would subside. Catherine came out and joined me. She had a glass for me too.
“I don’t drink.”
“You don’t drink, you don’t smoke.”
“I’m a sportsman.”
“Try, just for this evening.”
Reluctantly, I took the glass. I felt the liquid run down my throat. I had to admit that, at that moment, it was exactly what I needed.
“Léonard is in a special home. A shrink told my sister he’s schizophrenic.”
Catherine turned pale. “It seems to me you need to take a trip to Rheims.”
“I’m thinking the same. But what do I do with my mother?”
“I could stay.”
“I can’t ask you to do that.”
“Of course you can. I’ve always dreamed of having a mother to look after.”