Read Online Still With Me by Thierry Cohen - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Thierry Cohen
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had other relapses that he couldn’t remember?
“You use this as an excuse every time you do something stupid. The last time, it was to get out of going to your mother-in-law’s birthday party. And the time before that, to avoid the consequences of your extramarital affairs…It’s total bullshit, Jeremy.”
“I don’t understand what you’re saying. You think I’m faking?”
“What do you take me for? An idiot? I’m going to tell you something, Jeremy, because you’re my friend: stop making it all about you, thinking you can toy with other people. We’re not idiots, you know. You’re becoming moreand more impossible to deal with. You’re wearing me out, Jeremy.” Pierre’s voice was getting louder and angrier.
Jeremy needed to think about what Pierre was saying. But he had to say something, form some kind of argument. Jeremy felt powerless. He didn’t say a word.
Pierre must have taken his silence for a confession and started talking again. “Okay, I gotta go. As for Victoria, play dead until tomorrow. And talk to her honestly. I’m sorry to have been a little hard on you, but I think you needed a wake-up call. Okay, bye.”
Overwhelmed, Jeremy put down the phone.
So that’s who I am. A manipulator, unfaithful, disrespectful…That’s why Victoria left. It’s a nightmare .
Looking for clues to his past, Jeremy remembered the photo albums. He found them on a shelf in the office. The first three he already knew. The fourth was dedicated to Simon. Jeremy appeared less and less frequently in the photos. He flipped rapidly through the pages and was surprised to discover a shot with his father and mother posing proudly, grandchildren on their laps. His mother had aged since their reconciliation. She was a little more stooped, paler, more fragile. But it was his father’s physiquethat stopped his heart. What happened to the impressive man he knew? Where was the superhero who, in Jeremy’s childhood dreams, saved his little family from the most frightening monsters? He was thinner. His chest seemed to drag under the weight of fatigue. The rests he’d never taken must have caught up with him, claiming his health in the process.
Did the photo mean he and his father reconciled? Had they seen each other again? Did his father forgive him for his unacceptable, unworthy behavior? The image suggested it might be true. But Jeremy wasn’t in the photo.
Or maybe I’m the one behind the camera , Jeremy reassured himself. He didn’t want to go any further with this train of thought. Their relationship had gotten better. The photo proved it. That was enough.
Jeremy found another photo. Pierre and Clotilde were seated on a restaurant patio. Pierre held Thomas and Simon on his knees. Thomas was laughing. Pierre was making a funny face. Clotilde, she looked away. What a weird girl. Does she ever look happy?
Jeremy closed the album and looked at his desk. It was tidy, clean. He opened the first drawer and found hisbank statements, pay slips, his most recent tax return. He’d become a sales manager. He made a good living. His checkbooks revealed he was a spender and took care of himself: suits, shoes, haircuts, restaurants.
The last drawer was locked, doubling his curiosity. The information he’d gathered so far hadn’t shed any light on his current situation. But if he was careful to hide documents or items in his desk, they must be important. He looked for the key on the desk and then throughout the room. He opened the closet, looked under piles of sweaters and shirts, searched the pockets on every jacket, all in vain.
Then he noticed a small box placed on a stand near the door. He went up to it, picked up the box, and tried opening it. The container, made of metal and composite materials, seemed almost hermetically sealed. An area slightly darker than the rest resembled a fingerprint. He ran his finger over it. He heard a click, and the door opened. The box held a keychain and a card holder containing
“You use this as an excuse every time you do something stupid. The last time, it was to get out of going to your mother-in-law’s birthday party. And the time before that, to avoid the consequences of your extramarital affairs…It’s total bullshit, Jeremy.”
“I don’t understand what you’re saying. You think I’m faking?”
“What do you take me for? An idiot? I’m going to tell you something, Jeremy, because you’re my friend: stop making it all about you, thinking you can toy with other people. We’re not idiots, you know. You’re becoming moreand more impossible to deal with. You’re wearing me out, Jeremy.” Pierre’s voice was getting louder and angrier.
Jeremy needed to think about what Pierre was saying. But he had to say something, form some kind of argument. Jeremy felt powerless. He didn’t say a word.
Pierre must have taken his silence for a confession and started talking again. “Okay, I gotta go. As for Victoria, play dead until tomorrow. And talk to her honestly. I’m sorry to have been a little hard on you, but I think you needed a wake-up call. Okay, bye.”
Overwhelmed, Jeremy put down the phone.
So that’s who I am. A manipulator, unfaithful, disrespectful…That’s why Victoria left. It’s a nightmare .
Looking for clues to his past, Jeremy remembered the photo albums. He found them on a shelf in the office. The first three he already knew. The fourth was dedicated to Simon. Jeremy appeared less and less frequently in the photos. He flipped rapidly through the pages and was surprised to discover a shot with his father and mother posing proudly, grandchildren on their laps. His mother had aged since their reconciliation. She was a little more stooped, paler, more fragile. But it was his father’s physiquethat stopped his heart. What happened to the impressive man he knew? Where was the superhero who, in Jeremy’s childhood dreams, saved his little family from the most frightening monsters? He was thinner. His chest seemed to drag under the weight of fatigue. The rests he’d never taken must have caught up with him, claiming his health in the process.
Did the photo mean he and his father reconciled? Had they seen each other again? Did his father forgive him for his unacceptable, unworthy behavior? The image suggested it might be true. But Jeremy wasn’t in the photo.
Or maybe I’m the one behind the camera , Jeremy reassured himself. He didn’t want to go any further with this train of thought. Their relationship had gotten better. The photo proved it. That was enough.
Jeremy found another photo. Pierre and Clotilde were seated on a restaurant patio. Pierre held Thomas and Simon on his knees. Thomas was laughing. Pierre was making a funny face. Clotilde, she looked away. What a weird girl. Does she ever look happy?
Jeremy closed the album and looked at his desk. It was tidy, clean. He opened the first drawer and found hisbank statements, pay slips, his most recent tax return. He’d become a sales manager. He made a good living. His checkbooks revealed he was a spender and took care of himself: suits, shoes, haircuts, restaurants.
The last drawer was locked, doubling his curiosity. The information he’d gathered so far hadn’t shed any light on his current situation. But if he was careful to hide documents or items in his desk, they must be important. He looked for the key on the desk and then throughout the room. He opened the closet, looked under piles of sweaters and shirts, searched the pockets on every jacket, all in vain.
Then he noticed a small box placed on a stand near the door. He went up to it, picked up the box, and tried opening it. The container, made of metal and composite materials, seemed almost hermetically sealed. An area slightly darker than the rest resembled a fingerprint. He ran his finger over it. He heard a click, and the door opened. The box held a keychain and a card holder containing
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