Sweetheart, so—did the doctor come by?
Yes, Mom. He said I can go home this afternoon. Will you come pick me up?
Of course. Stephane won't be there?
Uh… actually… we broke up… or rather, I kicked him out. He was suffocating me, you know.
It doesn't matter, sweetheart. It's your life—you do as you wish. In any case, I'll be there at 2 p.m. and I'll take you home. You'll be better there to rest. Cathy… are you crying?
Mom, I don't know where I'm at anymore. I'm so tired.
That's normal, my love. You've been through something difficult. But I'm going to take care of you now, and at home, we always feel better. Don't worry—I'll be there as soon as possible. I'll pack your bag when I get there, don't wear yourself out any more.
**************
Marc?
Hey Peter—you'll never guess where I am!
Yeah, I can actually. Your mom told me you went off to the coast. But are you nuts? What got into you?
I couldn't take it anymore—I had to leave. It was getting way too heavy.
But you know, Catherine has…
Please don't talk to me about her. I left because of her, so I don't want to know anything anymore. Right now I'm having a blast by the sea, I met an amazing girl, no drama, no strings—it feels so damn good.
When are you coming back?
End of the week—and honestly, I really don't feel like it, believe me.
You're still going to have to stop screwing around and come back to reality sooner or later. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that Catherine got out of the hospital—even if she's not doing great—but I get it, you don't give a shit. Alright. Bye.
***************
You look pretty lost in thought.
Victoire, I need to talk to you.
Uh-oh. That doesn't sound good, judging by your face.
I'm leaving tomorrow. I just booked my train ticket.
Tomorrow? But we still have two days left on the rental. Aren't you good with me?
Yeah, of course. But a phone call just dragged me back to reality. Here, everything's perfect—the beach, the weather… you… but it's not my life. And even if I gave myself a break, I have to go back.
There's a girl behind all this, right?
Yeah. I told you I couldn't commit to a relationship, even if… on the other side, there's actually nothing anymore.
Your body's here, but your heart's always been somewhere else anyway.
Yeah. You got it exactly. I'm sorry, Victoire, I really feel awful ditching you like this. Spending time with you did me a lot of good. I hope you'll find a guy who truly deserves you.
And if I'm pregnant, can I put your name down or not?
…..
I'M JOOOOOKIIIIING!!
*****************
Thanks for coming to pick me up, Mom. That's really nice of you.
Marc, I don't know what game you're playing, but you really need to get yourself together—and fast.
Mom…
No "Mom." I don't understand you anymore. You're miserable because you're in love with Catherine, and when she needs you, you disappear. You skip classes to go work on your tan. Can you explain that to me?
It's complicated. Peter called me to tell me she'd been discharged. How is she?
You haven't checked in on her at all?
She doesn't want to answer my calls anymore. She cut me off at the hospital—that's why I left. She doesn't want to see me anymore.
What are you talking about?
I swear, Mom. She's really mad at me.
But sweetheart, you're the one who went to get her when she fell—why would she be mad at you?
It's complicated, and I guess Stephane isn't making things any easier between us.
Don't worry about him anymore—that's taken care of.
What do you mean?
I mean you need to go see Catherine right now at her place and talk things through once and for all.
************
At Catherine's parents' place
Hey.
…
I know I'm the last person you feel like seeing, but I just wanted to check how you're doing.
…
You got out earlier than expected after all—that's good. Look, I get that you're angry at me, but maybe we could at least talk about it, like adults. There are two of us in this story, and I might also have reasons to be angry, don't you think?
…
Okay… well, apparently not today then. I'll leave you be. I'll come back another time.
… Marc… wait…
slap
Ouch. I didn't see that coming—but hey, it's a start to a conversation, I guess.
************
I had a feeling I'd find you here!
Looking for me?
I stopped by your place and your mom told me you'd needed to go out for a drink, so I figured I'd try my luck here. Judging by your face, no need to ask whether you managed to see Cathy…
She slapped me.
What? Seriously?
You find that funny?
Not really, sorry — but look on the bright side, she's getting her strength back!
Yeah, I can confirm that.
So… before or after the slap, what happened?
Nothing. She didn't say a word. I stayed five minutes, she slapped me, I left.
Sorry — no, I'm not laughing, it's not funny, but I would've paid to see that scene anyway. Anyway, it doesn't look promising for you two.
I mostly think there's nothing to win at all. I got my hopes up for nothing, and every time I fall even harder. I don't understand why she's like that with me.
Well, in her defense — and I know she doesn't need one, but still — I also took it really badly that you just disappeared without saying anything. What got into you?
What got into me? She asks for me at the hospital, falls asleep in my arms — a magical moment — and the next day, cold shower. She ignores my calls, tells me she doesn't want to see me anymore, says everything is my fault — the whole package. So I just felt like dropping everything, going somewhere else for a while. I was suffocating here.
So now I only see two options: either you give up for good, put your head back down and focus on your classes, and put some distance between the two of you… or…
Or???
Or you take your courage in both hands, go back there, and have a real, final conversation. It either works or it doesn't. But at least you'll know where you stand.