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front of Emile and a glass down in front of Agatha.
    Agatha picks up the carafe. She pours some wine into the glass in front of Emile. She pours some wine into her glass.
    She picks up her glass.
    She says: ‘Welcome home, Emile.’ Emile picks up his glass. They touch their glasses together. She says: ‘We’ve missed you.’
    Emile looks down. He smiles. He does not say anything. He drinks from his glass. It is cheap wine. It does not taste very good. It is that kind of café. They cannot afford to go anywhere else. They have learned to like it.
    Agatha drinks from her glass. She puts it back on the table. She looks at the reel of film on the table and then she looks at Emile.
    She says: ‘Did you get it done?’
    Emile nods his head.
    He picks up the reel of film. He gives it to Agatha. She holds it in her hands.
    Agatha says: ‘Did it work out?’
    Emile says: ‘I think so.’
    Agatha says: ‘Good.’ She says: ‘You’re just in time for the festival.’
    She puts the film next to her purse. She picks up her glass. She drinks from it.
    She says: ‘You will come, won’t you?’
    Emile is a puppeteer. He makes shows with puppets.
    Agatha went to see one of Emile ’s shows. It was before Emile left. She sat down in a theatre. She crossed her legs. The curtains opened. She watched the show.
    When the show was done she walked up to Emile. She said: ‘I liked your show.’ She said: ‘You should make a film.’
    Emile said: ‘I don’t have a camera.’
    Agatha said: ‘Don’t worry. I can get you a camera.’
    She met Emile in a bar. They drank a bottle of wine together. They left the bar.
    They stood in the street outside the bar. It was late. Agatha took a pack of cigarettes out of her purse. She put one of the cigarettes to her lips. She was carrying a small case. It was closed with clasps. It had a handle on it for carrying. She gave Emile the case.
    She said: ‘The camera’s inside.’
    Agatha lit the cigarette. She used a lighter. They were both drunk from the wine.
    Emile said: ‘How does it work?’
    Agatha said: ‘You don’t know?’
    Emile said: ‘No.’
    It was a warm night. It was almost summer. Emile and Agatha were not wearing jackets. Agatha’s shoulders were bare.
    Agatha said: ‘Well.’ She put her cigarette to her lips. She drew on it. She dropped it onto the sidewalk. She took a tube of lipstick out of her purse. She put lipstick on her lips. It was very red lipstick.
    She said: ‘Come to my place. I’ll show you how it works.’
    She put her arm in Emile’s arm. They walked together down the street.
    Emile passed out on Agatha’s couch.
    It was after they went to the bar. The camera was on the table in front of the couch. Agatha had shown Emile how it worked. There was a bottle of brandy on the table beside it.
    Agatha was standing beside Emile. She was holding a blanket. She bent over him. She touched his hair, gently. She put the blanket over him.
    Agatha was drunk. Some of her hair was still piled on top of her head. The rest of her hair was falling onto her shoulders.
    She walked away from the couch. She did not walk steadily. She kept one hand touching the wall. She went into her bedroom.
    In the morning they sat in Agatha’s kitchen. Emile wore the clothes he wore the night before. He was wearing a white shirt and a worn pair of trousers. He had slept in them. They were rumpled. He was rumpled. Agatha was wearing a dressing gown.
    They sat in Agatha’s kitchen. They drank coffee. Agatha lit a cigarette. She gave it to Emile. He smoked some of it. He gave it back to Agatha.
    They did not say anything.
    The window in Agatha’s kitchen looked over an alley. There was a dog barking outside.
    Agatha and Emile sat in the kitchen. They drank coffee. Agatha said: ‘Do you want anything?’ She looked at Emile. He did not