Three by Valérie Perrin

Author:Valérie Perrin
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Europa Editions
Published: 2022-03-30T00:00:00+00:00

53

May 1996

Ten months, now, that they’ve been married.

It’s seven in the morning when Emmanuel kisses her on the neck before leaving. She moans with pleasure and instantly falls back to sleep. Every morning, she opens her eyes for the first time at around 10:00 A.M., goes back to sleep, reopens them at around 10:15, 10:20, 10:30. Doesn’t feel up to it. Returns to her dreams. Finally gets up at 11:15, at the latest. So she looks fresh when Emmanuel comes home for lunch. As if she’d got up at eight. She takes a shower while listening to the radio. She likes the voices of the presenters.

When she goes into the kitchen, Nathalie, the housekeeper, is already there. The invisible staff of the early days have made their appearance, much to Nina’s despair. She preferred cooking and cleaning herself but didn’t even attempt to suggest that to her husband, who would have ruled it out immediately. Nina doesn’t like this woman, but since she’s worked for the Damammes forever, she daren’t say a thing.

Nathalie prepares all the meals. Emmanuel gets in at around one, to spend some time with Nina, saying that the days feel less long like that. Except when he has meetings or is away on business. Since last September, that’s his routine.

Two days after their wedding, Emmanuel asked Nina to hand in her resignation.

“You can’t work as the finance director’s PA now you’re my wife.”

“I like what I do . . . It’s fun. And Monsieur Le Camus is charming.”

“I know. But you must find yourself other activities. Nina, next year I’ll be in charge. It wouldn’t be right for the boss’s wife to work in the offices as an assistant. You don’t need to earn your living anymore.”

“But what will I do all day?”

“Look after your husband, make yourself beautiful, and spend our money . . . I don’t want you worrying about anything anymore. Do whatever you please, Nina. I love you. I’m here to spoil you. To make life better for you. Bigger. Just relax.”

Nina chewed her thumbnail while thinking.

“Well, I’ll go back to my studies then.

“What for?”

“To learn. I can do it by correspondence.”

“If you feel like it . . . Your wish is my command, my love.”

She signed up to do a distance-learning course in graphic design, bought herself a computer. She lasted until the winter. Three months. Working at home, motivating herself, having to send homework regularly, getting her tutorials on floppy discs, she didn’t have the heart for it all. So now she lingers in bed, puts on some makeup, changes dress and hair color, has lunch with her husband, watches TV series, listens to music, reads, goes shopping. Sometimes even makes herself go back to her old house, to have a coffee with Joséphine and see her cats. Paola had died in her sleep of old age. Nina had her cremated and scattered her ashes on her grandfather’s tomb. You’ll be taking your naps together, like before.

Only the two elderly cats remain, barely venturing out and sleeping on a bed all day.

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