Bar du vieux français (Le). T1

I know what you are going to say… it is impossible that Célestin is only 14, he is just a kid… Well, I say that maturity depends not only on age or wisdom, that Célestin has been through a lot since his early years, that he has therefore the right to think what he thinks, because you don’t know everything… Célestin was only 8 when he ran away from his village with his baby sister Kudi. He, by the way, was not yet to be called Célestin…

And they were orphans a long time already… But that was more or less usual, given that a third of the kids in that region were orphans.

- Come, come

- Granma…

- I am not entirely sure it is good for you to leave
- It’s Kudi, she’s scared…

- It is no good reason… It’s ok to be scared, don’t you think?

- Anyway, it’s too late. Have this…

- Take it! It’s for you… And take care of yourselves…
- Goodbye, Granma, ... thank you…

In fact, Célestin never really explained why he was leaving the village…

One day, he says it was to save his baby sister from the ceremony of scarification…

Another, he writes that they were running away from their “Little Father”...

Well, me, people who leave, I meet a lot of those here, evidently… And I can tell you that none of them, despite all the good reasons they give, none of them truly know why they leave…

One day they leave, that’s all.
- Is it still far?
- I don’t know. Do you want to stop?

- I’m tired
- Drink a bit

- Kudi, if you want us to go to the city, we need to keep on walking at all time and stop only to sleep
- OK… Here you are
- It’s OK, Im not thirsty

Célestin knew they had to go North… He thought that they only had to take the right direction from the village and keep on walking straight on… That they’d necessarly find the city…

Then, naturally, they got lost…

One day, an old elephant got lost on the farmlands of the village. Men tracked it down until “the plain of termites.”

- You go back, Son… It’s not enough. It’s a man’s job to cut the meat. Go on!

- What? Come back! Come back!

I know they’re a lot of kids who aren’t disgusted by anything, moreover in these tribes from overthere. But Célestin, he was emotional, a sensitive kid…
- Hihi! My boy is fearful as a small bird

To Leila – Yes, I will tell you about Leila in a minute…
To Leila, he said that, lost in the desert with his baby sister, he had felt the same fear, the same disgust of everything he felt that day, in the entrails of the elephant.
- Kudi!... Kudi!... Ho, Kudi! enough with sleeping! we must go!

Well, here is how I see things: Célestin is too sensitive, the world has too much grip on him… Leila, it’s different, but Célestin, that’s it.
- Wait! Wait !

- What is it again?
- I can’t walk no more! I want Mummy and Daddy! That they come and get me!

- Are you silly! You know well that they’re both dead! Why are you saying that? How do you want them to come and get you? Get up!
- No! I want Mummy and Daddy!

- I told you already! Our “Little Father” killed them by casting a spell upon them. Then he became our father and we couldn’t do anything about it… You shoudn’t talk about it anymore!

- If he catches us, ou “Little Father”, would he cast a spell upon us too?
- Yes, and we would both die! Come on! Let’s go

- I want that you carry me

Now, I need to tell you about Leila… She is born in Europe, Leila… How far? Five thousands kilometers away from Célestin’s village? Maybe six thousands?

- Leila! Leila! Where are you? Your father asks for you…
- She locked herself in the toilets…

- Leila, do you here me?... Open it, now!

- Leila!
- No. Go away!

- She sulks again?

- Leila! Come out!

- Go wash your face and join us for dinner… It’s a holiday, today
- Yes, Dad

- Leila? she’s in, but I don’t know if… well…
- Is it Anne? Oh, Mummy, please, let me speak to her just a little…

Anne is older than Leila. Two years older, I think.
- No, forget the movies… I’m stuck here

But real friendship often starts at these ages…
- I brought you a novel by Kaye Gibbons
- Ah? What is it about?
- You’ll see, it seems wired at the beginning, but at the end it’s great

- Can I keep your mini-skirt?
- You never wear it

- I don’t dare… Well, I wear it, time to time, in the evening, in the toilets
- Oh! Leila! Toilets are not a place to live! You do everything there!

For the mini-skirtt, you could just hide it in your bag and put it on at school for the day
- At school? How come? Where?

- Hum… in the toilets…

- Hahaha! Hihihi!
- Hihihi! No way! My brother would tell my parents!

Whatever Anne said, Leila was spending more and more time in the toilets, especially as she found the book fascinating from the first page…

It is the story about an eleven year old girl who decides to exchange parents and to adopt a new family.
- Hey! It’s still busy! Who’s in there?
- I’m almost done

It wasn’t really funny, but Leila was laughing anyway.
- It’s enough, Leila! You’re not the only one who needs the toilets!
- I’m a bit sick these days…

- Yeah, sick you are, in the head!
- Bla bla bla

- Kudi! Look! We’re there… there is this wired house over there!
Kudi, Kudi, he was saying, we made it, we’re safe! ... But actually, Kudi couldn’t hear him.

Célestin was taken in by a jolly man, still young, in his fifties, or so… An Irish catholic missionary, called O’something, undoubtedly… I say that because Célestin never knew his name. At the mission, everybody called him “Father”. On the contrary, he christened everything he touched, it was like his madness, christening.
Several blacks from the tribes around were even christened twice. Like Ignace, the pig, mascot of the mission, which received his intake of consecrated water.

- What’s your name? ... Do you have a name?
It is said that he could be excommunicated on that behalf… But I guess it would need a denounciation, first…

- Are you still hungry? ... Go on, eat…

- The baby girl, it is your sister, isn’t it? I christened her, of course… You know what it means? I gave her a name, Mary, How do you…
- You can’t do that! it’s Kudi!

- Kudi is named Kudi! There is no other name for her!

- Okay, okay… don’t get mad… Your baby sister is called Kudi. But if you want to stay here, you’ll have to be christened and take a Christian name

- Come on, choose a picture

- Hum… Joseph, I’ve got plenty of those already… And I’m not sure it’d really fit you…

- What do you think of Célestin? ... Look, here is his portrait

What he thinks about it? To Leila, he will say: this Célestin saint looked like a real dimwit!
- Good… At last I have a smile…

And that is how Célestin became Célestin

- So! You can’t hear when I call you? ... Come on, don’t stay here, your sister is with God now. We’ll pray for her.

Praying for Kudi! That was an Irishman idea, really! What would a prayer change for an 8 year old kid who feels responsible for the death of his baby sister?

- O Lord, I am not worthy That Thou should’st come to me, But speak the words of comfort, My spirit healed shall be

- Hey! What the hell you doing here?
- Leave me alone!

- Are you out of your mind, Leila? Are you insane? And you were smoking as well!
- So what? You smoke sometimes too!

- I know! I saw you the other day in the courtyard, when…

- Talk to me better, will you?

- Go in your room and stay there until your father is back
- I’ll go if I want to…

I can here well her father from here: you sully the reputation of your mother with your lies!
- Missed! hehe!

- Why are you crying, Leila?
- It’s nothing… Go away, I’m not crying

- Wait, wait, I know another one…

- “Last week, he displayed images of flat bats to know I though of them…3
- Yeah! I remember…

- “Me, basically, What I saw was flat bats, then I started to see big black holes…”

- ”... In which we could easily fall; big black holes which went through the table and the floor…”
- Here it is, page 10. Incredible! You really know it by heart!
- Hihi!

Well yes, it was the text, literally. I know it because she sent it here for Célestin, this book.
- ”... So, he removed his glasses, approached his face against mine and said: “You are afraid of something.”

- You’re still here, Leila? But hurry! You’re gonna be late!
- No, classes begin later today

During his four years past at the mission, the Irishman did one good thing: he taught a more or less good French to Célestin.

As for drawing, Célestin taught himself. Sometimes, he’d draw Kudi…

- You want to go, right?
- I don’t know…

- Antoine says town is two days from here… But it’s better to ask Mawélé… You know, the trader. He go there sometimes with his van…

- You dont’ eat?

- Célestin

- Célestin, you’ve never came to confession, I thing we’d…
- Yes, Father, but I will… I will…

- But I haven’t finished the list of sins you told me to write… it’s nearly done… It is a long one, you know…
- Célestin, listen, it is not…

This bloody Irishman was too late, of course… Of course, he should have spoke with Célestin, but not four years later, not when it was over and evil is made…

So, and because he wasn’t blind, after all, the missionary began to wait for Célestin departure.
- Hem… Joseph, tell me…

- He must speak with you, Célestin, about leavind, isn’t he?

- Oh, no, Father… Célestin feels good here, very good…

- Not tonight, it’s not possible, have got stuff to do
- Liar! She’s been punished! She can’t go out!

- You shut up, idiot! and leave me alone!

- What were you saying? What do we say about me?

- Where are you going?
- I’m going out with friends

- No, you stay. Do you sisters go out?
- Why? I can’t do anything anymore… Before, I’d…
- Don’t question that, Leila… that is how it is

- Look… I took a dress for you… the one you… are you ok?
- I’m scared…

- Brothers and sisters…

- ... let us pray now for Célestin…

The first sentence of the book is: “when I was young, I would invent ways to kill my dad.” Leila says that she tries to do as if this sentence wouldn’t exist. But in the end, she knew it better than as she learnt it by heart.

If Leila ran away, it’s because at the age of 17, she wouldn’t see why sh’d stay at her parents… Okay, there is a lot to say about cultural integration, but I think that’s first of all a natural thing, a generation problem, it’s the same everywhere… One day, a kid needs to do alone, without everybody’s boring advises or prohibition…

And that day, Leila has dropped off all her money at the ticket office, money she’d stolen here and there. The officer told her she could go as far as Barcelona, for this amount.

- Ladies, Gentlemen…

- Information desks can be found in the station hall. You will be able to get transportation passes, hostel reservation and stadium tickets…

- An hostel for less than 3000pesetas a night? Well… maybe youth hostels, if there are still rooms
- thank you very much

- Shower is in the toilets, first floor… Will you be allright?
- Yes, don’t worry..