Happy People Read and Drink Coffee by Agnès Martin-Lugand Read Free Book Online Page B

position for a long time.
    My stomach was growling, which reminded me that I hadn’t eaten anything since the day before. I went into the kitchen to make myself a sandwich. When I got back into the living room, Edward had gone. My only entertainment for the day was over. I curled up in the armchair and ate my snack, but I had no appetite.
    Hours passed; I didn’t move. I stirred when I saw the lights go out at Edward’s house. He ran outside to go to exactly the same place he’d been that morning. I pulled my robe tighter around my shoulders and went out onto the porch to see him better. I could tell he was holding something in his hands. He held it up to his face and I thought I could make out a camera.
    Edward stayed there for a good hour, and I watched him the whole time. Night had fallen when he came back from the beach. I just had enough time to crouch down so he wouldn’t see me. I waited a few minutes before going back inside.
    My neighbor was a photographer. For the past week I’d synchronized my days with his. He came out at different times, always with his camera. He paced up and down the entire bay of Mulranny. He could remain still for hours at a time and never reacted to the rain or wind that sometimes battered him.
    Thanks to my stakeout, I’d learned a lot. He was even more of an addict than I was: he smoked constantly. His appearance, on the day we first met, was in no way exceptional; he was always unkempt. He never spoke to anyone, never had anyone over to his house. I’d never seen him glance in my direction. Conclusion: this guy was completely self-centered. He gave no thought to anything or anyone, apart from his photos—always the same wave, always the same sand. He was very predictable; I didn’t need to wonder where he was for long. Depending on what time it was, he would be at one rock or the other.
    One morning, I hadn’t looked out the window to check he was there. But the more time that passed, the stranger I found it that I couldn’t even hear his dog barking, because he followed him everywhere. To my great surprise, I saw that his Land Rover was gone. Suddenly, I thought of Felix; I hadn’t called him since I’d left, a month and a half ago; it was time. I grabbed my cell phone and found his number in the contacts.
    â€œFelix, it’s Diane,” I said, when he picked up.
    â€œDon’t know her.”
    He hung up on me. I called back.
    â€œFelix, don’t hang up.”
    â€œSo you finally remembered me?”
    â€œI’m an idiot, I know. Sorry.”
    â€œWhen are you coming back?”
    â€œI’m not. I’m staying in Ireland.”
    â€œYou’re having a ball in your new life?”
    I told him that my landlords were charming, that I’d had supper with them several times, that all the locals welcomed me with open arms, that I regularly went for a drink at the pub. The sound of an engine stopped my enthusiasm.
    â€œDiane, are you there?”
    â€œYes, give me a minute please.”
    â€œHas someone come to see you?”
    â€œNo, my neighbor’s come home.”
    â€œYou have a neighbor?”
    â€œYes, and I could happily do without him.”
    I started telling him about Edward, the details tumbling out in a rush.
    â€œDiane, could you please pause for breath?”
    â€œSorry, but this guy really gets on my nerves. What’s new with you?”
    â€œIt’s pretty quiet at the moment; I don’t open the bookshop until early evening, and it’s not going too badly, there’s some money coming in. I’ve organized an evening on the most famous debauched characters in literature.”
    â€œYou’re kidding.”
    â€œI can guarantee that if anyone writes a book about me, I’ll win the prize. Ever since you left, I have more time and I’m having a ball, my evenings are incredible and my nights steaming hot. Your chaste little ears wouldn’t be