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Charles Pépin
comes out after turning down
the music. “That’s for the
gentlemen, he comments,
we respect work.” He also
speaks quickly like Rédoine.
He frees himself from them,
as almost being nice, a sort
of energy despite his dilated
pupils. Rédoine offers me his
joint.
“Take it. You want it? It’s a
peace pipe.”
I feel Ange at my side, his
body keeping watch. Yet, I
don’t think they’re aggressive
at all. Rédoine hands me
the peace pipe. His smile
is not forced. I tell him that
I don’t want it. In general, I
can’t hold a grudge against
people. I look at the others,
they are smiling as well, a
peaceful and drugged look. I
still avoid looking at the girl.
I respond by saying that we
should go but that I’m happy
for the kind gesture, and I
turn around to walk away.
Ange as well, slightly behind
me. We’re walking to my car
and one of them cuts us off:
“Never during work, is that
it?” We don’t turn around
and Ange whispers: “You
don’t want me to snap that
son of a bitch in half?”
“What? What’d you say?”
All of a sudden, Rédoine and
Ange are face to face, their
faces become distorted.
Rédoine pulls out a huge piece
that he points right at Ange
saying he will show him who
the son of a bitch is. There
is no longer cheerfulness
on Rédoine’s face but large
beads of sweat dripping from
his foreheadandhis trembling
jaw. “On your knees! Get on
your knees! Who’s the son
of a bitch now, huh? Who’s
the bitch?” All of us step
aside, Ange tells him he will
show him who the bitch is,
he puts a knee to the ground