Two Fates [2005]
(in The Collected Radio Drama of Marie-Claire Blais, Cormorant Press, Toronto, 2005)
Original
Résumé Having been partly forced into marriage by the pregnancy of the woman who came to his aid after his suicide attempt, Jacques appears to have forgotten the old dream of being a writer, along with his talent and his desires. During an evening spent in the company of an old friend who puts his new life on trial and tries to redeem him, Jacques is confronted with what might have been his true suicide. His wife has contributed to his continuing numbness in order to hang onto him, and Jacques has faded away as his dreams are replaced by nightmares. Extrait « CHRISTINE: Gilbert, this whole conversation is atrocious! Jacques is alive and I love him, love him devotedly, hopelessly even. Isn't that right, Jacques? / JACQUES: He drags all these nasty truths out of us, and he's delighted when we suffer through one another. / GILBERT: Tomorrow, when I'm gone, this will all be forgotten. The storm will have blown over, and oh how happy you'll be! Just a few jarring notes left ringing in the ear or in Jacques' heart… / JACQUES: Booze, now there's your culprit. I should have been little more careful. Christine, you don't really believe those things you said, do you? I mean about the corpse and all that. You don't really think that, eh? » |