The Winner Stands Alone (18 page)

Yes, I can do that.

And what would be your main motive for doing so? All workahol- ics think theyre happy
doing what theyre doing, and none of their friends, who are in the same position, will see
why they should seek help.

Igor lowered his eyes.

Shall I tell you what your main motive is? As I said before, youre destroying your family.

No, its worse than that. My wife is starting to show the same symptoms. Shes been
distancing herself from me ever since a trip we made to Lake Baikal. And if theres anyone
in the world I would be capable of killing again for . . .

Igor realized hed said too much, but the psychiatrist seemed en- tirely unmoved.

If theres anyone in the world for whom I would do anything, ab- solutely anything, that
person is my wife.

The psychiatrist summoned his assistant and asked her to make a series of appointments. He
didnt consult his patient to see if he would be available on those dates; it was part of
the treatment to make it quite clear that any other commitment, however important, could
be post- poned.

May I ask a question? The psychiatrist nodded. Couldnt overwork also be considered rather
noble? A proof of my deep respect for the opportunities God has given me in this life? A way of putting society
to rights, even if sometimes I have to use methods thatarealittle...

Silence. A little what? Oh, nothing. Igor left the consulting room feeling both confused
and relieved.

Perhaps the psychiatrist had failed to understand the essence of what he did. Life has its reasons. We are all of us linked, and often its neces- sary to cut
out the malignant tumors so that the rest of the body can remain healthy. People are
locked up in their selfish little worlds; they make plans that dont include their fellow
man; they believe the planet is simply land to be exploited; they follow their instincts
and desires and care nothing for the collective well-being of society.

He wasnt destroying his family, he simply wanted to leave the world a better place for the
children he dreamed of having, a world without drugs or wars or people trafficking, a
world in which love would be the great force uniting all couples, peoples, nations, and
reli- gions. Ewa would understand this, even if their marriage was currently going through
a crisis, a crisis doubtless sent by the Evil One.

The following day, he asked his secretary to cancel all subsequent appointments with the
psychiatrist; he had more important things to do. He was drawing up a great plan to purify
the world, a plan for which he would need help; indeed, hed already contacted a group pre-
pared to work with him.

Two months later, the wife he loved left himbecause of the Evil that had possessed her,
because he hadnt been able to understand her feelings.

Th e s o u n d o f a c h a i r
being shifted returns him to the reality of Cannes. Before him sits a woman holding a
glass of whisky in one hand and a cigarette in the other. Shes well-dressed but visibly
drunk.

May I sit here? All the other tables are occupied. You already are sitting here. Its just
not possible, says the woman, as if shed known him for years. Its simply not possible. The police made me leave the hospital. And the man for
whose sake I traveled by train for almost a whole day, for whom I rented a hotel room at
twice the normal price, is now hov- ering between life and death. Damn!

Is she from the police? Or does what shes saying have nothing to do with what he thinks it
does?

Anyway, what are you doing here, if you dont mind my asking?

Arent you hot? Wouldnt you be cooler without your jacket on, or are you trying to impress
everyone with your elegance?

As usual, people choose their own destiny, and this woman is doing just that.

I always wear a jacket regardless of the temperature. Are you an actress?

The woman gives an almost hysterical laugh.

Yes, lets say Im an actress, yes I am. Im playing the part of someone who has had the same
dream since she was an adolescent, has grown up with it, battled seven miserable years of
her life to make it a reality, whos mortgaged her house, worked ceaselessly . . .

Oh, I know what thats like.

No, you dont. It means thinking about just one thing day and night, going to places
uninvited, shaking hands with people you de- spise, phoning once, twice, ten times until
you get the attention of people who arent worth half what you are, who dont have half your
courage, but whove reached a certain position and are determined to take out on you all
their domestic frustrations by making your life im- possible . . .

. . . it means only finding pleasure in pursuing your dream, having no other diversions,
finding everything else deadly dull, and ending up destroying your family.

The woman looks at him, taken aback. She no longer seems drunk.

Who are you? How do you know what Im thinking?

I was thinking about exactly the same thing when you arrived. And I dont in the least mind
you asking me what Im doing here. I think I can help you.

No one can help me. The only person who could is now in the intensive care unit. And from
what I could glean before the police ar- rived, he probably wont survive. Oh God!

She drinks the remaining whisky in her glass. Igor signals to the waiter, who ignores him
and goes to serve another table.

Ive always preferred a cynical compliment to a bit of constructive criticism. Please, tell
me Im beautiful and that Ive got what it takes. Igor laughs. How do you know I cant help you? Are you by any chance a film distributor? Do
you have contacts and a chain of cinemas around the world? They were perhaps referring to the same person.
If so and if this was a trap, it was too late to run away. Hes obviously being watched, and as soon as he
stands up, hell be arrested. He feels his stomach contract, but why should he be afraid?
Only a short time ago, hed tried, without success, to hand himself over to the police. Hed
chosen martyrdom, offered up his freedom as a sacrifice, but that gift had been rejected
by God. Now, however, the heavens had obviously reconsid- ered their decision.

He must think how best to deal with what will ensue: the suspect is identified, a woman
pretending to be drunk is sent on ahead to confirm the facts. Then, very discreetly, a man
will walk over and ask him to come with him for a little chat. That man will be a
policeman. Igor has what looks like a pen in his jacket pocket, but that will arouse no
suspicions; the Beretta though will give him away. He sees his whole life flash before him.

Could he use the gun to defend himself? The policeman who is sure to appear as soon as he
has been identified will have colleagues watch- ing the scene, and Igor will be dead
before he can make so much as a move. On the other hand, he didnt come here to kill
innocent people in a barbarous, indiscriminate way; he has a mission, and his victims or
martyrs for love as he prefers to call themare serving a greater purpose.

No, Im not a distributor, he says. I have absolutely nothing to do with the world of
cinema, fashion, or glamour. I work in telecom- munications.

Good, says the woman. So you must have money. You must have had dreams in your life, so
you know what Im talking about.

Hes beginning to lose the thread of the conversation. He signals to another waiter. This
time the waiter comes over and Igor orders two cups of tea.

Cant you see Im drinking whisky?

Yes, but as I said, I think I can help you. To do that, however, you need to be sober and
aware of what youre doing.

Maureen feels a change come over her. Ever since this stranger proved himself able to read
her thoughts, she feels as if she were being restored to reality. Perhaps he really can
help her. Its been years since anyone tried to seduce her with that most clichŽd of
chat-up lines in the film business: I have some very influential friends. Theres nothing
more guaranteed to change a womans state of mind than knowing that someone of the opposite
sex desires her. She feels tempted to get up and go to the restroom and check her makeup
in the mirror. That can wait. First, she needs to send out some clear signals that shes
interested.

Yes, she needs company, shes open to whatever surprises fate may hold in store; when God
closes a door, he opens a window. Why, of all the tables on that terrace, was this the
only table occupied by just one person? There was a meaning in this, a hidden sign: the
two of them were meant to meet.

She laughs at herself. In her current despairing state anything is a sign, a way out, a
piece of good news.

Firstly, tell me what you need, says the man.

I need help. I have a movie with a top-line cast ready and waiting; it was going to be
distributed by one of the few people in the industry who still has faith in the talent of
people outside the studio system. I was going to meet him tomorrow. I was even at the same
lunch as him today, when suddenly I noticed he was feeling unwell.

Igor starts to relax. Perhaps its true, reality really is stranger than fiction.

I left the lunch, found out which hospital hed been taken to, and went there. On the way,
I imagined what I was going to say, about how I was his friend and we were going to be
working together. Ive never even spoken to him, but I think anyone in a situation like
that feels more comfortable knowing that someone, anyone, is near.

In other words, turning someone elses tragedy to your own ad- vantage, thinks Igor.

People are all the same. And what exactly is a top-line cast? he asks. Will you excuse me? I need to go to the bathroom.

Igor politely stands up, puts on his dark glasses, and, as she walks away, tries to look
as calm as possible. He drinks his tea, all the while scanning the terrace. At first
sight, there appears to be no immediate threat, but it would still be wise to leave that
terrace as soon as the woman comes back.

Maureen is impressed by her new friends gentlemanly behavior. Its been years since shes
seen anyone behave according to the rules of etiquette taught them by their mothers and
fathers. As she leaves the terrace, she notices that some pretty young women at the next
table, who have doubtless heard part of their conversation, are looking at him and
smiling. She notices, too, that hes put on his dark glasses, possibly to be able to
observe the young women without them knowing. Per- haps, by the time she gets back, theyll
all be drinking tea together.

But then life is like that: dont complain and dont expect too much either.

She looks at her face in the mirror. Why would a man be interested in her? She really does
need to get to grips with reality again, as he suggested. Her eyes look empty and tired;
shes exhausted like every- one else taking part in the Festival, but she knows that she
has to carry on fighting. Cannes isnt over yet, Javits might recover, or someone
representing his company might turn up. She has tickets to see other peoples films, an
invitation to a party held by Galaone of the most prestigious magazines in Franceand she
can use the time available to see how independent European producers and directors go
about distributing their films. She needs to bounce back quickly.

As for the handsome stranger, she mustnt have any illusions in that regard. She returns to
the table convinced that shell find two of the young women sitting there, but hes still
alone. Again he rises politely to his feet and draws back her chair so that she can sit
down.

Sorry, I havent introduced myself. My names Maureen.

Im Igor. Pleased to meet you. You were saying that you had the ideal cast.

She decides to get a dig in at the girls at the next table. She speaks slightly more
loudly than usual.

Here in Cannes, or indeed at any other festival, new actresses are discovered every year,
and every year really great actresses lose out on getting a great role because the
industry thinks theyre too old, even if, in fact, theyre still young and full of
enthusiasm. Among the new discoveries (and, she thinks: I just hope the girls next to us
are listen- ing), some choose the path of pure glamour. They dont earn much on the movies
they makeall directors know this and take full advan- tageand so they invest in the one
thing they shouldnt invest in.

Namely . . .

Their own beauty. They become celebrities, start to charge for at- tending parties, theyre
asked to appear in advertisements, promoting various products. They end up meeting the
most powerful men and the sexiest actors in the world. They earn a vast amount of money
because theyre young and pretty and their agents get them loads of contracts.

In fact, they allow themselves to be entirely guided by their agents, who constantly feed
their vanity. An actress of this type becomes the dream of housewives, of adolescent girls
and would-be actresses who dont even have enough money to travel to the nearest town, but
who consider her a friend, someone whos having the kind of experiences they would like to
have. She continues making movies and earns a little more, although her press agent always
puts it about that shes earning an enormous salary, which is a complete lie that not even
the journalists believe, but which they publish anyway because they know the public
prefers news to information.

Whats the difference? asks Igor, whos feeling more relaxed now, while still keeping a
close eye on whats going on around him.

Lets say you were to buy a gold-plated computer in an auction in Dubai and decided to
write a new book using that technological marvel. When a journalist finds out about the
computer, hell phone you up and ask: So hows your gold-plated computer? Thats news. The
informationthe nature of the new book youre writingis of no importance whatsoever.

Perhaps Ewa is receiving news rather than information, thinks Igor. The idea had never
occurred to him before.

Go on. Time passes, or, rather, seven or eight years pass. Suddenly, the film offers dry up. The
revenue from parties and advertisements begins to dwindle. Her agent seems suddenly much
busier than before and doesnt always call her back. The big star rebels: how can they do
this to her, the great sex symbol, the great icon of glamour? She blames her agent and
decides to find another one; to her surprise, he doesnt appear to mind at all. On the
contrary, he asks her to sign a statement saying how well they have always got on
together; then he wishes her good luck, and thats the end of their relationship.