For Sure (10 page)

“De udder day, ee tells me de last tree months have been sometin' of a trial.”

. . .

“When ee opens up like dat, I sees just how many different me's der are in 'im, and a whole lot of different hims in me.”

. . .

“Come ta tink of it, a bit of psychoanalysis might do me good as well. Dese days, I'm seein' double meanings even in Scrabble.”

First irritant: a novel with (too) many numbers.

La Bibliothèque idéale
lay open on the counter while Terry revised his order for Raymond Queneau's
Exercises in Style
. He was suddenly curious to see what category in the book preceded “Distortions.” His search led him to “Literature in Pieces,” which confirmed the logic of the book. Scanning quickly down the list of texts said to be in pieces, his eye fell on the following excerpt from Emil Cioran's
Précis de décomposition
(
A Short History of Decay
): “In every man a prophet sleeps and, when he awakens, there is a little more evil in the world,” a phrase that tweaked his heart and mind. He placed the thin white ribbon attached to the headband of the book on that page, with the intention of returning to it tomorrow. Then he closed up shop, because Ludmilla, who usually did this, had taken off early to go to the dentist.

On a U.S. letter-sized sheet of white paper, a list of all the golf courses in New Brunswick. A footnote at the bottom of the page preceeded by an asterisk notes that the Atlantic provinces boast the highest per capita number of golf courses in Canada. This tidbit of information is clearly gratis, since there is no corresponding asterisk to be found anywhere on the page.

After the joyful distraction that the colour of vowels test had created in the Babar, Le Grand Étienne thought he'd try the exercise with his student.

“A test?”

Le Petit Étienne had not forgotten the X-3X-X3-X test and Souricette's unfortunate end.

“Oh, nothing very difficult, it's just for fun.”

The boy gave a slight nod of the head.

“If I say the word
banana
, do you see a colour?”

Étienne answered with a laugh, as though the answer was obvious and the test wasn't really a test at all:

“Yellow.”

Le Grand Étienne realized that this test contained traps one would do well to avoid. He took a moment to think it through and decided to stick to words referring to abstract realities.

“And if I say the word ‘avatar'?”

The little one hesitated.

“Do you know what an avatar is?”

The boy did not dare reply.

“Do you see a colour, anyway?”

Le Petit Étienne was a bit confused because he was still seeing yellow, which seemed somehow suspicious. He replied with a question:

“Yellow?”

Proud of the child's perspicacity, Le Grand Étienne resolved to look for words whose meanings the child did not know.

“An avatar is someone who is not real. A kind of ghost. You understand?”

Le Petit Étienne nodded yes.

“Do you know anyone like that?”

Le Petit Étienne thought for a moment, then shook his head no.

“Good.”

And why not numbers? Don't they constitute a form of thought? A kind of writing? Are they not evidence of laws as inescapable as they are recurrent? Consider the following operations, taking into account the fact that the numeral 3 represents the masculine principal and 4 the feminine:

a) 1,728 ÷ 3 = 576

576 ÷ 12 = 48

b) 1,728 ÷ 4 = 432

432 ÷ 12 = 36

c) 48 × 36 = 1,728

Elementary, I admit. But the question remains: up to what point to open up (oneself)?

Le Petit Étienne was remembering Souricette, trying to feel if there was something unusual happening inside himself.

“What about the word
tumult
? Mean anything to you?”

No, nothing about this test worried him.

“No.”

“And do you see a colour?”

“Blue.”

Le Grand Étienne was writing it all down as they proceeded.

“And what shade of blue? Pale? Dark?”

Le Petit Étienne rocked his head back and forth.

The master got up to fetch the chart they'd been looking at earlier, and opened it up in front of his pupil.

“Do you see a blue in here that looks like the blue of tumult?”

Le Petit Étienne hesitated between Gobelin (no. 1910), China (no. 1903), old blue (no. 2012), and marjoram (no. 2052), all of which were more or less dark and edging toward purple or black. In the end he pointed to marjoram. Le Grand Étienne wrote the result down on his sheet of paper.

“Tumult means disorderly, maybe even loud. you know?”

Étienne nodded yes immediately, because that was easy to understand.

Coincidence? The fact that Firmin Didot (1764–1836), born into the long line of Didots, and responsible for the transformation of typeface engraving and casting, started out as a statistician before becoming a publisher of books containing lists.

The grand surprise finale for this family with a singing dad took place on the beach one splendid Sunday in August. Terry and Carmen had discovered this tiny but completely deserted beach — incredible! — and they went there whenever they felt the need to be alone, with or without the children. Life in the lofts offered numerous advantages, but there was also a good deal of toing and froing and brouhaha, which made the little beach a secret treasure, which they were careful not to talk about for fear of losing it. In the late afternoon, once the kids had tired themselves out running and playing, so that they were content to sit and have a bite — a slice of cheese for Marianne, a peach for Étienne — Terry suddenly announced that he'd learned a fifth Aragon song, which he was dedicating to the three of them. And without further ado, he launched into “Je t'aime tant”
(“I Love You So Much”), as though he were simply completing his sentence. Carmen, Étienne and Marianne quickly realized that the song, which was about the sea and wind and daydreams and the colour blue, suited the occasion perfectly. At the end, all three felt so united and so unique in Terry's repeated “I love you so much” that . . . that . . .

“Dad! Will you always love us too much?”

But isn't the cube the perfect incarnation of rigidity? How could life — since a novel claims to invoke life — flow within such a strictly defined structure, so neat and orderly, so inorganic?

L'Officiel du jeu Scrabble®
lists 257 French words beginning with
a
and containing at least one
y
. The list does not include the various possible forms these words can take (feminine, plural, conjugated). Here then is the list: abbaye, aboyer, aboyeur, abyme, abyssal, abysse, abyssin, abyssinien, abzyme, acétaldéhyde, acétylcellulose, acétylcholine, acétyle, acétylène, acétylénique, acétylure, achylie, acolytat, acolyte, acotylédone, acrodynie, acronyme, acrylique, acrylonitrile, actinomycète, actinomycose, actinoptérygien, acyclique, acylation, acyle, adipocyte, adipolyse, adrénolytique, adynamie, adynamique, adyton, aegyrine, aepyornis, aérodynamique, aérodynamisme, aérodyne, aglycone, aglyphe, agranulocytose, aisy, alcoylation, alcoyle, alcyne, alcyon, alcyonaire, alcyonien, aldéhyde, aldéhydique, alexithymie, alicyclique, alkylation, alkyle, allyle, alkylène, allylique, aloyau, alysse, alysson, alyssum, alyte, amarayeur, amaryllidacée, amaryllis, amblyope, amblyopie, amblyoscope, amblyrhynque, amblystome, ambystome, améthyste, amidopyrine, aminophylline, ammodyte, amphictyon, amphictyonie, amphyctyomique, amphitryon, ampholyte, amygdale, amygdalectomie, amydaline, amygdalite, amygdaloïde, amygdalotome, amylacé, amylase, amyle, amylène, amylique, amylobacter, amyloïde, amylose, amyotrophie, anacyclique, anaglyphe, anaglypte, anaglyptique, analycité, analysable, analysant, analyse, analyser, analyseur, analyste, analyticité, analytique, analytiquement, anaphylactique, anaphylaxie, anastylose, anchoyade, androgyne, androgynie, anévrysme, anévrysmal, anhydre, anhydride, anhydrite, anhydrobiose, anhypothétique, ankylosant, ankylosaure, ankylose, ankyloser, ankylostome, ankylostomiase, anonymat, anonyme, anonymement, anonymographe, antéhypophyse, anthroponyme, anthroponymie, anthyllide, anthyllis, anticyclique, anticyclonal, anticyclone, anticyclonique, antienzyme, antihygiénique, antimycosique, antimycotique, antioxydant, antipsychiatre, antipsychiatrie, antipsychotique, antipyrétique, antipyrine, antisymétrique, antisyndical, antithyroïdien, antitrypsine, antonyme, antonymie, anxiolytique, aphylle, apitoyer, apocalypse, apocalyptique, apocryphe, apocynacée, apoenzyme, apophysaire, apophyse, appuyer, appuyoir, aptérygote, aptéryx, apyre, apyrétique, apyrexie, apyrogène, aquagym, archéoptéryx, archétypal, archétype, archétypique, archichlamydée, aréostyle, argyraspide, argyrie, argyrisme, argyrol, argyromète, argyrose, arroyo, arthrogrypose, artiodactyle, aryen, arylamine, aryle, aryténoïde, aryténoïdien, arythmie, arythmique, ascomycète, asphyxiant, asphyxie, asphyxique, assyrien, assyriologie, assyriologue, astrophysicien, astrophysique, asymbolie, asymétrie, asymétrique, asymptomatique, asymptote, asymptotique, asynartète, asynchrone, asynchronisme, asyndète, asynergie, asystole, asystolie, atermoyer, athymhormie, athymie, athymique, athyroïdie, atmolyse, atractyligénine, attorney, attrayant, atypie, atypique, atypisme, auréomycine, autoanalyse, autocatalyse, autolysat, autolyse, autonettoyant, autonyme, autonymie, autonymique, aveyronnais, aveyronnaise, avoyer, axisymétrique, ay, ayant, ayatollah, aymara, ayuntamiento, azidothymidine, azothydrique, azotyle, azygos, et azyme.

The Official Scrabble Players Dictionary
® or OSPD lists 314 English words (56 more than the French
L'Officiel du jeu Scrabble®
) beginning with the letter
a
and containing at least one
y
, not including the various possible forms these words can take. The list is as follows: abasedly, abaya, abbacy, abbey, abbotcy, abeyance, abhenry, ability, abjectly, ably, abruptly, absently, aby, abyss, academy, accuracy, acerbity, acetify, acetoxyl, acetyl, achingly, achy, acidify, acidity, acidly, acidy, acolyte, acridity, acrimony, acronym, acrylate, acrylic, activity, actorly, actressy, actually, actuary, acuity, acutely, acyclic, acyl, acylate, acyloin, adamancy, addedly, additory, adenyl, adequacy, adroitly, adultery, adultly, advocacy, adynamia, adytum, aerially, aerify, aerily, aerology, aeronomy, airy, aery , affably, affinely, affinity, affray, agedly, agency, agentry, agility, agly, aglycon, agony, agouty, agrimony, agrology, agronomy, agrypnia, aguishly, ahoy, aimfully, airplay, airway, airy, aisleway, alacrity, alanyl, alary, alcayde, alchemy, aldehyde, alderfly, aleatory, alertly, algidity, algology, alienly, alimony, aliya, alkalify, alkoxy, alky, alkyd, alkyl, alkyne, allay, allegory, allergy, alley, alleyway, allogamy, allonym, allotype, alloy, ally, almighty, almondy, almonry, aloofly, alphyl, alpinely, already, alterity, always, alyssum, amatory, amazedly, ambary, amboyna, ambry, amenity, amethyst, amiably, amicably, aminity, amity, ammonify, amnesty, amplify, amygdala, amygdale, amygdule, amyl, amylase, amylene, amylogen, amyloid, amylose, amylum, anaglyph, anagogy, anality, analogy, analyze , analysis, analyte, anarchy, anatomy, ancestry, anchovy, andesyte , anergy, aneurysm, angary, angry, anility, animacy, animally, ankylose, annoy, annually, annuity, anodyne, anolyte, anomaly, anomy, anonym, anorexy, antetype, antibody, anticity, anticly, antigay, antilogy, antimony, antinomy, antipyic, antitype, antonym, antsy, anxiety, any, anybody, anyhow, anymore, anyon, anyone, anyplace, anything, anytime, anyway, anywhere, apathy, apery, apetaly, aphylly, apiary, apically, apiology, apishly, aplenty, apocarpy, apogamy, apology, apophony, apophyge, apoplexy, apospory, apostasy, apply, apteryx, aptly, apyrase, apyretic, archery, archly, archway, ardency, ardently, areally, areaway, areology, argosy, argufy, argyle, ariary, aridity, armory, army, armyworm, aroynt, arrantly, array, arrowy, arroyo, artery, artfully, artily, artistry, artsy, aryl, arythmia, ashy, ashtray, asphyxia, assay, assembly, astheny, astony, astrally, astray, astutely, astylar, asylum, asyndeta, atalaya, ataraxy, ataxy, atemoya, athanasy, athodyd, atomy, atony, atopy, atrocity, atrophy, attorney, atypical, audacity, audibly, auditory, augustly, auntly, aunty, aurality, autarchy, autarky, autodyne, autogyro, autolyze, autonomy, autonym, autopsy, autotomy, autotype, aversely, aviary, avidity, avidly, avowedly, away, awayness, aweary, awfully, awny, awry, axiality, axillary, axiology, ay, ayah, aye, ayin, ayurveda, azygos.

Flattened against the glass platen, pages 14 and 15 of the paperback edition of Jean-Paul Sartre's
Les Mots
(
Words
). A series of dizzying flashes (brought on especially by the punctuation) lead to my overheating. But I get a grip and, after a bit of coughing, I finally manage to expel the copy with my customary elegance.

“I said person, not poison.”

“Awh.”

Don't the little cubes along the edges serve a double function?

The Babar did good business on Thursdays. Customers began arriving after 4 p.m., already happy to see the approaching weekend. The few elderly people who were in the habit of coming in to linger over a beer, a tea, or a coffee in the afternoons now reconnected with the reality of the working world.