BooksBarbecue
Back The Frenchman
Chapters (76)
  1. COVER PAGE
  2. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  3. DEDICATION
  4. AMIN
  5. PARIS
  6. … TWO YEARS LATER
  7. CHAPTER ONE
  8. CHAPTER TWO
  9. CHAPTER THREE
  10. CHAPTER FOUR
  11. CHAPTER FIVE
  12. CHAPTER SIX
  13. CHAPTER SEVEN
  14. CHAPTER EIGHT
  15. CHAPTER NINE
  16. CHAPTER TEN
  17. CHAPTER ELEVEN
  18. CHAPTER TWELVE
  19. CHAPTER THIRTEEN
  20. CHAPTER FOURTEEN
  21. CHAPTER FIFTEEN
  22. CHAPTER SIXTEEN
  23. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
  24. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
  25. CHAPTER NINETEEN
  26. CHAPTER TWENTY
  27. CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
  28. CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
  29. CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
  30. CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
  31. CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
  32. CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
  33. CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
  34. CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
  35. CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
  36. CHAPTER THIRTY
  37. CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
  38. CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
  39. CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
  40. CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
  41. CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
  42. CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
  43. CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
  44. CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
  45. CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
  46. CHAPTER FORTY
  47. CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
  48. CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
  49. CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
  50. CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
  51. CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
  52. CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
  53. CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
  54. CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
  55. CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
  56. CHAPTER FIFTY
  57. CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
  58. CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
  59. CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
  60. CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
  61. CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE
  62. CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX
  63. CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN
  64. CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT
  65. CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE
  66. CHAPTER SIXTY
  67. CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE
  68. CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO
  69. CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE
  70. CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR
  71. CHAPTER SIXTY-FIVE
  72. CHAPTER SIXTY-SIX
  73. CHAPTER SIXTY-SEVEN
  74. CHAPTER SIXTY-EIGHT
  75. CHAPTER SIXTY-NINE
  76. EPILOGUE

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

CHAPTER

THIRTY-FIVE

Before heading to his 9.30 a.m. meeting, De Payns made breakfast for the boys and watched SpongeBob with them. They talked about girls and bullies as they made the waffles—‘Papa’s way’ with extra sugar and cinnamon—and de Payns lowered his voice when Patrick wanted to know when he could play rugby.

‘Why rugby?’ he asked, not wanting Romy to hear the conversation—she hated rugby. ‘I thought you liked soccer?’

‘You played rugby,’ said Patrick. ‘I saw your school photos.’

‘Okay, we’ll ask your mother,’ said de Payns, as he poured maple syrup.

‘I already did,’ said Patrick.

‘And?’ asked de Payns.

Patrick smiled, ‘She said never. You’ll have to tell her, Papa.’

‘Oh, I have to tell her?’ replied de Payns, laughing. ‘How do you think that will turn out?’

‘Maybe ask her nicely?’ suggested Oliver, eyes wide.

By the time they’d watched two SpongeBob episodes, de Payns didn’t want to move. In the first week of September, Patrick would be back at school and Oliver would be starting his first year. He remembered when Oliver couldn’t talk; now he’d be learning to read and write. He was conscious of the years racing by, not purely in age but in family time. While he got lost in his latest subterfuge and manipulation, his sons did their karate and played football and hung out watching SpongeBob Square Pants—proud of the fact they could follow it in English. He thought about his family and wished he could walk on a higher moral ground. In his world, family was leverage; family was a weak point to be exploited, and given that most rational people would do anything to spare their families, kids were part of the game. He’d avoided facing up to it until the night he’d returned from Palermo and Romy had asked: That’s what you do to people? Get to their families?

Yes, he thought, as he sipped on his coffee in front of the cartoons. That’s what I do.

He kissed the boys, suggested they let their mother have a lie-in, and slipped out of the door just before eight-thirty.

image