The Dinner

Not long ago, Paul remembers, Michel wrote an essay about capital punishment for his history class. Paul offered his help and Michel asked only whether he was allowed to include certain ideas. Paul was impressed by the essay and told his son not to worry. Paul helped Michel revise the essay and they spent a long time discussing its moral dilemmas. But a week after the essay’s submission, the principal’s office summoned Paul. The principal told him that parts of the essay were concerning. Never having met this particular principal, Paul admitted to having helped his son, including the parts about citizens taking the law into their own hands. As a former teacher, Paul knew that he was treading a former line. He wanted to defend his son but not invoke the teacher’s revenge against him. The principal continued to question Michel’s discussions of extra-judicial murders, insisting that Michel’s seeming defense of lynching was not morally sound. The principal asked how much help Paul really provided. Paul, attempting to protect his son, admitted that many of the ideas were his own. He lied, his preferred strategy “when faced with lower intelligences” (146). The principal asked about Paul’s own teaching experience, about Paul having now been unemployed for 12 years. While Paul insisted that he could return to work at any time, the principal pointed out that he would need a psychiatrist’s report to do so. The principal had talked to one of Paul’s former colleagues about people who had suffered burnouts or nervous breakdowns. Paul denied having experienced either. He believed that he could smell the principal’s fear. He stood, intimidating the principal. Then, he punched the man in the nose. Blood sprayed everywhere. Paul continued to beat the man, knocking out his teeth. The principal managed to fight back for a moment and called for help. Through the window, Paul caught sight of Michel as he beat the principal. He found the sight comforting.

Serge returns to the table, explaining that he has just talked to the prime minister on the phone. Thus far, he has told the man nothing. Claire is interested that Serge is keeping his options open, for himself and the others. Serge and Babette prepare to leave; Claire says that she and Paul will join them at the café shortly, after finishing their grappa. Claire also offers to take care of the check. Serge and Babette leave, shaking Tonio’s hand as they go. Claire finishes her drink and tells Paul that he has to stop Serge from hosting his press conference. Then, a phone on the table rings. Babette’s phone. Before Paul can react, Claire grabs it. She stops the ringing without answering, revealing that the caller was Beau.

Claire tells Paul that Beau’s mother is “too busy to talk to him right now” (151). She places the phone back on the table. Claire seems as though she is trying to say something, tears of rage welling in her eye. Finally, she reveals that she knows that Beau is blackmailing Rick and Michel. Paul feigns ignorance. As Babette’s phone receives another message, Claire explains that Beau claims to have witnessed the murder. Claire says that she had always thought that Beau was horrid. Paul asks Claire whether Beau has any proof. No, she says, but he may not need it. Claire reveals that her phone call to Michel was an act, heard by Babette. In fact, her call went to the house answering machine. Paul looks at his wife with admiration. Michel, he understands, is now with Beau and Rick, meeting at some unknown location. If Michel cannot reason with Beau, Claire reveals, then she told him to do “whatever seemed best” (152). Whatever happens, she says, Babette can provide Michel’s alibi.

Paul asks for the check, only to learn that Serge has paid it already. This riles Paul. Claire takes his hand; she mentions that Paul could hurt Serge, that “he’s not going to hold a press conference with a damaged face” (153). Paul reveals that he stopped taking his medication months ago, shortly after seeing the CCTV footage on the television. Paul felt that he needed his full emotional range if he were to protect his son. Claire knows. She was happy to have her old Paul back. She recalls incidents when his anger has flashed to the surface, carefully not mentioning the time Paul sent Michel’s principal to the hospital. After she reiterates her love for this particular version of Paul, he asks her what she said to Babette while they were outside. Claire had promised that Paul would stop Serge’s press conference; Serge had only told Babette of his plans in the car on the way to the restaurant. Babette is a clever woman, Claire says, and she wants Serge to win the election. Babette cares as little about the homeless woman as Claire and Paul, Claire says. Paul pauses. He is worried about the plan. His violent past, his lack of medication, and Serge will encourage people to dig around and uncover the truth. He does not believe that Serge will allow him to disrupt the plans.

Claire leaves the table and—five minutes later—Paul notices that Babette’s phone has received two messages. He reads them. The first is a text from Beau which reads “mama” (155). Paul deletes it. The second message is a voice mail. Paul listens and hears Beau’s voice. Once the message finishes, he places the phone in his pocket. The sudden appearance of the floor manager frightens Paul. The man asks about Paul’s son, whom he saw Paul talking with outside. Then, the manager reveals that Serge forgot to pay the check. He gives it to Paul and mentions that he had seen Paul talking to Michel. He knew they must have been father and son because they had the same posture. The manager begins to talk about his own children. Paul looks at the bill, “the kind of sum that would make you burst out laughing” (156). Paul does exactly that.

Paul searches for Claire in the women’s bathroom. She is not there. He hears a police siren outside. Paul exits the restaurant, hearing a second siren. He does not increase his pace but continues on, laden with a heavy sense of inevitability. He walks until he has a clear view of the café. He sees an ambulance outside. Looking back toward the restaurant, Paul sees the crowd gathering to look across to the café. He decides to keep moving. As he walks, he throws Babette’s phone from the bridge. A splashing sound comes from below. Paul avoids crowds as he heads to an alley beside the café. He watches as a stretcher rushes out of the café toward the ambulance. Babette chases after it. The head of the person on the stretchers has compresses and gauze. The paramedics, the man on the stretcher, and Babette climb into the ambulance which leaves, sirens blaring. From among the crowd, Paul sees Claire led out by two police officers. They make eye contact. As she enters the patrol car, Paul recognizes that Claire is making a gesture. She is telling him to go home. He turns and begins to walk.

Paul wonders how much one is supposed to tip on a bill, causing a sudden outburst of laughter. The logical amount, he reasons, is 10-15%. The morning of the dinner, he had withdrawn €500 from an ATM, determined to pay the bill in cash before Serge could take out his credit card. That evening, when Paul had paid €450 for the meal, he had included a tip of close to 100% on the proviso that the manager never again mention that he saw Paul talking to his son outside. Weeks later, Serge loses the election. After a string of operations, the doctors could never truly remove the damage done by the broken stem of a wine glass to a man’s face. After an initial surge in the polls due to sympathy, Serge’s lead quickly faded. Serge never pressed charges, however, and Claire takes this as a sign that he wants to find a solution for all of the family.

There were other concerns for Babette and Serge. Beau disappears, the only clue being a message recovered from his mother’s voicemail: “Mama, whatever happens… I just want you to know that I love you…” (160). There is speculation about his whereabouts but this quickly fades. Paul laughs about the matter with Claire; he enjoys their seemingly happy family life. He remembers the night of the dinner, when he arrived home to find the house empty. Paul searched the house and found a letter from the hospital where Michel had been born. It was a test result, proving that Michel had whatever condition troubles Paul. Claire had never told him. Paul placed the letter back where he found it. Next, he deleted Claire’s message on the house answering machine. Michel arrived home half an hour later and Paul spotted dried blood on his son’s hand, as well as mud on his coat and shoes. As Michel tells Paul exactly what happened, he stops. Paul began laughing. Paul had done exactly the same, Michel says, “the first time I told you about the cash machine” (163). Michel hugs Paul, calling him “dear old dad” (163).