A Darkening Stain by Robert Wilson Page A

fudge, knew that I had to see this little bit of fun through and do a fair amount of acting myself.
    â€˜I think I’ll have the
contrefilet,
’ said Marnier to Adèle. ‘
Saignant.
Bruce?’
    â€˜The
barre,
please.’
    â€˜No, no, no,’ said Marnier, so that I thought he was going French on me, controlling my diet, ‘not fish tonight. You need something stronger. Something to fill your stomach.’
    â€˜I don’t plan on any heavy work.’
    â€˜Have the
contrefilet.’
    â€˜Why can’t he have the
barre?
asked Adèle.
    â€˜Because he needs the
contrefilet,
’ said Marnier, firmly.
    Adèle tilted her head at me. I had the
contrefilet.
Bloody too. Marnier found a drinkable Côte du Rhon and Adèle was dispatched.
    â€˜So you’re an actor as well,’ I said.
    â€˜An expert in the
comédie humaine.’
    â€˜What sort of range have you got?’
    â€˜Just character parts now. I can’t lead with such a face.’
    â€˜When are you the real you?’
    â€˜When I’m in bed with my wife. A good woman won’t tolerate liars in her bed.’
    â€˜Does acting have to be lying?’
    â€˜I think you understand me, Bruce. I act to observe people without being observed myself. As
you
know most people are concerned with surfaces so it is easy to divert their attention.’
    â€˜You think people are foolish...’
    â€˜Unworthy.’
    â€˜Is that why you destroyed Michel’s life...?’
    â€˜Me? Destroyed Michel’s life? Is he still telling people that? We make our own choices, Bruce, and when we find ourselves lacking in the vital traits that will see us through those choices, then we seek to blame others for our failings.’
    â€˜He says ... he implied that you took away his youth, his beauty.’
    â€˜Michel is wearing on the outside what he had on the inside. That is all.’
    â€˜But what happened? He sounded like he had a pretty good life going for himself until you came along.’
    â€˜
He
came to
me,
remember,’ he said. ‘And I didn’t force him into his relationship with Gifty.’
    â€˜Who’s Gifty?’
    â€˜He saw with his own eyes what she did to the Indian fellow from Accra.’
    â€˜I don’t know who the Indian fellow is either.’
    â€˜Sudip. The currency kid, they called him. Not any more. He rims a cloth stall in Kumasi now. He started using his customers’ money to run Gifty, who was expensive and not what any man would call ... constant.’
    â€˜So Michel fell for Gifty and ran out of money. Enter Jean-Luc Marnier running Lomé’s expat bank who found some stolen credit cards and became a friend. Who had the credit cards?’
    â€˜Ah, Bruce, you don’t know how much pleasure it gives me to find somebody who understands Africa,’ he said. ‘Of course, you are right, Gifty had the credit cards.’
    â€˜Gifty was a friend?’
    â€˜I pursued Gifty myself.’
    â€˜But you are made of a different stuff to other mortals.’
    â€˜Not me, Bruce. In that department I’m as weak as any man. But ... I do listen. And Gifty, for all her sins, was very fair. Before you dipped into her little bag of delights she would warn you. She would say, and she told me she said the same to every man and I believe her, she would say, “If you put your cock into me I will destroy you. I don’t mean for this to happen but it will. So if you want to keep your life ... keep your life the same ... put your cock away”.’
    â€˜And
you
did?’
    â€˜I was at an advantage. I had seen Gifty with other men and I had noticed something about those men that I couldn’t pin down. I mean, they looked very much themselves, as you’d expect men who were blissfully happy to be, but ... something was missing. Their real selves had gone to another place. Gifty used that word “destroy” in her