Monday Morning

Mathieu Amalric

A story told quietly of Vincent a welder at a large and seemingly toxic plant along the Rhône, living in a village with his sons, wife, and mother, saying little to each other. Vincent paints; some of what he sees is artifice. The sounds are of trains, boats, factory horns, and people singing. Men watch women, sometimes priests join in the looking, sometimes not. A crocodile appears in a garden. With money his father gives him, Vincent takes a journey to Venice. He sees the city from a roof top, the view is a gift from a friend. One of his sons hang-glides with a girl friend. Vincent comes home to go back to work. What is it to taste wine and to be alive?—