Dylan begins playing in the back room with his toy cars, and Bernadette can hear him creating imaginary scenarios, thoroughly enjoying himself. Léa, meanwhile, goes to the middle room, sits calmly at the computer, and opens an online chat page. In no time, she is overwhelmed by windows popping up, and her fingers fly across the keyboard like an experienced secretary.
From the center of the kitchen, Bernadette sits at the table, observing them attentively. Are they scheming something? she wonders. Will this peace and quiet last? She remains silent, waiting for the slightest misstep. But after fifteen minutes, nothing happens—complete silence.
Feeling optimistic and self-assured, she thinks to herself, Maybe this day will be easier than I thought. These kids aren't so bad after all.
As the minutes pass, Bernadette doesn't want to remain idle. She has certain tasks to complete today, and since she dislikes procrastinating, she decides to kill two birds with one stone and start on the sewing she needs to finish.
Still slightly wary, she enters the room and moves the sewing machine near the door so she can easily stretch her neck to see the entire hallway and spot any potential trouble. With her wealth of experience, she operates her sewing machine at full speed, skillfully repairing and hemming one piece after another.
Despite the clamor of the machine, Bernadette's keen ear catches the sound of footsteps in the hallway. She immediately stretches her neck and looks into the corridor, where she sees Léa slowly approaching Bernadette's room. Léa is surprised to see Bernadette's face in the doorway but continues towards her. "Grandma, can I have another glass of juice, please?"
Bernadette breathes a sigh of relief. False alarm, she thinks to herself, smiling as she gets up to pour another glass of juice.
Might as well get ahead of it, she walks towards the middle room and interrupts Dylan. "Another glass of juice?" Startled, Dylan quickly responds, "No, thank you, Grandma."
Bernadette's immediate suspicion prompts her to scan the small room meticulously for anything unusual. Her gaze soon fixes on Dylan's juice glass, strangely untouched. "You haven't had your juice yet?" she queries suspiciously. Dylan hesitates, then responds, "Not yet, Grandma. Can I keep it and sip it slowly?"
After her thorough inspection reveals nothing amiss, Bernadette's initial wariness dissipates. "Alright then," she says, her tone easing, "you can carry on playing quietly."
Bernadette waits a few minutes before resuming her sewing. She watches them from a distance and listens very attentively. Once certain everything is under control, she starts sewing again with her heavy-duty machine.
Twenty minutes later Bernadette's vigilant ear catches an unusual noise. Instantly, she stretches her neck again and looks into the corridor.
Léa is up again, but this time, she heads to the bathroom and closes the door behind her. Shortly after, the toilet flushes, and Bernadette hears Léa washing her hands slowly. "Good, good, I won’t have to tell her we must always wash our hands after using the toilet."
Bernadette steps back, discreetly watching the corridor. Will she go bother her little brother, or will she return to the computer room?
Léa exits the bathroom without even noticing Bernadette who’s observing her, ready to pounce at any moment. She heads back to the computer room. Bernadette starts to doubt her suspicions about her grandchildren. Am I overreacting? Am I exaggerating a bit?
Despite the racket of her machine, Bernadette remains vigilant, attuned to every single noise that breaks through the din. Another twenty minutes later, one of Bernadette's ears twitches at an almost imperceptible sound raising her hackles once again.
Léa returns to the corridor. No, there must be something here, she’s testing me for sure.
Léa heads to the kitchen and places her empty glass in the sink, still unaware of Bernadette’s gaze observing her from the door frame. Léa quickly returns to the computer.
I’m watching you, young lady, I’m watching you, Bernadette repeats to herself, but her reasoning begins to outweigh her suspicion. At least I won't have to chase empty glasses around the apartment, that's a good thing. With a certain satisfaction, she resumes her sewing, running the machine at full speed again.
A few minutes after Léa, it’s Dylan’s turn to leave the room. Ah, looks like it’ll be Dylan then, she thinks, ready to intervene. She lets him be but watches his every move, as if waiting for the perfect moment to step in and catch him in the act. Dylan continues with what he’s doing, oblivious to the watchful eyes upon him.
Dylan heads to the kitchen table, pulls out a chair, and slowly, without any discretion, drags it to the sink.
Bernadette waits for the misstep, ready to pounce like an enraged lioness, but her heart melts in two seconds when she sees Dylan running water, rinsing his glass, then clumsily pouring soap and washing it with the same determination Bernadette shows when doing dishes.
"Oh, what a sweet, adorable child," she says, stepping out of the room with a small smile. Dylan quickly notices her.
He looks at her with an inquisitive expression, as if seeking her approval, as if he had done something he shouldn't have.
Worried, he clears his throat, "Look, Grandma, I washed my glass all by myself like a big boy... Are you proud of me?"
She nods several times. "Yes, my boy, I’m very proud of you. Congratulations."
As happy as a child on Christmas morning, he gives her the biggest smile, puts the chair back, and returns to his toys.
Feeling happy, Bernadette makes a tour of the rooms to check on her grandchildren. Léa is at the computer, and Dylan is playing on the floor. Nothing has happened, she thinks, but at that moment, Bernadette's attentive eye is drawn to the bathroom. Something unusual catches her attention.
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At the back of the room, her laundry basket is open, which is odd since she always keeps it closed. She would be mortified if anyone saw her dirty clothes.
Her heart pounding, she advances cautiously. What am I going to find?
As she reaches the basket, Bernadette steps on a warm liquid, halting her instantly. Her eyes widen as she investigates. "It can't be water from the sink, the toilet is too far, the tub hasn’t been used."
Terrified, she lifts her foot and touches the liquid with her fingers. Quickly, a strong odor hits her nose. "No, please, not that."
A strong smell of urine saturates her nostrils, making her stomach churn. Bernadette's face turns red with anger, but suddenly, she smells it again, and this time it seems to come from another place she can’t locate.
Sniffing like a dog, her nose leads her directly to the basket. "No, no, no, this can’t be true."
She picks a piece of clothing from the basket and, with trepidation, slowly brings it to her nose, realizing the odor comes from her clothes and specifically from the dirty laundry basket.
Fury swells within Bernadette rapidly, causing her to breathe heavily. From an outsider's perspective, she appears like a bull on the verge of charging. The urge to commit murder overwhelms her, but reason brings her back to earth without calming her much. It can only be Léa, she’s the only one who used the bathroom.
Bernadette storms to the computer room, and from the doorway, she screams at the top of her lungs, "LÉA YOU LITTLE BRAT!"
Léa freezes in place, turning around with wide, anxious eyes. Her face is etched with worry, silently questioning what could have prompted her grandmother to call her so sharply. Before Léa can ask what’s going on, Bernadette rushes at her, grabs her by the ear, and twists it hard to punish her and make her feel the extent of her internal rage.
In an authoritative voice, "Can you tell me why on earth you peed in my laundry basket, young lady?" Léa desperately tries to understand what's happening and quickly manages to reply, "What? What are you talking about, Grandma? I don’t understand what you mean."
Bernadette simply responds with "Oh, for heaven’s sake," as she drags Léa towards the bathroom and points to the laundry basket.
"Do I need to treat you like a dog and put your nose in it?"
"It wasn't me, it wasn't me, I swear, Grandma!"
Léa's response only fuels Bernadette's anger. "Léa damn it! Don't lie to me. You’re the only one who used the toilet."
Bernadette grabs a piece of clothing, throws it in the basket, and drags Léa to the kitchen. Léa complains the entire way because Bernadette's grip leaves her little room to move. In the kitchen, Bernadette presses Léa against the wall, holding her head against it while shouting, "FACE THE WALL, YOUNG LADY, AND DON'T MOVE UNTIL I TELL YOU TO, OR I SWEAR YOU’LL REGRET IT."
With her forehead against the wall, Léa tries to hold back her tears but fails and starts crying uncontrollably, occasionally rubbing her sore ear.
In the other room, Dylan startles at Bernadette's scream, quickly rising to timidly peek into the doorway, his face twisted with fear. Catching sight of Bernadette's expression, he dares not inquire about the commotion and promptly retreats to his bedroom.
Meanwhile, Léa stands sobbing with her forehead against the wall. Bernadette heads to the bathroom, retrieves the urine-soaked clothes, and promptly throws them into the washing machine, all the while keeping a vigilant eye on Léa to ensure she remains by the wall. She uses twice as much detergent as necessary, determined to erase the smell.
After an hour, Bernadette begins to wonder if she might be too harsh on Léa, but she quickly convinces herself otherwise. No, I must be firm and teach her. Seated in her oversized wooden rocker, Bernadette sways gently, fixating on Léa with an unwavering gaze that could chill the air. The rhythmic creak of the chair fills the otherwise silent room, punctuated only by Léa's subdued sobs echoing off the walls.
An hour passes and she deems the punishment sufficient “It’s almost noon. You can leave the wall, BUT you’re going to help me set the table for lunch, and I hope this serves as a lesson.”
Submissive, Léa doesn’t dare add anything and merely wipes her eyes and nods. She heads to the kitchen cabinets and starts setting the table under Bernadette’s watchful eye, who uses the time to warm up lunch.
“The utensils aren’t straight, the glass goes on the right, the tablecloth isn’t well-placed,” Bernadette critiques. In a deadly silence, Léa does her best to satisfy her.
Bernadette calls Dylan to join them at the table. She serves them one by one, followed by a “bon appétit,” and together they start eating in absolute silence. Midway through the meal, Dylan is the first to break the uncomfortable silence, beginning to tell imaginary scenarios he created with his toys and how he spent his time.
Dylan’s intervention breaks the tension, and Bernadette nearly forgets her anger as she starts a conversation with him. It’s only toward the end of the meal that Léa joins in, giving the meal a semblance of normalcy.
After a good hot meal, the two children head to the bathroom to brush their teeth under Bernadette’s attentive supervision. Once she’s certain they’re doing it properly, she returns to the kitchen to start the dishes.
When they’re done, Dylan hurries to Bernadette and hands her the empty floss dispenser. “There’s no more, Grandma.”
After making sure it’s empty, she throws it in the trash and thanks Dylan for informing her. Happy to be helpful, he returns to the bedroom while Léa is back behind her screen.
Bernadette finishes the dishes while the children are each in their corners.
Once the dishes are perfectly clean, she settles into her large wooden rocking chair and begins to sway gently. The aged chair creaks with each rhythmic movement, filling the apartment with an ominous undertone.
Once settled, Bernadette pulls out a large basket filled with yarn and crochet hooks, then grabs a knitting project she’s already started. Like a machine, she continues her knitting mechanically, the sound of the hooks and the rocking chair unnerving the two children, who feel like they have a sword of Damocles hanging over their heads.
Time flies by as Bernadette focuses on her knitting and listens for any suspicious noises. The children are not left to their own devices; she watches them constantly.
An hour passes in the blink of an eye before she’s interrupted by the ringing of her old kitchen phone.
Struggling slightly to rise, she answers the call, quickly engaging in a conversation with her daughter Élise. This doesn’t fail to catch Léa and Dylan’s attention, who quickly run to Bernadette for news of their mother.
When Bernadette explains to her daughter that, except for a small misbehavior, everything is fine, she can’t help but glance at Léa, sending a shiver down her spine. In a mocking tone, Bernadette adds, “How can you have so much trouble with them? They’re not that bad.”
When Élise bursts into laughter, Bernadette quickly moves the phone away from her ear, the laughter echoing loudly on the line. After the laughter dies down, they return to their conversation, during which Élise mentions that she spent the day enjoying a spa treatment and massage.
This confirms Bernadette’s suspicion from that morning. She made up a story to get rid of them, but reason prevails, and she’s glad her daughter is enjoying her day. Bernadette encourages her daughter to make the most of her day and ends the call to give news to the two children in front of her, who are desperately waiting for news of their mother.
Bernadette takes a few moments to explain to them that their mother needed some time to relax and unwind from the difficulties of life and their behavior.
Upon hearing this, Léa and Dylan exchange looks, and within moments, they begin pointing fingers at each other, escalating into an argument over who is to blame, their voices gradually rising.
Bernadette watches them, taking a few seconds to listen to their accusations, but she quickly ends the squabble with a simultaneous slap to the back of each child’s head.
Surprised and stunned, they stop instantly, and neither dares to add anything while Bernadette looms over them with her strict demeanor.
“Go back to your activities and stop fighting. Do I make myself clear?”