The young girl from the funeral then appeared at the garage door. Her name was Jeanne and her mother's name was Virginie . She explained to me that her mother was in the hospital and needed an expensive operation.
I went to see her in the hospital. Virginie explained to me that Henri had helped them all their lives, without ever asking for anything in return. He would sometimes come to visit them, but always discreetly.
Looking at old photos, I suddenly understood the whole story. The young woman whom Henri had helped years earlier was not a stranger.
It was my own sister, Irene , who had left the family very young and from whom we had never heard again.
The baby my sister was holding in the photo was Virginie .
