My mother, whom I had not seen since I was born, believed that this visit to La Rochelle would be the opportunity to become fully acquainted with her. At the beginning, I could not get over the fact that, despite such a long separation, she had only kissed me twice, and only on the forehead. Little did I know at the time that these two kisses would be the only ones she would give me during my entire life. When she spoke, her comments were bitter, and when my brothers' silliness made me laugh, my
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