They all stirred a little and with an air of satisfaction leant slightly back in their chairs.
“We are lucky that Vivien’s face hasn’t been shown to the public yet. However, we must be careful and on alert, for there are already some rather unclear and suspicious photos of her in circulation. Fortunately the newspapers seem to be cautious and do not want to publish them. That is good, of course, for if they did, our interview would hardly have any effect. That is an important reason why the interview must not be postponed, and why it must take place tomorrow evening,” Mr Corner explained.
“We must not forget the fact that Vivien has spent years without the usual normal contact with other people. What if she decides not to appear on TV tomorrow evening because she does not feel fit or disposed to do that?” asked Professor Frederic.
“Well, that is possible, of course. However, the probability that she will change her mind is very, very small. I am saying that because I have explained to her that it is not just important but absolutely decisive for her future career and her entire life that the interview takes place tomorrow evening. She has understood that it is not just our wish, but absolute necessity. I have suggested the State Television as the most efficient means of presenting her case to the public, and she has accepted my suggestion.
I have discussed with her the catalogue of questions that will be put to her in the interview. We have agreed on the set of questions and on all the answers to those questions. She has written them all down and learnt them by heart. We have discussed and arranged even details like her make-up, the colour of the trousers, the shirt and the scarf she is going to wear in the interview, simply everything,” Mr Corner went on explaining.
All, except Professor Frederic, expressed their agreement by nodding gently.
“Vivien knows already exactly when in the interview she will have to shut her eyes, when to cover her face with her hands to demonstrate her effort to think of a suitable word for her answer, and when to put her hands palm-to-palm between her knees. She asked me to allow her to try to perform it several times to be sure that she could do it properly. I was impressed by her resoluteness and her flexibility. She tried everything again and again to be sure that everything would go spontaneously as well as impeccably. Now she knows exactly how she should sit and how to smile to be charming, however, not imposing.
As far as the answers to the questions are concerned we arranged that she should not criticize anybody. True victims never criticize. They bear their pain with dignity. She has understood everything perfectly. Instead of criticizing others she should speak of her pain, of her sadness, of her suffering, of her decision to endure, of her readiness to forgive. I have told her that she has a special mission, because with her example she can influence the entire world. She was radiant with happiness to hear that. I have asked her all the questions we had chosen, one by one, and she has answered them all just as we had previously arranged it. Our whole conversation and all her actions, in short, the entire rehearsal, have been recorded. After that we watched the recording together and discussed each of the movements she is supposed to perform during the interview. She has done everything just beautifully. In my opinion she might become a great actress.
She has understood that in the interview all questions in connection with the relationship between her and her mother as well as between her and her kidnapper must be treated with special care.
We discussed several possible answers to the question concerning the relationship between her and her mother and came to the conclusion that the most useful answer would be that nobody was closer to her than her mother.
We also came to the conclusion that the best answer to the question concerning the relationship between her and her kidnapper would be that there had not been any emotional or intimate relationship between them whatsoever. This is absolutely necessary because Vivien’s intimate sphere must be protected by all means. The reasons for that are manifold, of course, but one of them is the most important. First of all, we should understand that rudeness and aggressiveness are two particularly strong elements in the character of the masses. The masses prefer heroes to pitiable creatures. Even those less aggressive, however, equally ignorant – I mean those with the religious touch – are not particularly sympathetic to raped girls, because in the back of their minds there is always a mixed feeling that the victim has in one way or another cooperated with the perpetrator. They require from the victim either unconditional virginity or death. For them, being raped and yet innocent is an impossible state. Vivien must enter the hearts of the masses as the idea of the victorious innocence that wins the battle against the evil always present in the lowest sphere of all human creatures. She must, as it were, crush the head of the serpent of evil with her naked heel. That is what the masses expect from her, and that is what the masses must get from us.
Her innocence, paired with her resoluteness, must chase away the evil intruders after many bitter years of war. Orléans is possible any time and anywhere. Why should our time and our town not be worthy of creating a victorious innocence and thus enrich the history of our country and indeed of the entire humanity? And why should we here not be good enough to handle that creation?” said Mr Corner.
At the beginning of Mr Corner’s presentation, the members of the managing team did not know what he was up to, but now they suddenly grasped the essence of his plan. They were simply delighted, their eyes wide open, their hearts full of joy.
Only Professor Frederic seemed not to be aware of what Mr Corner had said. He was sitting in his armchair, his legs stretched out, his hands between his knees, and his head leaning forward so that he could not see anybody in front of him. He seemed completely absorbed in his own thoughts.
“Let us not forget,” proceeded Mr Corner, “that hundreds of millions of people worship a woman, just because she happened to be chosen to remain a virgin before the conception and after the delivery of the one who is considered, again by hundreds of millions of people, to be the only son of God.
Now I hope that it is absolutely clear why we must protect Vivien’s innocence. Her innocence is the pillar on which our success can and must rest.
I should like to point this out, because at the moment a similar case is running in our neighbourhood. I am sorry, but I must correct myself; that case is similar only on the surface, in fact, it is, however, completely and fundamentally different. It is true that both Vivien and the girl in our neighbourhood were kidnapped, it is true that both of them were very young when they were abducted, it is true that both had a difficult time and suffered a lot.
Vivien was only ten when the unpleasant event happened to her; the other girl was already thirteen. Vivien’s parents were divorced; the other girl’s parents lived together in harmony. Vivien had to endure years of tribulation; the other girl only five weeks.
All of these are considerable differences – there is no question about that. However, the greatest difference, the only one that is important to us and the only one that we are, in fact, interested in is that the other girl was raped by her kidnapper. She was chained to the wall and raped, more than once daily! That girl admitted that she had been deflowered and then raped again and again, daily more than once, and in the most brutal way. She had beseeched her kidnapper to spare her, to have mercy with her, but nothing had helped her. She gave a detailed account of all that had happened to her. She did it, no doubt, because she hoped that people would show compassion. Her kidnapper confessed everything which proves that she had not invented the story. However, nothing has helped her. She was deflowered but people have no compassion for her. In their eyes she is – at least partly – to be blamed for her misfortune. Her kidnapper has already excused himself, as he usually did after each new kidnapping and rape. People appreciate it very much when men