Back to the hotel. This time, I meet Solance-Marie.

 

I know she is Catholic. The three girls share a small altar behind the stairwell. Shiva, Ganesh and the Virgin Mary live peacefully on this shelf covered with dried flowers. One day, I show the statue of the virgin and Vajaya tells me: "It is Solance-Marie's statue...".

 

"I married in church with Joseph-Mariett-Selvam when I was 17 years old. Today, I'm 36. We have three children: an 18-year-old son and two daughters, 15 and 13 years old. They all go to school. My son would like to work in law, and my two daughters would like to be school teachers.

 

It has always been obvious to me that I will marry a Catholic. In general, families disapprove the unions of mixed religions. Especially the Muslim and Catholic families. Hindus, perhaps, accept more, but I'm not even sure. Sometimes it can happen anyway. If the two young people really like each other very much, then they have to talk about it. Finally, maybe it depends more on families than on religions themselves. Anyway, what is sure is that if young people want to get married, the woman has to change her religion."

 

I ask Solance-Marie if she thinks a man could convert for the love of a woman.

"Certainly not. It's always the woman who has to convert, not the man."

 

Then she tapped her lips with the tips of her fingers and stars at me with an accomplices look.

"You know, our voice does not matter."