television loves: beginning with her promise as an athlete, moving onto her success in business, building to her political wins, her exemplary handling of her cabinet post and the growing belief that she was destined for great things, and then suddenly the climax – when at the moment where everything seems possible, the protagonist self-destructs, leaving nothing behind but the shards of lost possibilities.
At a little before noon, I e-mailed my draft proposal to Jill, then called the massage centre Zack and I used and booked an appointment. In my opinion, I’d earned an afternoon of indulgence. I had a glass of wine with lunch, then I had a nap and a swim and went to my massage. Two hours later, with the life force once again flowing unimpeded through my body, I came home, made a salad for Taylor and myself, and took my Matisse biography outside with a glass of iced tea. The good life.
Ed Mariani called just as Taylor and I were about to leave for Mieka’s. “Glad you caught me,” I said. “Taylor and I were just on our way out the door.”
“Actually, I wanted to talk to Zack,” Ed said.
“He’s in Saskatoon. He had meetings there all day and he’s speaking at a dinner tonight. Do you want his cell number?”
“Thanks,” Ed said after he wrote the number down. “Everything okay with you?”
“Couldn’t be better,” I said. “I spent an entire afternoon following my bliss.”
“Well, I won’t keep you,” Ed said. “Thanks for Zack’s number.”
“Ed, you sound a little distracted. Is something wrong?”
“Nothing that can’t be fixed,” he said, and he hung up.
Taylor and the granddaughters and I were sitting on the steps of Dessart Ice Cream Emporium when Zack called. “What are you up to?” he said.
“I’m sitting on the steps of Dessart with the young women in your life. We’re all eating double-deckers with sprinkles.”
“You’re lucky. I’m at a reception with a bunch of other lawyers waiting to get our joints bored off by an evening with Morty Lamb.”
“Isn’t the expression ‘tits bored off’?”
“I was attempting to be inclusive,” Zack said. “The last time I used the term tits, you took umbrage.”
“You sound a little lubricated.”
“Probably more than a little. Some of us got together for drinks before we came here.”
“Always a good idea to have a few drinks before you go to a reception where the wine will be flowing.”
“I’ll slow down.”
“That’s my boy. Hey, did Ed Mariani get in touch with you?”
“I had my cell off. I’ll call him later.”
“Ed says it’s important.”
“Okay, I’ll call him now. Hold that. We are being waved into dinner. I’ll call him after the prime rib.”
“Make sure you eat something.”
“I will. And I’ll call you when I get back to my room. It won’t be late. Morty joined us for drinks, and he’s already nodding.” Somebody who was demanding Zack’s attention was speaking to him. When Zack came back, he sounded wistful. “Tell me again exactly what you’re doing.”
“Sitting on the steps of Dessart with the girls. The sun is setting behind the cathedral. We’re finishing our ice cream, and we all miss you.”
“That is precisely what I wanted to hear.”
The girls were tucked in, and Taylor and I had just started perusing Mieka’s DVDs when Francesca Pope called.
She got right to the point. “Your husband can’t be trusted,” she said. “I want my bears.”
“I can’t do anything tonight, Francesca,” I said. “I’m not at home. You called my cell.”
“I know,” she said. “I got the number from your voice mail. When will you be at your house?”
“Probably not till around ten. You can come by then if you like.”
“It’s not safe for me there.” Her voice was thick. “It’s not safe for them either. I have to get them out of there.”
“I’ll bring the bears to you tomorrow morning.”
“No! It could be too late by then.” Her voice rose with desperation.
“All right,” I said. “I’ll bring them to you tonight. Where can I meet you?”
“At the side of Acme Store-All. It’s right next to the Pendryn.”
“Where Cristal Avilia lived.”
“And died,” she said.
My pulse quickened. “Francesca, how close were you and Cristal?”
“She was my best friend,” Francesca said, then the line went dead.
I thought about calling Zack but realized he’d be in the middle of dinner. The news about the nature of Francesca’s relationship with Cristal could wait, but Francesca’s fear stayed with me as Taylor and I settled in to watch
Mieka came home just as the credits at the end of the movie were rolling. Taylor and I had polished off a pitcher of iced tea and most of a bowl of popcorn. We’d also gone through a substantial number of tissues, but I would have been hard-pressed to identify exactly for whom I was crying.
When Mieka walked into the family room, I stood up and looked past her for Sean. “Where’s the junior partner?” I asked.
Mieka scooped out the last of the popcorn. “Where junior partners go at the end of an evening – back to the office.”
“Did you have fun?”
“Yes, we did. Very low key, but it was nice.” She kicked off her shoes. “Would you care for a beer while you debrief me?”
“I’d love a beer, but I have to go on an errand.”
Mieka glanced at her watch. “It’s quarter to ten.”
“This is urgent. Do you remember Francesca Pope?”
“The Care Bear lady? Sure. She’s pretty memorable.”
“She left her bears at our house for safekeeping and she’s decided she needs them back.”
“So you’re going to take them to her at this time of night?”
“I’m going to meet her next to the Pendryn – I’ll be back in half an hour.”
“Mum, that is not a safe area.”
“People pay three-quarters of a million dollars to live in that area, Mieka. How dangerous can it be? Besides, I promised.”
“Okay, then. I’ll go with you.”
Taylor was off in the kitchen, making a phone call, but I still lowered my voice. “Mieka, you know how Taylor is about being in the house alone at night.”
“She won’t be alone. The girls are here.”
“The girls are little kids.” I picked up the popcorn bowl. “When I get back, we’ll have a beer and I’ll fill you in on nightlife in the warehouse district.”
“At least promise to keep your car doors locked.”
“If the car doors are locked, how will I get the bears out?”
“I thought you were the brains in the family,” Mieka said. “Hand Francesca the bears through the window.”
I’d forgotten to leave any lights on at home, and as I opened the front door I felt the stab of mindless fear I always experience going into a dark house. Taylor wasn’t the only one with anxieties. Reassured by the presence of the dogs, I moved quickly, turning on lights and humming to break the silence. I picked up Francesca’s backpack and returned to my car. Then, with the bears beside me on the front seat, I drove down Albert Street to the warehouse district.
Our mayor had dreamed of transforming the northeast core of the city into a place where the rich could live and the hip could play at night. As I turned onto Dewdney Avenue, it seemed that at least part of the mayor’s dream for the area had been realized. The magenta lamppost pennants that marked the district were snapping in the breeze
