I’m not stupid.” Matt’s voice broke.
Arthur’s mouth dropped open.
Lane studied Matt with growing respect.
Arthur cleared his throat. “She’s at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre.” Sweat rolled down the sides of his face.
“Do you three need time to talk?” Mrs. Stuckart asked.
Lane said, “If we started now, I suspect we’d be busy till midnight. We’d best deal with the suspension first.”
“Matt and I have talked already, and I’ve asked Mr. Smith to join us,” she said.
Lane detected something in her tone when she said “Mr. Smith.” The name appeared to give her indigestion. There was a knock on the door. Mr. Smith came in, and Lane felt the anger rising from Matt like heat on an August highway.
After introductions, Mr. Smith sat at the head of the table. Lane studied the man’s smile, his trendy haircut, the way faux friendliness was not reflected in his eyes.
Lane decided the time for listening had passed. “We’re going to talk with Matt about his choice of words. His reaction was not appropriate, but I’d like to ask Mr. Smith about his teaching style.” Lane looked at Mrs. Stuckart. He noted a brief, almost imperceptible smile cross her lips. Lane looked at Smith. “Would you recommend sarcasm in dealing with young people?”
“Of course not,” Smith said.
“Matt doesn’t react well to sarcasm,” Lane said.
Mr. Smith said, “I’m sorry if I gave Matt the impression I was being sarcastic. It was entirely unintentional.” He smiled.
Lane thought, I don’t believe a word of it.
“Do you believe in family values?” Mr. Smith’s voice was ripe with ridicule.
Arthur pushed his chair back and stood. “This meeting’s over.” Arthur looked at Mrs. Stuckart. “My nephew is not going back into this man’s class.”
Lane and Matt started to follow. Arthur was already out the door.
Matt broke the five-minute silence from the back seat of the Jeep. “What was that family values thing all about?” They were halfway home, and stuck in traffic on Glenmore Trail. On either side of the causeway, the reservoir water reflected sunlight.
Lane saw the sweat breaking out on Arthur’s forehead. Here we go, Lane thought.
“Lane and I are gay. Mr. Smith was trying to intimidate us. Family values was a thinly-veiled insult,”
Arthur said.
Lane heard fear of rejection in Arthur’s voice. Memories of former judgments and rejection by the vast majority of the members of Arthur’s family laced each word. Lane knew Arthur’s coming-out had been a nightmare of recriminations.
“Oh, I already know you’re gay.” Matt’s tone made it clear that he was far smarter than both the old men in the front seat. “I just don’t know how Smith knew it.”
“Well, he phrased it like a threat. The tone in his voice was unmistakable,” Lane said.
“That’s why I called him an asshole. That’s the way he talked to me,” Matt said.
“So, Mrs. Stuckart is going to get you out of Smith’s class,” Arthur said.
Matt said, “Guys like Smith don’t go away. They’re like my dad. They always find ways to make you pay.”
“Your dad’s a long way away,” Lane said.
“Half the kids in this school belong to the same church as my dad. He’s closer than you think. That’s how Smith knew about you.”
“So, what do you want us to do?” Arthur asked.
“Take me to see my Mom,” Matt said.
BOBBIE: Good afternoon. It’s Bobbie on the ride home.
I’d like to thank all of my listeners for the kind words, thoughts, and prayers. Today’s program is about grief and living with it. What do I do after the funeral is over and my child’s room is empty?
How can God fill up my life? Brenda, you’re caller number one.
BRENDA: I want to know how you stop hating your
ex! I mean, he killed your baby girl!
BOBBIE: I don’t know. I protected the children as best
I could. Other women in my situation know the laws in this country make it difficult. After my husband left, his behaviour became more and more violent. I blame myself for not seeing this coming. Bobbie took a long, shuddering breath.
Jay and Tony sat beside one another sipping coffee from white cups. They relaxed in front of the university library where the grassy courtyard was being sucked clean by a green four-wheeled vacuum the size of a dumpster.
Jay said, “It would be better if we waited a little longer. Let Rex get a little complacent.” He looked nervously at the machine. The noise meant the volume of their conversation was dangerously loud.
Tony took a thoughtful sip of coffee. He wore black today and drank his coffee the same way. “Did you ever notice that when you fart, a girl will always come up to talk with you? And it seems like the intensity of the odour is directly correlated with the level of attraction or repulsion to the female.”
“You’re starting to sound like a professor. Too may lectures are rotting your brain.” A noxious stench reached Jay. “And that’s not all that’s rotting!”
“Tony?” the young woman asked. Her hair was black, reaching to the base of her spine. She wore a red blouse and white slacks.
Jay felt like singing and hoped for a gust of wind to clear the air. She is stunning, he thought. I never thought I’d feel like this after what my sister did to me.
Tony said, “Rosie, this is Jay. What’s up?”
“Besides the fact that you stink!” Rosie turned up her nose with disgust.
Jay’s heart sank. She wasn’t going to stick around for long.
“It runs in the family,” Tony said.
“Uncle Tran wants the family to get together for dinner on Sunday at The Lucky Elephant and he wants Jay to come too.” Rosie smiled at Jay.
“Okay.” Tony looked at Jay. “You coming?”
If Rosie’s going to be there, Jay thought. “Sure.”
“See you there.” Rosie walked away.
Jay watched the way her body moved and fought the urge to write poetry. “She’s your cousin?”
“Yep. The real thing. Mom’s brother is Rosie’s father.” Tony smiled.
“What’s so funny?” Jay asked.
“You’re red in the face.” Tony began to laugh.
“How come I’m invited?”
“You know Uncle Tran. He’s always on the lookout for orphans. It’s his mission in life,” Tony said.
Friday, October 16
Chapter 9
HARPER ASKED, “ISN’T this a bit paranoid?”
They looked across the river at Bowness Park. Their car was parked at Baker Park on the north side of the Bow River. On this side, the remaining leaves were fading reds, yellows, and oranges.
“It’s quiet here. It’s what Lisa asked for.” Lane wore a blue jacket over his sports coat. He yawned, and it made his jaw pop.
“You look like hell.”
“No sleep.” The nightmares are starting up again, Lane thought.
“Care to elaborate?” Harper leaned against the passenger door.
“After the meeting at the school, we went to see Martha.” In an hour or two I won’t be so tired, Lane thought, I just need caffeine and some fresh air. He opened his window.
“How is she doing?”
“Worse than I thought. I mean, it was the first time I’ve met the woman. She’s got those sunken eyes. You’ve seen cancer patients before?”
“Oh, no,” Harper said.
“Exactly. Matt was pretty shocked. I had to take him outside while Martha and Arthur talked. She wants us to have permanent custody of Matt, if the treatment doesn’t work. According to her, Matt’s dad is abusive. With the new wife and baby, Matt won’t have much of a life with his father,” Lane said.