Part 27 (2/2)
No response.
”h.e.l.lo?”
Madison pulled the sun visor down and inspected herself in the mirror. With the handkerchief, she dabbed underneath her eyes, then looked out the pa.s.senger window. A pink foam had formed along the banks of the artificial lake. Leaves, Tim Hortons cups, and refuse from Kentucky Fried Chicken bobbed on the small waves.
”Listen, you two. If it'll cheer you up, I'll jump in that smelly lake right now. Right now. I heard from a guy that a poodle swam in there last fall and it died. Even if that's true, I don't care. It means nothing to me, nothing. Because I love you guys. I love yez. You're my favourites and I hate to see this sorrow. I just hate to see it.”
Rajinder pulled up in front of Jeanne's sister's house, a three-storey cream-coloured Cape Cod with two tiny birch trees planted in front. The trees looked so thin and forlorn, Jonas figured they needed hugs. He hopped out of the back seat and proceeded to embrace the first one. It was small so he had to bend low to get under the pokey branches. To his distress, both Rajinder and Madison ignored him.
The front door opened and Katie, in a winter jacket and rubber boots, ran out. Madison went down on both knees to hug the girl, who launched into a stream-of-consciousness speech about Halloween, her new school, finger painting, a kitten named Chris, and the distinct possibility that by this time next year she would have a trampoline.
Katie finished her speech, said h.e.l.lo to Jonas and Rajinder, and yanked Madison by the hand. Jeanne stood in the doorway, wearing a pair of jeans and a black sweater, her blonde hair tied up in a bun. Makeup did not hide the dark shadows under her eyes.
Jeanne and Madison hugged. Jonas insisted Rajinder go next because he wanted to study the interplay between the former lovers. They hugged as well, but not warmly. It was as though they were both worried about the other's hands being sticky.
”You look amazing,” said Jonas, as he hurried in for his own hug. He picked Jeanne up into the air for a moment and as she went limp with discomfort he placed her back down on the entrance rug.
67.
the wild things Jeanne invited Rajinder and Madison to sit on the puffy leather couch facing the fireplace and Katie's overflowing toy box. Her new My Little Pony lay on the laminate floor, next to a pile of wrapping paper. They listened to Katie describe the situation at her Montessori kindergarten while wearing a Darth Vader voice-changing mask.
”We play with wood mostly,” said Katie, in the voice of James Earl Jones.
Even though this ranked in the top-five most uncomfortable moments of her life, Madison couldn't stop smiling at Katie. For the first time in her four months of pregnancy, Madison felt thrilled to be having a child. A girl, hopefully, with red hair and brown eyes.
And if Rajinder wasn't comfortable with that, she just had to stop caring about him. Now or as soon as possible.
It helped that he had slept with Jeanne. It helped that he had been disingenuous about the Let's Fix It project. He wanted to Fix It because he had, from a certain point of view, caused It.
”We did a pond study last week.” Katie nodded her Vader head. ”My teacher's name is Mrs. Allen. Lots of the bugs we saw were dead.”
Jeanne stood up from her own puffy chair and held a hand out for Katie. ”That's great, honey. Now it's time for you to go upstairs and play.”
”No.” Still in the Darth Vader mask, Katie ran around the coffee table and hopped up on the couch next to Madison.
”Yes, Katie.”
She took Madison's hand and squeezed it in hers. ”No!”
”Once the adults are finished talking, Madison will come up and play with you.”
Katie turned and looked for confirmation with her Vader eyes. ”Really?”
”I absolutely promise,” said Madison.
The four-year-old pulled off the mask, took her My Little Pony and a copy of Where the Wild Things Are, and started up the stairs. She stopped halfway and looked down. ”You better not take forever.”
Madison shook her head. ”I won't be long.”
The door closed upstairs and Jeanne sighed. ”Can I get anyone a drink? Beer, wine, tea, juice?”
There was a plate of California rolls on the granite countertop. Jonas sat on a stool and dipped one into a mixture of wasabi and soy. ”Your sister got any Scotch?”
Jeanne started around to the open kitchen. ”She does, in fact, and no one ever drinks it. Want some?”
”Do I!”
Madison wanted to take this opportunity to say something to Rajinder. Yet she wasn't sure she could articulate it. So instead of speaking, Madison turned and punched Rajinder in the shoulder. Then she wound up and punched him again. ”I am sorry, Madison,” he said, rubbing the spot.
Jeanne returned to the living room with her own gla.s.s of Scotch. No doubt she had heard and perhaps seen the blows Madison had delivered. Smelling of imitation crabmeat, Jonas plopped down beside Madison on the couch and took a long sip of Scotch.
”So,” said Jonas. ”It's been ages. How are things, Jeanne?”
She took a long time to answer, which pointed to the absurdity of Jonas's question. ”s.h.i.+tty, all things considered. You?”
”Can't complain, can't complain.”
Madison slid forward on the couch. ”Katie seems to be doing all right.”
”She still has the nightmares, but yeah. She's doing pretty well.”
”Was she in the bedroom when...”
Jeanne nodded.
”I'm so sorry. We all are. It's probably an obvious and annoying thing to say.”
Jeanne nodded again.
”Did you receive the letter from the university?” said Rajinder.
”I did. Thanks for forwarding it on.”
Rajinder looked at Madison and at Jonas, and used his hands to indicate this was a team effort. ”As a community, we have been searching for ways to save the Garneau Block from annexation and ultimate destruction. After some research and a lot of creative thinking on the part of Raymond Terletsky, we have decided to aim for a cultural designation.”
”What does that mean?”
”We're not positive yet. Raymond Terletsky and I met with some local architects, a museum consultant, and the guest composer at the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. As a matter of fact, Jeanne,” Rajinder leaned back in the couch, as though he were seeking shelter, ”we are here to discuss an important matter with you, something we hope you will agree is the best solution for everyone. I would like to buy your house. We would like to buy your house, and transform it into a sort of...a very special place.”
Jeanne shook her head and took a sip of Scotch. ”I don't get it.”
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