The thumping music wasn’t doing anything for her tonight. She looked down at her glass of ginger ale and sighed. Had she really thought this was fun?
She grinned ruefully and admitted that she had – six months ago. Before she’d lost her grant, before her mother turned her away, before…
Lucy rubbed her belly to reassure herself that she was still pregnant. She snorted. All she had to do was think about liquids or hear someone slurping a drink and she was off to the washroom.
Zara leaned in to shout, “We’re getting a bit old for this aren’t we?” But the sparkle in her eyes belied her statement.
Lucy smiled and called back, “It’s a possibility.”
“So, did that big guy find you? He was quite the hunk.” Zara’s eyes were full of mischief as she asked.
“He found me all right. Took a gander at my tats and lip ring and got the usual look.”
“So you aren’t going to let him help you? He seemed really nice.”
“I’ve had enough of help from men. The only help I got recently was when Mr. Clean’s brother located my car for me and gave it a good inspection. And he wasn’t interested in me, either. He was only trying to impress my neighbour Elaine.”
Zara looked disappointed. “Well, you probably could use some help, right?”
Lucy pursed her lips then said, reluctantly, “Yeah. I probably could.”
“Well, don’t shut him out. He was pretty easy on the eyes.”
“I’ve sworn off men for a while.”
Zara pointed to a tall slender young man with a pair of understated tribal tattoos on his upper arms. “Even him?”
Lucy looked at the man. “He’s pretty enough but he’s young and I’m pregnant.”
Zara said, “I suppose.”
Lucy looked over to see that the young man in question had finally drunk enough to have the courage to approach them. Lucy was forcibly reminded of her questionable behaviour with Nick as he came close. She studiously examined her ginger ale and was relieved that it was Zara that had caught his eye.
Zara engaged the young man in a brief conversation before nodding and heading to the miniscule dance floor. Lucy leaned back to emphasize her growing belly, which made another older man turn aside and walk toward another brunette. She watched as Zara flirted with the muscular but skinny kid. He looked like he just turned sixteen last week but he had to be at least nineteen to get in the bar.
When did I get so stuffy? She let out a bleak laugh. It must have been after I saw the plus sign on the pregnancy test.
After the set finished, Zara came back to her and said, “Lucy, this is Zack.” There was a familiar look on Zara’s face, the one that expected Lucy to give her a thumbs up and stay out late so she could have some privacy. Lucy made some polite noises and Zara asked Zack to get another drink for each of them.
“So?” Zara asked expectantly.
“He looks clean.”
Zara tisked. “But does he look like he’d be fun?|
Lucy rolled her eyes. “He’s not really my type but you always did like them long, lean and awake.”
Zara got a smug look. “No warnings?”
Zara had always trusted Lucy’s intuition when it came to inviting men home. “No. He’s a bit of a poseur I think. A nice guy who’s cutting loose a bit.”
Zara relaxed and accepted a glass of wine from Zack. They chatted for a bit then the two of them went for another dance.
Lucy wondered how Mr. Clean MacLeish would react to this bar and her best friend picking up random strangers to take home. How would he react if he knew that it used to be her preferred way to escape deadline stress and the constant sniping and one-upmanship of her corner of academia? And why did it matter what he thought anyway?
Thinking about Mr. Clean made her feel like she was doing something wrong, being here with Zara. Certainly it was a different experience with no alcohol or pot in her system.
She stood observing all of the people sizing each other up wondering if there was a chance of something more than just a banal conversation tonight. With a flash of insight she realized that somewhere in the past four months she’d grown beyond this, finally admitting to herself that loneliness and boredom could not be cured by picking up strangers in bars. It just pushed the loneliness away for a short while. She looked down at her small bulge. And you could get into some really life changing situations doing it.
Zack came back over to speak with her as Zara made for the ladies room. “We’re thinking about moving on to another club. Are you game?”
“I don’t think I am, Zack.” She grabbed his arm to bring his ear closer. “If I was you, I’d switch to cola or coffee about now. Zara’s up for a long night, if you know what I mean. You wouldn’t want to fall asleep on her, would you?”
Zack nodded thoughtfully and put his beer back on the table before smiling. “Good advice. Thanks.”
They made small talk until Zara came out of the washroom. “Are you coming with us?” Zara asked.
Lucy gave her an indulgent smile and said, “No, I was up at six and it was too bright out to get back to sleep. I’m getting pretty tired and it’s a long drive back to Rideau Ferry.”
Zara gave her a big hug. “It was so good to catch up, Luce. Promise you won’t be a stranger.”
Lucy smirked. “I have to be back. You still have all my furniture. And you’re still the best cook I know.” She gave Zara a squeeze. “Thanks for supper. I’ll call you next week.”
Zara took Zack’s arm and waved as they shouldered their way toward the front door. Lucy waved back as she headed for the ladies.
John resisted the temptation to gloat as he added all seven of his letters to the T on the bottom of the Scrabble board to spell ‘dipstick’ and land on both open triple word squares. His brother-in-law and sister looked at him in disbelief.
Ernie calculated the score, including the double letter on the S, “18 times 9 is 162 plus 50 for the rack… That’s 212. I’m lucky to get that for a whole game.”
Irene crossed her arms in a huff.
“So will you concede?” John allowed a grin to appear on his face.
She glared at him. Ernie said, “Reenie, you’re already ahead of John about forty games to ten this year. Maybe you can let him have one?”
She turned her glare on her husband, then her face softened. “Oh, all right.” She hauled out a battered notebook and made a note of the scores and the cumulative totals. “Oh.” She looked pleased.
“Oh?” The two men echoed.
Irene got a smug smile. “I’m actually ahead 43 to 8 this year, including this one. But I still want to finish. There’s at least twenty tiles left.”
Ernie said, “I don’t know why you keep playing against her. She has all the two letter words memorized.”
“And half the three letter words, too.” John gave his sister a fond look as she rearranged the tiles on her holder. “Besides, what else do I have to do on Saturday nights except eat my sister’s fine cooking and make her happy by letting her beat me at Scrabble?”
Irene punched John on the shoulder. “You should be out with a good woman on a Saturday night. Or bringing her here so I can fatten her up.”
John rubbed his shoulder then held out his hands in a helpless gesture. “What can I say? I’m holding out for someone as good as you.”
Ernie winked and said, “Won’t ever happen, John.”
Irene turned so she could lean back against her husband. John knew that he had to be going soon.
Ernie gathered his wife in a gentle embrace and asked, “So, have you decided what you want to do with your half of Rob’s shares yet?”
“I’m happy to let them stay in the farm corporation and reinvest the dividends. If you want to buy them out, that’s fine, too.
Irene said, “We’ll just add them onto the buyout schedule we negotiated with you and Rob, if that’s all right. It’ll take a few more years but I’d like us to eventually own the farm outright.”
John sai
d, “Don’t forget to give yourself raises, though. There’s that cost of living clause we put in the management agreement.”
Ernie looked like he had forgotten about it. Irene looked smug. “I didn’t. And I make sure that I record your maintenance work at the agreed rate. Don’t worry, John. Everything’s under control.”
“I know, sis. Mom and Dad would be proud.”
Irene nodded. “Now. I’m giving you an ultimatum. I want you to go on a date with someone next Saturday.”
“Let me guess, Oma and Opa are coming up from Stratford to spend time with Henk and Lissa next weekend?”
Ernie’s broad grin confirmed it. Irene shrugged and said, “There’s a concert at Scotiabank Place. They offered first.”
“Oh? Who’s playing?”
“Lady Antebellum and a couple of up and comers that you probably haven’t heard of.”
“Sounds like you’ll enjoy yourself.”
“And you’ve got your all access pass for the Chamber Music Festival, I expect?”
John grinned sheepishly. “Well, not exactly. I’m one of the patrons of the festival this year so I got a VIP pack that gets me premium seats at all the concerts for me and a guest if I pick up the tickets at least a week in advance. I’m hoping that I can get a date for at least one of the concerts, although I’m giving Anne MacDonald my tickets for the violin concerto with the NAC orchestra. I’m not that big a fan of Albinoni’s early work and besides, the point of chamber music is small venues with soft sounds not that big barn of an auditorium and a full orchestra.”
Irene said, “Oh, she’ll enjoy that very much.”
He stood. “Well, it’s getting late and I have an hour home. Give the twins a kiss for me when they wake up.”
At that instant, a single wail came from the baby monitor. It was followed shortly by another. Irene rolled her eyes and Ernie looked like a dog that had been kicked then he moved quickly to fetch the twins. Irene said, brightly, “I have a better idea. Why don’t you give them a kiss yourself?” She moved to the laundry room change table as he followed her.
Ernie came back with his two children, one on each arm. John felt a pang of longing as he regarded his strawberry blonde nephew and raven haired niece. Gently he took Lissa, who was first in everything, from Ernie and kissed her before handing her to Irene. Then he took his eleven month old nephew and cuddled him while his sister quickly and efficiently diapered his niece.
As he handed Henk to his mother, he gave his sister a quick peck on the cheek. Then clapped his brother-in-law on the shoulder. “See you guys in a couple of weeks?”
The two of them said “Good night, John”
He climbed into his truck in an unsettled mood. Seeing his sister and the obvious love that surrounded her family always made him a little wistful but since Rob’s death it felt more like longing. Like something important was missing in his life.
Another image of Lucinda Wilkinson’s metal studded face came to his mind. He sighed and asked, “Are you trying to tell me something, Lord?” As he relaxed against the seat back, he said, “All right, I’ll go visit tomorrow. And I’ll bring a peace offering.”
Chapter 4