“Well, I didn’t know you all that well den, did I?”
Terry thought that made sense.
“Dat’s troo. I suppose I could say de same meself.”
Terry took the vegetarian shepherd’s pie out of the oven, placed it in the middle of the table, and cleared his throat:
“So den, does dat mean I can keep goin’ wid it?”
1594.88.11
Freedom
What’s more, hardes or “clothing,” and barda, or “domestic chores,” two undeniably old Acadian words, come to the French directly from Arabic, as do truchement (with the aid of), raquette (racket or snowshoe), gerboise (jerboa), estragon (tarragon), chiffre (numeral), satin, chasser (to hunt), jupe (skirt), sirop (syrup), artichaut (artichoke), mesquin (petty), goudron (tar), nuque (nape), and calibre.
1595.56.6
Pilgrimages
“’Tisn’t an exact science; that’s why you have to develop tactics.”
. . .
“You have to read the river, identify the insects flying in the area. The more of them there are, the better.”
. . .
“It also helps to know when the tides come in and out. You have to gauge the light, the shadows, the currents, the wind, the leaves, how much room you’ve got for your casts. You have to have some idea where the fish are hiding to decide where to place yourself. You might decide to use an attractive fly rather than an imitative fly.”
?
“Of course, in spite of all that, and even in the best conditions, you may not catch anything. Some things we just don’t know. Some days they’re biting, some days they’re not. You never really know why. So, from one time to the next, you come up with tactics to attract the fish, to outsmart it. Because you know he’s there, he’s swimming down below the surface, he sees your fly, but he’s not biting.”
1596.126.4
Techniques
bottle
a note within
who finds it will reply
ruining the silence for oceans
of years
1597.80.11
Cinquains
“Give up, den?”
Étienne wasn’t ready to yield so quickly.
“Well? Does you give up?”
But making Chico wait wasn’t easy either, especially since he had no idea.
“OK, I gives up . . .”
1598.47.4
Yielding
The important thing is not having a huge variety of flies at your disposal. More important is to have all the sizes in a few select varieties.
1599.105.12
Reserves/Reservations
“’Tisn’t an exact science; that’s why you have to develop tactics.
. . .
“Over ’ere, you has all de stocks on de TSE.”
Terry continued to work the keyboard.
“Well see, dat’s it right der! I wouldn’t be comfortable wid any old company. Like, I’d have a hard time investin’ in some company dat’s clear cuttin’. Or a uranium company, even doh I suppose we needs dem. An’ not de banks neidder, I doesn’t feel like helpin’ dem any more dan we has to.”
“Fer sure, ’tis a proper ting to know de companies yer investin’ in.”
“Alright den, how does we know der really honest? Dey can say anytin’ dey like, fer all we knows . . .”
“Der’s people been studyin’ dat for a right long time. Dat’s de idea behind de list of fifty companies I’s showin’ you. All dose have got a proper track record.”
Zed looked once more at the list in his hand.
“Or you can go fer de real fair-trade companies, companies dat wants to make a profit by bein’ fair wid people an’ wid nature. Der’s more an’ more of dose.”
“Alright, sure, only are dey makin’ any money?”
1600.85.8
The Stock Market
Periphairy. The nonexistence of certain words is so astonishing that it’s with great joy that we bring them into the whirled.
1601.107.4
Necessities
“Josse doesn’t tink de lofts’re so great as all dat.”
“Awh, no?”
“I’s hearin’ her talkin’ to Simon, who was tinkin’ o’ movin’ in der, I suppose.”
“Simon? Wid Nadine?”
“I couldn’t make out wid who.”
“Well who’s movin’ out, den?”
“You doesn’t know? Alain found hisself a dot-com in Montréal.”
“Alain?! I tawt der was sometin’ fishy goin’ on!”
1602.108. 9
Rumours
Irritation on the subject of the subtitle Unidentified Monologues. It ought to be understood as monologues from anonymous sources, generic, or unattributed monologues.
1603.15.5
Unidentified Monologues
Terry had been so relieved that Carmen wasn’t angry with him for his stock-market activity that, for several days, he forgot that she too had a secret to reveal to him.
“So, when does I find out wot you’s hidin’ from me, den?”
Carmen was burning with impatience to show him her surprise; nevertheless, she managed to hold off a few moments longer:
“Are you sure yer ready?”
“Well, I can’t say I’ll ever be as ready as I’d like to be . . .”
But that was her limit. Unable to bear it any longer, Carmen pretended to change the subject. She bent over:
“Seems like der’s something caught under the cushion yer sittin’ on.”
Terry looked around, saw nothing, and did nothing more.”
“Looks like Marianne’s giraffe . . . take a look an’ see.”
Terry got up, lifted the cushion, but rather than a giraffe, what he found was a light blue plastic pocket folder on which, among others, were the words sun and vacation.
“Wot de . . .”
1604.94.8
Terry and Carmen
Standing with his hands on his hips, the man studied the ground, taking a few steps in one direction, turning around, looking. It was rare to see anyone at all in this small wood. Then the policeman signalled for her to advance and Josse advanced.
1605.78.5
Accidents
As they did most Thursday nights once the kids were in bed, Terry had been expecting Carmen and he to watch a film and munch on a few snacks. He was certainly not expecting to find four airline tickets under one of the sofa’s cushions.
“Are you pullin’ me leg or wot?!”
But Terry was already imagining his little family disguised in tropical duds, dragging their suitcases through an airport. He lifted the flap on the plastic case, searched a bit to discover their destination.
“Holy Jesus, Joseph’n Mary!”
Carmen was gleefully watching Terry’s every move.
“How did you manage dis?!”
Carmen laughed with joy. Terry shook his head slowly back and forth as he read the details of their itinerary. Carmen thought she could detect a thin veil of moisture in his eyes.
“Geeze . . . I never been in de sout’ in me whole life. De furdest I ever been in dat direction was Bangor.”
“I’ve been saving my tips for two years fer this. Do you think ’twas a good idea?”
“I can’t believe it! ’Tis glorious! Totally glorious!”
Carmen was proud of herself.
“Well, dat’s a surprise alright! I’d never ’ave tawt ’twas anytin’ like dis, sometin’ so shockin’ big, I mean.”
Terry embraced Carmen, squeezing her tight, then tenderly, and tight again. It was a kind of thank you.
“I can’t wait. ’Tis like I can see us . . .”
&nbs
p; “Me too, I can already see us!”
. . .
“I loves you, girl . . .”
“I love you, too. Shall we watch de film now?”
1606.94.9
Terry and Carmen
Render unto Caesar that which belongs to Caesar. The Open Work read in the context of a writer’s residency at the Université de Moncton (1997), where I was trying to imagine how the novel could draw inspiration from digital technology.
1607.128.10
Fervours
“Have a gock at wot me dad gave me.”
“Wot is it?”
“’Tis writin’ fer folks dat can’t be readin’ wid der eyes.”
?
“Dey only ’ave to touch de wee bumps wid der fingers an’ dey can understand.”
Chico asked for the cardboard sheet, examined it more closely.
“Hun!”
Étienne was happy whenever Chico hadn’t already learned something at school.
1608.139.11
Étienne and Chico
I’d photocopied those excerpts from The Open Work because the book was out of print. It has since been reprinted, and I’ve bought it (Harvard University Press). Appropriations are not an end in themselves; they necessarily lead to something else.
1609.121.8
Things to Want
“Me, I’m afraid of a shovel comin’ down on me foot and slicin’ off me toes.”
“That’s a tangible fear, easy to circumscribe and to surmount.”
“Tangible, circumscribe, surmount, wot do all dose big words mean?”
1610.82.12
Moncton
thriller
bears seals codfish
inspect prosecute net
police and troubled fisherfolk
fish fry
1611.80.7
Cinquains
“When I’s older I’s gonna pilot helicopters.”
Chico’s declaration seemed to come out of the blue. Zed was as surprised as he was moved. And he also noted the boy’s use of the proper French word piloter rather than something like . . . drĩvér?
“Well, dat’s a right smart idea! What made you tink of it?”
As a consequence, and without thinking, he’d used quesse for “what” instead of his usual quoisse.
“Did you hear talk ’bout helicopters in school, den?”
“No. I was just tinkin’.”
Zed decided not to push the matter any further. The fact that the boy was imagining any sort of future seemed already sufficient victory.
“Well, I wouldn’t be afraid to go up in a helicopter wid you. I know you’d know exactly wot to do.”
Chico looked pleased.
1612.135.4
Zed and Chico
Hans will end up staying quite a while in Fredericton, where he’ll find enough work to buy himself a new pair of pants, shoes, and several shirts. He’s in no great hurry to come to Moncton, taking his time, putting aside a little money. Does he realize that he won’t see Moncton in this book, with this author? No. He’s convinced he’ll make it to Moncton in this book.
1613.31.7
Questions with Answers
“Hallo Serge!”
“Terry!”
“’Ave you got a minute?”
“Sure!”
Terry pulled out the roll of tape from the pocket of his jacket.
“Wot does you call dis ’ere sort o’ tape?”
“Tek tape. How come?”
“Well, on account of dey’s written ‘tuck tape’ all over it. Tuck t-u-c-k.”
Serge shook his head sadly, as though to say things were never that simple:
“Do you want the whole story, from de very beginning?”
Terry explained himself:
“Well, it’s only dat it don’t make no sense!”
“In dis ’ere business, there’s a whole lot of things that don’t make no sense, let me tell you.”
Serge took the roll from Terry’s hands and began:
“When dis ’ere tape was first introduced on de market, some twenty years ago, we called it tek tape or Tyvek tape, because dey was usin’ it to tape up Tyvek joints. It was a tape specially approved for dat in de building code. The name ‘tuck tape’ wasn’t written on it in those days.”
Terry nodded: this was exactly the sort of explanation he was looking for.
“The name ‘tuck tape’ isn’t commonly used dese days. Dey tend to say ‘sheathing tape,’ ‘tek tape,’ or simply ‘red tape.’ The problem with ‘tuck tape’ is that folks get it mixed up wid ‘duct tape.’”
Terry was amazed: that was exactly what had happened to him.
“In de last ten years, duct tape — you know, dat’s de grey tape — has more or less caused a revolution, on account of it’s become de best tape to fix all sorts o’ tings: furniture, broken windows, ripped car seats, bed covers, cable . . . pretty much anyting.”
Terry nodded again. He could see why the owners of the hardware wanted Serge to run the store. Serge continued:
“Me, if I was sendin’ someone to de store to fetch a roll of tuck tape, I’d take de trouble to add, dat’s ‘tuck’ wid a t, like in Telesphorus, an’ I’d even add more, I’d tell dem it’s de red tape dat costs around ten dollars a roll. If I was wantin’ anudder sort, I’d tell dem to buy de grey duct tape — an’ dat’s ‘duct’ wid a d as in Donald de duck.”
Terry noticed that, in addition to being clear, Serge’s explanations were quite pleasant to listen to. Serge now returned to the roll he was holding:
“I’m pretty sure that dis ’ere company — Canadian Technical Tape — sells a whole lot o’ different tapes, like masking tape, hockey tape, electric tape, an dat dey is de ones dat called der red tape ‘tuck tape.’ An’ dat can’t have been too long ago. Only folks call it ‘tek tape’ so as not to be confusin’ it wid de original red tape, made by 3M, dat is, if I isn’t mistaken.”
Serge had come to the end of his explanations.
“Is dat wot you was askin’?”
“Alright, I tink I got it. Der must be times de whole ting drives you round de bend.”
Serge laughed, and added:
“Most likely widin a couple o’ years, dey’ll change de colour, an’ it’ll only cause a whole lot more red tape.”
1614.76.4
Avatars
True or false: gossip and rumour are forms of sociology.
1615.116.9
True or False
“Are you afraid he won’t make something of himself?”
“Well, wid de life ee’s had an’ all dat, I might ’ave tawt maybe . . .”
“Could be, he sensed that.”
“Still, day by day, me entire focus goes on makin’ sure de boy’s alright.”
“Of course. Only things like that are communicated somehow.”
. . .
“Probably he told you that so you wouldn’t worry.”
“So den, ’tisn’t true ee wants to pilot helicopters?”
“Maybe it will be true. But more likely he felt the need to say it to you, probably to reassure you.”
Zed didn’t particularly like to think of Chico having to make such calculations.
“It isn’t conscious. I know, it’s hard to believe, only that’s how it is: one unconscious speaks to another.”
“Dat gives me de shivers down me spine. Are you sure?”
1616.60.11
Superstitions
death
like some big X
in the curve of his back
the railway lines in the palm of
his hand
1617.80.12
; Cinquains
“Me, I’d say yer fear of yer toes gettin’ sliced off by a shovel is more a worry dan a fear. I mean, there’s not much chance of it happening, now is der?”
“An how can you be so sure?”
1618.104.8
Worries
“Well, dat shovel’d ’ave to be sharp as razor, or else you’d be dealin’ wid some wild muscleman. Tink ’ow much strengt’ ’twould take.”
. . .
“No?”
Forty years or so later, Umberto Eco wrote How to Travel with a Salmon.
1619.133.6
The Future
“Mum, luh at dat building over der!”
“That’s the old convent. All dat’s left are de walls because de insides went up in flames. Everyting was made o’ wood in dose days.”
1620.140.3
Caraquet
Étienne imagined the insides of a wooden building wrapped in flames and rising up high over the roof.
In Fredericton, Hans washed dishes in The Palate restaurant for several months.
1621.130.9
Work
“Hahaha. Dese’re tiny strawberries, eh, Dad?”
Étienne wasn’t used to strawberries so small that they had to be kept in a proportionally small jar. Terry tried to attenuate the boy’s comment in front of their hostess:
“Wee field strawberries! Dat’s rare! I remember gatherin’ dem when I was a boy.”
Madame Dugas, the innkeeper added:
“I’ve put in twenty-three bottles dis year, dat’s four more dan last year. Ask me, ‘twon’t happen again. De blueberries’re invadin’ us.”
Étienne looked at his father, his mother. Invading? Terry explained:
“Dat means der everywhere, more an’ more o’ dem.”
And he added, for the benefit of his hostess:
“Dat’s a shame, on account of dese wee bottled strawberries’re not a bad bit nice!”
“But, Dad! I tawt you only liked de big fat strawberries widout chemicals!”
“Sure, only dat’s aside from de wee strawberries from Caraquet. Tink of ’ow long it takes just to be fillin’ a wee bottle. Dat’s ’ow you can tell der worth a whole lot.”
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