For Sure
Page 70
Terry jumped, thinking there’d been an accident.
“You made me tink dat breakfast!”
Terry regained his composure, adding:
“You can be sayin’ it that way. When you says dat, you have to add sometin’ on the end of it. Like, you made me tink dat breatkfast . . . is good in de mornin’. Or, dat breakfast, someone has to make it . . .”
. . .
1702.78.10
Accidents
“You see wot I’m sayin’?”
“Yes. Only I just want to say dat breakfast . . .”
Terry let it go. Two corrections the same day was a lot.
It is considered impolite to divulge one’s gains on the stock market. The same goes for one’s losses.
1703.85.9
The Stock Market
“Carmen’ll never agree.”
“On account of?”
“On account of de stream. She’ll be afeard fer de kids.”
“You tink? She’s not dat much of a mudder hen as all dat.”
“I’m tellin’ you. It’ll rub her nerves raw.”
1704.117.11
Death
little pink piggy
draw her dad draw her for me
corkscrew of a tail
vest and handkerchief in plaid
wolf eyes on the horizon
1705.75.5
Tankas
“Lakeville.”
“Lakeville Painsec or Lakeville Saint-Philippe?”
“Lakeville Painsec.”
Lisa-M. felt something bursting open.
“Ought to be called just plain Painsec. Like ’twas in de old days.”
Lisa-M. was already throwing herself completely into the idea of a return to the land:
“Wid a stream on top of everytin’! ’Tis like a dream!”
Pomme had never seen her so enthusiastic, including when he’d asked her to marry him:
“Lard, girl, I didn’t know you ’ad all of dat in you.”
Lisa-M. would not budge:
“Dat’s where tings is goin’. We has to learn to be relyin’ on ourselves.”
!
“I can’t wait! When does we find out?”
“Afore long. An’ don’t ferget, now, yer not to tell a soul!”
“I knows it. Only ’tisn’t gonna be easy!”
1706.129.7
Fantasies
Hans did not usually drink alcohol. But that day he’d gained some awareness of the size of the universe, and thought to himself, why not. (“Infinite to the naked eye, our galaxy, the Milky Way, is located on the periphery of a cluster of galaxies, that is of a group of at least a thousand galaxies. Scientists have recorded 86 clusters, which suggests the existence of at least 86,000 galaxies.”)
1707.74.10
Hans
“Mum, can we be inventin’ words ourselves?”
Carmen took the time to think about it, then began:
“Yes . . . only you can’t force other people to use them.”
1708.123.12
Carmen and Étienne
Étienne took his own time to reflect. Drifted away. Only to come back to it the next day:
“Mum, is der anytin’ you can force udder people to do?”
1709.111.11
Tools
In the end, the six-pronged fork turned out to be very handy.
“Gold is uncertain.”
. . .
“It’ll probably be a dead cat bounce.”
1710.85.10
The Stock Market
In 43, after condemning (Saint) James the Great to death, King Herod had (Saint) Peter imprisoned, ordering that he be chained in a cell. An angel rescued him, breaking his chains. Hence the name Saint-Peter-in-Chains.
1711.41.11
Lives of the Saints
Carmen was stunned:
“A stream?!”
“Well, way over at the end of de land. An’ ’tisn’t deep.”
Terry held his breath.
“How far an’ how deep?”
“Well . . .”
1712.117.9
Death
There was a time, not so long ago, when it was quite common to see a boy pull a penknife out of his pocket and use it skillfully — to whittle a stick, cut a rope, open a clam, repair a flat bicycle tire.
1713.93.1
Time
“Hans? Hans?”
Élizabeth had come be the Babar by chance, thinking she might take Marianne to the Magnetic Hill Zoo.
“Hans!”
Hans opened his eyes. The people gathered around the body stretched out on the floor could appreciate Élizabeth’s skills in action. She kept one hand on his pulse and the other on his forehead.
1714.74.11
Hans
“Élizabeth? Is that you?”
Comically, someone thought of Gabriel being reunited with Évangeline.
an X in the hand
or a sharp knife in the back
death will sign its folk
1715.55.12
Haikus
“I heard Terry an’ Zed made a killin’ on de stock market.”
!
“Seems dey had shares in a wee company dat just got bought up by General Electric fer sometin’ like twenty times de price dey paid.”
“Good fer dem!”
1716.108.4
Rumours
“Dey’s tinkin’ o’ buyin’ land in Lakeside . . .”
“Wot fer?”
“I don’t know, do I. An investment, I suppose.”
Luck.
1717.121.5
Things to Want
“Does you like drawin’?”
Chico shrugged. No, it wasn’t generally something he did of his own volition. But maybe he ought to try? Only Étienne didn’t pursue it.
“Do you want to read?”
Chico shrugged again. Drawing, reading, on what strange planet had he landed?
“Do you want to make a boat?”
1718.139.1
Étienne and Chico
Now, Chico’s face became a question mark. Étienne opened two doors near the floor that concealed a small workbench for making things with wood. Chico put his hand on the real hammer. Étienne showed him the nails.
“I never hammered nails before, only now I knows how.”
The character of the photocopier could have been more developed.
1719.96.3
Characters
“I heard Terry an’ Zed lost der shirt in de stock market.”
?!
“Seems dey put all der money in a wee company dat went bankrupt.”
“Dat surprises me. Seems to me, der not so stun’d as dat.”
“Dey bought an ol’ house fer next to nuttin’ behind Lakeside, I suppose dey’ll be movin’ out der.”
. . .
“Der wives aren’t all dat suited . . .”
1720.85.12
The Stock Market
To go on, in spite of everything. We can’t always wait for clarifications, or retrace our steps. Allow real life to operate within the work.
1721.107.9
Necessities
“Fer Bas-Caraquet, you’s gotta turn right when you gets across from de hospital.”
Étienne interrupted them:
“But, Dad, der’s no hospital!”
Terry was happy to see that the boy was attentive to conversation around him.
“Well, troot is der is one. It’s only dat ’tisn’t near as big as it used to be. Dey closed down some of
de sections.”
Étienne wondered at what age one began to understand things properly. Then he thought of the sky-blue windows of the old eviscerated convent, drifted off. And came back.
“Mum, do you tink birds are lucky?”
1722.140.10
Caraquet
Names of Acadian dogs: Prince, Brownie, Ginger, Rex, Sabre, Prince II, Vagabond, Coco, Bijou, Kayle, Keisha, Maggie, Corneille, Fido, Bailey, Tootsie, Baldor, Sandy, Rosie, Zack, Niki, Louis, Chopper, Popotte, Milou, Ti-Lou, Pépé Cool, Maxi, Pooh, Choco, Pitou, and Moka.
1723.99.4
Names
“Saint Cecilia painted a church in Caraquet.”
“Wot colour?”
“A whole lot o’ colours.”
. . .
1724.139.12
Étienne and Chico
“Only der all de same.”
. . .
“Blue.”
The perfect sentence on the art of becoming cheese, read somewhere, and never found again.
1725.47.2
Yielding
“Terry? . . . Terry? . . .”
. . .
“Terry!”
And Terry opened his eyes. It worked every time. Zed had learned the trick a long time ago, watching Élizabeth pull Hans out of a slumber that seemed like it might last forever.”
“De foal’s born. She’s a filly. Perfect healt’.”
Even paralyzed and mute, Terry remained Zed’s best friend, and the latter came by to see him almost daily.
“Chico’s youngest wants to call ’er Nadine. Can you imagine dat? Der tryin’ to convince ’er to call it Dina — Nadine, Dina, ’tis almost de same ting. Don’t know if dey’ll succeed doh, she’s one hard case, dat one.”
. . .
1726.133.12
The Future
“An’ how ’bout you, den! Are dey gonna get you up today?”
1727.98.8
Expressions
To be the object of ridicule, but to put on a good show.
“Eh, Dad? Wot’s de name of de saint wot trew de paper balls into de fire?”
1728.41.9
Lives of the Saints
INDEX
1. Chansons
2.1.12
14.1.1
20.1.2
24.1.4
30.1.3
46.1.5
66.1.6
68.1.7
90.1.8
98.1.9
194.1.11
447.1.10
2. Colours
6.2.2
19.2.5
23.2.6
29.2.4
35.2.3
61.2.7
108.2.9
114.2.10
120.2.11
144.2.12
302.2.1
817.2.8
3. Statistics
45.3.3
65.3.1
71.3.2
117.3.4
131.3.5
149.3.6
161.3.8
183.3.9
185.3.10
249.3.11
629.3.12
771.3.7
4. Scrabble
3.4.11
5.4.1
13.4.2
17.4.3
27.4.4
59.4.10
67.4.5
73.4.7
77.4.8
87.4.6
1503.4.9
1654.4.12
5. A Movie
316.5.1
320.5.2
328.5.3
330.5.4
332.5.5
336.5.6
340.5.7
342.5.8
348.5.9
354.5.10
358.5.11
360.5.12
6. The Babar
88.6.1
110.6.4
130.6.3
134.6.5
158.6.6
170.6.7
200.6.8
236.6.9
256.6.10
292.6.11
304.6.2
368.6.12
7. Useful Details
41.7.6
60.7.11
141.7.9
227.7.10
233.7.12
247.7.8
385.7.4
413.7.3
753.7.5
921.7.2
1011.7.1
1514.7.7
8. Didot Books
18.8.2
32.8.1
72.8.3
80.8.4
86.8.5
92.8.6
118.8.7
122.8.8
146.8.9
174.8.10
180.8.11
188.8.12
9. The Garden
346.9.1
390.9.3
408.9.2
410.9.4
578.9.6
592.9.7
594.9.8
598.9.9
600.9.10
604.9.11
610.9.12
1659.9.5
10. Typography
15.10.2
21.10.1
25.10.3
39.10.4
49.10.5
51.10.7
79.10.8
81.10.9
97.10.10
111.10.11
135.10.12
169.10.6
11. Appropriations
31.11.4
37.11.10
47.11.2
69.11.12
83.11.11
93.11.8
103.11.7
125.11.6
225.11.3
241.11.1
511.11.5
583.11.9
12. Structure
123.12.1
129.12.2
159.12.3
173.12.4
179.12.5
191.12.6
195.12.7
205.12.8
211.12.9
275.12.11
287.12.10
1181.12.12
13. Paternity
38.13.1
42.13.2
76.13.3
106.13.9
520.13.4
524.13.12
530.13.8
540.13.6
582.13.10
588.13.7
1230.13.5
1508.13.11
14. Zablonski
190.14.1
192.14.2
204.14.3
210.14.4
218.14.5
230.14.6
238.14.7
242.14.8
252.14.9
268.14.10
278.14.11
286.14.12
15. Unidentified Monologues
16.15.11
70.15.10
96.15.12
100.15.6
126.15.3
142.15.8
164.15.1
186.15.4
1050.15.2
1066.15.9
1188.15.7
1603.15.5
16. The Cripple
450.16.1
456.16.2
466.16.3
474.16.4
614.16.5
742.16.7
746.16.8
750.16.9
910.16.6
1270.16.11
&nbs
p; 1572.16.12
1640.16.10
17. Chance
53.17.1
133.17.2
167.17.4
193.17.6
202.17.7
213.17.9
1043.17.5
1139.17.10
1203.17.12
1425.17.8
1531.17.11
1571.17.3
18. A Place for Everyone
264.18.7
448.18.1
452.18.2
476.18.5
480.18.8
482.18.3
490.18.9
492.18.10
506.18.6
518.18.11
522.18.12
1460.18.4
19. Interesting Details
91.19.1
119.19.3
157.19.4
165.19.8
203.19.9
226.19.12
259.19.10
311.19.2
357.19.5
649.19.7
1360.19.6
1511.19.11
20. Language
54.20.8
168.20.2
184.20.4
345.20.10
502.20.5
589.20.3
599.20.6
603.20.7
611.20.9
641.20.11
1237.20.12
1570.20.1
21. More or Less Useful Details
63.21.7
127.21.9
196.21.5
325.21.6
379.21.3
494.21.2
617.21.11
625.21.4
769.21.1
1233.21.10
1315.21.12
1447.21.8
22. Overheard Conversations
22.22.10
208.22.7
216.22.1
246.22.6
324.22.12
458.22.11
478.22.4
484.22.5
496.22.3
500.22.2
1394.22.9
1524.22.8
23. Potatoes
624.23.1
626.23.2
646.23.3
814.23.5
872.23.4
980.23.6
1218.23.9
1238.23.7
1464.23.11
1480.23.10
1515.23.12
1556.23.8
24. Élizabeth
206.24.1
234.24.2
239.24.3
258.24.4
261.24.5
266.24.6
276.24.7
284.24.8
308.24.10
318.24.9
326.24.11
1641.24.12
25. Murder
388.25.5