Family Portraits

by JoAnn Aitken

  When Dennis and Sharon came with Fawn to Antigonish to celebrate their ninth wedding anniversary in September, they buried all that was left of Caroline under her grandson’s tree. Gordie had had a small oval stone polished and engraved with just the word “Caroline” because that was really all they knew about her.

  October 2015

  Theresa was a happy woman. She was a grateful woman who usually managed to keep the bad times pushed back, far back. However, today was the fifth anniversary of Gabriel’s death, and memories were washing over her like waves.

  She stood in her kitchen, her children off at school, preparing Gordie’s special lunch. She thought about the children: bright and beautiful Molly, so much like her grandmother; Michael-Gordon, Billy’s boy, a reality that made her sad, but she was glad he had a loving home; and her muppets, Joy and Sean, aged nine and eight, well-adjusted and full of fun, the only ones who hadn’t known sadness other than the death of their brother, the only ones who had spent their entire lives happy and secure with both their parents.

  She thought about the overwhelming love with which they had all been conceived and the hurt and fear and despair which had brought Gabriel to be. Had he really been an angel sent to her to help her through the nightmare that followed? He lingered long enough to inspire everyone he met.

  She brushed away a tear that was trickling down her cheek as she poured homemade soup into Gordie’s thermos. She remembered Gabriel skipping down the street as they delivered lunch to Daddy and sniffled a little as she filled a Tupperware with fresh fruit salad.

  “Who lives in that house, Mommy?”

  “Why are blue jays blue?”

  “What do you think that cat is thinking about?”

  The clock stopped her reverie. It told her it was time to go.

  As she walked down the front sidewalk, she looked at the Gabriel tree. Its autumn leaves had all blown away in Tuesday’s windstorm. Another winter was almost here.

  Theresa walked through the chilly morning. Suddenly, she saw clearly that she would gladly suffer again all the terrible things that had happened if only she could reach the place she was in now. Gordie appeared in her mind’s eye. He was smiling at her, his arms spread wide. She quickened her pace.

  February 2016

  Eddie was coming to Hamilton for two whole weeks. Katherine was delighted. Two weeks to be together, sitting up late, talking and drinking brandy, lounging in bed until they were ready to get up, visiting their loved ones. Eddie, of course, would be doing some work, but it would be more relaxed than his usual hectic schedule.

  They embraced like young lovers when he came through the door. “Do you want a drink, darling?” she asked.

  “Not just yet,” he said. “I want my pussycat.”

  “My genius,” she laughed, and they walked up the stairs.

  After a glorious welcome-home celebration, Kathy asked him if he wanted a drink now. “Most certainly, my beloved. Do we have any champagne?” he grinned.

  “Unfortunately, there is none on ice, master,” she replied. “All I can offer is mundane Scotch.”

  “Well, bring it on, wench,” he ordered, with his classic Eddie-smile.

  As she prepared the drinks at the small bar, she heard him gasp. She turned to see him clutching his chest, all color drained from his face. She ran to his side to find him sweating profusely.

  Instinctively, she rushed to the bathroom for aspirin and returned to put one in his mouth. She dialed 911. The ambulance would be there in a few minutes.

  She threw on her clothes and went into the hallway, calling for Alex and Liam who appeared immediately, hearing the urgency in her voice. She asked them to watch for the ambulance and show the paramedics up to the master bedroom.

  When the paramedics arrived, they transported Eddie to a nearby hospital. Alex was going to drive Katherine, but Eddie managed to say, “My wife…” and gestured with his right hand. She rode in the front seat of the ambulance.

  At the hospital, he was immediately taken to a small room filled with monitors and equipment. Kathy was taken to a reception area where she answered questions. She seemed to be watching herself. She could hear her own voice but was not aware of speaking.

  After a long time, she was allowed to return to Eddie. He was hooked up to a monitor and oxygen tubes in his nose. In spite of that, he looked a good deal better than he had. A nurse explained that he had had blood taken, and it had gone to the lab.

  “I’m sorry, darling,” he whispered.

  A very young-looking doctor asked if he could answer a few questions. Eddie nodded.

  “What do you do for a living, Mr. Gascoyne?”

  “Real estate.”

  “Tell me about your day,” the boy doctor said. “What time did you get up?”

  “Three-thirty.”

  “After how much sleep?”

  “About three hours.”

  “What did you do at three-thirty?”

  “Some work before I went to the airport.”

  “Did you have a good flight?”

  “Got some work done.”

  “Did you drive from Toronto?”

  “Too stressful. Took a limo.”

  The doctor smiled slightly. “So you were able to do some more work?”

  “Yes.”

  “And then?”

  “Got home and made love to my wife.”

  “When did the pain hit?”

  “About fifteen minutes later.”

  Katherine hung her head. She’d almost killed her Eddie.

  “That’s quite a busy day, Mr. Gascoyne. And I see that you are sixty-three.”

  “Yes, unfortunately.”

  “Are most of your days like that?” the doctor asked.

  “Pretty much. Maybe not up so early.”

  The doctor looked at Katherine. She nodded.

  “Do you drink much, sir?”

  “No. Got to stay sharp.”

  “Smoke?”

  “No.”

  “You look fairly fit. You must eat well.”

  “I try.”

  “Mr. Gascoyne, I have to wait to see the blood results, but I don’t think you’ve had a heart attack. I believe you’ve had an episode brought on by stress and anxiety. Are you worried about your business?”

  “Consumed by trying to downsize,” Eddie admitted. “I want to come home to my wife.”

  “Well, sir, I suggest you slow down considerably, or your wife will be spending time visiting you at a cemetery. That’s not what you have in mind, is it?”

  Eddie admitted it was not. “I promise to try. You have to help me, Kat.”

  “We’ll talk about everything,” she said. She felt like she might faint from relief.

  The doctor left them alone, saying he would return with the blood work results. He wanted Eddie to stay the night so that he could continue to be monitored.

  The doctor’s suspicions were verified, and Eddie returned home the next morning. A new chapter was beginning for the Gascoynes.

  Billy used his cell phone when he was working or away from home. He preferred to communicate by landline or e-mail. His sons made jokes about him.

  He picked his phone up when he went into his office the next morning, and he read the text from Alex about Eddie:

  ECG attk gen hsptl.

  It was dated 9:57 the previous night.

  Billy went ballistic. He loved Eddie as if he were his father. He phoned his sons and got the unfortunate Liam on the line. “What the hell is wrong with you two assholes, texting me that message about Eddie? You know I don’t carry my phone with me every fucking minute like you do.”

  “Sorry, Dad. I guess we weren’t thinking.”

  “Is he okay? What’s going on?”

  “Kathy brought him home this morning. He’s okay. It was just a stress thing, not a heart attack. She’s going to talk to you soon, I guess. She was pretty freaked out.”

  “How did he look? Can I come and see him?”

  “H
e looked fine. Kathy looked bad. He’s supposed to slow down. Lucky he’s here for two weeks. But good luck to Kathy, trying to get him to relax.”

  “I’m coming this afternoon when Kathy will have had some time to rest, and I’m bringing your mother. You tell them. Will you be there?”

  Wisely, Liam said, “Yeah. We’re working on essays.” They’d actually been planning on going to the university to hustle girls in the Student Union Pub.

  He added, “You can probably come any time. Kathy doesn’t look like she’ll be resting any time soon.”

  “I’ll see you in a few hours,” Billy replied, somewhat mollified. “Maybe Mike would like to come too and see his grandparents.”

  It wasn’t as hard as everyone thought to get Eddie to slow down. The experience had deeply frightened him, and the thought of his Kat at the cemetery was too much to bear.

  He had been making great progress in Vancouver, and he decided to turn everything over to Larry. It was a complicated process, but ultimately he was permanently situated in Hamilton. He had his Hamilton and Toronto properties, but Katherine had insisted on working through lawyers and property managers.

  Eddie had always had mental pictures about life in the poor house after everyone had swindled him, but his wife assured him that, even if his worst fears were realized, they were still extremely wealthy and the poor house wasn’t really looming in their future.

  She also convinced him to get moving with the Foundation, officially appoint the Board of Directors, begin soliciting donations, and start with some serious donations. Easter weekend saw the formal beginning of Gabriel’s Miracles. Finn was Chairman of the Board.

  Next, Katherine booked a week’s luxury cruise on the Rhine River followed by a week in London. This, she announced, was their honeymoon. Eddie had been too busy for thirty-five years.

  They described their upcoming trip over dinner with Sharon and Dennis, and Eddie said, “I just hope we don’t have to pray at sunrise.” Katharine burst out laughing.

  “I haven’t thought about that in years,” she said.

  The last time Kathy and Eddie had gotten away, other than visiting Antingonish or Gatineau, was at the beginning of their marriage.

  Eddie had been working on a deal involving a luxury ski lodge outside Vancouver with an older gentleman who was the leader of a group of wealthy fundamentalist Christians. They were considering the lodge as a peaceful getaway where they could meditate and get closer to God.

  Eddie thought they were all nuts, but the lodge was worth millions. He lined up a minimal staff and invited the small group to come for the weekend. He had to be there and begged Katherine to come too.

  It was a subdued gathering, no alcohol, no television, nothing remotely resembling fun. Even the meals had to be simple fare. The folks walked the property, which apparently was truly inspiring, and spent a lot of time in Bible study.

  They all went to bed very early because they had to get up before dawn for their sunrise prayers. Eddie and Kathy were invited to join them, although they had the suspicious smell of heathens about them. Eddie explained that they were Catholics and would attend Mass at the church in a local town. Papists were almost as bad as heathens.

  After evening prayers, the lodge was in silent darkness by ten o’clock. There was nothing for Kathy and Eddie to do but have prolonged sex. Unfortunately, their suite was next to the pastor’s, so they had to be really quiet. Wicked Eddie kept whispering filthy bilingual things into Kathy’s ear to make her laugh.

  The next morning, after the group had worshipped at sunrise, the Gascoynes said they were going to church and avoided breakfast.

  Sadly, it was too early for Mass, so Eddie and Katherine had sex in the car in the woods. When they returned, the leader said they seemed to be glowing with God’s spirit, and Eddie said, “Yes, my wife said several times that she could feel the Lord inside her.”

  In the end, the sale was made and at the full asking price. Praise be.

  Dennis and Sharon were hysterical with laughter.

  “That’s it,” said Kathy. “I’m waking you up at sunrise every day we’re away. Be ready.”

  June 2016

  Billy had to drive to a greenhouse near Hamilton to pick up some plants and shrubs. M-G came along to help.

  It was always nice to travel in the truck with M-G. It was nice and quiet, not like when Alex and Liam rode with them, endlessly nattering away.

  When Kim wanted to push Billy’s buttons, she would say that maybe they should have been hairdressers.

  After half an hour or so, Billy said to M-G, “You know you’re my guy, eh?” M-G made an affirmative sound, but he felt really happy. Billy didn’t say sentimental stuff very often.

  “Well, I’ve been thinking that you’ll be seventeen in a couple of weeks and starting Grade Twelve in September. Maybe it’s a good idea to make some plans for after high school,” Billy continued.

  “But I want to work with you,” M-G said with a tinge of alarm.

  "That goes without saying, but I want you to have some official academic credentials behind your name. A diploma you can hang on the office wall along with mine.

  "You’ve been working with me since you were a kid, and you have a lot of knowledge. You also have a talent for landscaping. I’ve seen you sketch out a plan on the back of a fast food napkin.

  “Would you like to go to Ryerson and get a degree in Landscape Architecture?”

  “In Toronto? By myself,” M-G sounded horrified.

  “Then how about going to Niagara College for a diploma like I did?”

  “Could I still live at home?” the boy asked.

  “It’s a fair trip, especially in the bad weather, but I’m sure we could make it work if that’s want you want,” said Billy. “I did it, and I wasn’t much older than you would be.”

  “Another choice would be for you to apprentice as a mechanic. You’ve inherited your dad’s mechanical skills. I’m sure cousin Luke would take you on at Canadian Tire.”

  “I love cars and all that, but I want to work with you,” M-G reiterated.

  “Then let’s try to make it happen. I want you to take over the business when I retire or die,” said Billy.

  “You can’t die,” said M-G.

  “Okay. I won’t,” Billy laughed. “When we get home, want to look at the Niagara College website and see what’s going on?”

  When Eddie and Katherine got back from their utterly fabulous vacation, the Foundation had done some good deeds.

  They had already been aware of some worthy causes and had moved ahead with donations for wide-screen televisions for the pediatric dialysis unit at the Children’s Hospital and a new piano for Gabriel’s elementary school (resulting from Barbara’s presentation to the Dunnville Chamber of Commerce). Finn had engineered a rapid restoration of the home of a single mother in the north end whose family had been forced out by a kitchen fire.

  One family member had seen a documentary about three former Presidents of the United States working for Habitat for Humanity following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. “Let’s check them out,” it was suggested.

  It was a great idea. Gabriel’s Miracles had a good deal more to offer than money. There were so many ways to move. The Foundation made a considerable contribution, and a number of the principals applied for active participation.

  In March 2017, help was needed in Mexico. Habitat for Humanity suggested that a group of six might help in a house-building venture in northern Mexico for a period of three weeks.

  Billy definitely wanted to go; March was his off-season. Dennis and Sharon booked three weeks’ vacation. Eddie wanted to go too, but Katherine said she wouldn’t let him leave her side, so their son Eddie Jr., a marine biologist with the Province of British Columbia, took some vacation and represented the Gascoynes.

  Gordie couldn’t take time off. A new bay was being built at the service center, and everything was chaos. He was deeply disappointed, but he felt he couldn’t take adva
ntage of Seamus’ good nature. Phil, Shannon’s husband, stepped forward to be number five.

  Although Finn was seventy-two, he insisted on going along. The administrators had had dealings with Finn and knew that he was strong and vigorous. They recognized that he was a natural leader and knew much about many things. He was the sixth member from the Foundation.

  During the next couple of months, the team members were individually interviewed and attended orientation sessions and team meetings. Everyone was extremely excited. On Theresa’s birthday and her and Gordie’s twenty-first anniversary, Kathy and Eddie, with the assistance of Kim and Molly, held a Mexican fiesta to celebrate. Eddie and Gordie, M-G, Alex, and Liam were the ones figuratively crying at this party because they wanted to go too. The anticipation mounted daily.

  It had only taken the project interviewer a few minutes with Finn to recognize what he had been sent. He asked him to be site leader for one of the two houses being built. Finn agreed and received lots of reading material, websites to investigate, and was put in touch with the other site leader who had taken part before.

  Dennis would be making a short documentary most of the time, but he would also work alongside the “grunts” as Billy referred to himself and the rest of the team which would include other volunteers and locals. Sharon would help out in the small medical facility.

  It was an exhilarating and life-altering experience. They were building a simple fifty-four-by-forty-six-yard dwelling to a tight deadline. It was hard work in weather not as bad as the summer months, but plenty hot nonetheless.

  They worked from sun-up to sundown with a short siesta in the afternoon. After their evening meal, they relaxed briefly and then crashed. But their satisfaction and determination couldn’t have been greater.

  Finn was their overseer and almost immediately caught the attention of the villagers. Naturally, he had been studying Spanish so he could communicate on a basic level.

  Tall and strong, wearing his hard hat, carrying his clipboard, Senor Finn fascinated the little children who followed him like lambs. He had to explain that it wasn’t safe for them to be on the work site, so they watched him from a distance. When he would move away to a bench for a bottle of water, they would swarm around him, vying to sit on his knee or next to him.