Bishop's Road

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Bishop's Road Page 18

by Catherine Hogan Safer


  Mrs. Miflin goes to her house every day and sits on the front steps. She has taken her money from the bank and carries it around in a brown paper bag with handles. A copy of the Catholic Chronicle tucked over it so no one will see what she has there. She can’t get anywhere with Joanie and waits for John to come home from work but her backside gets numb or she gets hungry and thirsty and it’s too cold and Joanie won’t let her in so she usually wanders off by three o’clock. Joanie hasn’t told John about Mrs. Miflin and she never comes by in the evenings.

  Whether it is fortunate or not that John pays a surprise visit when Joe Snake comes again looking for Harvey so he can take a new picture for Ginny Mustard, is difficult to say. Might take years to find out for sure. But Mrs. Miflin is on her perch when he pulls up and is so upset with that heathen Indian in her house and she, a God-fearing woman, having to sit outside in the freezing cold, she decides to tell John all about the affair Joanie is having behind his back. “As soon as them youngsters is out of the house in the morning that one is over here and they’re going at it all day long. You can hear them out in the street. You should put a stop to it right now Mister. There’ll be talk for sure, if you don’t.”

  And John races into the house to confront the lovers. Finds them in the kitchen drinking coffee and looking at drawings of some sort. It might be the sudden rise in his blood pressure that makes him appear so threatening, eyes bulging and he is shaking, even drooling. How else to explain why Harvey makes a mad dash for his throat, pushes him to the floor and holds him there, jaws wide open and teeth pressing against John’s skin, just enough to let him know not to move. Growling for effect, pleased that he can, never having tried it before. Waiting for someone to say, “And who’s the best dog in the world?” Rub his head and give him a treat.

  Joanie stares for several seconds before going to John’s rescue. Pulls Harvey away and helps her husband to his feet. He tells her she’s gone too far now but what else should he have expected from a woman like her. Joanie assumes he’s upset because she has company. John doesn’t care for guests unless they’re his.

  Mrs. Miflin comes in and starts counting out her money on the kitchen counter next to the stove. “It’s all here. Every last penny of it. I hardly think you’d want to be living in this place now what with your wife carrying on like that. It’s a good thing I came along when I did. I knew she was no good the first time I set eyes on her. Messing around with that Indian and his pregnant wife in prison for killing my poor husband, God rest his soul. Right there in the living room she did it and I in my sick bed at the time and couldn’t even get up to stop her. She got what she deserved, you know. Justice will always prevail when it comes to her kind.”

  Now it’s John who is bewildered. “Who the hell are you?”

  “I am Mrs. Jessie Miflin and I’m here to buy my house back. I made a mistake. Though not as big as the one you made by the looks of it, marrying the likes of her. I’m going to get all my lovely furniture and move in as soon as you sign it over to me. I hope that doesn’t take too long. I’m just about driven cracked in old Mrs. Pretty’s place. My God, but she’s slovenly. There’s no other word for it. I can’t understand the city not shutting her down. But we’ll see about that once I get settled.”

  Judy enjoys her new-found fame and fortune - to a point. “It’s all fun and games,” she says, “until someone loses an eye.” She’s making truckloads of money and even after The Great Simon Grace gets his cut there’s more than she can spend. She sends Joe Snake the $1,000 she borrowed in a really fat, padded envelope and no one can tell there’s cash in it. Mails it from New York so he can’t trace her but since he never opens the bank statements he doesn’t have a clue that he and Ginny Mustard have been ripped off and can’t figure out why someone would send him so much money. Gives it to his parents so they can buy a new sofa, something nice for their house.

  Judy told the officers who pulled her from the fight that her name is Felicity so that’s what she’s stuck with now and just as well, though if anyone from home should see her face on a magazine cover they wouldn’t recognize her anyway, she’s that made over. After a few months she started to be bugged by the whole thing. Standing around in the friggin’ cold waiting for a cameraman to take his friggin’ pictures, and that after getting out of bed before the friggin’ sun comes up. And Simon always measuring every bite of food she puts in her mouth. Telling her she has to watch her weight because no one wants to see a fatty on the cat-walk. Simon getting pissed with her when she doesn’t get enough sleep as if she’s going to be in friggin’ bed by eight just to please him. And if that wasn’t bad enough, he decided to put the make on her and he says it isn’t true, he was just kidding around, and if he hadn’t put his hand on her backside it might have passed, but he did and she slugged him one and split his lip.

  She said, “Like I’d ever let you near me for fuck sake you’re forty if you’re a day. Screw you buddy, I’m going home.”

  “You can’t do that. You signed a contract.”

  “Tell it to my probation officer why don’t you!” Packed her bags.

  On the other side of the earth, Maggie and her dad are tired. They have seen and done enough to last a lifetime. Just the other day Maggie said she would like to go back now. They were walking a little street in London and someone was tarring a roof and that scent and the salt fog made her homesick for this place. It happens to everyone. There’s no getting around it. It may be warm and lovely, peaceful and no struggle elsewhere. No matter. Once this place gets in your bones you will find yourself longing now and then. Minding your own business and out of the blue a hunger. You need something and you think it’s a sandwich or love or a new coat but it isn’t. And then you know. If I can breathe that air for an hour, you say. If I can walk by the water or over the hills, surely that will cure whatever ails me now.

  John decides quickly that-they will move. It will take a few weeks to put things in order. Transfer his office. He sends Mrs. Miflin away with her bag of money. Tells her he will be in touch but she’s not taking any chances. Comes by every day and parks her fanny on the front steps. No real estate agent is putting a sign on her house and she’ll be waiting if one even tries to.

  Ruth telephones a couple of times but John answers and tells her that Joanie is not accepting calls. Eleanor wants to see Beth. They had such fun at Dorrie’s shop opening and it’s been a while now, so Ruth is dispatched to the house on Bishop’s Road to ring the doorbell. See if Beth can come over to play. She finds Joanie packing dishes in the kitchen.

  “We’re moving. I have to finish this so I can get supper started. We will probably sell the house to the same woman who sold it to us. Isn’t that the funniest thing? She just happens to want it back and it couldn’t have worked out better for us.”

  “You can cut the crap,” says Ruth. “I was talking to Joe Snake and he told me what happened. Just stop for a minute will you and tell me what’s really going on.”

  “Nothing’s going on. It just didn’t work out for us, business wise. John feels that Alberta might be better. Financially. This place is not exactly a boom town, you know.”

  “This is such bullshit,” says Ruth. “Been there, done that, bought the tee-shirt. Talk to me. I’m sure I have better things to do but I can’t think what they are right now.”

  Joanie talks. And talks. “I don’t know what happened. We were so happy when we first married. Sure, John was a little controlling. Possessive. But I put it down to his loving me so much. He came from an unhappy home. His parents split up when he was young. He is so afraid of losing me that he can’t stand to see me talking to other men. He just can’t take any chances, you know. He loves me and the children so much. He couldn’t bear to live without us. My parents haven’t been in touch since we moved here. I wish I knew what’s wrong. I know they don’t care for John all that much but still - they would hardly write me off too. And they love their grandchildren. Oh Ruth, I don’t know which end is up anymore.”r />
  And in the end Ruth says, “So who takes your mail to the post box? Let me guess. Hmmm. Could it be John? Could that be why you never hear from your folks? Come with me. You can call them from my phone. Maybe they can help you out of this mess. That husband of yours is a freak. There’s no way a man like that should be anywhere near children, especially his own.”

  There’s barely enough time to get to Ruth’s and back -what with the car off limits - before the children return from school. Joanie’s parents don’t answer. She leaves a message with her address and Ruth’s phone number and says she will call back as soon as she hears from them. Says please let Ruth know what time and it has to be between nine and three but not lunchtime when the children are home. And she starts to cry. Says she doesn’t have any clothes to wear. Says she’s lonely. Wants to call again to hear her mother’s voice on the answering machine. But there’s no time and she rushes home to meet Beth and Michael waiting for her on the front step. They were worried. Michael especially. He bites down on his bottom lip to stop its trembling. He’s not allowed to cry. And she holds both of them more tightly than she has ever dared before. And she says, “It’s all right. Everything is going to be all right now.”

  Ruth says, “There. Doesn’t that feel better? You don’t have to be so tough, you know. I’ll get out of here before that one sneaks home to check up on you. You know where I live. You have my number. If you need me, get your ass over to my place. Take this key. Hide it though. And for God’s sake don’t say a word about this to his nibs. That’s the worst thing you could do right now. He’s only got one oar in the water and it probably wouldn’t take much to set him off. Promise.” And Joanie promises.

  Joanie holds her tongue and if John notices that she is a touch more nervous than usual he doesn’t mention it. Goes back to his office after dinner. Eve comes to the garden. Says she is pleased that Joanie phoned her mom and dad. Now she can do what she likes with the flowers.

  When Judy’s flight arrives she goes home to Ginny Mustard’s house. Joe Snake hears a little rustling coming from downstairs but thinks nothing of it. He is worried sick about his wife and can’t be bothered with mice or rats or anything else that may be roaming about. When she comes upstairs for coffee in the morning he says, “Hello.”

  “I know you’re not much of a talker, Joe Snake, but I’ve been gone for a dog’s age. You think you’d come up with more than hello.”

  “I have to find a way to get Ginny Mustard out of jail. She is suffering and looking poorly. I have an appointment to talk to the warden today.”

  “Why don’t you see if they can put her under house arrest? I did that once. They put me at the YWCA and as long as someone checked my room all the time it worked pretty good. Until they found the bit of pot I had and turfed me out. Sometimes they let people serve their whole sentence at home as long as someone is keeping tabs on them. They’re not allowed out at night and they can’t drink and stuff. You know. Shit like that. Of course, they might not do that kind of thing for murderers. Mostly just people like me. Did you get the money I sent? Do you think if I go to school this morning they might not notice I was gone? Did anyone hear from that bitch Maggie?”

  When Joanie’s parents hear her message, her father calls Ruth and her mother books a flight through the Internet simultaneously. They aren’t the kind to waste time when their children’s welfare is at stake. They pack their bags and are out of the house within an hour. John wouldn’t let Ruth talk to Joanie so it is a big surprise to everyone when her parents ring the doorbell at six the next morning.

  John curses when he hears it. Tells Joanie not to go near the door. Whoever it is will leave in a minute or he’ll call the police but the ringing doesn’t stop. Cursing some more, he heads down over the stairs. Looks out a window to find out who’s making this infernal racket. When he sees who has come calling he has no choice but to let them in, but not until he forces his mouth into a welcoming smile.

  Joanie’s father’s name is David and he is a big man. Tall and strong. The kind of dad everyone wants when there’s trouble afoot. Her mother is Caroline. Not so tall but you wouldn’t want to be on her bad side either. When John answers the door she pushes past him. Into the house. Calling to her daughter as she searches for the stairs.

  During their flight home Maggie and her dad remember that they have nowhere to live. Surely Judy has another room-mate by now and Mr. Eldridge may not be welcome in his old house, being divorced and all. Maggie would live with him if he thought it was a good idea. But he doesn’t. “You’re a young woman. You should be on your own, not hanging around with an old man all the time. It’s not good for you.”

  Judy finds the postcards that Maggie sent ever so faithfully from abroad. Joe Snake kept them just in case she showed up again. She has a little cry for herself while she reads them.

  Joe Snake is making no progress in his bid to free his wife. She has never complained to the warden about Crazy Rachel’s behavior. And no one thinks she looks sick enough that they need to do anything about her situation. Her shot at parole is still a long time coming and if she doesn’t like it she never should have pulled the trigger and killed poor Mr. Miflin in the first place. Granted, she’s not all there, but guilty nonetheless. Joe Snake is sent on to the next person and the next, in a chain of command that seems ridiculously long to be dealing with one thin woman.

  Before Joanie’s mother has even hugged her daughter she searches out the bedroom closet. Grabs the pitiful wardrobe -hangers and all - and runs downstairs. Dumps the works on the living room sofa and stands over the sad shirts and the suit, two pairs of pants. Says quietly, “You bastard. You bastard. Look what you’ve done to my girl.” And when John opens his mouth as though to speak she whirls around to stare at him. Raises her hands, palms inches from his face, fingers spread and claw-like. Says, “Don’t. Don’t make a sound.”

  John appeals to his father-in-law silently, expecting under-standing. But David Scott smiles and turns away. “He’s all yours Caroline. Do with him as you will.” Puts his arm around Joanie and walks her upstairs to the children.

  Caroline speaks clearly and low. Almost whispers but there’s a roar at the back of her throat. “When Joanie introduced you to us, my skin crawled. Your mouth has slime written all over it, John. Your hair is too neat and you spend too much time sucking up to anyone who has more money than you do. I had hoped you would grow out of it. I had hoped that foanie would be strong enough and good enough to help you become human. I have never interfered with my children’s decisions - no matter how disastrous they appear. But when they call for assistance, God help the poor bastard who has wronged them. I want you to leave this house. Find somewhere else to stay. Pack a bag and let us know where you will be and I will forward the rest of your belongings. This is no longer your home. Tell Michael and Beth you have to take a business trip and get out. There is nothing you can say right now that can make any difference other than in helping me to decide whether the rest of the world should know how my daughter has been clothed while she raises your children. Get out. Now.”

  Patricia Hartman ignored the invitation to Ginny Mustard’s wedding. Home from her visit she managed to put her sister’s face away at the back of her mind, where it stays for the most part. When her father showed up out of the blue, having read of his ex-wife’s death, she spent a day and a half with him before thinking to mention that he has another daughter. Her mother had done a great job of hiding her second pregnancy, running off before she was five months gone and showing. The man was shocked to learn the news, but only until he remembered other details of his former life and then it all made sense somehow.

  Dr. Kamau is very tall and good looking. Sophisticated. Walks like some kind of king. As though the planet belongs to him. He has spent so much of his life poking around in its cultures that perhaps it does. He certainly knows what it has been up to all these years. People stare when he passes and he often smiles at them. A slow smile. Mostly with his eyes and the
y get the feeling that he likes them. Patricia thought the smile was just for her until they went out together and she saw that he treats everyone the same. It annoys her that she’s nothing special. And just when she was thinking of switching her surname back to Kamau, too. Now he wants to visit that other one. Patricia becomes irritated and testy when he asks Virginia’s whereabouts. If her father notices that she is very much her mother’s daughter, he doesn’t say.

  His telephone call to the house on Bishop’s Road proves fruitless. Mrs. Miflin’s number is no longer in service. Patricia won’t recall the names of the other women who lived there but Dr. Kamau decides to go visiting anyway.

  “Surely you won’t show up unannounced, Father. Virginia is not stable and your sudden arrival could cause considerable damage.” She doesn’t bother to mention that her sister calls herself Ginny Mustard. Let him figure that one out on his own.

  Dr. Kamau is happy to go alone. He considers asking Patricia if she cares to accompany him on the trek but she has begun to look so much like her mother that the thought of spending any more time with her right now is unbearable. He will drive. Days it will take and the ferry crossing is long but he’s on sabbatical with no particular place to be so no matter.

  When Maggie and her father arrive at Ginny Mustard’s house there’s nobody home. Someone left the apartment door unlocked. Most likely the same someone who recently dyed her hair orange and there are spots all over the tub surround. They make themselves at home and Mr. Eldridge gets started on the newspaper to find a place to live. They thought to take a hotel for a few days but they’ve both had enough of that. Maggie is hoping that Judy doesn’t have another roommate and is willing to let her stay. The few odds and ends she left behind are still in plain view and there’s no indication that anyone else has moved in. In fact, other than the mess in the bathroom and Judy’s unmade bed, it seems no one has been here in months. There’s dust all over the place and milk soured solid in the fridge. The unmistakable sound of Judy’s footsteps interrupts Maggie’s inspection and she braces herself for the worst, which is no less than what she gets when Judy comes tearing into the apartment.

 

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