Bishop's Road (45 page)

“Sure it is,” says Ruth. “Did hell freeze over when I wasn't looking?”

“See what I mean? Your tongue is too sharp. You'll cut yourself bad on that one of these days if you're not careful, Missy.”

“Yeah yeah - whatever. Tell the happy family I'll see them around. I'm sure I have something better to do than listen to this tripe.” She leaves in a huff and people walking by step aside when they see her coming. Some of them cross the street. One old fellow takes the Rosary beads out of his pocket and kisses the crucifix. A little cold wind whips over Eve's grave, all the way down-town and in through Ruth's kitchen window.

When Ginny Mustard arrives the first thing she does is snuggle her baby. And since no one thought to give her anything to dry up her milk and it's only been a couple of days, Sweet Polly nuzzles in wanting a meal and Mrs. Benoit gathers up all the bottles she bought and puts them in back of the cupboard.

The second thing Ginny Mustard does is start packing to move to her new home in the country. Joe Snake talks for an hour or more before she sees reason.

“Let's stay here until next spring. I can get most of the courses I need at the university done by then.”

“But I want to sleep outside.”

“We can put a tent on the little bit of grass that Ruth didn't dig up.”

“But there is no water.”

“We'll build a pond.”

“There are no bats.”

“We'll stick houses for them in the trees and maybe some will show up.”

“I want to catch fish.”

“We'll find a lake.”

“Okay. But only until spring. We have to go see Annie Paul.”

“Yes. As often as you like.”

Ruth's apartment is so cold that she has to put on a sweater and mittens and even then she is chilled. She sleeps under
every blanket she owns. When Sarah comes banging at the door bright and early she is still freezing and won't get up for the longest time.

“I know you're in there, Ruth. I really need to talk to you. I'll kick this thing down if I have to.”

“What do you want, Sarah? I'm not in any mood for your shit right now.”

Sarah starts to cry. “I've done the worst thing, Ruth. I told Peter about Matthew not being his father. That you're his mother. We couldn't find you. Matthew arid Joanna are at the house. You have to come and get this straightened out. Please, Ruth.”

“What is there to straighten out? I'm sure you've told them everything I said. That's all there is there ain't no more, darlin'. Though I do have Bill's phone number. How about you just take it and traipse on home and give it to Peter and if he wants to call his daddy he can. By the way, make sure you tell him that Bill doesn't have a clue about any of this. Not a clue. You go on now. We can talk about this until the second coming but it won't change anything and you sure as hell don't need my input.” She finds the paper with Bill's address and hands it to Sarah. “Here, girl. Knock yourself out.”

Ruth packs clothes, can opener, frying pan, bowl, plate, knife, fork, spoon, coffee cup, kettle in an old duffel bag and lugs it over to Ginny Mustard's house. Yells out to Joe Snake that she wants to see him. “I need a favour. Lend me some money and give me a ride away from this friggin' place. I have some more thinking to do. No. That's not the truth. I've done enough of that. I want to be by myself. Completely by myself. Here's the key to my place. Take my plant and look after it will you? And my books. I'm going to buy as many groceries, beer and smokes as you can afford and then you're driving me off into the sunset. Just don't tell anyone where you left me. Deal?”

“Deal. I'll let the others know that I'm going. When can I
say I'll be back?

“Give it half the day.”

“Right. Why are you wearing winter clothes? The sun is splitting the rocks.”

“Not where I'm standing, it isn't.”

On Bishop's Road Mrs. Miflin's tenants wake to the day. One heads around back to walk in the garden. Another slides like a ghost out the front door and down to the river. Someone lies on her bed and tries to remember where she was yesterday and on the third floor landing a very sad woman sits in an old chair near the window. If she squints real hard she can see all the way through the trees and into the park from here.

The End

Some of the words quoted in Bishop's Road are found in
The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock
by T.S. Eliot,
What Lips My Lips Have Kissed
and
Renascence
by Edna St. Vincent Milky,
The Unstrung Harp; or, Mr. Harbrass Writes a Novel
by Edward Gorey, and
Hamlet
by William Shakespeare. Others are from
Hush Little Baby,
author unknown.

Bishop's Road does not exist. Nor do the characters in this novel. But St. John's does and it is by far the most magical place on earth.