Bishop's Road (34 page)

“I was going to visit Eve's grave tomorrow,” says Judy, “if I'm not arrested when Patrick tracks me down. Don't tell him you saw me, Ruth. Does anyone else want to come?”

Ruth tells her that she probably won't find Eve at home since she's forever gallivanting around these days. Though the only place to really see her is in the garden and she hasn't been here since last week.

“You're trying to freak me out, Ruth. Don't be telling lies.”

“It's the God's truth, Judy. Joanie has seen her several times. Only ever in the garden and not for a few weeks now but she has been around.”

“I'm not listening.” And Judy puts her fingers in her ears and sings
Jingle Bells
as loud as she can. The children giggle.

“I've been thinking,” says Judy when it appears Ruth has stopped talking. “And I think the best way for us to get Ginny Mustard out of jail is to all go there and make a lot of noise. I find that's the only way to get what you want. Make a lot of noise. Joe Snake can talk as good as anyone when he puts his mind to it but he's a bit soft. No one is going to take him serious. No offence Joe Snake, but you know what you're like.”

“None taken,” says Joe Snake.

“Ah,” says David. “The old squeaky wheel ploy. It might help. Remember when you tried it with that transition house a few years back, Caroline? They wouldn't allow a seventeen-year-old boy in when his mother went to stay there. Caroline made such a racket that eventually they had no choice.” He is proud of his wife. You can see it all over his face the way he looks at her.

“Well, I don't think the prison is the place to go. I think we have to camp on some judge's doorstep,” says Ruth. “I had a fling with one of them once. I don't know if they are all strange but he sure was. I digress. Forget that last statement. If we knew someone with clout. A politician or some such. Does anyone in this room know someone with clout?”

“You know Patrick,” says Judy. “Course he's the one who arrested her in the first place. Never mind.”

Maggie's voice is low and she has to repeat herself when they finally realize she has spoken. “My dad might know someone. He used to be a lawyer before he had his heart problems. He might be able to help.”

“Well,” says Judy, “it's about friggin' time you said some-thing. What were you waiting for, Maggs? A letter from the Queen? How come you never mentioned anything about your dad being a lawyer?”

“It didn't seem important before.”

“I think we should call him over and see what he has to say. Should we go get him Ruth? He's at Ginny Mustard's house. No. Wait. Maggs, you go by yourself. I bet Patrick is there just waiting to cart me off. And if he is, don't tell him where I am.”

“Judy,” says Ruth. “Do you think you can hide from him forever?”

“Yes. If I have to sleep in a friggin' ditch. There's no way I'm going to some friggin' detention place with a bunch of losers. He'll find something better to do one of these days and stop looking. I ran away from home once and it was six months before anyone bothered to find me. And I was living under their noses the whole time. I don't know if you've noticed Ruth, but adults aren't all that friggin' smart when you get right down to it. They only see what they want to see and the likes of me gets pretty boring after a while.”

Ginny Mustard wakes to sunlight but she doesn't move. Closes her eyes again quickly. Perhaps she is dreaming. Perhaps she is dead and this place heaven. In which case might her mother be here somewhere? She tries to think of anyone else she knows who died. Little Jimmy Batstone with the runny nose at the orphanage did when he fell off a snowbank in front of the bus that time and Mrs. Janes who ran the candy store next to the movie theatre before they tore it down. She died. And Eve. Ginny Mustard would like to see Eve again. They might all be here some-where. Should she look for them? What if Mr. Miflin is here? What if God let him in with all the other dead people? Forgave him the sin of killing Mrs. Miflin's baby. What if the baby is here too? It is so quiet. She had always thought there'd be singing or at least some music. But nothing. If it is heaven they will have to do something about the smell. Like a toilet that was really dirty and
someone scrubbed it with bleach as hard as she could but it never will come clean. Ever.

When the nurse comes in she can tell that Ginny Mustard is awake because people don't sleep with their eyes all scrunched up like that. She is wearing soft-soled shoes and when she speaks Ginny Mustard jumps as far as the handcuff that holds her to the bed frame will allow. But she keeps her eyes closed.

“I don't like that we have to tie you down, dear, but those are the orders. If you need to go to the bathroom you just press that button with your free hand and we'll unlock you. What did you do to get yourself in this kind of mess? Murder someone? I know there's a few around that I wouldn't mind doing in myself if I had half a chance. Funny way for a nurse to be talking I guess, being as I'm sworn to save people left right and centre. But we're none of us perfect that's for sure. They told us you don't talk but that's all right. I can do enough for ten. That's what my husband says and he should know, listening to me all these years, poor fellow. And he in a wheelchair too. Can't even get away when he wants. I tell him jokes to hold his interest. Throw one in now and then when he's not expecting. Keeps him on his toes, so to speak, if he could get out of that chair.” And she's laughing. The kind of laugh that makes you smile when you hear it. Makes you wish you could follow her around just in case something else strikes her funny.

“Well, now. It seems you can smile, anyway. Let me check that baby of yours. They say she's not doing so good lately. Her little heart slows down and she won't move.” And Ginny Mustard opens her eyes.

“Are you an angel?”

“So you can talk. The lies they get on with around here. Yes, darling. I'm an angel of mercy and don't ever let anyone tell you different.”

“And this is heaven?”

“No, sweetheart. This is a hospital. They brought you over last night because you were doing poorly. But never you mind. We'll have you happy as a clam in no time. You just do as Edna says and everything will be all right. I'm Edna. And I'm pleased to meet you, Ginny Mustard. Where on earth did you get a name like that?”

“It's short for Virginia.”

“Not Ginny, silly goose, Mustard.”

“It's my hair. The nuns said it's the colour, of mustard. Not hot dog mustard. The fancy one. Dijon. And all the kids started calling me that. And I didn't have any last name already so it's all right.”

“No last name! Well isn't that the strangest thing? You know if you want one you can just make it up. If you use it often enough and get someone to put it on a piece of ID you can have it. I read that somewhere. And it won't even cost you. Though you can't always believe what you read so maybe you should ask a lawyer. Do you know any lawyers?”

“Only the woman who was in court with me.”

“Well, I wouldn't bother with her. She can't be all that good what with you tied to a bed frame like you are. Why don't you ask our resident man of God when he comes round to hear your sins? He might know something besides the Our Father, though I wouldn't put my life savings on it if I were you. No matter, darling. We'll figure something out. You just think of a nice name that doesn't have anything to do with food.” And she busies herself with machines and gadgets for a few minutes. Says, “Well this baby seems to be doing all right. But Edna will be in to check again in a little while. I'm on shift until eight this evening so you'll be seeing plenty of me whether you want to or not. I'll bring you something to eat in a few minutes and I don't want to see any leftovers. You're as thin as a promise.” And she's gone in a gale of laughter. Ginny Mustard smiles.

When Father Doherty comes around she has broken her fast with porridge and milk, oranges and two bowls of lime jelly that Edna found in the kitchen, left over from the last supper. When Edna opened the window shades the sun was shouting off the waves between the hills and far beyond. And when she opened the little window below the big one the breeze came running in as though missing Ginny Mustard for a long time now and very happy to see her. Played with her hair awhile before settling under the bed blanket to cool her toes.

The good priest is determined to save this woman's soul and sets about praying with a sad face and his eyes soft. He reminds Ginny Mustard of Jesus in the pictures at Mrs. Miflin's house but he has no beard. Speaks so low that she has to strain to hear him. In a little while she gives up the effort and just listens to him drone on and on slow as cold molasses. Drifts off and still he talks until Edna comes in and shoos him away.

“You've gone and bored the poor thing to sleep. You should be coming around at night when they're all yelling for pills, Father. Save the hospital a bundle, you would. You're as good as anesthesia. Now go and see Mr. Maloney. He's in a state. They can't find anything wrong with him and he doesn't want to go home. They got two nurses in there trying to stuff him into his clothes. Like dressing a squid, they said. Go talk some sense into him. Your work here is done, by the looks of it. Go on, now.”

When Maggie goes to fetch her father, Joe Snake's family comes along to the house on Bishop's Road with him. Supper is over and Lucy is itching for excitement. Joe Snake is surprised to see them. No one had called to say they were coming. Lucy insists that her mother said she would and Mrs. Benoit says, “No, you
were supposed to.” So they have to argue for a few minutes which holds up the introductions but eventually everybody knows who's who and they get back to business.

Mr. Eldridge is acquainted with a few people in power but is not so sure anything can be done at this stage. Judy wants to re-visit her original idea to gang up and make a lot of noise.

“We could start with that and see what happens. It's not like we've got anything to lose. She's already in jail, right? But I'm not coming. I'll just be the brains of the operation. Behind the scenes.”

“I don't know if it will help but you may be right,” says Ruth. “It can't hurt.”

“Is it okay if I call my husband? Maybe no one told him I'm here and he might visit me at the prison.”

“You have a husband! Well I am happy to hear that. I was thinking you'd be one of those girls having to give up your baby to God knows what. You tell me the phone number and I'll make sure he comes to see you. Nobody said anything about you not having visitors and if they do we'll just sneak him in for you. What's his name, darling?”

“Joe Snake.”

“You're a queer crowd for names, aren't you? What were they thinking to christen a baby, Joe Snake?”

“His true name is Joseph Benoit.”

“French, is he?”

“I think he's mostly Indian.”

“So you'd be Mrs. Benoit. You don't need to make up a name at all. How is it you don't have a wedding ring?”