Maxine (26 page)

The front door of the apartment stands open.

You're sure you're ready to go back? Maxine is helping him on with his knapsack.

Yeah.

You can come home for lunch if you want to. She props the door open and follows him out onto the step.

Nah, I'm OK.

Well you can call. If you change your mind. Or just come on home. I'm not going out today.

I know. You told me already.

Oh. OK. Well, have a good day, then.

She hugs him and he butts his head awkwardly under her chin and she kisses the top of it and smells watermelon shampoo. September has been warm but today you can sense the cooler air, the air that carries with it hidden messages about the future, hints about wood smoke, bare trees, snow.

See ya, he mumbles, and clambers down the steps, and she lets him go.

acknowledgements

Lisa Moore and Eric Brown, at opposite ends of the country, read drafts of this book early and often. Without their indefatigable encouragement and intelligent insights, I'd have been sunk. I'm so grateful.

I especially appreciate Larry Mathews' carefully diplomatic comments. A special thank you to him and to our children, Tim and Sally Mathews, for being such good company.

Rebecca Rose at Breakwater has assembled a crackerjack team. Rhonda Molloy did my beautiful book jacket, Elisabeth de Mariaffi is a go-getter of a marketer, and James Langer is a dream of a managing editor. I feel awfully fortunate to have them in my corner.

I have learned a huge amount from the members of the Burning Rock writing group, who are very important to me.

Many thanks to Libby Creelman, Jessica Grant, LynnMoore, Martha Wells, and Michael Winter.

Thanks to Annamarie Beckel and Susan Rendell.

Thanks to Diane Collier for all the walks and the listening and the sensible advice.

Thanks to my parents, Mike and Frances Wilkshire, who have supported me in this as in so many endeavours.

Chris Stevenson and I were in primary school together: who knew that decades later we'd sing in the same choir and he'd be president of the local branch of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada? He was generous with his knowledge of the galaxies; any mistakes are, of course, mine.

Thanks to Kim Northcott for the useful tools.

I am grateful for the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

CLAIRE WILKSHIRE is a freelance writer, editor, translator, and teacher. She's a long-time member of the Burning Rock writing group, and her short stories have appeared in a variety of anthologies and literary magazines. She lives in St. John's with writer Larry Mathews and their children, Tim and Sally.
maxine
is her first novel.