River Odyssey (20 page)

Nobody’s perfect, Hugh had said. True enough, but I couldn’t make any more mistakes. I just couldn’t. I shut my eyes and promised myself I would be more careful. I promised Hollie and Seaweed too.

On the west side of Montreal, in the area of Dorval, I found the perfect hiding place for the sub. It was mostly a residential area, but there was a small commercial marina with two old barges tied up together, rusting and gathering layer upon layer of river debris. They had not been moved for a very long time. Between the barges was just enough room for the sub to come up so that the bottom of the hull was flush with the bottoms of the barges, and the portal could stick out of the water a foot and be completely hidden from shore. In fact, the only way you could see the sub was if you climbed onto the barges and peered down into the dark cavity between them, and even then it was difficult to see. It was a great place to hide for a few days, to dry out our things and wait until the river police had given up their search. It also gave me the chance to do what I wanted to do next.

SHE CAME OUT OF
her house and hurried down the steps. She was carrying a school bag over one shoulder and eating a piece of toast with the other hand. The neighbour’s dog came running over and she put the toast in her mouth and stopped to pat the dog. Her school bag fell off her shoulder, she reached for it, dropped her toast and the dog ate it. She stood up and saw me across the street. She wore glasses. I could tell from all the way across the street that the lenses were thick. She was skinny. One sock was higher than the other. I wasn’t even sure they were a matching pair. She looked cute but I wondered if maybe my sister was a bit of a nerd.

She started down the sidewalk, stopped, turned and peered in my direction through her thick glasses, then turned again and headed off to school. I followed. I tried to keep enough distance so she wouldn’t think I was following her. I didn’t want to scare her. She was small for her age, it seemed to me. She must have been eleven or twelve. Her hair was darker than mine. So was her skin. But I knew it was her. I just knew.

She walked about a mile to school. It took her a lot longer than it should have because she stopped to pat every dog and cat along the way. She even stopped to feed a peanut to a squirrel that seemed to be expecting her. My sister loved animals. That was cool. I wondered if she had any of her own.

The bell had rung already and all the other kids were in school when she arrived. On the way up the steps she dropped her bag for the third time. I couldn’t believe it. If there were anything breakable in that bag, it was broken. When she stood up I thought maybe she saw me again. Shoot! Was she going to tell on me? She took a deep breath and sighed. She looked like maybe she was angry. She snorted like a horse, then went inside the school.

My sister lived not far from the river. I had planned to call first, but couldn’t think of what to say. Then, I thought maybe I’d just run into her, knowing she’d be going to school. But that wasn’t easy either. What was I supposed to say to her? How could I talk to her without scaring her? I was a stranger.

I took Hollie to a park and threw the ball for him. We must have looked just like any other boy and his dog, not two outlaws wanted by the police. Then we went back to the school and hid behind a tree. I was hoping to see my sister come out for recess. Sure enough, the kids poured out of the school and went into the fenced area at the back. I waited but didn’t see her. Where was she? Had she gotten in trouble for being late? I felt like going inside to find out, but couldn’t do that. What would I tell them? My sister didn’t even know me.

Finally, she came out. She was the last one. She was alone. She crossed the yard alone and sat down alone. She waved to somebody and they waved back. Then she crossed the yard again and sat beside the girl who had waved to her. She pulled a cookie from her bag, broke it in half and gave one half to her friend. Her friend passed her an apple.

Some kids came over. They said something to her. She didn’t respond. They said something else and laughed. My sister did not look upset. Suddenly, she turned to them and said something that startled them, and they ran away. The girl beside her laughed. I wondered what my sister had said. I wished I could have gone over and asked, but I would have had to climb the fence, and somebody would probably call the police if I did that. The bell rang and all the kids went back inside. My sister and her friend went last. At the top of the stairs she turned and looked in our direction but I didn’t think she saw us. I saw her snort again and go in.

I was waiting when the kids came out for the day. It had been so long since I went to school it was strange to see so many kids pouring out of a building like workers from a factory. It didn’t surprise me that my sister was one of the very last. I let her get a head start then followed her.

She went down the street, around a corner and disappeared. When I turned the corner, I didn’t see her. Where did she go? I turned around and looked everywhere but couldn’t see her. I saw a large billboard. It was a sign advertising fancy women’s clothing. Was she hiding behind it? I stepped closer, and then I heard a voice. It was frightened and brave at the same time.

“Here’s what’s going to happen,” she said. “I’m going to scream my head off. Then the police are going to come. Then they’re going to arrest you. Then they’re going to take you away and throw you in jail. You’re going to stay in there until you’re very, very old. That’s what’s going to happen. You’d better run away now while you still have the chance.”

Whoa. My sister was tough. “Wait! Don’t scream! I’m not going to hurt you. I promise.”

“Why are you following me? You’ve been following me all day.”

“Because … umm … we’re related.”

She poked her head out from behind the sign. “We’re
related?
What are you talking about? I’ve never even seen you before. How can we be related?”

I took a few deep breaths and stared at her. I was surprised how hard this was and how nervous I was. “I’m your brother.”

Her mouth dropped open. Then she shut it, took a step forward and peered at me through her glasses. “What are you talking about? I don’t
have
a brother.”

Oh boy, this was weird. “Is your father Russell Pynsent?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’m your brother.”

She looked confused. “What’s your name?”

“Alfred.”

“What’s your last name?”

“Pynsent.”

“What… but… how do I know you’re not just a crazy person who’s pretending to be my brother?”

“I’m not a crazy person. But that’s a good question. That’s what I would ask. Maybe you should call your father and ask him.”

“I will.”

“A couple of days ago you called him at the dockyard, right?”

“Maybe.”

“And it was the third time in a month that you called, right?”

“Actually, it was the fourth. How did you know that?”

“Because I was there when you called.”

“Then how come my father never told me about you?”

“Because he doesn’t know who I am. Or, he didn’t.”

“But you just said you were there when I called.”

“I was. But I never told him who I was.”

“He doesn’t know who you are?”

“Maybe he does now, I don’t know. He ran away as soon as he saw me.”

“Yup. Sounds like Daddy.”

Her eyes dropped to the ground. She looked thoughtful. It made her look older. “Why didn’t you tell him?”

“I was planning to.”

She stared at me again. “This is weird.”

“I know.”

“How old are you?”

“Sixteen.”

“And you’re from Newfoundland, right?”

“Yup.”

“I never even knew my father was married before.”

“My mother died when I was born.”

“Really? I’m sorry. That’s sad.”

“I never knew her.”

“I live with my mom.”

“Did you ever live with your father?”

“Ummm … I think so, but I don’t remember. I was really young. He left us and now he lives alone.”

“Why do you think he left?”

“Mommy says he’s like a hermit. Actually, he’s really nice once you get to know him. But it’s not easy to do that.”

She squinted up her face. “You pretty much have to go to his house. I’m going there this weekend. You should come too. You should definitely come.”

“I don’t know. I’ll think about it. Does he ever call you?”

“Sometimes. But mostly I call him. He doesn’t like to talk on the telephone.”

“I noticed. So … what’s your name?”

“My name?”

“Yah. What’s your name?”

She stared through her thick lenses. Her eyes were dark, like the river.

“Angel.”

I WAS IN AWE.
My sister was the angel of Sheba’s dream.

“It’s short for Angela. Everybody calls me Angel.”

“It’s a really nice name.”

“Thank you. My mother’s going to be home soon.”

“Would you like us to walk home with you?”

“Us? Who’s us?”

“Oh … uhh … Hollie and me. He’s my second mate.”

I tilted my head towards the tool bag. “He’s in there.”

Angel’s eyes opened wide and she came over to the bag and stared in through the mesh. I could feel Hollie’s tail wagging.

“You’re carrying a
doggie
on your back?”

“Yes, but now that he sees you he wants out.”

I pulled the bag over my head, put it down and let Hollie out. He came straight towards Angel, wagging his tail as shyly as a mouse. Angel melted like a snowflake. “He’s so
adorable!”

She looked him over carefully. “What happened to his ears?”

“I don’t know. I think maybe some bigger dogs chewed on them.”

“Oh my gosh, that’s awful! Where did you find him?”

“At sea. Somebody threw him off a wharf. He landed in a boat.”

Angel looked wounded but didn’t say anything. She stroked Hollie’s fur with both hands. “What did you mean by he’s your second mate? And what were you doing at sea? Are you a sailor?”

Oh boy. How was I going to explain that?

“Ummm … have you ever heard of the Submarine Outlaw, by any chance?”

“Yes. My mom and I watched a show about that on TV once. ‘Cause he’s from Newfoundland.”

“There was a show on TV?”

“Well, I think it was the news. He rescued a family in a storm. And he travels around in his own submarine. And his crew is a seagull and a dog. Isn’t that cool?”

“Yah.”

“But they can never catch him because he’s too clever. I don’t know why they want to catch him anyway; he’s only doing good things. Have you ever seen him?”

She spoke without looking up at me. She was wrapped up in Hollie.

“Ahhh … Angel. That’s me.”

“What?”

“That’s me. I’m the Submarine Outlaw.”

She looked up. “No, you’re not. Don’t be silly.”

I just stared at her. I didn’t know what else to say.

“You’re just making that up. But you’re not making up that you’re my brother, are you?”

She looked worried.

“I promise you I am your brother. But I really am the Submarine Outlaw too. You don’t have to believe me if you don’t want to. That doesn’t matter. But I
am
your brother, and it matters to me that you believe that.”

And then, lo and behold, Seaweed dropped out of the sky and landed on the sidewalk beside Hollie. He glared at Hollie to see if he was eating anything. Seaweed couldn’t care less about meeting Angel. But he wanted a dog biscuit.

“Hi, Seaweed.”

I took a biscuit out of my pocket and tossed it to him. Then I had to give one to Hollie.

“This is Seaweed. He’s my first mate.”

Angel stared in disbelief. She took a step forward. Seaweed took a step backward.

“Seaweed doesn’t like to be patted. And don’t be insulted if he doesn’t pay any attention to you. He takes a really long time to warm up to somebody. He’s not too fussy about landlubbers anyway. He mostly just likes other seagulls.”

“My brother is the Submarine Outlaw. How am I going to tell anybody that? Nobody is going to believe me. Will you come and meet my mom?”

“Sure.”

We walked to her house. It took a long time because she stopped to fuss with Hollie so much. Then, she carried him. Seaweed did his cakewalk thing—hopping, jumping and flying in short bursts. He would have made a great vulture.