The Second Trial (11 page)

She addressed Catherine. “Things are a little more complicated for you. You'll get a new social insurance number, but we can't duplicate your employment history. School and medical records are one thing – usually, nobody checks them. But if you apply for a job, a new employer will want to check your references, and we can't risk someone finding out your employment history is faked. What education do you have?”

“Two years of community college, in office management.”

“And your job history – how old were you when you were married?”

“Twenty-three.”

“Twenty-three.” She pursed her lips. “Hmm, I think it would be better if you didn't finish high school. That way no one will expect to see a diploma. We'll say you didn't work after you got married, and before that you worked in retail sales – department stores, convenience stores, as a waitress. That kind of thing.”

“But how will we support ourselves when we get there? I haven't worked since Christmas, and all our savings are gone.”

“I've been working with your divorce lawyer on that. I know you don't have any savings left, but you do have a nice house full of furniture we can sell. You also have two cars, and Paul has the insurance business. Your lawyer's pretty sure she can convince a judge it would be fair that he keeps the business and the SUV and you keep the house, its contents, and the car. She thinks your share of the matrimonial property settlement will be worth about four hundred thousand dollars. We can sell your things and that'll give you enough money to start a small business in your new location. I can handle all of that for you, and until that happens, the NIVA program will give you enough money to get by.”

Catherine's voice was flat. “You mean social assistance?”

Dr. Sung nodded. “Yes. But hopefully not for too long. You won't be as comfortable as you are now, but you won't need assistance for very long, either.”

Catherine leaned back. “What about child support?”

“Well, that part's not so good. We have a Maintenance Enforcement program, but it can't guarantee your anonymity. Also, paying child support would mean that Paul would be entitled to some information about you, your income, the kids' education, whether they are even alive. It'd be a thread tying you to your past. We can't risk it.”

Catherine pressed her lips together. “That's not something I'd thought about.”

“I'm afraid there are going to be quite a few things you haven't thought about.”

Dr. Sung made notes on her clipboard. “You need to understand you're not going to get any official papers about these things, like a job history.” She pointed to the questionnaire. “This is just for your family's use, so when questions come up about your past you have an agreed-upon story. Now, what about locations? Is there any place that you've always wanted to live?”

“Well, Paul and I talked about moving to Victoria. We both like the climate.”

“Then that's one place you can't go, because he'll look for you there. So we should be thinking about sending you in the other direction. We can relocate you to a small town, but it's easier to slip in unnoticed in a bigger community. How about Regina, or Winnipeg?”

Danny had never been to Regina or Winnipeg, but everyone said they were cold. Windy Winterpeg.

“Well…” said Catherine, looking around for help. “I don't know…”

“Okay,” said Phil. “Then let's talk a bit about where you're going to be
from
. We usually pick a city similar in size and climate to the one you're in now. Saskatoon is like Edmonton. It's on a branch of the same river, and we've used it for relocations before. You'll have enough general information that you can bluff your way through basic questions – what the surroundings look like, and how the seasons are.”

“Okay,” said Catherine uncertainly.

“All right,” said Phil. “If we agree that you'll be from Saskatoon we should move you farther away than Regina. Since they're both in the same province, too many people will know Saskatoon and that could get you into trouble. So, I suggest we relocate you to Winnipeg.”

“Well, if that's what you think…” said Catherine.

“Okay,” said Phil. “We'll start organizing our paperwork on the basis that your family is moving from Saskatoon to Winnipeg.”

“I've never been to Winnipeg,” Catherine said, massaging the scar on her hand. “How – how will I manage?”

“You'll manage fine,” replied Sgt. Sandhu. “You'll manage just fine because you'll be alive.”

Chapter 17

Wednesday

“Now, let's pick some new birthdays,” the psychologist continued. “Jen, what's your birthday now?”

“September the first.”

“Well, we don't want complications with the school year, so you need another birth date around then so you're still in the right grade.”

“But I'd like to have it when school's on, so I can have parties with the class, like the other kids.”

Dr. Sung smiled. “Sure thing.” She turned to Catherine. “What day of the week was she born?”

“It was a Wednesday.”

“Then we'll stick with Wednesday – it's one less detail to be confused about later.” She consulted a notebook. “June, 1993. The Wednesdays are the 2
^nd
, 9
^th
, 16
^th
, 23
^rd
, and 30
^th
.”

“June 9
^th
,” said Jennifer.

“The 9
^th
it is,” Dr. Sung replied, writing the date on her clipboard. “Catherine?”

“I was born March 12, 1963. It was a Tuesday,” she said ruefully. “Mom always said I was full of grace.”

“Another Tuesday nearby would be –” she flipped through her notebook. “How about February 26th?”

“Sure.”

“And Danny?”

“June 13, 1989,” replied Catherine. “Also a Tuesday.”

“So maybe another Tuesday in June?”

“What about April Fool's Day?” Danny interjected. “Maybe that was a Tuesday.”

All eyes looked at him.

“Let's go with June 20th, Dr. Sung said. “Okay?”

Danny shrugged.
All of this is about someone else,
he thought.
How can I have a different birthday?
Birthdays had always been so happy. His mom had told him and his sister how she'd loved birthday parties when she was growing up, and she wanted them to grow up with memories they could treasure too. And they
had
been good birthdays.

Now he was going to have two birthdays. And he wouldn't be celebrating either of them.

“The hardest part,” Dr. Sung said, “is new names.”

Danny looked at the others, seeking some clue as to how to act, how to react. Dr. Sung had on her professional face, and Phil looked sympathetic but firm. Jennifer seemed bewildered and grabbed her mother's hand. Catherine's face drooped. None of it was helpful to Danny, who was starting to feel like an orphan.

Phil cleared his throat. “We recommend you change all three names – first, middle, and last. The middle name is negotiable. You can keep it, but it's better if there's a clean break. You might want to keep the same initials, though. So let's start with last names. We suggest something fairly simple. It makes it easier to blend in.”

“Can I go back to my unmarried name?” Catherine asked.

“No,” Phil replied. “Too obvious. Let's keep the same initial,
M
. What about Mayer?”

“Mayer,” repeated Catherine, trying it on like a change of clothes. “It's okay with me.”

Dr. Sung took over. “Most people find their first name is the most difficult. Usually, your nicknames or pet names are related to your first name. Catherine, what do you call your children?”

She looked at Jennifer. “I usually call her Jewel.” She turned her gaze to her son. “And Danny is Danny-boy.”

“Okay. Jennifer, you might be able to keep the same nickname if you choose a name with that
J
sound – maybe Julia, or Judy, or Juliet. Then your mom can still call you Jewel and neither of you will have to think to use your new name each time.”

Phil turned to Danny. “Yours is a bit tougher because your nickname has your real name in it. Maybe you can think of something similar – David maybe, and your mom can call you Davey-boy.”

Danny looked at Phil, his face blank.
I might as well be a
character in a science fiction book. You pick out your new life the way
you choose vegetables at the store: one bin labeled NAMES, another
BIRTHDAYS, and a rack of FAMILY TREES. Squeeze them and
weigh them and take your favorite ones to your new home. The price?
Well, you pay with your past
.

Danny leaned back. “This,” he said, “is nuts. There's no way I'm changing my name.
I won't
.”

“I'm sorry,” Phil said, “but this is going to happen, even though you don't want it or like it. You'll be happier in the future if you take part in this decision. Otherwise, we'll have to pick for you, and that's just not a good idea.”

“I want to keep my initials,” Jennifer said. “I like them. Jennifer Elaine McMillan. I'll take Julia. And maybe Erin as a middle name.”

“Those are…nice, Jewel,” Mom said. She turned to Danny. “I don't want to keep my initials…I think it would be better for me that way…I've been thinking about Susan. Susan Louise. But I think you should keep your initials too, Danny. Okay?” Both Jen and Catherine looked at Danny.

“No problem,” he replied. “I've already decided. My name is Daniel Paul McMillan.”

Catherine closed her eyes and bowed her head. She looked up at him and half-whispered, “Please. I don't want to do all this and have to fight you, too.”

“We could look in a phone book…” Jennifer suggested.

Yeah, right,
thought Danny.
Now I'm going to pick my life out
of a phone book.

Dr. Sung smiled at Jennifer.

“I kind of like Perry as a middle name,” Catherine suggested softly. “Would Perry be okay with you?”

“Fine.”

“And I think David is a good choice, given what they've said about nicknames.”

Everyone waited, but he didn't reply.

Phil changed the subject. “Let's talk about Paul,” Phil said. “His full name is…”

“Paul Frederick McMillan.”

“All right. For simplicity's sake, we'll drop the middle name. So it will be something Mayer.”

Catherine snorted. “Let's call him Laurie. He always hated those ‘girly' names for boys.”

“Mom!” Danny yelled, staring at her as if she'd burned him.

Dr. Sung intervened. “Perhaps that's not the best choice.”

“Okay,” Catherine replied. “You pick.”

“How's about William? William Mayer?”

“That'll be fine.”

“Next we need a family history and a family tree. We have to strike a balance. On one hand, it must be different enough from your actual family histories that the information can't be used to identify you. On the other hand, it has to be close enough to your real life that you have a hope of remembering the details without getting mixed up. So, first with Paul. When a woman has two children, we recommend saying that you separated right before the first child was born. Paul was absent until you tried to reconcile briefly a couple of years later. You became pregnant again, and then Paul died. This history explains the lack of photos of dad and means the children don't have much to say about him.”

Dr. Sung's pen scratched across the paper. “Paul, of course, was also an only child, and his parents are dead.” She paused. “And your parents, Catherine? What are their names?”

“Mom's Patricia Lynn Wilson – well, she was born Smith.”

“Good. We can leave her unmarried name as Smith. And your dad?”

“Samuel Brent Wilson.”

“Okay, let's change his last name so that will change your birth name too. Any suggestions?”

“Buchanan?”

“Perfect.” Dr. Sung made notes.

“The next choices are – well, they're more obvious. You'll be an only child – I guess you are anyway, right? And your parents died in a car accident a little while ago.”

Grandparents. Car accident. Death
.
They're pruning Grandma
and Grandpa out of the family tree.
Danny squeezed his eyes shut. Grandma and Grandpa. They'd been crowded out of his mind since he'd left their house on Tuesday.
Was
it only yesterday? Time muddled itself and he couldn't seem to remember, but he would always remember the carefree summers he'd spent with them in earlier years.

Grandma called herself an avid “urban forester.” She considered it her mission to plant a broad range of trees, shrubs, and flowering plants. She'd walked him around the yard to point out the various leaf shapes, the insects that ate the plants and those that ate other insects, and the power of sunlight to turn a sunflower's head. He, Grandma, and Mom had planted his Grade 2 Arbor Day tree – a scrawny spruce sapling – beside the one his mother had planted thirty years earlier. He'd scooped out the hole with an empty tin can as Grandma dissolved the fertilizer in a pail. He'd steadied the sapling as she'd patted the earth around it and soaked the soil with the pale blue water. Two years ago, Grandma wanted Jennifer's tree planted there too, to make a “family of trees,” but Dad had said no. Instead, he planted it beside their garage where the shade stunted its growth.

Chapter 18

Wednesday

Catherine and Jennifer drove home in the car, and Sgt. Sandhu took Danny. Buddy was wriggling at the gate, and his tail slapped back and forth when he saw the boy. They tumbled around in the grass and for a moment, Danny's mind blocked out everything. He wanted “now” to go on forever.