Chapter Four

Jack recovered from his infection and was released from hospital the following week. His pal Bernie picked him up and took him home to his apartment. Fortunately, it was a ground floor apartment and there were no stairs for Jack to climb. He settled in his room and took a nap.

Bernie woke him two hours later. “Jack, the phone is for you.” Jack, sleepy-eyed and disoriented, reached for the phone.

“Hello?” He sat up in the bed, wincing as his hand reached for his side.

“Is this Jack Giovanni?”

“Yes, this is Jack. Who’s this?”

“Mr. MacGregor of the Canadian Wildlife Federation, Mr. Giovanni, your name was given to me, by a friend at World Wildlife. Are you available for an assignment?”

“I was just released from hospital but depending on what the assignment is, I could be ready to work. What exactly is it you need me for?”

“We are sending a team to Churchill, Manitoba to investigate the polar bear population and you are just the man we need to complete the team. There is some planning and preparation to be done first. We leave in three weeks. Do you think you will be able to travel then?”

“Definitely! Thank you very much, Mr. MacGregor. Give me your particulars and I will phone you for the details next week.” Jack finished his conversation and hung up the phone. He was elated. This was exactly what he needed to take his mind off Sarah and his health issues and get back to work.

Bernie was excited for Jack. As a fellow animal lover, he would have loved to go to Churchill, Manitoba, but his job with the Bridgetown veterinarian would keep him in Bridgetown for now. “That is excellent Jack. I wish I could go with you. Supper is served, salad and chicken, just the way you like it.” Jack sat at the table, but before he ate, he looked reverently at his plate and then down at his lap saying a silent prayer. “Still honoring the food, eh, Jack?” Bernie found Jack’s habit odd but it was very, ‘Jack’.

“My Uncle Paul had a lasting effect on me, Bernie. I still remember all of the woodland hikes we took. Even as young as two years, he was showing me plants and telling me their names, teaching me to respect all things, animal, vegetable and mineral. Uncle Paul always honored the plant or animal that provided the food he ate. I learned the habit while sitting at his table and I will never forget.” Jack picked up his fork and shoved a piece of chicken into his mouth. “Delicious Bernie and I appreciate your letting me move in. You are a good friend.” Bernie smiled; he liked Jack and enjoyed the company.

Jack called Christine to let her know he was home and to tell her about his job. She was very happy for him. “Did you call Sarah, Jack?”

“No, I am sure Sarah doesn’t want to hear from me. Just let it be, Chris. Sarah and I are through.” Christine was disappointed at the finality in his voice. She had heard the same thing in Sarah’s voice the day before. Her friend’s relationship was over, but she was determined to stay friends with both of them. Christine made it a habit to stay out of other people’s fights. She would stay neutral.

“Okay Jack, have it your way. As long as you and I stay friends, that’s all I’m concerned with at the moment.”

“You and I are buddies, Chris. Who else buys me organic chocolate and then eats it all?” He laughed out loud and she joined him.

“I didn’t eat it all and I am very happy for you, Jack. Let’s have dinner before you go. By the way, do you remember Matt Greboski, from our English class?”

“Good old Matt, yes I saw him at one of the trail clean-ups about two months ago. I think he is in landscaping now.”

“He is, and he and I had dinner last night.”

“Dinner? Do I detect a new and budding relationship on the horizon?”

“You never know, but if we have dinner, I might ask Matt to join us. Is that okay with you?”

“Great with me, he’s into a lot of the environmental causes that I support. A nice guy, I hope it works out for you. You deserve a good man.”

“Thanks Jack.” Christine smiled widely at the thought of Matt.

“Of course, Bernie will be very disappointed. You know he is moonstruck over you.” Jack adjusted his body in the chair, trying to get comfortable. “Anyway, I have to go and get unpacked. Still have my toothbrush in the hospital bag. Bye, Chris.”

Chris hung up and thought about calling Sarah, but then decided that if she was going to remain neutral, she had better leave well enough alone. She went back to her computer and finished her article on the chemical plant. Tomorrow she had to go out to the MacIntyre farm and do an interview with the farmer for her second article. She had a Friday deadline and didn’t want to be late.

Sarah had been working on the promotion for the university all morning. Her office was tiny, but neat and tidy. A large desk sat in front of the window accompanied by a matching bookcase on the right. Her files and briefcase sat neatly on the sideboard. Needing a break, she opened the webpage for Swide Magazine, a magazine that describes the Dolce & Gabbana universe through digital communication. She loved to read about haute couture, new jewelry designs and the latest designer news. She scrolled through the magazine for a few minutes.

She was getting stiff and sore from sitting over the computer. She stood and stretched her back and arms. I need a walk. She put on her new hot pink yoga pants and matching jacket, pulled on her running shoes, and put her hair into a ponytail under her pink baseball cap. Sunglasses and fresh lipstick completed the outfit and as she reached for her keys, she decided to call Christine and ask her if she wanted to join her. Christine, who was also in need of a break, gratefully accepted the invitation.

Sarah met her friend outside of Christine’s apartment building and the two set off down the street at a good clip. Christine took a look at Sarah, “Nice outfit, something new?”

“I bought it last week. You should get one. You can’t wear jeans all the time, Christine.”

“These are my stretch jeans with spandex, perfect for walking. Leave my wardrobe alone, Sarah. Guess who my jeans and I had dinner with last night?”

“Who?” The two women walked over the large stone bridge on the main street.

“Matt Greboski and he let me drive his new red Camaro.”

“Matt, wow he’s a hunk. How did you meet up with him?” Sarah pointed left and they turned onto Mill Street.

“I went to Martin and Schultz Chemical for the article I’m writing for the Banner, and he was there delivering trees.” Christine waved to the postman coming through the gate of one of several small bungalows. “Hello, Mr. Miller, lovely day for a walk.” He smiled and waved.

“How did that go?” The sun was high in the sky and Sarah removed her jacket. She tied it around her waist. “Did you say trees?”

“Yes, they are planting more than 30 trees out there in the back of the plant and flowers in the front. I think they are really trying to change their image.”

“They are. That is why they hired me for a big marketing campaign. That makes me very happy to hear they are planting trees, makes for a great image. Too bad some people can’t believe they are sincere.” Sarah pursed her lips angrily and Christine knew she was referring to Jack, but didn’t rise to the bait.

“Matt and I went to the new Chinese place, it was delicious. You and I will have to go there one night for dinner.” Christine removed her sunglasses and wiped the perspiration from her forehead. She rolled up the sleeves on her blouse. It was a beautiful spring day and she was beginning to feel warm and full of energy.

Sarah said, ‘Good Afternoon,’ to the two ladies working on the church garden. The white haired ladies smiled and waved to the young women as they walked passed.

“Bridgetown is lovely this time of year. Let’s take the steel bridge to the commercial district and then up through the park.” They enjoyed their walk and both were invigorated and alive when they returned to Christine’s building an hour and a half later.

“Want to come in for an iced tea?” Christine had work to do, but didn’t want to be rude.

Sarah declined, wanting to get home and back to work on the university promotion. “I have an early morning meeting with the faculty and I better have that promo finished. Martin and Schultz will be taking up all my time from now on, but I need the cheque from the university to pay my Visa bill this month.” She raised her hand to her forehead dramatically, “Oh, to be rich and famous and never worry about bills again.” The women laughed. Sarah continued down the street shouting over her shoulder. “Bye, Christine thanks for walking with me.”

Christine went inside the building and stopped at the mailbox. She opened the lid and removed a handful of bills. “Rich and famous would be good all right!” She said to no one in particular.

The next day Christine drove out on the same road that she and Matt had driven a few nights earlier. She turned into the long driveway with the wooden arch over it. A sign welcomed visitors, ‘MacIntyre Farms, Angus Cattle’.

Christine found Mr. MacIntyre in the barn. Good thing I wore my rubber boots, she thought, as she stepped in some unknown but very pungent, brown muck.

“Mr. MacIntyre, thank you for giving me a tour of your farm. I appreciate it very much. Do I have your permission to use our interview in my article for the Banner?”

“Sure do, I got nothin’ to hide. I run a very tight ship here. I think you will be pleasantly surprised, young lady.” Mr. MacIntyre tugged on his bib overalls and pushed a stray lock of graying hair from his forehead. “Let’s start in here.” He showed her the barn and some of the out buildings first. Christine was impressed with the general cleanliness of everything. She held her nose when he showed her the huge piles of manure.

“The management of manure is one of the most important things a farmer has to do in this day and age. You need to have an environmental farm plan in place.”

“Environmental farm plan?” Christine perked up at the mention of an environmental plan; perhaps she could tie both of her articles together. This was getting more interesting by the minute. She took notes on her clipboard.

“Yes, you have to have proper management and record keeping; a plan is invaluable in evaluating whether there are any risks to the environment on the farm. Record keeping will help protect the farmer in the event of an environmental problem.”

“So what do you do with all this manure?”

“Put it on the fields as fertilizer, since both conventional and organic farms utilize manure as part of regular soil fertilization programs. Certified organic farms like mine must have a farm plan detailing the methods used to build soil fertility. We are prohibited from using raw manure for at least ninety days on harvest crops, and we need a daily journal on farm activity that relates to nutrient management.”

Christine was fascinated. “I heard that some farms use sewage sludge for fertilizer.”

“Not here. Sewage sludge is not permitted in organic agriculture.”

The tour went very well and Christine was extremely pleased with her pictures and her interview.

She came home and wrote a completely different article than she thought she was going to write. Now she tied the two interviews together under the environmental theme and after about four hours she was very pleased with the end result. She called Jack.

“Can you come over here for dinner, Jack?”

“Free food, I’ll be there. What’s up?”

“I just finished both my articles for the Banner and I need your honest opinion as a naturalist and environmentalist. I am even willing to cook my world famous spaghetti and meatballs.”

“Great, will the handsome Matt be joining us?”

“No, just the two of us, we have work to do.” She hung up and started preparing dinner. Jack arrived an hour later.

She wiped her hands on the towel and opened the door, “Ciao Senor Giovanni.”

“Ciao, something smells delicious.” Jack sniffed the air, pecked her cheek and headed for the sofa. Shoving the pillows aside, Jack sat in her tiny living room. A glass of iced tea waited on the coffee table. The apartment had an open floor plan, so Christine could see him from the kitchen. “I am starving. Hospital food is not something I am going to miss.”

“Take a look at the computer Jack, and tell me what you think.” He stood slowly, holding his left side as he stood. Moving to her desk, he read the articles on the computer screen as she prepared the meal.

“What do you think?” Christine valued Jack’s opinion and was hoping he would find the articles worthy of the Banner.

“I think this is a stroke of genius, tying both articles together. You have a couple of mistakes in your second paragraph, so I made some notes. Good job, Chris. The Banner will be using you more often when they see this.”

“Thanks Jack. Dinner’s ready.” They ate at the small table by the window and Jack told her about his new assignment in Churchill and she made a couple of notes on things that he suggested for the article.

“I know my Italian food and this is delicious, Buon appetito.”

“Mille Grazie, Mr. Giovanni. That is quite a compliment from the man whose family owns one of the most, well respected Italian restaurants in Toronto.” Jack made a face when she referenced his family. They finished the meal with donuts from the café and it was a pleasant evening.

When Christine walked Jack to the door, he kissed her cheek. “Arrivederci, tell Matt he might have competition if you can cook like that.” She laughed at him as he patted his full stomach waiting for the elevator.

Friday morning, Christine nervously delivered her articles to the Banner. John sat at his desk, reading them. His face gave nothing away. The anticipation was killing her. She fidgeted in the chair waiting for him to finish. Finally, he looked up over his reading glasses, their eyes met. She held her breath.

“This is outstanding, Christine. I had no idea these two assignments were linked in any way. As a matter of fact, the only reason I gave you the livestock auction was because nobody else wanted it. You took it and ran with it, in a direction I never would have thought of.” He reached over and shook her hand. She was beaming. “The pictures of the landscaping at Martin and Schultz add to the article and their commitment.” He smiled and nodded his head up and down. “It is an excellent job and worth a bonus. Can you continue on the local business interviews? I think we should make this a weekly insert. Let’s tell the people of Bridgetown just how environmentally friendly their local businesses and farms actually are.”

“Thank you John.” Christine’s mind whirled with ideas. “I will go and see a couple of the smaller shops this week and then maybe the major department stores the following week. Would two each week be enough?”

“That would be perfect, thank you, Christine and good job.”

Christine left the newspaper building on cloud nine. A weekly insert was more than she could have hoped for. She walked along the street looking at the shops, seeing them for the first time with her new reporter’s eye. She decided that the bakery and the meat market would be her targets for next week.

She headed for one of her favorite places and settled herself on the rocks beside the river. Her feet dangled about a foot above the waterline. The water cascaded over a small falls to her left. Seagulls flew haphazardly over the river in search of insects. She closed her eyes tilting her face up to the sun, feeling the heat on her face. Everything was going in the right direction at last. She was happy and felt a new energy fill her entire being. She looked down at the water where the large water lilies bobbed gently with the roll of the river. A large blue dragonfly hovered over one of the white flowers before coming to rest on her bare arm. “Hello there Mr. Dragonfly, have you come to confirm that all is right with the universe and I am finally on the right path?” The dragonfly took a few light steps before flying away, leaving her smiling widely. She stayed for a few more minutes enjoying the serenity of the park.

When she left, she walked the street with vigor and a new bounce in her step. Smiling, she stopped at the café for a coffee and a celebratory muffin.

“Christine over here!” Sarah waved from the back booth. Christine made her way to Sarah’s table and sat down opposite her.

“This is a nice surprise, now I can share my wonderful news with my best friend.”

“What news?” Sarah moved her handbag from the table, setting it carefully on the chair next to her.

“The Banner loved my articles, gave me a bonus and hired me to do a weekly. How good is that?” Sarah stood up and gave Christine a big hug.

“Congratulations, you deserve it. It must have been a very good article.”

“Jack helped me with it last night.” Christine realized what she said, but it was too late. Sarah’s entire face changed.

“Jack?” Sarah’s tone was definitely cool, but Christine wasn’t going to let anybody spoil her day.

“Yes, Jack the man that you are through with; the zoologist and environmentalist that has more information about the environment than the government does. He was a big help to me and what difference does that make to you?” She drew a breath, “He and I are still friends and we are going to be friends for a long time, so you had better get used to it.” Christine didn’t want to hurt Sarah, but she was setting the ground rules right now.

Sarah focused on her freshly manicured nails before speaking. “You are right. I’m sorry and I’m glad you’re still friends with Jack. He is a wonderful guy, just not the right guy for me. As a matter of fact, I wish he and I could be just friends, but he won’t even talk to me now.”

“Give it time. Anyway, I am about to award myself with a great big blueberry muffin, care to join me?” Sarah smiled.

“You bet. I just came from the university and guess what? They actually agreed to the summer campaign. I pick up my cheque on Friday, and I can pay the visa, so bring on the calories.” The two women laughed.

Over the next few days, Sarah worked hard on her promotion for Martin and Schultz Chemical. She had to present her ideas twice a month for the next year. The company would act on the ones they liked and reject the ones they didn’t like. She didn’t want too many rejections.

She researched the company and came up with some great slogans. She had the printer in town make a few samples of the new logo for her presentation. The small green leaf was proudly displayed under the company name. One of the things that she did was to cut out Christine’s article from the Banner. She would use it in her campaign. Sarah was very impressed with Christine’s approach and her pictures were very convincing. When she showed the samples to Mr. Martin, he was overjoyed.

Jack signed on with the Canadian Wildlife team and was set to leave the following week. It was his turn to shop for groceries, and he was leaving the local Food Mart pushing a grocery cart. Eyes down, he literally bumped into Sarah. “Sorry, oh it’s you.”

“Jack, how are you? Still living at Bernie’s I see.” She pointed to the groceries. It had been a joke between them. Bernie always bought one or two bags when it was his turn and Jack had to pick up the slack on his week about. Jack looked into her blue eyes, for a moment he felt that old yearning.

“I’m much better, and you?” His tone was cool. He was unsure how she would react to him. “How’s work?”

“The campaign is going very well. Did you see Christine’s article? Wasn’t it wonderful?” Sarah had forgotten that Jack helped Christine with it.

“I saw it before it went to print and yes, it was very well written. I just hope that Martin and Schultz are not pulling the wool over everyone’s eyes.” Realizing he was on thin ice, he changed the subject. “I am leaving for Churchill, Manitoba next week with the Canadian Wildlife team.”

“Oh Jack, that is great. I know you were disappointed when you didn’t get to go to Ireland.” Sarah was sincerely happy for Jack; it made him feel a little guilty.

“Thank you Sarah and I do wish you well. We had some great times together, and I’m just sorry that life took us in different directions.” She was pleased with the mature attitude; perhaps they could be friends. “Are we still friends?”

“Yes, friends. Thank you, Jack and good luck with the polar bears.” She walked into Food Mart leaving him watching her go. He watched her hips sway in her black dress pants and admired her pale green leather jacket. You always were a smart dresser, Sarah. It really is too bad we couldn’t have made it work.

He made his way toward his van with the groceries, thinking that friendship was better than not having her in his life. Jack didn’t trust Martin and Schultz and a small warning bell was going off in his head, I hope you are not getting involved in something that will destroy this town and your business. Green chemical companies- that will be the day!

In the store, Sarah bought her groceries and some fresh baked cookies for her visit with her sister, Edna. She drove across town to the neighborhood that she grew up in. Small streets lined with post war bungalows and one and a half story homes. Green box hedges or white picket fences lined the street. Several people were out cutting lawns or planting flowers. Pulling into the driveway of the family home, she remembered playing on the lawn as a child. Sarah and Edna’s parents were killed in a car accident when Sarah was in her first year of university. Her mother died instantly and her father died two months later from complications. Her sister had inherited the house from their father and she had made very few changes in five years. Every time Sarah visited, she thought of her parents. It was both a happy and a sad memory. Sarah rang the bell. “Come on in, doors open,” a voice shouted from inside.

“Hello Edna, where are you?” Sarah took off her coat and hung it on the wooden coat rack that had sat beside the door for forty years. Picking up the cookies she went into the kitchen. Edna was finishing the lunch dishes. She wiped her hands on her apron and gave Sarah a hug. Edna and Sarah were similar in appearance, both taking after their mother, but Edna was almost ten years older than Sarah.

“Sarah, how nice to see you; are those what I think they are?” She looked hungrily at the cookie box. She removed the apron revealing a pair of black polyester pants and a blue sweater. Very plain in contrast to Sarah’s outfit and revealing the great difference in their personalities.

“Chocolate oatmeal cookies, your favorite! How are you, Sis?”

“I am better than you could imagine. I was at Doctor Hardy’s office yesterday and Dan and I are expecting.” Sarah looked at her sister in surprise. Her sister was thirty- three years old and had been trying to have a family for years. She hugged her sister tightly.

“That is wonderful, I am so happy for both of you. When’s the happy day?”

“Some time in late January or early February. We’re so excited.” Edna poured the tea and placed the cookies on a plate. She took a bite and savored the crumbly texture and melting chocolate.

“How is Dan’s job?” Sarah picked up a cookie and broke it in half.

“Excellent, he is very happy about the promotion at the water treatment plant. It means more money and with the baby coming, it will make life easier. I will continue teaching until December.”

“It sounds like life is good for both of you. Did I tell you Jack and I are through, and this time it is for good?”

Edna was sorry to hear that. She had always been fond of Jack, although sometimes he did go on and on about his most recent political or environmental project.

“You will be busy with your work, I am sure you will meet someone else.”

“I am not looking right now, too busy.” Edna offered her another cookie, but she declined.

“Did you hear that the town is having a weekly ‘Free concert in the Park’ every Friday night? Dan and I are looking forward to that. It will be nice to sit outside on a warm summer evening and listen to live entertainment.”

“Bridgetown is such a nice quiet town. It’s a great place to raise a family.” Sarah smiled and Edna agreed. Sarah and Edna visited over tea and cookies and Sarah was very happy for her sister and brother-in-law, Dan.

Sarah left Edna’s and traveled to the south end of Bridgetown to see the printer. She left the new art work for Martin and Schultz and told them to go ahead with the new labels, envelopes and letterhead. She parked her car at the mall and walked up the street to her bank. It was ‘Customer Appreciation’ day and the tellers wore funny hats and balloons were tied to each desk. Several of the women waved to Sarah and the manager offered her cake and coffee. Bridgetown’s bankers were very friendly and the tellers knew most of the patrons by name. Sarah joked with the manager about the calories and ignored the cake. She wanted to fit into her new bathing suit and she just had cookies at Edna’s house, not to mention another blueberry muffin with Christine just yesterday.

She left the bank and walked quickly to the dry cleaners. She was thinking about all the junk food she had eaten and her pace quickened. She picked up her cleaning and on the counter was the Banner, open to Christine’s article. “Isn’t that a great article, Mr. Watson?”

“Yes, I was just finishing it when you came in. So Martin and Shultz Chemical is a champion for the environment. Well, I never thought I would live to see the day! Miss Hill did a very good job with the interview with Mr. MacIntyre. He is such a nice man, always has nice fresh eggs at the Farmer’s Market on Saturday.” The man behind the counter handed Sarah the bag of dry cleaning.

Sarah smiled, agreeing with the dry cleaner. She paid him and left the shop. The garment bag held one of her designer suits. Sarah had saved for weeks to buy it and it was one of her favorites. Looking at it reminded her that her family was poor to middle class and as a youngster she wore hand-me-downs from the girl next door. When she was growing up, many of the girls in school had nicer clothes than she did. Now she was carefully filling her wardrobe with only the finest clothes. Sarah tucked the bag carefully over her arm. Remembering the article, she smiled, happy that everyone appreciated Christine’s hard work.

Walking back to her car, as was her habit, she stopped to watch the fishermen below the bridge. On the bank, three boys were pulling an odd looking contraption toward the river. Sarah deduced that it was one of the entries for the ‘Wacky Boat Race’ that was held every July 1^st on Canada Day. The boys pushed the flat bottom creation into the water, but the front began to sink. They quickly rescued it and pulled it back toward the parking lot. “I guess it is back to the drawing board,” Sarah said out loud as she laughed at the antics below.

“Good morning Sarah.” Sarah turned to see Mrs. Oliver, the president of the horticultural society coming toward her on the bridge.

“Good afternoon Mrs. Oliver.” Sarah corrected, “It is already two o’clock. My, those are lovely flowers in your basket.” Sarah admired the marigolds and zinnias that peeked their colorful heads over the top of the basket.

“These are for the town hall. I have to get them planted today. Two o’clock you say? Where has the day gone?” The white-haired, Mrs. Oliver increased her pace as she crossed the bridge. Sarah decided that she too, had better get busy. She walked back to her car and drove home.