Chapter 7

The morning sun cast shafts of light on the hardwood floor of my room, and I arched my back like a cat in one final stretch. The night air had barely cooled the house; my room still felt stuffy. I didn’t bother to put on my bathrobe when I heard Gam wake up. Modesty between Gam and me had been lost the first time I emptied her bedpan.

“Morning, love. Is the tea on yet?” Gam used one of her honey-sweet voices, which meant she wanted something now but would never demand it.

“Just starting it.”

“You slept in.”

“I did? What time is it?”

“Half past eight. That boy is going to be here soon.”

I squeezed my eyes shut and groaned. Water sloshed into the kettle as I filled it up, put it on to boil, turned on the radio and started a mental checklist of all I wanted to do today. If I’d gotten up on time, I could have finished the housework early and spent the rest of the morning writing before helping Gam in the afternoon. It was physiotherapy today and the library books were due. Rich’s parents had invited me to dinner, so I’d have to get something for Gam before I left. Would Writing Day 2 have another X through it?

I plopped a tea bag in the pot and slathered two pieces of toast with butter and marmalade. I poured the steaming hot water into the teapot and fit the knitted tea cozy over it and carried the breakfast tray into Gam’s room just as the doorbell rang. I froze. “I – I can’t get the door.”

“Why not?”

“Gam!” I laughed. “Look at me! I’m in my underwear!”

“Just a minute,” I yelled at the door, not sure if Jess could hear me. Who ever heard of a delinquent showing up early to do community service?

The teacup clattered against the saucer as I put the tray down and scurried upstairs. My hair was tangled in a puff of blond at the back of my head, and I had morning breath. I threw on a pair of sweats and a hoodie, pulling my hair into a ponytail as I walked back down the stairs.

When I opened the door, nobody was there. Sliding on a pair of flip-flops, I stepped outside. “Jess?” I called.

He poked his head out of the garage. “I rang the doorbell, but no one answered, so I thought I’d get to work while it’s a bit cooler. Gonna be hot today, eh?”

“Uh, yeah.”

He raised an eyebrow at me. “Why are you wearing sweats? It’s like thirty degrees out already.” The white muscle shirt he wore looked cool and bright against his skin.

“I know. I should go change.” And shower, and brush my teeth. I cringed at the thought of what I must look like, turned on my heel and marched back to the house.

Gam was on the phone. I knew it was Aunt Mim because of the elongated “oh’s” and “really’s”.

“Love, can you come in here a minute?” The cordless handset lay nestled between her chin and shoulder. “Mim says you found some boxes of school papers.”

I nodded.

“You don’t need to go through those, love.” Gam wrinkled her nose in disgust. “That boy can take them to the dump.”

“What if there’s something worth keeping?”

Gam pursed her lips. “There won’t be.”

“I found some things from the residential school. I didn’t know Grandpa taught there.”

Gam stared at me for a minute and then put the phone back to her ear. “I’ll call you later, Mim.” She wound the sheet around her fingers. “What did you find?”

“Photos, his attendance book.”

Gam let out a sigh. “I don’t know why he hung on to all those things. Working at that school did nothing but make him upset. He only lasted the one year, but it left a mark on him.”

“What do you mean?”

Gam’s hair curled around her face in sweaty ringlets. “Things went on at that school that Grandpa couldn’t understand. They didn’t treat the children properly, poor things. They’d been sent there, some of them hundreds of miles away from their families. I don’t know how any mother could do that to her children. Desert them like that.”

My eyes fell to the floor. Mothers deserting their children was a sore subject for me.

Gam shut her eyes and her chin quivered. “Oh, love. I didn’t mean anything about you. It was different with your mother.”

I raised an eyebrow and snorted. “Not really.”

Gam sputtered, trying to think of something to say.

Before I left her room, I turned back. “Could you have done what she did? Left your child?”

Gam met my eyes and I held her gaze. “No,” she whispered.

“I didn’t think so,” I said and went upstairs to change.