Her Mother's Daughter (15 page)

He put his hands up in front of him. “I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that.”

“It sure sounded like it.”

“Forgive me. Is she sick?”

“Yes. No. I don't know. That's the problem; I'm not sure what's going on.”

They were interrupted then by Wendell Bonaparte, who crashed through the door and kept coming. If Dermot hadn't caught him, he'd have careened right into the counter.

“For pity's sake, man!” Dermot shouted. “You'll break your neck one of these days.” He pulled Wendell upright by his coat lapels. “Now stay still for a minute.”

Wendell gave him a salute. “Aye aye, Captain Kirk. Spock, reporting for duty.”

Dermot and Bay laughed, which was all Wendell needed. He pushed his thumbs behind his suspenders and held them out like a clown. “I can't hold on, Jim. I don't have the powa!”

Dermot shook his head. “You look exactly like Stan Laurel when you do that, Wendell.”

“I know that bugger. He's me cousin.”

They sobered up quickly when Bay spied the United Church minister coming up the walk. “It's the reverend. Be on your best behaviour, Wendell.”

“Lord tunderin' jesus. That fella will have me in detox quicker than a snake bite. I gotta get outta here.”

“Go out the back door.” Bay pointed the way. Wendell tipped his cap and staggered out.

The reverend opened the front door, checked his box, and gave them a wave. “Morning.”

“Good morning,” Bay and Dermot said together.

The good man went back out just in time to see Wendell hightailing it up the street. He gave chase, waving his mail in the air, trying to flag Wendell down.

Bay and Dermot looked at each other and smiled, the awkwardness between them forgotten. He reached out his hand and took hers. “I want you to be with me.”

Bay looked at her hand. “I know, but I don't think we should rush into anything.”

He looked up. “What?”

“I think we went overboard the other day. I'm not that kind of girl, you know.”

“What kind of girl are you talking about? Are we in high school?”

Bay yanked her hand away. “Don't make fun of me. I don't want you to think I'm cheap and easy.”

“I'd never think that in a million years. Who put this foolishness in your head? Was it your sister?”

“Don't be ridiculous. I have a mind of my own.”

“Well, one minute you want me and the next you're brushing me off. Something's changed, and blowing hot and cold gets tiresome very quickly, Bay.”

“Is that so?” Bay spied someone else coming up the walk. “Look, we can't talk now. You'd better go.”

“Fine.” Dermot turned around and walked towards the door.

“Dermot…”

He was gone.

Dermot got into his truck and slammed his hand on the steering wheel. He had no doubt that Tansy was behind this “good girl, bad girl” stuff.

It was too dangerous to go near Bay's house. Flo would squawk the minute Bay got home, so he drove back to the garage and called her number, hoping against hope that Tansy would answer instead of Ashley.

She did. “Hello?”

“Tansy, it's Dermot.”

“Well, well. How are you, Dermot?”

“I'd be better if you kept your nose out of my business.”

“I have no interest in running a gas station.”

“What?”

“I could break a nail—or worse, a sweat.”

“Stop it.”

“Stop what?”

“Trying to make me laugh.”

“Sorry.”

“I'm annoyed with you.”

“Whatever for?”

“You've been talking to Bay.”

“I'm allowed to talk to her. She's my sister.”

“Suddenly she's not talking to me. I wonder who put that idea in her head.”

“I don't have a clue. Why don't I come over and have a chat in your garage office. Isn't that where you take your women?”

He slammed down the phone.

Ashley lay in bed with her arms wrapped around the panda bear Matt won for her at the circus. Here she was, about to be a mother herself, and she still needed to sleep with stuffed animals. That's when the misery of her situation overwhelmed her. She sat up and looked at the things in her room: pink walls, movie posters, ballet slippers, a basketball shoved in the corner, her skating ribbons, her collection of
Winnie the Pooh
figurines.

How was she supposed to bring a baby into the world? She never played with dolls as a kid. She hated dressing them up and carrying them around. It was all too boring.

How had this happened? They'd been careful—but not careful enough, apparently. She thought of her friends, who talked non-stop about getting ready for university in the fall. They were already packing and buying new outfits, picking up microwaves for their dorm rooms and cellphones so their parents could keep in touch.

She'd be buying diapers and baby wipes.

When the phone rang, she cringed, but it wasn't for her or Tansy would've said so. When it rang again ten minutes later, Tansy called up the stairs. “Ashley, it's Matt.” She could pretend to be asleep, but she couldn't sleep for the rest of her life. She took a deep breath and picked up the phone.

“Hi.”

“Ashley, are you all right?”

“No.”

“What's wrong? I'm going crazy here. I haven't seen you since prom and I feel like you're avoiding me. Aren't you glad we were together? Don't you want to be again?”

“Stop.”

“Stop what?”

“Stop asking me so many questions. I can't think.”

“There's something going on that you're not telling me.”

“What do you want to be when you grow up, Matt?”

“What?”

“You heard me. What do you want to do? And don't say you want to be the most famous hockey player in the world. Tell me the truth.”

He hesitated. “I don't know.”

“You must know.”

“I don't. My mother is breathing down my neck to go to university, but I'm not sure I want to. If I wanted to be anything, I guess a cop or a firefighter.”

Ashley sighed. “You'd have to go away for that.”

“Yeah, but it wouldn't be for long. Not as long as getting some stupid degree.”

She lay down on the bed and cradled the phone against her ear.

“You'd make a great firefighter.”

“I'd take my ladder to come and rescue you. I might have to if you don't come out of your room soon. I miss you. I want to be with you again.”

“I know.”

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”

Ashley put her hand over her mouth.

“Ashley?”

“I wish I knew,” she whispered.

“Get better, baby.”

“I will.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too.” She hung up the phone and pressed her face into the sheets.

Gertie was raring to go when Tansy showed up at her door the next Saturday morning. It was a glorious day, perfect for going to the beach, though the water didn't warm up in this part of the world until mid to late July. Still, it looked tempting.

They were off, walking down the main street of town, with its corner stores, gift shops, and the odd motel. A few large homes sat inches from the sidewalk, and cars were parked on both sides of the street. Already large trailer homes and caravans lumbered through the main drag on their way to the fortress. License plates from across Canada and the States were clues as to how far these people had travelled to see this famous site.

Typically for a local, Gertie hadn't been to the fortress in years. But she imagined most New Yorkers didn't visit the Empire State Building, either, unless their relatives were in town.

She wasn't aware that she was walking quickly until Tansy pointed it out.

“You're doing a lot better, Gertie. Have you weighed yourself lately?”

“Nah, I don't believe in that horseshit.”

Tansy chuckled. “You're a riot.”

“If I spent my entire life chained to a scale I'd never get out of bed. Do I need to be told every single morning I'm a fat slob before I even brush my teeth?”

“I never thought of it that way.”

“Let's walk to Bay's.”

“Are you sure? It's a long walk.”

“I can do anything.”

“Good for you.”

By the time they got to Bay's street, Gertie was winded. Tansy urged her on. “Keep going. You only have fifty feet left.”

Gertie nodded but stopped. Flo, who was out front washing her porch windows, put her hands on her hips. “Leave that poor child alone. Do you want to kill her?”

Before Gertie could say anything, Tansy shouted, “Why don't you mind your own business?”

“It is my business if Gertie has a heart attack on my front lawn. Do you know cp r? Because I sure don't.”

“I'm surprised. I thought you were full of hot air.”

Gertie pushed Tansy up the driveway, with Flo yelling at her the entire time. “In all my born days, I've never heard a saucier mouth than yours, Tansy Gillis. Why your mother…”

They disappeared around the corner and went into the house.

“Why do you provoke that woman?”

Tansy shrugged. “She called me a brat when I was a kid.”

Bay was by the stove making pancakes. “What are you two doing here? Don't tell me you walked over here, Gertie.”

“I did indeed. Now all I need is an intravenous drip and new feet.”

Bay hurried to the fridge, pulled out a pitcher of water, got a glass, and put them in front of her friend. “You're doing really well, Gertie. You only started this—what, about a week, maybe ten days ago?”