Under the Bridge (48 page)

But in the summer months, the clouds lift and the Gorge turns again into a site of such remarkable beauty. A park for children now is near the water's edge, so the very young children of the town play in sandboxes and on slides, filling the air with exuberant noise. Kayaks cross the Gorge, their passengers paddling slowly, turning their faces to the sun, then lifting, with oars, the waters, which seem full of gold. Swans float slowly by the shore, as if unbothered by the presence of a young couple on the green grass, wrapped in each other's arms, staring out at the light on the water.

The boy in the Karmann Ghia drives home. He passes his sister's room and hears her singing to a song on the radio. He walks upstairs and smells the scent of cardamom in his mother's tea. His father is in the living room, with a green singing lovebird on his shoulder. His father now works as an interpreter in courtrooms, helping lawyers translate Punjabi into English and English into Punjabi. His father does not tell his son of the dream.

The dream is this. A dream of Reena, the first since her death, so long ago.

In the dream, Reena has returned home and she wanders into the house and hugs her mother.

Her mother says, “Aren't you going to hug your father?”

His daughter then holds him. They embrace. In the dream, Manjit is “crying profusely.” He turns to his daughter, with the tears still in his eyes, and in the dream he says to her:

Reena, where did you go?

He says, “Reena,
where have you been?”

I
N
N
OVEMBER
2004, Warren Glowatski was denied parole.

In April 2005, Kelly Ellard was found guilty of the second-degree murder of Reena Virk.

She maintains her innocence.

I
AM VERY GRATEFUL
to the many people portrayed here who shared their experiences with trust and generosity, particularly the Virk and Pallan families. Thank you also to David Rosenthal and Iris Tupholme for believing in this book seven years ago, and Denise Roy, for being the dream editor. I am indebted to Barbara McLintock, a wise and insightful guide and friend, to Ellen and Dave Godfrey for everything, to Aaron Rose, Fi Campbell, Janet Johnson, Juliette Consigny, Diane Williams, and Holley Bishop for inspiring, Samuel Godfrey and Paul LaFarge for reading and improving early drafts, and to Yaddo, The Canada Council, Djerassi Resident Arts Program, and the Allen Room at the New York Public Library. For endless patience and help, thanks to (the wonderful) Emma Parry and all at Fletcher & Parry, Annie Orr, Jim Gifford, Katie Rizzo, David Kent, and the legal counsel of Kai Flankenberg and Alison Woodbury. For their kindness in Victoria and Vancouver, thanks to Pamela Hutcheson, Dean Melanson, Catherine Snowdon, Marilyn Bowering, Matt Pollard, and the journalists: Jane Armstrong, Greg Joyce, Roger Stonebanks, Andy Ivens, Neal Hall, Amy Carmichael, Murray Langdon, Daniel Girard. Great thanks also to Lydia Wills, Zoe Wolff, Stephanie Savage, Heather McGowan, Ken Dornstein, Phyllis Beren, Michael Turner, Jeff Rogers, Evan Bernard, Patrick Li, Brigitte Lacombe, Christine Schutt, and Beatrice von Rezzori.