Bishop's Road

by Catherine Hogan Safer

Judy goes to see Patrick as soon as she arrives. Tells him what she knows about Frankie’s situation. Frankie has had total recall and is ready to do battle. Patrick agrees that Judy should stay out of sight until the trial which won’t happen until there’s an arrest made and Jimmy is nowhere to be found. Frankie will be tucked away in a safe place and yes, it’s okay for Judy to go back with Annie Paul. The investigation will be a quiet one. If Jimmy is in town they don’t want him to find out what’s going on until they nab him but she shouldn’t let anyone know where she’s going. No. Not even Maggie. No one. Jimmy is well known as a hard ass and has a faithful following. Patrick is pleased to have something tangible on the dirty little bastard. He has long suspected that Jimmy and his crew are responsible for every gay-bashing in town but can’t prove a thing. If he can get him behind bars for a few years maybe the queer young fellows can breathe easier when they finally come up with the courage to step out of the closet.

  Judy wants Frankie to come with her and Annie Paul but Patrick says no. But what if Jimmy finds him? He won’t. Patrick will be in touch with Judy as soon as he needs her to testify. He talks to Annie Paul. Now she’ll have to watch over that girl whether she wants to or not. He provides a police escort to see the two safely home. He’s not too confident that some loose-lipped member of the medical profession hasn’t spilled the beans and he knows how quickly news travels around here. All it will take is for doctor so and so to tell the family all about the lastest coma marvel and for one of his youngsters to mention it to the best friend of someone’s sister who remembers the rumours she heard last year and that will be the end of his case. For all its airs this city is a village at the core.

  Judy is shipped off before she sees the baby or Frankie or Maggie or anyone else who matters and that is very sad, but on the up side, she’s free to be where she wants to be right now. She slides back into the new world as though born to it.

  Matthew calls Ruth with the news that someone named Bill is trying to find her. “I told him I couldn’t give him your phone number so he asked me to give you his. Also his addresses, street and e-mail. Do you want them?”

  Ruth is almost speechless. Almost. “This is wild! I’ve been thinking about him lately. Haven’t seen him in eons. I’m not so sure I want to talk to him but give me the information. I’ll keep it. Just in case.”

  “Oh God!” says Ruth after she hangs up. After she tells Matthew that she won’t be marrying Patrick. After she tells him she’s going to school in the fall if she can come up with the money. After she pours herself a beer and settles down for a bath. After she drops her ashtray into the tub. “Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! And don’t be getting all excited thinking that’s a prayer, Mister high and mighty. What makes you think you can waltz around screwing with people’s lives, anyway? You can be such a bastard sometimes, you know that? But still and all it might be interesting to see him again. No! No it wouldn’t. I have things to do now. I have things to do. Miles to go. Promises to keep. Whatever.”

  Ruth paces for a couple of miles in the apartment. Slowly. When the stars come out she takes her troubles to the streets. Walks another few miles. Along the river and down to the water-front. She finds herself in front of the police station but has no idea how she got there.

  Patrick is finally leaving after a very long shift and happens upon her standing at the bottom of the big stone stairs - looking up at his office window.

  “Have you come back?” he asks.

  “I don’t think so. I don’t know what I’m doing, really. Do you want to have a coffee? I’m a bit messed up at the moment and could use a friend.”

  “I’m not all that interested in being a friend,” says Patrick. “But I will have coffee with you.”

  Settled in a dirty booth with torn seat covers, the only thing open in the vicinity this time of night, Ruth bares her soul. She hadn’t intended to. Stops now and then to shake her head as though the next thought needs work to put itself into words. She finds herself telling all. About her son. About her life. Her dirty little secrets. “I don’t know how I feel about him. Bill. I don’t know if I should bother to find out or leave it alone. I just don’t know.”

  “You know Ruth, I’d really like to help you, but I happen to be in love with you and I’m the last person on earth you should be looking to right now. I’m not your best buddy. If you need advice on whether or not to call an old lover go to someone else. What do you think I’m made of? It’s great that you’re talking. Good to hear what’s been haunting you. But for God’s sake, Ruth, give me a break.”

  “Well fuck you.”

  “No. Fuck you, Ruth. You’re with me or you aren’t. I’m not some sensitive new age guy. I’m not big enough to sit here and help you figure out if you should contact this Bill character and pretend it doesn’t hurt like hell. It does. I’m out of here. Let me know what you decide to do.” And he’s gone.

  People are staring. “What are you numbnuts looking at?” yells Ruth storming across the dining room and through the door. She mutters to herself all the way home and into the wee hours. When the sun comes up she heads to Ginny Mustard’s house. Joe Snake wakes to find that she has dug up half the grass in the back yard and constructed a couple of sloppy flower beds.

  “Is it too late to plant things? Never mind. I’m going to the seed store to see what they’ve got.”

  “What is the matter, Ruth? Do you want to talk?”

  “No. I tried that a few hours ago and believe you me, it’s not worth shit. I’ll be fine. I just need to muck about in the garden for a while. Thanks, but leave me alone, okay?”

  Joe Snake goes inside to make coffee. Ruth heads out to buy plants and comes back in a taxi with boxes of spindly end-of-the-season marigolds and zinnias and asters. “They were on sale. Some of them were free. I think they’re half dead but you never know. I spent all my cash so can you pay buddy in the cab?”

  She calls Zellers and tells her boss she won’t be in. She accepts a cup of coffee and starts digging. Joe Snake asks his parents not to speak to her until she’s finished. Not: to go out back. Ignore her. By the end of the day the pathetic flowers have been freed of the cruel boxes that bound their roots. Breathing gratefully. Sucking up the generous water.

  “There. I think that just about does it. Invite me to dinner, will you? I don’t want to talk but I don’t want to be alone right now, either. You talk. I need to stop dwelling on me for a few minutes. Tell me what’s going on with the wife and kid. Tell me any-thing that has nothing to do with Ruth. Better still, just let your mother and Lucy go wild. I’ve got a fridge full of salad makings at my place. I’ll get them. You come up with meat.”

  Those in charge of such things, are debating Ginny Mustard’s fate. Once they see her the action heats up considerably. “I didn’t know she’s black. This is worse than I thought. If the black community gets wind of this we’ll really be up the creek.”

  “What black community? You’re watching too much TV. You wouldn’t need both hands to count the number like her in this place. That hardly makes for a community. Still, the problem remains. I’m surprised the shit hasn’t already hit the fan. If any-thing had gone wrong with that baby I’d hate to think where we’d be right now. Meantime, I’m certain we can appease the victim in this case by setting her free as soon as possible. Has anyone spoken to the father? He could be the one to cause trouble. Unless he’s as simple as she is. Talk to Judge Steeves. Tell him what’s going on and that we need to get her out of here. Get her to sign something saying we aren’t responsible for anything that happens to that kid in the future. If it doesn’t get straight As in school or can’t figure out how to play basketball or pass its bloody driver’s test we don’t want the justice system having to compensate for our negligence.”

  Such nasty people to be talking this way. Ginny Mustard would never think to sue anyone. Neither would Joe Snake. Still and all it’s just as well they don’t know that because now Sweet Polly won’t have to spend her baby time without her
momma. The hearing is swift and painless. There is some confusion when Ginny Mustard tells the board that she is going to go live in a teepee with her baby but they come to order again when one whispers to another and she to another that Ginny Mustard is clearly out of her mind and they will simply forward pertinent information to the parole officer and forget all about it.

  Since Ginny Mustard didn’t know she was to be released so soon and had no idea why those women wanted to meet with her, it comes as a shock to Joe Snake that she is free. When she calls to ask him to come and get her he can’t quite believe what he is hearing and the old warden is packing up to leave and the new one waiting for space to put her own junk. There’s no one around but a guard who just came on duty for the evening and doesn’t know what Joe Snake is talking about. She checks with a few of the inmates and is told that, yes, Ginny Mustard is free, after which she goes to the office and finds proof on paper. “You might as well come pick her up.”

  Ginny Mustard takes Joe Snake’s travel time to say goodbye to the others. Some of them shed a few tears. Some don’t give a damn. Crazy Rachel is angry beyond angry. When the place settles down for the night she sits on the floor and bangs her head against the wall and wails like something dying until the guards put her in solitary which is worse because you can still smell birth in that little room. She tears her shirt to shreds and has eaten a sleeve and the collar by morning so they ship her out to the insane asylum where she spends her time making pictures of really ugly babies with dry beans and pasta.

  At home - Ginny Mustard’s home - such a wonderful night! Dinner was over when she called with the news. Much wine had been consumed and Sadie Benoit was beside herself with wanting to pick Ruth’s brain. Once Joe Snake had left to drive to the prison - a little too fast - he got a speeding ticket - she dove in and Ruth was just drunk enough to let her.

  After she spills her guts, Sadie Benoit says, “You know what your problem is Ruth? You don’t laugh enough. You make all kinds of wise-cracks but you really don’t have any humour in your soul. I really think you should lighten up. Life is not that serious, you know. And not that long either. If you can relax a bit before you’re completely over the hill you might find the trip down the other side more enjoyable. And that’s all I have to say.”

  “Sure it is,” says Ruth. “Did hell freeze over when I wasn’t looking?”

  “See what I mean? Your tongue is too sharp. You’ll cut yourself bad on that one of these days if you’re not careful, Missy.”

  “Yeah yeah - whatever. Tell the happy family I’ll see them around. I’m sure I have something better to do than listen to this tripe.” She leaves in a huff and people walking by step aside when they see her coming. Some of them cross the street. One old fellow takes the Rosary beads out of his pocket and kisses the crucifix. A little cold wind whips over Eve’s grave, all the way down-town and in through Ruth’s kitchen window.

  When Ginny Mustard arrives the first thing she does is snuggle her baby. And since no one thought to give her anything to dry up her milk and it’s only been a couple of days, Sweet Polly nuzzles in wanting a meal and Mrs. Benoit gathers up all the bottles she bought and puts them in back of the cupboard.

  The second thing Ginny Mustard does is start packing to move to her new home in the country. Joe Snake talks for an hour or more before she sees reason.

  “Let’s stay here until next spring. I can get most of the courses I need at the university done by then.”

  “But I want to sleep outside.”

  “We can put a tent on the little bit of grass that Ruth didn’t dig up.”

  “But there is no water.”

  “We’ll build a pond.”

  “There are no bats.”

  “We’ll stick houses for them in the trees and maybe some will show up.”

  “I want to catch fish.”

  “We’ll find a lake.”

  “Okay. But only until spring. We have to go see Annie Paul.”

  “Yes. As often as you like.”

  Ruth’s apartment is so cold that she has to put on a sweater and mittens and even then she is chilled. She sleeps under every blanket she owns. When Sarah comes banging at the door bright and early she is still freezing and won’t get up for the longest time.

  “I know you’re in there, Ruth. I really need to talk to you. I’ll kick this thing down if I have to.”

  “What do you want, Sarah? I’m not in any mood for your shit right now.”

  Sarah starts to cry. “I’ve done the worst thing, Ruth. I told Peter about Matthew not being his father. That you’re his mother. We couldn’t find you. Matthew arid Joanna are at the house. You have to come and get this straightened out. Please, Ruth.”

  “What is there to straighten out? I’m sure you’ve told them everything I said. That’s all there is there ain’t no more, darlin’. Though I do have Bill’s phone number. How about you just take it and traipse on home and give it to Peter and if he wants to call his daddy he can. By the way, make sure you tell him that Bill doesn’t have a clue about any of this. Not a clue. You go on now. We can talk about this until the second coming but it won’t change anything and you sure as hell don’t need my input.” She finds the paper with Bill’s address and hands it to Sarah. “Here, girl. Knock yourself out.”

  Ruth packs clothes, can opener, frying pan, bowl, plate, knife, fork, spoon, coffee cup, kettle in an old duffel bag and lugs it over to Ginny Mustard’s house. Yells out to Joe Snake that she wants to see him. “I need a favour. Lend me some money and give me a ride away from this friggin’ place. I have some more thinking to do. No. That’s not the truth. I’ve done enough of that. I want to be by myself. Completely by myself. Here’s the key to my place. Take my plant and look after it will you? And my books. I’m going to buy as many groceries, beer and smokes as you can afford and then you’re driving me off into the sunset. Just don’t tell anyone where you left me. Deal?”

  “Deal. I’ll let the others know that I’m going. When can I say I’ll be back?

  “Give it half the day.”

  “Right. Why are you wearing winter clothes? The sun is splitting the rocks.”

  “Not where I’m standing, it isn’t.”

  On Bishop’s Road Mrs. Miflin’s tenants wake to the day. One heads around back to walk in the garden. Another slides like a ghost out the front door and down to the river. Someone lies on her bed and tries to remember where she was yesterday and on the third floor landing a very sad woman sits in an old chair near the window. If she squints real hard she can see all the way through the trees and into the park from here.

  The End

  Acknowledgements

  Some of the words quoted in Bishop’s Road are found in The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by T.S. Eliot, What Lips My Lips Have Kissed and Renascence by Edna St. Vincent Milky, The Unstrung Harp; or, Mr. Harbrass Writes a Novel by Edward Gorey, and Hamlet by William Shakespeare. Others are from Hush Little Baby, author unknown.

  Author’s Note

  Bishop’s Road does not exist. Nor do the characters in this novel. But St. John’s does and it is by far the most magical place on earth.