So,
      flag
      down
      our
      lovely
      waitress,
      get
      us
      some
      kind
      of
     
    

    
     
      -
      coffees,
      and
      tell
      me
      what
      I’m
      thinking.
     
    

    
     
      Dessert?
     
    

    
     
      That’s
      it?
      That’s
      the
      extent
      of
      your
      clairvoyant
      abili-
     
     
      ties?
      Sophie
      was
      disappointed
      and
      relieved
      at
      the
      same
      time.
     
     
      At
      least
      tell
      me
      what
      kind
      I
      want.
      :
     
    

    
     
      Two,
      actually
      said
      Jarrett
      studying
      her
      carefully.
      Then
     
     
      he
      closed
      his
      eyes
      and
      looked
      like
      he
      was
      consulting
      with
      the
     
     
      spirits.
      ©
      ;
     
    

    
     
      So
      this
      is
      what
      he
      looks
      like
      when
      he’s
      sleeping,
     
     
      thought
      Sophie.
      His
      soon-to-be-ex
      wife
      was
      crazy.
      I
      can’t
     
     
      think
      why
      she’d
      leave
      him,
      I
      wouldn’t.
     
    

    
     
      Sophie
      tried
      to
      turn
      from
      those
      thoughts
      and
      physical-
     
     
      ly
      turned
      her
      body
      to
      face
      the
      fountain
      full-on.
      All
      the
      men
      had
     
     
      gone.
      Riis
     
    

    
     
      Probably
      back
      to
      work,
      she
      thought.
     
    

    
     
      Four
      women,
      at
      points
      north,
      south,
      east,
      and
      west,
      sat
     
     
      with
      paperback
      novels,
      or
      nothing.
      Why
      had
      his
      wife
      left
      him?
     
     
      Why
      had
      Sophie
      left
      him,
      for
      that
      matter?
      She
      had
      left
      him
      for
     
     
      Nick,
      one
      night,
      in
      his
      single
      bed
      in
      the
      dorm
      room
      at
      the
      end
     
    

    
     
      +
      20fthe
      hall...
     
    

    
     
      The
      room
      was
      larger
      than
      most,
      with
      bigger
      windows,
     
     
      because
      Nick
      was
      a
      grad
      student
      and
      was
      also
      the
      residence
     
     
      assistant
      for
      two
      floors.
      After
      months
      of
      seeing
      a
      lot
      of
      each
     
     
      other,
      but
      always
      in
      the
      company
      of
      his
      doubles
      partner,
      and
     
     
      now
      her
      apartment
      mate,
      Jarrett,
      Sophie
      and
      Nick
      found
      them-
     
     
      selves
      alone
      on
      a
      Friday
      night.
     
    

    
     
      Some
      kind
      of
      sponsored
      demonstration
      at
      the
      racquet
     
     
      club
      required
      Jarrett’s
      participation.
      The
      three
      had
      just
      figured
     
     
      they
      would
      all
      go
      to
      the
      club,
      but
      at
      the
      residence
      pub
      for
      a
     
    

    
     
      quick
      dinner,
      they’d
      seen
      flyers
      for
      a
      jazz-singing
      pianist
     
     
      named
      Saffron.
     
    

    
     
      Yeah,
      like
      that’s
      her
      real
      name,
      said
      Sophie.
     
    

    
     
      Well,
      I
      don’t
      care,
      those
      look
      real
      to
      me,
      said
      Jarrett
     
     
      pointing
      at
      the
      photo
      of
      the
      performer.
      :
     
    

    
     
      _
      Sophie
      blushed
      and
      thought
      she
      also
      saw
      peice
      look
      a
     
     
      little
      uncomfortable.
      .
     
     
      _
      She.
      IS
      really
      good,
      said
      Nick,
      I
      heard
      her
      on
      CBC.
     
     
      You
      ARE
      older
      than
      us,
      aren’t
      you?.
      joked
      Jarrett.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      iste?
      Hivaik
     
    
   
   
    
     
      I
      listen
      because
      it
      reminds
      me
      of
      my
      house
      —-
      -
      my
      par-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      _
      ents
      always:have
      it
      on.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      their
      yelling.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      _My
      parents
      may
      have
      had
      it
      on,
      I
      couldn’
      t
      hear
      above
     
    
   
   
    
     
      from
      the
      novel
      currently
      in
      progress,
      Plate
      By
      Numbers
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Sophie
      wanted
      to
      say
      something,
      but
      didn’t
      know
     
     
      what.
      Jarrett
      had
      told
      them
      one
      night
      over
      many
      beers
      in
      their
      |
     
     
      apartment
      that
      his
      parents
      had
      split
      up,
      something
      which
      Nick
     
     
      and
      Sophie
      already
      knew,
      and
      knew
      he
      knew
      they
      knew,
      so
     
     
      they
      figured
      something
      else
      was
      coming.
     
    

    
     
      It
      was
      that
      Jarrett’s
      mother
      had
      left
      when
      he
      was
      six-
     
     
      teen,
      Thomas
      was
      twelve,
      and
      Mickey
      was
      five.
      When
      they’d
     
     
      come
      home
      from
      school
      one
      afternoon,
      it
      was
      Mickey’s
      first
     
     
      year,
      there
      was
      a
      note
      saying
      she
      had
      an
      apartment
      in
      Toronto
     
     
      and
      a
      new
      job
      as
      a
      massage
      therapist.
     
    

    
     
      There
      was
      so
      much
      in
      the
      note
      that
      the
      boys
      didn’t
     
     
      understand.
      They
      focussed
      on
      what
      a
      massage
      therapist
      was
      —
     
     
      it
      was
      the
      late
      seventies,
      and
      no
      one
      in
      Timmins
      seemed
      to
     
     
      know
      what
      massage
      therapy
      involved.
      The
      boys
      told
      anyone
     
     
      who
      asked
      that
      their
      mother
      was
      away
      because
      she
      was
      in
      ther-
     
     
      apy.
      No
      one
      seemed
      to
      press
      for
      more
      information
      after
      that.
     
    

    
     
      And
      even
      the
      boys
      didn’t
      press,
      Jarrett
      said
      that
      night
     
     
      on
      the
      floor
      near
      where
      Sophie
      was
      stretched
      on
      the
      futon
     
     
      couch.
      Her
      feet
      were
      crossed
      on
      Nick’s
      lap,
      mostly
      because
      he
     
     
      really
      had
      wanted
      to
      sit
      somewhere
      with
      support,
      his
      back
      was
     
     
      hurting
      from
      the
      previous
      week’s
      tournament,
      and
      Sophie
      was
     
     
      really
      sleepy
      but
      didn’t
      want
      to
      miss
      whatever
      the
      talk
      would
     
     
      be
      about.
     
    

    
     
      We
      knew
      my
      father
      couldn’t
      handle
      any
      questions,
      so
     
     
      we
      all
      just
      got
      on
      with
      things.
      We
      all
      helped
      Mickey
      do
      stuff,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      _
      and
      played
      with
      him,
      and
      told
      him
      Mom
      kept
      phoning
      and
      say-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ing
      she
      missed
      him
      and
      loved
      him.
      She
      didn’t
      phone
      for
      three
     
     
      years.
     
    

    
     
      Nick
      opened
      another
      beer.
     
    

    
     
      She
      called
      to
      wish
      me
      a
      happy
      graduation
      at
      the
      end
      of
     
     
      grade
      thirteen.
     
    

    
     
      Sophie,
      shook
      her
      head,
      hoping
      some
      words
      would
      fall
     
     
      loose.
      —
      Be
      >
     
     
      ~
      That’s
      Why.
      I
      went
      to
      York;
      he
      said.
      I
      thought
      she’d
     
     
      want
      me
      to
      move
      close
      to
      her.
     
    

    
     
      Sophie
      knew
      she’d
      never
      answered
      any
      phone
      calls
     
    
   
   
    
     
      '
      from
      his
      mother.
      Jarrett’s
      father
      called
      the
      apartment
      often,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      from
      all
      over
      the
      world,
      He’d
      been
      i
      ‘in
      politics
      in
      Timmins
      for
     
    
   
   
    
     
      -
      years,
      and
      when
      he’d
      suddenly
      found
      himself
      single,
      he’d
     
    
   
   
    
     
      applied
      for
      any
      foreign
      posting
      he
      could
      get.
      As
      soon
      as
      Jarrett
     
     
      had
      left
      for
      Toronto,
      his
      father
      had-taken
      the
      other
      two
      boys
     
     
      with
      him
      to
      Africa,
      various
      parts,
      various
      homes.
      And
      always,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      £
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      Cadre
     
     
      ees
      was
     
    
   
   
    
     
      8
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ©