The Second Part of Chapter 17: Three Families, Three Christmases

“How are the science classes, Katie?”

“They’re going pretty well; it’s filled with all the usual suspects: the five kids or so who I love teaching, the fifteen people who are passable, normal kids who will probably get in the 70s or so, the two rambunctious kids who would do well if only they settled down, and then there’s that one lost cause. All my classes are something like that; I’m not teaching grade twelve chemistry this year like I was last year, hence there are fewer keen students; that class I just described was a grade ten, and there’s a grade nine class and a grade eleven class.”

Dinner passed relatively quietly, and the present opening that closely followed was happy, as Christmas should be.

“Clarie! You didn’t have to get me anything!” exclaimed Katherine as she read the card accompanying her gift, opened it and admired the white blazer that Clarissa had given her.

“Oh, you know, the expenses of raising a child haven’t come in a major way, unless you count the clothing and the furniture. Then my savings rate will plunge.”

Patricia turned to Ryan: “Ryan, have you thought about our retirement? It’s not that far off: we’re both in our sixties.”

“I guess we will have to work till we drop,”

“Um...”

“Oh, don’t worry, mom; I shall take care of you when you want to retire,”

“That’s very nice of you, Kate, but I wouldn’t want to burden my last living child with that sort
of legacy,”

“It’s no problem, really: I’m single, childless, and thus sitting on a pile of money. I should actually be more worried about myself: I’m thirty-one, and still single, without kids; now consider my position: I won’t have any kids to provide for me when I become old and bent.”

“You just need to find the right man, and keep trying again.”

Katherine did not like the sound of this advice; as if she hadn’t been trying hard enough already; as if the previous marriage to Mike had never happened; as if she hadn’t had enough of men as it was.

“Well, goodnight, Ryan and Patricia, and thanks for having me over. I need to get to bed; I’m leaving for Toronto in two days, and it’s a long trip, and anyways, the thing inside me is draining my energy. Thank goodness I’ll be taking the train,”

With that, Clarissa left for her home, and went home to sleep.


On the following day, Eunice was at Clarissa’s house after dinner, in order to see how she was doing. She felt sorry that one of her best friends was being unmercifully tossed about by the vicissitudes of fate; now, however, she was talking about something else entirely.

“Have you heard about Belinda? She was fired,”

“Oh,” said Clarissa, disinterested. Eunice knew that Clarissa had held Belinda in low esteem since June, and so didn’t set much store by her indifference.

“Her lips were too loose,” and she went into all the details and consequences, all the while perfectly well aware that many of the qualities she ascribed to Belinda could also be said of herself.

“As they say, loose lips sink ships. The Belinda is floundering right now,” said Clarissa.

“I think that refers to espionage, but whatever. So, what I really wanted to know was how you're doing,”

“Okay, I guess.”

Eunice immediately noticed the disconnect between her words and her facial expression, which said, “I’m still sad.”

“How are you, really?”

“Very well; I’m feeling slightly groggy and drained. Maybe it’s the pregnancy, or that I’ll be leaving for mom’s early tomorrow morning. I’ve never had to do this before. I would have been gone by now, in Toronto, and shopping for food at the St. Lawrence Market.”

“It’s really Jim, isn’t it? What can I do to help? You know it hurts me to see you sad like this. Do you want to go to a movie when you return?”

“Sure. I think I would like a comedy, but not a romantic comedy; I wouldn’t find any of those remotely funny. I was thinking of a gross-out comedy, something physical,”

“Something like Blades of Glory? Mario has that on DVD. I don’t know what he finds so funny about men with their faces in each other’s crotches, but he thinks that’s the funniest part of the movie. I kept laughing at the one guy’s effeminate dress.”

Eunice then thought of something else: “What do you think the Prime Minister meant by what he said? I heard it on the six o’clock news–– ‘And all our yesterdays have lighted fools the way to dusty death.’”

“I think he was referring to the behaviour of the opposition–have you heard what Patrick Wakefield said about him? He insinuated that the Prime Minister was distracted by his wife’s antics, and his attitude toward women does nothing to advance gender equality,”

“There’s one area where he’s definitely lacking,” said Eunice. “There’s the prostitute, Andrea Colm’s messy resignation, and his relationship with his wife.”

“I think gossiping about this whole thing universally lowers the quality of political debate,” said Clarissa. “So let’s not talk about it too much; it’s regrettable that the Prime Minister can’t control his loins, but most people can channel that excess energy into other uses,”

“Perhaps he doesn’t get enough with his wife; I don’t have that problem with Mario, thank goodness,”

“That’s another thing I noticed about James; I thought the quality of his performance was lacking somewhat in the last week of his life,”

“Do you think it could be put down to premature ageing?”

“No; I suspect a different cause. Jim liked to eat fatty foods, or otherwise foods loaded with cholesterol, you know, the usual suspects: deep-fried objects masquerading as a meal, rich chocolate pudding, and of course there’s mousse, not to mention red meat,”

“You cooked him beef?”

“On occasion, but when I was away, or when he cooked, he was fond of roast beef, sirloin, or ground beef,” answered Clarissa.

“What about the mousse?”

“That was his favourite dessert,”

“And you say–”

“That all of that cholesterol blocked the wrong arteries, yada-yada-yada; you know how it goes,”

“How unfortunate,”

“Very unfortunate,” said Clarissa

“Anyways, I’m sorry about that vicious rumour that spread around after the funeral; you know the one about the drugs?”

“Yes, I remember,”

“I’ve been wondering where it came from, but it was Belinda who first told me that; I don’t know why she said it,”

“I wonder what made her think that Jim was a pill-popper,”

“And now look at where she is; unemployed, and her friends aren’t talking to her,”

“I don’t feel too sorry,”

“Linette said that her last days at work were awkward and unpleasant, too,”

“I’m not surprised; well, thanks again for visiting, Eunice,”

“It was my pleasure; it’s so nice to chat with the neighbours; well, Mario will be wondering what’s keeping me; I’d better hurry home,” and then she rose and left. Tomorrow, she anticipated happily, it would be warmer; it might even go above freezing, which would be a treat after more than a month of cold temperatures. Tomorrow, Clarissa would be visiting her parents, and Eunice sincerely hoped she would be happier, or at least a little less gloomy and lugubrious; it was the time of year to be cheerful, after all, and cheerfulness ought not to be treated as a duty, but a pleasure.

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