Chapter 11

Too Many Bodies
by Margot Comstock

“Hayden," wrote Hayden’s mother Ted--a name chosen as soon as she was independent enough to abandon her given name of Edmonia, which she abhorred—“Hayden, this is Ted.

“Yes, I too survived the accident--actually there was no accident; your father trashed the car to make us free of, well, of the past. It’s worked, for more than a decade.

“I’m appalled at what has happened, at what your father has brought about. He’s a fool—a brilliant fool in his way--but terrible, and so unwise.”

Ted took a sip of crisp white Canadian wine, gazed through the window at the stark, gnarly winter trees and the glistening snow of Quebec. She had chosen a small skiing town, an easy distance from Quebec and Toronto, for a few days of pure peace and renewal. The town turned out to be a perfect choice, for unexpected reasons.

Ted was a scientist, a realist; if she were to worship (a concept she disliked) anything, it would be this planet. And science, but, most of all, Earth. This little town was full of churches of various denominations, churchgoers, and Mennonites. Good grief, Mennonite. In short, things she eschewed.

Yet in her short visit, she’d met a Sikh who lived in an old Baptist Church building and a Mennonite who was one of the Sikh’s best friends. And she liked them, thoroughly enjoyed their company. Ted felt more peace than ever before in her rather difficult life.

If only she could stay here, safe, away from the past. And yet she was attempting to reconnect with her child. Her “black seed”? She thought not, really.

“Hayden, I was with Jean-Luc for several years; he was childish and brash but talented and charming. I grieve his death, but I won’t miss him.”

And she had plans that would take her far away from Canada, fairly new plans that would change her life once again. This time, so much for the better. Except for Ted’s new partner, Hayden would be the first to know.

“Not long ago, I met an amazing woman, a scientist from Liberia, who was being brought through Quebec on the way to the United States, a trip arranged by a group of courageous, caring scientists surreptitiously led by Jean-Luc. I was to host her while she was in Canada. She stayed with me in Quebec for only two weeks, but that was enough for me to understand that I had been denying myself all my life. The woman, Marpuh Karwah, had no such confusion; she had known herself well all her life.

“Have you ever met a stranger, someone you know will remain a stranger--perhaps a waitress at a lunch counter you stop in on a trip, or someone you happen to sit next to on a plane or bus--and realize this person, whom most likely you’ll never see again, is a soul mate—someone with whom you would, under different circumstances, be close and forever friends? And it’s clear that that stranger feels the same way. The two of you even acknowledge it. It’s an infrequent lovely event, one you never fully forget….

“That was the case with Dr. Karwah and me. Except that we had more time, and the time was a gift that is changing my life.

“In the two short weeks before her rescuer—your lover Ollie—arrived, Mar and I fell in love. Deeply, thoroughly, and joyfully.

“I’ll be returning to the States to be with her. Since you’re there, I thought you might like to know these things. Yes, it was the fine man you knew who was bravely instrumental in helping Mar, Dr. Yarweh.

“I know neither your motives nor your thoughts, Hayden, but your actions have been questionable.

“If you care to be in touch—and I do long to see my daughter—you now know how to reach me.

“Your mother,
“Ted”
____

The mixture of emotions, the roller coaster of events, that threatened to drown Hayden when she finally had a chance to check her phone for mail, was excruciating. An orphan for so many years, suddenly finding her father and now her mother not dead but alive and well, was strangely devastating. Why? Why did they abandon her? Were they ever in that accident? Was there an accident?

Hayden felt more alone than she had felt in the years after losing them. And now she had lost Ollie. She had killed Ollie. Just because her father told her to. Deep remorse for her action leading to loathing for Jack filled her. What a mess! Who was Jack anyway? Was he, had Jean-Luc been, CIA? At this point, Hayden thought they had not. Well, maybe that was a reason to see her mother; Ted might know. She decided to call her mother and ask about the unlikely CIA members.

Suddenly she was struck with a desperate despondence. The only good person in her life had been Ollie. She was sick. She drank cold water that settled her stomach. Still devastated, she began counting her errors, until one brought up a name that gave her a tiny glimmer of hope: Hank, her wise and wonderful squash coach. She’d call Hank, after she rang her mother.

When she called Ted, the phone in Quebec was picked up, but there was silence. And then a terrifying sound: Hayden thought it was a gunshot.

The line went dead.




Margot Comstock is a California artist-crossword creator-game designer-writer who enjoys hanging out with her ancient Viking and cheering on the Los Angeles Lakers.