Prairie Ostrich by Tamai Kobayashi

Author:Tamai Kobayashi
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Cultural isolation, Japanese Canadian, Canadian Fiction, Coming of age story, Ostrich Farming, Lesbian, Canadian Prairies
Publisher: Goose Lane Editions
Published: 2014-02-09T22:00:00+00:00

December

Christmas is coming, all the school a-carolling, Joy to the World, and Mr. Geary staggers from his office, reeking of liquor and Old Spice. He crashes into the lockers and everyone looks away. Because everyone knows, like the shiner Mrs. Ayslin sports after Christmas. She wears long sleeves throughout the year and no one ever says anything. Mama runs around the house with tinsel and bits of red and green, hauling out the tree from the attic and in the end she falls into the armchair with a glass of whiskey in her hand and a candy cane hooked over the rim. Everyone so fiercely, frantically jolly, Peace on Earth and Goodwill Towards Men. Egg wonders about the women, though, as Mrs. Ayslin wears sunglasses in the dead of winter. Mrs. MacDonnell says when you say men, you mean men and women but Egg is not so sure.

It is the last day before Christmas vacation and Egg wants to retrieve her Callard’s candy tin (fruit drops), stuffed with buttons she has found, and pins, a hockey card of Bobby Orr creased at the edges, all stashed behind William Shakespeare, The Complete Works. No one takes The Complete Works, it is way too heavy. It is late in the day so she must be cautious and the library will be closing early because of the Christmas pageant. Egg tries ducking under the counter but Miss Granger is too quick for her.

“Egg?”

Miss Granger has big eyes like the ostriches and pretty pretty lashes, only ostriches don’t hide their heads in the sand. That is just a myth. When Egg looks up, Evangeline Granger’s eyes go wide like she sees something, but then it’s gone. She holds out a present, wrapped with a golden ribbon that bounces with curls. “Here you go, Egg. Merry Christmas.”

Egg is surprised. She can only squeak out her thanks. She feels suddenly shy and flustered because she does not have a present for Evangeline.

Miss Granger smiles. “You can open it now, if you want to.”

Egg pulls away the wrapping and holds a Thesaurus in her hands. It says in gold letters. It’s a grown-up book, a hardcover.

“I’ve seen you with the dictionaries. I thought you might like a change. Do you know what that is?”

Egg opens the book. “It’s a kind of dictionary for words that are extinct.”

“Not quite.” Miss Granger smiles, an odd twitch. Her hand reaches out, strokes down Egg’s ruffled hair. Her smile slips and she retreats into her gingham. “It’s for synonyms, words that mean the same thing.”

“A whole book for that?”

“A whole book.”

Egg stands for a moment, one foot pressed on the other. She feels a strong urge to hug her but thinks that Miss Granger would not allow it. Grown-ups have their separate rules, a language all their own.

“When I’m big, I’m going be a writer,” Egg blurts, an offering of sorts.

“When you’re big,” Evangeline smiles, “but you can start small.”

“I want to start when no one can tell me what to do.

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