The Marigold by Andrew F. Sullivan

Author:Andrew F. Sullivan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: ECW Press
Published: 2023-04-18T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

The former ceramics museum, now the Centre for Collaborative Insight, sat at the top of Queen’s Park circle, surrounded by decommissioned university labs and dormitories that were either luxury condos or abandoned to squatters who refused to move. A sinkhole had swallowed part of the circle where the provincial legislature stood, a few trees still clinging to life around its edges.

There was a small monument built afterward for the victims that stood at the southern foot of the pit, until that monument was swallowed too. It wasn’t replaced. People still wondered why the whole building didn’t fall in while the politicians were in session. A missed opportunity. On major holidays and long weekends, people drove around the pit in circles, firing Roman candles down into the blackness. Sometimes a car would get too close and tumble down.

“You don’t have to do this with me,” Cathy said as they emerged from the rerouted subway tunnel, masks pulled tight over their heads, horns glistening. “I know you don’t love confrontations. You can wait out front if you want.”

“I know,” Jasmine said. “But I saw what you saw. And I can’t sleep at night if I don’t do something about it. I think about all the times I should have done something . . .”

“I know what you mean,” Cathy said.

“I used to date this dude in high school, this rich boy,” Jasmine said. “Maybe I told you this story. His family was lovely, and he was sweet enough. But, ugh . . . this is stupid.”

“It’s alright, we got time.” Cathy wanted to delay this meeting, maybe even cancel it. She felt too eager to meet, too eager to share this knowledge. It felt like surrendering herself.

“They had this poodle, this big black dog. And this guy threw a brick into the pool, told the dog to go and fetch it. And the dog did. It jumped right in, kept diving down and down again. And he was smiling the whole time and I stood there until his dad came out and stopped it.”

“And you don’t want to just stand there this time,” Cathy said. “Right? We’ve just been standing there for years, checking the temperature of the water. Threshold will help us though. All we need to do is give them a taste of what we saw.”

“I can’t unsee what we saw down there. I can’t keep it to myself.”

“Alright, let’s go then,” Cathy said, trying to convince herself. They hadn’t talked about the fight, got dressed in silence, rode the subway without speaking. Maybe Jasmine understood now. This wasn’t a way to live, trapped in the city, barely able to stay above water. There was a way out. Cathy was only now struggling to believe it. “Remember, we aren’t promising anything. They only know what we tell them. They owe us. We need to get some of this deal in writing.”

“I hear you,” Jasmine said. “We stick together.”

The top of the circle was empty. It was cold again, the tiny heatwave abandoning the city as soon as it arrived.

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