Chapter Thirty-One Sassy
thirty-one SASSY
The phone rang, and Sassy reached for it, distracted by a form she’d been reading. “Good afternoon. Rankin Real Estate. How may I help you?”
“Sassy? Is that you? You sound so serious!”
“Marion! Far out. You never call me at work. What’s up?”
“I got some news today, and I can’t wait until tonight to talk with you about it. Do you have some time?”
“Of course. It’s just me here right now.”
“Okay. Um, it’s pretty big news.”
“Let me have it.”
“After the funeral, I did a lot of thinking, and I’ve made a pretty radical decision. Um, you know how I’m always saying I wish I had more courage? Well, I think I just claimed the lion’s share.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Are you sitting down?”
“Don’t freak me out, Marion.”
“I don’t think I’m going to be able to prevent that this time.”
“What are you talking about?” Sassy repeated.
Marion took a deep breath. “Because of this Tet Offensive, the Canadian Red Cross announced that they need more doctors in Vietnam. So I made a phone call to find out more.”
Silence. “You’re not thinking of going.”
“I am. I know it probably won’t help Joey, but—”
“No one in their right mind would let a woman go to Vietnam.”
“Did you know there are thousands of American nurses down there?”
Sassy couldn’t actually register that news right now. “I did not.”
“Nobody talks about them, but it’s true. Anyhow, I just got a phone call, and I… I’ve been approved. I’m going to Vietnam in a couple of weeks. I will be there for two months.”
Sassy stared at nothing, trying to make sense of what she’d just heard.
“Sassy?”
“This… this is for real?” She got up and strode to the window, needing to move. “Like, you’re actually going down there?”
“I really am.”
Sassy’s gaze dropped to the street beyond, mushy with melting snow. “But you’re not a surgeon.”
“No, but I have surgical experience, and they’re pretty desperate. The Red Cross has approved it, as long as they can find a volunteer bodyguard to come with me.” She hesitated. “Sassy?”
“Sorry!” Sassy returned to her desk and sat with a thump. She picked up a pen and started drawing circles on a pad of paper to keep her hands busy. “I’m not thinking straight right now. I was imagining that my best friend just told me she’s going to Vietnam in a couple of weeks.”
Marion’s nervous laughter tinkled through the phone. “Far out, huh?”
“That’s heavy, Marion. Are you sure about this? How do you feel?”
The line was quiet for a beat. “Excited, pleased that they actually agreed to it, but kind of in shock, I guess. I’m a little scared, too.”
“You’d be nuts if you weren’t.”
“It feels surreal. I keep saying it out loud to myself. ‘I’m going to the Vietnam War.’ I’m not sure it’s really sunk in yet.”
“It’s so massive, Marion. Help me understand. Why are you doing this?”
Marion took a breath, then she said, “First, because I’m a doctor and I believe I can help. Second, and maybe more important, I’m going because you’re my friend. I haven’t thanked you for everything you’ve done for me, and now I can.”
“I haven’t done anything.”
“You just don’t know what you’ve done, because it comes so naturally to you. When you took me to places and shows and introduced me to people, you were giving me a whole new outlook on life. The way you enjoy life has changed who I am. I think that because of what you have given me, I am now the kind of person who would like to test herself and do something good at the same time.”
“Marion! Stop that!” she cried, sobbing. “You’ve given me so much, too. I’ve never thanked you, either.”
“You just did.”
Adrenaline shot back into Sassy’s bloodstream. “But I don’t want you to go! What if something happens? I can’t lose you, too!”
“I will be fine.”
“Gosh,” Sassy said, leaning back in her chair. Marion was calm. Sassy needed to get to that state, too, and Marion had taught her how. She exhaled slowly, counting to four. “All right, Marion. I will try to believe that. What can I do to help? I know. We’ll get you some new threads for the jungle. Shopping this Saturday.”
“Good idea.”
The door to the office opened, catching her attention. “Tom’s here. I’d better hang up. Can I tell him?”
“Sure.”
She swept the tears off her face with her sleeve, sniffing loudly. “See you tonight? My place?”
“I’ll be there.”
Tom was checking his mail as he approached, picking through envelopes without watching where he was going. It gave her the opportunity to admire his navy-blue herringbone jacket, unbuttoned over nicely fitted dark trousers. He’d loosened his blue-striped tie so he could undo the top button of his crisp white shirt. He didn’t like wearing ties, he had confided once. Coats were fine, but ties made him feel like he was on a leash.
She cleared her throat, stopping him from walking into her desk.
“Oh, hey,” he said, popping out of his stupor. “How was your morning?”
“I can’t even think straight. Marion just called me. She had the craziest news.”
While she told him the story, she watched his expression soften from polite interest to bewilderment then harden to concern.
“To a war zone?” he asked in disbelief. “What is she thinking?”
“I’m so proud of her,” Sassy said softly. “She’s braver than I’ll ever be.”
“Braver than me,” Tom agreed. “You said she’s a psychiatrist, right? Doesn’t it seem ironic to either of you that a shrink is doing something so insane?”
She laughed. “We’re both aware.”
He stood back and folded his arms, thinking through those dazzling blue eyes. “I’m going to make a donation to the Red Cross to help her out.”
Gratitude rose in her chest. “That’s righteous, Tom.”
“I’m sure it costs a lot to send volunteer doctors. And all the medicine and machines.”
“I hadn’t thought of that. The financial aspect. But I am learning to think more like that every day, thanks to you and Marion. And Dad. I’ll donate, too.” Then a thought struck her, and she paused. “Actually, I have an idea.”
“What?”
She faced her desk, seeing nothing but the ideas her mind was suddenly bringing to light.
“Sassy? What’s the idea?”
She smiled vaguely at him. “I’ll let you know when I figure out the details.”
The idea stayed with her all day, feeling more promising by the hour. As soon as she was done at work, she got on the bus and went straight to Chez Monique to see Davey. If anyone could do what she was thinking, it would be him.
Thinking about Davey led to more thoughts of Tom. What was she going to do about Tom? She was way over her head with that guy, she’d realized. Normally, she wouldn’t have hesitated to approach an attractive man with questionable suggestions about what they could do together, but not this time. There was something different about Tom. His regard for her meant so much. He respected her. Through Tom, she had begun to see a different, more mature image of herself. And that had helped her understand how important it was to offer respect in return.
Then again, if he wanted more from her, all he had to do was ask.
The coffeehouse was filling up when she arrived. She asked for Davey, and he came out with a big grin, wiping his hands on a tomato-stained apron.
“Sass! God, it’s groovy to see you, man!” He wrapped her in a bear hug. “Out of sight!”
“Can we sit for a sec?”
He asked one of the servers to bring over some coffee, and she heard him quietly promise that he was taking only a short break with an old friend. Then he led Sassy to an empty table and leaned on his elbows, giving her that undivided attention she remembered so fondly.
“You first,” she said, pretty sure her news would take longer than whatever he had to say. “What’s going on with you? How’s TADP?”
“Busy, man. So good.”
“How’s Christine?”
His mouth twisted to the side. “She flaked off, man. Yeah. She was, like, totally into Ned. Remember him? Guy looks like a beaver, man.”
Her heart squeezed with sympathy. “She never deserved you, Davey.”
“I should’ve stayed with you. I was always happy when I was with you.” His brow lifted. “Speaking of which…”
“That train has left the station, bud.”
He slumped a little. “My fault. Huge mistake.”
“It’s okay,” she assured him. “You’re gonna find a little fox soon. I know it.”
“Enough about me. Sock it to me, Sass. What’s up?”
She took in a deep breath, and it shuddered. “There’s a lot, honestly.”
Concern flooded his eyes. “I’m here for you, man.”
She thought she had herself under control. She didn’t. Her throat closed up like a necktie that kept tightening. In a heartbeat, Davey was around the table and crouched beside her, and she clung to his hug, crying like a baby.
“I got you, babe,” he said. “I’m here. What happened?”
“So much,” she said, sitting up and swiping tears off her face. “I have to thank you, Davey. I didn’t get a chance before. Thanks for coming to my dad’s funeral. It meant a lot to me, seeing you there.”
“Of course I was gonna be there.”
“We didn’t really get to talk about what happened. Weren’t you curious?”
He gave her a light shrug. “Only if you want to tell me. Honestly, it’s none of my business. I was just there for you.”
She knew he’d say that, but she decided she wanted him to know the rest. “He was drinking a ton before it happened. You know, after Joey went missing and all. The night he died, he was wasted, and he drove his car into a building.” She squeezed her eyes shut for a beat. “I hate thinking this, but I feel like he crashed his car on purpose.”
“No! Why would he do that?”
“He had too much on his mind. I don’t think he knew what to do,” she said with a sniff. “After Joey went missing, I think my dad lost control. I went to see him at the house, and I found, like, so many empty booze bottles.”
She considered telling him about the lie she’d lived with her whole life, thinking her father was such a hero, then finding out it hadn’t been him after all. Did she really want to get into that? Another time, she decided.
“Oh, man. Sass, I am so sorry. How’s your brother? Any news on him?”
“Nothing.”
She grabbed a napkin and blew her nose, then she stared at the tabletop until her emotions calmed. Once she felt able to speak again, she offered Davey a cautious smile.
“So there’s some crazy good news, too.”
“Go on.”
“Marion has gone and done the wildest thing.”
Davey’s expression was almost comical when she told him about Marion going to Vietnam. She couldn’t help laughing at him, which was something she sorely needed. She thanked the server when the coffee arrived, then she poured in a teaspoon of sugar.
He shook his head the whole time she stirred it in. “That is far out.”
“I know. She’s amazing.” She deliberated about how much to say about Tom and her feelings for him, then she decided to stick to the point. “When I told my boss, he said he was going to make a donation to the Canadian Red Cross to help her get over there. So then I started thinking how great you are at organizing things with the TADP, you know? Putting things together? And I wondered—”
“Right on! Yeah!” he exclaimed, grinning. “I totally get what you’re gonna say. Let’s have a party and make some money for Marion and the Red Cross. Leave it to me, babe.” He slammed his palm on the table, excited. “Oh, man! I know exactly who to call. I got some singers, that weird poet—remember him? And you—tell me you’ll perform, please. I miss your singing so bad.”
“You are amazing, Davey,” she said, her throat in a knot. “Of course I’ll sing. You figure out when you want to do this, and I’ll use my dad’s mimeograph to print off posters.”
“It’s gonna be righteous, Sass.”
Davey made piles of apologies, saying he had to get back to work, so Sassy wrapped her bright orange scarf around her face and headed out, leaning into the cold wind as she walked home from Chez Monique. Her mind was going a hundred miles an hour, thinking about Marion, then about the plans she and Davey were pulling together, but she was totally stoked. No, a fundraising concert for the Red Cross wasn’t going to bring either Joey or her father back, but the love she was feeling from her friends felt almost overwhelming.
How could she have gotten through the past couple weeks without Marion?
The wind sheared across the street, whipping her scarf loose, but she grabbed it before it took off. Deciding to take a shortcut where the wind might not find her as easily, she turned a corner into an alley, and a patch of ice caught her boot heel. She wheeled her arms, trying to stay upright, but just as she managed to regain control, one of the transients sitting on the sidewalk lunged for her. She drew back with a cry, more afraid of him than of the ice. Then she saw the side of his horribly scarred face, and she walked away so fast it was almost a jog. After half a block, she slowed and glanced back, but he wasn’t following. She saw the vague outline of his body, sunken back onto the sidewalk, curled in on himself to protect his face from the wind. Relieved that she’d escaped unscathed, she faced forward again and cut around another big patch of ice, keen to get home and safe.
There were a lot of people living on sidewalks and in parks now, and she found herself feeling divided every time she saw one. Winter in Toronto was brutal, and more than once she’d wished she could invite some of those men out of the cold so they could warm up in the apartment’s front lobby, but she didn’t. Right now, she was very glad of that, having narrowly avoided the scarred man’s grasp.
She looked back again, wondering about him. Thank goodness she’d paid attention to Marion’s explanation about the institutions shutting down. A few of the patients who were being released, she’d said, could be very dangerous. Better that she avoid any of the transients she saw, she figured.
She crossed the street, concentrating on maintaining her balance as she navigated the ice in her high-heeled boots, so she was unprepared when two arms clamped around her chest from behind. She screamed, squirming in her attacker’s grip, but she couldn’t anchor her boots on the ice. He dragged her backward, and she kept wrestling, but he was so strong she couldn’t move.
“Let me go!” she shrieked. She curled her mittens into claws around his arms, trying to pry them off her, but he barely seemed to notice. “Somebody! Help me!”
Still trudging backward, her attacker clamped one hand over her mouth. “Quiet,” he said, his voice a light singsong. “Let’s go play, pretty kitty.”
“Help!” she screamed against his cold hand, petrified now. “Let me go! Do you want money? I can give you money!”
“Quiet!” he roared, and she burst helplessly into tears.
Her cry was cut off when the man jerked backward and suddenly released her. Sassy dropped to all fours in the snow, wheezing and gasping for air.
“ Dung lai! ” a man yelled. “ Dung lai! ”
A woman nearby shouted, “I’m calling the police!”
With her world still spinning, Sassy stared in disbelief as two big men faced off beside her. Both were menacing, wearing almost matching, dingy winter coats, black wool caps, and tattered boots. Which one had grabbed her? Could the other really be defending her? Or was he just there to fight? As soon as she could breathe, she told herself she’d get up and run.
The larger of the two had a long, thick beard, and he hunched like a grizzly, with his legs bowed. His arms dangled at his sides, and he barely flinched when the other man drove his fist into his stomach. The only sign that he’d felt anything was the emergence of a loose-jawed smile within his beard and a faint sound she thought might be a laugh. He lurched forward, and the smaller man—who still had to be over six feet tall—punched the grizzly’s face so hard Sassy heard a snap. The man stumbled back, rubbing his jawline with a big paw and frowning with bewilderment.
“Done?” the other man barked, but the grizzly shoved him to the ground then dropped on top of him. Sassy caught a flash of metal, then she glimpsed the tip of a blade aimed at the smaller man’s throat. Both men’s hands gripped its handle, and the blade shook from the tension between them. Suddenly, the man on the bottom snarled, his teeth a slit of white in his grimy face, and he thrust all four of their hands straight up so their arms were extended over his head. That threw the grizzly off balance, and the man on the bottom took advantage. He rolled on top and took control, resting the tip of the blade against the man’s wide, hairy neck.
“ Dung lai! ” he repeated. When the grizzly didn’t stop struggling, he tried again. “Stop moving, or I’ll drive this through your miserable throat.”
The man on the ground went limp, and the other one turned his face toward Sassy. There it was, that awful scarring that had made her want to run. Up close, she realized he was wearing an eye patch as well. His fingers were dark, almost burgundy, sticking out of fingerless gloves.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Thank you,” she squeezed out. “I think you just saved my life.”
He scowled down at her attacker. “Who are you?”
The man’s mouth hung open slackly while he considered the eye-patch man. “John. I’m John.”
“What were you doing?”
“Walking. Taking kitty for a walk.”
Lifting his lip with disgust, the eye-patch man got to his feet. When the big man began to move, he placed his boot firmly on his throat.
“Don’t,” he said calmly.
The big man did not budge until the sound of a siren split the air. Even then, no one moved until a policeman jumped out of the car and pointed his gun directly at the smaller man.
“The other one,” Sassy told him, pointing. “This guy saved me from that one.”
The muzzle of the gun shifted to the man on the ground.
“I don’t know how to thank you,” Sassy said as the eye-patch man helped her up.
“No need. You okay?”
“Just scared, I guess. He came out of nowhere.”
He eyed the captive as handcuffs clasped around the thick wrists. “I think he’s dien cai dao .”
“Um, what?”
“Sorry.” He dropped his hands into his coat pockets. “Vietnamese for ‘crazy in the head.’?”
“You speak—” She stared at him, unexpectedly aware. The only reason someone like him would know Vietnamese was if he had been there. That would explain—would Joey come back with a scar like that?
“Heart!” John shouted. “Heart! Heart!”
“What’s the matter with you?” the policeman demanded. He shot a bemused look at the other two, but John kept yelling.
“Heart! Heart! Doctor! Heart! Doctor!”
“You in pain, mister? You ain’t having a heart attack or nothing, are you?”
“Heart! Doctor! Heart!”
The man with the eye patch perked up then strode over to John. “Dr. Hart?”
“Dr. Hart! Dr. Hart!”
Sassy’s jaw dropped. Why would he—she stopped, stunned. Could this be one of Marion’s patients released from the institution?
Some will be all right. Others can be extremely dangerous.
The policeman studied both men. “You know what this is all about?”
“He’s from the institute on Queen Street,” the one-eyed man replied. “I need to find his doctor. She’ll know what to do with him. I don’t think he understands what’s going on, honestly. But hang on tight to him. He’s dangerous.”
The police car drove off with John in the back. Sassy watched them turn down the next street, still dazed.
“I gotta make a telephone call,” the eye-patch man said to Sassy. “Can you lend me a dime?”
“Uh, yeah. Of course.” She dug in her purse. “I’m Sassy, by the way. And you are…?”
“Daniel.” He glanced around. “I need to find a phone booth.”
Daniel! Of all the men in this city, she’d just been rescued by Marion’s Daniel? “Let me buy you a coffee instead,” she said, unable to contain her grin. “It’s the least I can do. We’ll call from there.”
“You don’t have to—”
“No, no. I insist.” She shook her head with wonder. “I’m dying to hear how you know my best friend, Marion Hart.”