Chapter Four
Canadian Sunrise
November 3rd - 4th, 2006
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Lyse
I love sunrises. The hues of colour they paint the sky, the tranquility they seem to represent, and that they signal the start of a new day; a fresh start for everything. Kind of like a miniature version of New Years, minus the resolutions. Well, minus the huge resolutions like quitting smoking or shedding a number of pounds – both of which I had accomplished as part of New Year’s Resolutions. Everyone I knew didn’t think I’d be able to do it. Some of my colleagues even created a bet both years to see whether or not I could do it. I wasn’t sure if it was because I’d proven them all wrong was the reason I was so proud, or the fact I’d actually accomplished a major goal.
The sound of denim rubbing against felt drew my attention away from the multicoloured sky. Mike was sitting up. He eventually got to the upright position, his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose. Maybe last night’s headache had been Mike’s after all.
A loud, long sigh escaped him. His left hand concealed the entirety of the left side of his face as though he couldn’t hold his head up on his own. One strikingly bright blue eye looked over at me. His eyes were normally bright, but the fact they were bloodshot made them appear even brighter.
I smirked. “’Morning sunshine.”
He groaned, running a hand through his disheveled mop of blonde hair. Normally that mop was gelled neatly in place. “Last night was interesting.”
I snorted. “You can say that again.” I headed for the kitchen. “You ready for some breakfast, big guy?” When I said big guy, I meant it literally – the guy was 6’5” with a medium-large build. Next to little 5’2” me, he seemed like Paul Bunyan.
“If it’ll help me get rid of this hangover, hell yeah,” Mike replied.
I poked my head into the living room. “Something to get rid of that hangover you say?” I smiled. “I know exactly what to fix you.”
“What?”
I grinned. “The Aizik Family Omelette.”
-0o0o0-
Within ten minutes, Mike and I were sitting at the kitchen table eating the Aizik Family Omelette with toast and coffee. The Aizik Family Omelette was something that had been in the family since my grandmother was about fifteen – she was now eighty-six. She’d passed it down to my mother, who in turn passed it down to my siblings and myself. In all actuality, the Omelette wasn’t anything special – eggs; cheese; green, yellow and sweet red peppers; a few mushrooms and just a touch of cinnamon for flavour. I knew my family wasn’t the only one who had a “special recipe” – hell, some other family probably that the same Omelette.
Mike and I exchanged our favourite moments of last night’s game, which took us to about noon. With everything done and the dishes in the dishwasher, I was thinking about heading home. Until my cell phone rang.
“Lyse?” It was my brother, Keith. By the tone of question in his voice, I had a feeling as to what he was going to ask. “I know this is short notice, but could you take Sally for the weekend?”
“Business trip?” I asked.
I heard him sigh. “Yeah. They sprung it on Andrea and I this morning.” His boss had a tendency to do that, but it meant more money for them and that they were trusted. Plus, I got to spend the weekend with my five month old, niece.
“Where to this time?”
Keith laughed. “Y’know, if you didn’t have to look after Sally and didn’t have school Monday, and if Miriam wasn’t working overtime this weekend, I’d get you guys to come with me.”
Now I was confused. How did Miriam and I factor into this? “Why? Where are you going?”
“Saturday morning I’m in Chippewa Falls.”
“Home?” I asked. “Well, you shouldn’t have any trouble finding your way around there.”
“No kidding,” he chuckled. “Yeah, well, Sunday morning, I’m in Houston.”
“Houston?” Lyle. My eyes widened.
He nearly guffawed. “If I run into Lyle, I’ll say hi for you.”
I smiled. I hadn’t seen Lyle in a good four years and hadn’t spoken to him in about two or three months. I met Lyle Boyce six years ago while on one of the road trips my family took every year. That year, we were in Houston, Texas; and a couple of days after we got there, I met Lyle. We dated for the three weeks I was there and promised to keep in touch. Surprisingly enough, we managed to, and my family even spent a Christmas with him and his then newly-wed wife four years ago. Now, Lyle and Trisha had a two year old son and seven month old baby girl.
“Yeah, I’ve been meaning to give him a ding, but definitely. If you see him, say hi,” I said. “Anyway, when do you need me to get Sal?”
He laughed sheepishly. “Now? My flight leaves in five hours.”
It was my turn to nearly guffaw. “And they say I wait until the last minute?”
I could practically see him roll his eyes at me. “Shut up.”
I giggled. “Yeah. I’ll get Mike to swing by before he takes me home.”
“Mike?” I could hear the amused smile. “What’s this? Did my sister go on a date last night?”
I rolled my eyes. “It was just a Hockey Game and I went with Mike Chaplin.”
“Ah.” At least he understood the relationship I had with Mike. Friends and friends only. “I guess he got the tickets through work?”
“Yeah. Now, we’ve got to get off the phone so I can get Sal before you miss your flight.”
Keith laughed. “Alright. So, I’ll see you in about thirty?”
“Thirty to forty-five.”
“Okay. I’ll see you then, and be careful.”
“You know I will.”
I hung up and after relaying everything to Mike, we left.
-0o0o0-
I had Sally in my arms while Andrea strapped the car seat into the back of Mike’s car.
I looked over to my brother. “Anything else you need while I’m here?”
The famous Keith Aizik ‘don’t-kill-me’ expression greeted me. “A ride to the airport?”
I couldn’t help but laugh. Typical. I looked through the driver’s side window at Mike, who was still sitting in the passenger seat. I silently asked him Keith’s question, followed up by my puppy-dog eyes.
Mike rolled his eyes and sighed almost immediately – the sign I’d won. “Yeah, alright.”
I grinned. I rarely ever denied my siblings anything and Mike knew that.
“I love you.” Keith kissed my cheek and ruffled my hair.
“Yeah, I know you do,” I replied. “Only ‘cause I can’t say no to you.”
Keith looked at me. “That goes both ways you know.”
I gave him a wide smile. “I know.”
Andrea pulled herself out of the backseat, wiping her hands together. “Okay, almost all set. I’m just going to grab our bags and we’ll be ready to go.”
I watched my sister-in-law go into the house, feeling a little out of place. Everyone around me – Keith, Mike, Sally and Andrea – were all blue-eyed blondes. I was the odd one out. And not just right here right now. My entire family – with the exception of my sister’s boyfriend and a couple of cousins – had blue eyes and bombshell blonde hair. My eyes were sea-green and my hair was a deep shade of red. Along with that, I looked nothing like my parents and siblings. The Aiziks weren’t my biological parents; they had adopted me when I was six months old after my parents were killed in a house fire. How I survived, I didn’t actually know, although I presumed either the Fire Department or a neighbour had rescued me. When I was eleven or twelve, I started to realize I looked nothing like anyone else, so I asked – rather bluntly – if I was adopted. That’s when I found out. At first, I wasn’t sure what to think, but now, it didn’t matter whether or not I was adopted; they were the only family I knew and I loved them.
“We’re ready.” Andrea’s voice brought me back to reality. She was standing in front of the trunk with an expectant look on her face.
I smirked. “You wouldn’t be waiting for something, would you?”
She cocked her head to the side, playing along. “However did you guess?”
I laughed and after setting Sally in her car seat, I opened the front door and reached for the trunk release.
“Thank you,” Andrea cooed.
While my brother and sister-in-law loaded their luggage into Mike’s trunk, I finished buckling my niece in her car seat. Andrea shut the trunk and the three of us piled into the car.
-0o0o0-
Talk about taking the long way home. I started my journey at Mike’s condo, which was practically at the southern most central point of Toronto – just one block from Lake Ontario. A last minute phone call had me heading forty-five minutes up to my brother’s 1.2 Million dollar home on the Bridal Path (one of the most – if not the most – expensive residential areas in all of Toronto), then on another forty-five minute drive to Pearson Airport in the west end, then back past Mike’s condo, and down to the Beaches to my house on the Lake. Well, it wasn’t my house exactly. Pageen was in it before I moved in. Speaking of whom, she was home early. Her grey 2007 Voltzwagon Rabbit was blocking my black 2005 Chevy Impala.
“No more errands?” Mike asked, now behind the wheel, as I removed my niece and her car seat from his car. He gave me a hopeful look.
I laughed. “No. I’m staying put. Until Monday for school.”
“Of course.”
“Thanks for taking me to the game,” I said softly.
“No problem,” he answered. “And thanks for the omelette.”
“Anytime. I’ll see you later.” I adjusted Sally and my grip on the car seat and headed for the door.
“Oh, and Lyse!” I heard him call after me.
I turned around. He was suddenly finding the cracked asphalt driveway appealing. He looked up half a minute later. “Thanks for not letting me drive home.”
I smiled. “You’re welcome.”
“You’re a good friend.”
“You know it.” I winked. “I’ll see you later.”
“Take care.”
“Ditto.”
Mike backed out of the driveway and headed up the street. I turned and headed inside, and was greeted by three very enthusiastic dogs. Two of them – a two year old Miniature Dachshund named Lincoln and a three year old Miniature Schnauzer named Keifer – were Pageen’s, while Pepper, the six-month old Welsh Cardigan Corgi was mine.
“Pageen?” I called, winding my way around the welcoming party.
“I’m in the kitchen.”
It was then I caught the smells of melted cheese, baked mushrooms and sausage. I was confused. I made that left turn into the kitchen. “Today’s Friday… Pizza night?”
Pageen laughed. “It is.” She opened the oven door, slipping her yellow oven mitts on over her hands. “I just finished making it.”
“Oh.” I set the car seat on the floor just inside the kitchen. Maneuvering around Sally, I made my way out of my jacket. I draped it over a chair at the breakfast table, then sat down. “We’re babysitting again.”
Pageen turned around. She set the pizza on the stovetop, then came over to Sally, who was now in my lap. “Hello Sal.”
My niece laughed and reached out to my friend. Pageen bent down and gave Sally a kiss on her forehead.
“Keith and Andrea on another business trip?” Pageen asked, heading back over to the stove.
“Yeah. Either I’ll drop her off Monday after school, or they’ll pick her up Monday night. You’re off Monday, right?”
Pageen nodded. “I am.” She looked at me over her shoulder. “Set the table; we’ll be eating in a minute.”
-0o0o-
By seven o’clock, Sally was asleep, by nine the dogs were walked and by ten, I had finished wrestling with Pepper and was ready for bed. With Pepper at my stomach, I found myself falling asleep rather quickly.
I remained that way until about 4 AM. A burning seeped into the left side of my chest and I was finding a little painful to breathe. I didn’t know what to make of it.
The worst case scenario rushed through my mind. What if my Grandma Morgan was having a heart attack?
I leapt out of bed, racing for the phone. I dialed the number; I twisted the phone cord around my index finger. “C’mon, c’mon… pick up, pick up.” This was when I cursed the whole empathy thing I had going on.
“Hello?” My grandmother’s groggy voice came over the line after the fourth ring.
“Grandma, it’s Lyse. Are you alright?”
“Yes, dear; I’m fine.”
I nearly collapsed in relief.
“Why, what’s wrong, sweetie?”
“I just woke up with chest pains,” I explained. “I thought you were having a heart attack. I mean, the last time I had something like this, it was Grandma Aizik.”
“Yeah, I remember that,” Grandma Morgan said. “But I’m fine. Maybe it was your mom with heartburn again.”
“Maybe.” Considering the place of the burning, I doubted it, but I didn’t want to worry her. “Sorry for waking you at this un-Godly hour.”
“No problem, sweetie. Better safe than sorry.”
That was true. “Yeah. Alright, I’ll talk to you later.”
I hung up and just stood there, gazing around the dark hallway. Now that I thought about it, this didn’t feel anything like my mother’s heartburn or even my sister’s asthma. It was almost like I’d been scratched, but only enough for it to burn slightly.
I went into the bathroom and after my eyes adjusted to the bright pair of 60 Watt light bulbs, I caught the beginnings of two separate groups of four red marks on the left side of my chest. I pulled the bodice of my nightshirt down. One set ran straight down, starting at my collarbone, ending over my heart, while the second set ran from my collarbone diagonally, halting in the centre of my chest.
When could I have been scratched like that? Maybe while I was wrestling with Pepper? But that was six hours ago. But who knows, maybe it was. Maybe. Despite my telling myself this, I had a hammer at the back of my mind banging at me – there was more to this than just my six month old puppy.
My head flared suddenly. The bathroom light grew blinding and I had to shut my eyes. The pain was nearly paralyzing. Then, just as quickly as the headache had flared, it was gone, along with the burning in my chest. The scratch marks remained, but the pain was gone.
I wracked my brain trying to find a reasonable explanation for this. I wracked and prodded so long and hard, a headache of my own was moving in.
Soft whining at the other side of the door told me Pepper was waiting for me to go back to bed. I left the bathroom and got back into bed, staring up at the dark ceiling, listening to the window-muffled sound of the lake waves rolling onto the beach just on the other side of the yard fence one floor below.
The scratches are from Pepper, I repeated over and over until I believed it. The burning, painful breathing and sudden headache I put into the Unexplained Occurrences file in the back of my mind. I closed my eyes, and with Pepper back at my stomach, fell asleep.
I want more!
Whoa, whoa, back up!
Home James!