pouch cove outport taxi service

it is duckish, the afterglow is leaving the sky, the gull cries which sound like cries of desperation are diminishing, lights across the cove are coming on one by one, and are now reflecting on the water. sharon and reg have friends on their “deck” the pallets and a chair they have put on the cliff. atvs are heard in the distance. this was a day of retribution.

woke up at 6am with a splitting headache, tripped to the bath for tylenol and then back to bed in my usual stupor until about 9am. got up took two more tylenol, tried to make some coffee with what i had left – pretty weak – and await bruce to pen up so that i could get some orange juice.

jim stumbles out of the back bedroom
-quelle heure est-il?
-quarter to nine
-what would you do if i weren’t here?
-listen to the disembodied voice of the current then sounds like canada while deciding what to do. probably head in at noon.
-wake me then.
walk down to bruce’s and funnily enough meet no one.
noelle is there. ask in something that is between english, newfoundland english and slur if she knows the student who left the book on the tolt.
on the way back –talk with the pipe house people as they were looking for a road to run along that didn’t go pot-holed immediately.

entering martin and gabrielle’s the phone is ringing. it is ang wondering where jim is.
explanations and a message left to give to him when he wakes up.
drink half the litre of orange juice.
the phone rings. it is dave at the school.
do i know where jim is?
yeah here asleep.
-do i know when he is going into town as he promised to come out from st. john’s to pick up undrea.
-i guess when he wakes up.
-she’s late for work.
offer to take them in as i was given lifts before the saab and ange wouldn’t have to make the trip.
plan is to take them in come back wake jim go in with him pick up dave to bring him back on the way buying coffee at dominion. all this will be don by 12:30 allowing me to recuperate during the afternoon.

in st. john’s talk to ange – apologise for missing dinner sunday she is on the phone with jim’s mother. who wants to know where he is. the phone is handed to me. she is quite vexed with this kafuffle when jim’s father was alive he would have given him a talking to.

she asks after my mother, if she is on her cruise if everything is well and rings off.

i race back to pouch …to find that jim has gone… on a hike to cape st. francis.

the phone rings – eva at the school, am i going into the city? yes about noon as i have to take jim in and pick up dave. can she have a lift. yes but i am coming out immediately. even better as she needs something from m. francis kelly.

as soon as jim return’s the outport taxi will leave.

sitting out front i chat with sharon and reg and remark on the “deck”. she says tells me about rené sullivan who used to own martin and gabrielle’s. you can tell the age of people in pouch by their references. yesterday at the regatta cathy – shirley and russell’s daughter asked where i lived in i said – martin and gabrielle’s – blank stare -the other side of sharon’s - still nothing – then shirley said rené sullivan’s place ah.

found out where he moved to and that i should stop in. we discussed plans for her lot that the old cod liver plant is being renovated for a guest house – meaning one guest in the house long term rental – no electricity. she went off for breakfast – i was reminded that i had yet to eat also.

it was now one. can see all of duckworth street up in arms because he is missing. remembered that jim had mobile so rang it – no answer. it takes an hour and a half to walk to the cape. he should nearly be off the east coast trail and walking back by the road by now.

drive up to the cape, road worse than ever but again glad that it isn’t paved as a fox was drinking from a puddle in the middle of the road and was so unperturbed that i had to stop and await his departure.

make it to the cape – no jim – back at sullivan’s loop, a phone message saying that he is almost at the end. the mobile is breaking up – supposedly there is no mobile capability at all in pouch – another plus.

go to the school to inform eva of what is going on, when she is ready to go. relate the story say that i am making the trek back up the cape again to find him then heading in.

drive up the cape – ask the two cars coming from there if they have seen a man in black walking the road?

again make it all the way to the cape and don’t pass him. we wait. i make snaps of the graffiti , she of the weathered boards and other textures. i even head out to the helipad to see if he went to the extreme tip.

no one – well except for picnickers on the rocks overlooking the ocean. say it is time to head back and if we don’t pass him we’ll wait at sullivan’s loop.

at the narrowest point in the road. we have to pass another car. he pulls over and i stop by him to ask if they have seen a man in black.

-yeah i think he is australian that was his accent anyway wear an australia t- shirt.
speed ahead – well try to speed ahead and it seems that he walks quite quickly.
do catch up to him he hops in. i marvel that he can do this after last evening to which he said that he wasn’t drinking. pass sullivan’s loop and am asked where i am going. st.john’s as i think that they are going to send out a search party. he needs water. a quick stop at bruce’s. i see jordy and ask if he got the book i sent. nope strike two for the post office here.

finally it is uneventful, drive in stop at wordplay, check e-mail see if ange is there. pick up david, head over to m francis kelly while they shop i spot a ball park that is not only formally perfect but scenic and ahs social content. public housing on two sides with signal hill in the distance. another addition to the series – possible future ball parks for the montréal expos. bypass downtown st. johns’ by heading out to m.u.n. stop at scotiabank so that david can deposit his commission cheque – he actually sells work – to dominion.

for some reason being sick of route 20 turn up bauline line and head over to pouch the back way.

this evening walking to bruce’s passing the house by the park with the new deck.
-lovely evening (too dark to make a snap)
on the way back i comment on the deck
-you’re welcome to come up at any time.
-be careful i may take you up on that.

heavy cloud cover to-night no moon – the lights follows the east coast path on the south side of the bay. a cat just slinked by the window reminding that one has to keep doors closed not from thieves but from animals. the hum of the ocean compete with radio one – a.e. bronson interviewed by eleanor wachtel – reg and sharon have left the deck, the glow of light has moved from ted sullivan’s shed to his house. no cars are coming down the main road by the post office. the atvs are silent.