21 Days in October Read Online Free PDF Page B

Paralyzed by his discovery, Gaétan remains crouched in the shadows.
    Paul sets the table, and a young woman whom Gaétan doesn’t recognize comes over to join him. She wears a terrycloth bathrobe with a towel wrapped around her head. She has clearly just gotten out of the bath. They sit down to eat.
    â€œThey’re making themselves right at home!” Gaétan murmurs, surprised.
    The couple is listening to the radio as they eat their spaghetti. Through the open window, Gaétan can hear the report of Pierre Laporte’s funeral, which had taken place that afternoon. The funeral music drowns out what is being said at the table.
    Clips of newspaper articles are strewn about the counter. On a scrap of paper the boy can see a sketch of a
Patriote
with his hat, pipe, and gun. It’s the same one that he saw yesterday on television, on the FLQ manifesto.
    â€œFLQ members. And they’re hiding out at Luc’s.”
    Gaétan remembers Robert Bourassa’s every word, explaining at a press conference that they would press charges against anyone aiding members of the FLQ.
    Does Luc know what’s going on in his house?

7
Wednesday, October 21
    â€œ I can’t wait for the first snowstorm. At least it’ll really be winter,” thinks Gaétan as he walks through the morning fog.
    Each year, the period between the last leaves falling and the first snowfall seems endless. He hates this time between seasons. With the weather, as with life, it’s better to just pick a side. At the moment, his thoughts are wavering as much as the thermometer.
    Throughout his shift, he couldn’t shake the image of the
Patriote
that he saw on Luc’s table last night. Gaétan is torn between wanting to know and being afraid of what he might find out. Should he head back to Luc’s for an explanation from Paul or go warn Mme Maheu?
    When he manages to forget about this for a moment, an image of Louise pops into his head. Her smile is etched in his mind, confusing him even further.
    He finally decides to go home and get some rest, putting off any decisions for the moment.
    â€œI might see things more clearly after a few hours of sleep,” he tries to convince himself.
    He walks home with the resolute air of someone who has solved a difficult problem. The apartment is empty and silent: no radio coming from the kitchen, no television in the living room. Neither his father nor his mother is there. Not stopping to wonder why, he heads blissfully to his room.
    He’s about to slip between the sheets when the doorbell rings. He goes to open it, grumbling, and finds himself face to face with Mme Maheu.
    â€œYou never came to see me, so I came to get the news.”
    Gaétan feels caught with his pants down.
    â€œHang on, I’m coming!”
    The last thing he wants is for his parents to run into her if they happen to come home soon. He throws on some clothes with a weary sigh, thinking of his bed, and pulls the door closed behind him.
    â€œWe’ll go to your place. Sorry, I’m just so beat, I wanted to sleep a little before coming to see you.”
    Gaétan tries to buy himself some time, not knowing if he should tell her the truth.
    â€œI made you some muffins and coffee.” She seems annoyed.
    Gaétan feels sheepish. Why is he always trying to help people? After all, it never ends, and it always comes back to bite you!
    Sitting in front of a steaming cup of coffee, his mouth full with a delicious raisin bran muffin, he finally explains what he saw at Luc’s. He tells her what he knows about Paul, but is careful not to mention the young woman.
    â€œHe’s a friend of Luc’s, a union guy who works for the CSN unions. Luc wants to change Dominion’s affiliation. He thinks the American unions don’t do enough to help French Canadians. Their representatives don’t even speak French. They don’t understand our problems. Paul told him he could