Free Fish Change Direction in Cold Weather by Pierre Szalowski Page B

twenty litres per person!’
    Then my dad told us how these two Hells Angels showed up on their bikes, in spite of the icy roads. They weren’t afraid of anything, but everyone was afraid of them, especially the
manager.
    ‘Twenty cans of twenty litres? Sure, no problem, I understand your plants have to keep warm to grow!’
    Dad didn’t tell them he was with the police.
    ‘There were two of them. I was all on my own, with nothing more than a jerry can for a weapon . . . An empty one, to boot.’
    After my dad hung up, my mum didn’t really try and talk to me. I think the discussion the night before had tired her out a bit.
    ‘I have so much homework to correct!’
    This was good timing. It meant I could go and meet Alex. He told me about his night without power. I could have taken him to our place, just so that he could have a shower, but I was a coward. I
didn’t want him to see my new life. And besides, he didn’t ask for a shower.
    ‘You know that guy upstairs from me, he goes over to the neighbour’s to get laid.’
    ‘You’re kidding!’
    ‘He was making so much noise up there that he woke me up.’
    ‘If he was making noise upstairs, then he was upstairs, not across the way.’
    ‘I saw him go into her place with a saucepan.’
    ‘A saucepan?’
    ‘He made some little dish for her.’
    ‘In the middle of the night?’
    ‘It’s not the main course that matters, it’s the dessert!’
    ‘The dessert?’
    ‘Well yeah, the dessert, that’s when you get into bed, after you’ve had dinner . . .’
    I don’t like talking about that stuff.
    ‘At least he got to sleep in a warm place!’
    I’d noticed Alex’s uncombed hair, that crumpled look people have when they’ve slept in their clothes. He looked at me. He could tell I was embarrassed and I guessed he was
about to make fun of me.
    ‘I was thinking that with your magical powers maybe you could do something. I don’t feel like being cold tonight . . .’
    I didn’t know what to say.
    ‘Are you our young neighbour who lives opposite?’
    We both jumped. One of the brothers was standing there, looking at Alex.
    ‘Yes, sir.’
    ‘My name’s Simon. Michel and I live across the street from you. We heard the power is out on your side of the street. There was some noise last night in the flat next door and we
figured out that that nice young lady let your upstairs neighbour stay at her place. He’s Russian, or so I’ve heard . . .’
    Simon had this grown-up smile on his face, convinced we didn’t know what he meant. They must have had one huge dessert.
    ‘What’s your name?’
    ‘Alex.’
    ‘Alex my boy, tell your dad we have a spare room to put you up in. Michel works for Météo Canada. This is going to last a while, kids. The situation is getting
worse.’
    Alex pointed at me. Was he going to tell him that it was all my fault?
    ‘So why does he have electricity?’
    ‘Because he’s lucky and lives on the same side as we do. We’re on the same grid as the old people’s home next door. We live in a priority zone.’
    Alex turned to me, stunned.
    ‘You really thought of everything . . .’
    ‘Tell your dad that you’re both welcome.’
    ‘Thank you, sir, I’ll tell him . . . But he’s kind of antisocial.’
    ‘Tell him he can feel right at home.’
    ‘He’s not that sort of person . . .’
    ‘In a situation like this it’s perfectly normal to lend a hand. When the heavens won’t help, we have to help each other. Right?’
    I took this as a reproach. But if he were in my shoes, he might understand that there are times when you have to act to get what you want. I clenched my jaw. Then he opened the door to his
place.
    ‘We’ll be waiting for you. Come whenever you like. I insist! You’re more than welcome.’
    Slam!
The door closed. Alex turned and looked at me for a really, really long time. I knew he was beginning to change his mind.
    ‘Can things like this really happen?’

WHAT A BEAUTIFUL THING, A MAN WHO