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Four calling birds: Trip Through Your Wires

When Hannah calls that afternoon, it’s a race between Dominic and Elijah to see who gets to the telephone first. Billy waits for the winner, providing commentary for Hannah. When Dominic’s knocked to the ground by Elijah’s elbow to the gut, Hannah calls it a foul, making Elijah promise that he’ll pay for the wasted five minutes on her cellphone bill.

Elijah takes the phone into the bedroom, trading laughter with Hannah down the line. She’s doing well, keeping busy—how much time after all does it take to decide a new haircolour? That’s not entirely fair, Elijah knows; Hannah’s trying to decide what she wants for her life, and he certainly wants her in his. Of all things and people, Elijah had missed her desperately while he was in New Zealand, and she had sensed this, sending him care packages the rest of the cast had anticipated almost as much as Elijah had.

They talk about Zach and their mother, about the brownstone in New York Elijah dreams of purchasing. Hannah makes her customary promise to decorate the place, thus sparing it Elijah’s taste in slipcovers and wall–spanning stereo equipment. That’s rich, Elijah thinks with a smile, coming from someone whose idea of style is ripped petticoats and Birkenstocks.

They also talk about Dominic in an abstract way, as if reducing him to pronouns will reduce the impact he’s had on both of them. Contrary to popular belief—Elijah can almost hear her slickly melodic tone saying it aloud; if a piece of hard candy could speak, it would sound like Hannah—she’s never been that interested in Dominic as a lover. And she’s not the type to stand between her brother and what he wants. She never has been.

Then there are the softer words, the miss you, love you, you stink of elderberries goodbyes they’ve perfected. Elijah hands the phone to Dominic and settles again in front of the fire, strangely calmed.

When Margaret calls in the evening, Billy doesn’t stay on the phone for long. There’s something deeply sentimental about talking to her around the holidays that creates a fog in Billy’s brain, and he needs every bit of strength he’s got to keep up with Dominic and Elijah. It takes a lot to remain even–keeled when one is surrounded by such ferocity, he tells Margaret, especially when it’s contained, like, and you’re not sure when it’s going t’come out. She already knows he’s talking about Elijah. Dominic’s not contained in any sense of the word.

Margaret cautions him about provoking either of them. It’s still the holidays, and Billy’s endured enough sadness—drama, Billy snorts, brushing away the sentimentality again—at this time of year. Better to just enjoy what the three of them have going there, however insane and indiscreet it may be. Billy rings off, wishing her well, grateful that Elijah and Dominic have been occupied loudly tearing each other to virtual shreds in some video game. He stands in the kitchen, staring out the window and willing night to come a bit faster. Even though they’ve done little today, Billy’s tired, and sleep is a chance to escape from the thoughts that wander through his mind uninvited. It’s also a chance to hold and be held, to dream and be dreamt of—things Billy wants and needs, though it’s rare he admits it even to himself.

Later, he and Elijah are sharing the Playstation, busy forming new and creative expletives to throw at each other when Aureen calls, and Dominic, with the sixth sense of an unapologetic and unreformed mother’s favourite, leaps from the sofa to take the phone outside. With his eyes on the stars and Aureen’s drawl in his ear, Dominic feels grounded, happy.

She tells Dominic stories of their week in Spain, stories of his brother falling off a boat and gashing his forehead—so an improvement, then? Dominic cackles, and Aureen doesn’t scold him—and of opening her presents from Dominic and falling deeply in love with the greenstones and the letter he enclosed with them. Dominic blushes in the darkness and tells her with a courage he never would have had a year ago how much he loves her and wants her to be proud of him. Aureen tells Dominic that he has been a joy to her since the December day he came screaming from her and quieted the moment she held him. She tells him also to come home, and soon, and he promises to do just that.

Dominic turns off the phone and crouches in the middle of the courtyard behind the house. He’s only there for a few minutes before Billy and Elijah join him, one on either side and both reaching for him, both just waiting and watching the sky with him.

The moon is high above them, and after some time there’s a streak across its pale surface. Nightbird, Billy says, though he has no idea really, and Dominic and Elijah nod, willing as always to accept Billy’s word for what it is, before all three fall to their backs on the ground to stare. The bird’s silhouette is so clear they can see the curves of its wings and the shape of a proud beak. On its last travel above them, the bird emits a gentle call, and Elijah is first to smile, Dominic first to laugh, and later, much later, Billy is first to quietly suggest they go back into the warmth of the house, and specifically the bed.

Dominic’s yawns fill the air as they stagger toward that bed, and Elijah rubs his back, moving him down the hall. Billy turns a different corner from them, headed for the kitchen to replace the phone on its cradle. Just for now, he’ll allow Dominic and Elijah to get comfortable in bed before he joins them to hold and be held, to dream and be dreamt of. That’s really all they can ask from each other, isn’t it?


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