Provider's Son by Lee Stringer

enough so Levi managed to relax a little. And he made up his mind right there that he wasn’t coming back. Fuck Alberta and fuck that Indian going out with his daughter.
    The first stop was Winnipeg for refuelling. Levi couldn’t believe how truly flat it was. There was nothing to see but a city squat around a twisting river, with endless squared off farmland surrounding it. No mountains, no rocks, no trees. Nothing.
    â€œJesus bys,” he said. “What do they do in this place besides go to work?”
    â€œFreeze their arses off. You should be here in January. Minus forty and wind enough to blow the socks off you.”
    â€œI suppose its wherever you grows up,” the window seat man said. “Theres just about eight months of winter in Labrador, but I knows fellas grew up there that wouldnt leave if you put a gun to their heads.”
    â€œYeah, thats it. Where ever you grows up is home.”
    Levi chuckled and looked out the window again. “All the same though bys. What do they do here in the winter? Get on their skidoos and ride for three hours in a straight line?”
    After an hour in the Winnipeg terminal they were in the air again. It had felt good to stretch his legs, but after another hour in the middle seat Levi was agitated again, and the other two men were sound asleep. Yet, no matter how long Levi closed his eyes he could not do the same. A burp surfaced and with it so did a flutter of panic. He got up from his seat, pushed his way out over the aisle sitter, accidentally waking him up, and made his way to the washroom.
    Once in the tiny washroom he splashed his face with water and stared in the mirror.
    â€œJesus not now.”
    He wished he had sleeping pills. He would take at least three now. Anything to be unconscious in that chair.
    â€œThree hours...”
    He took a flask out of the inside of his pocket, unscrewed the cap, and took a swig. He felt like a drunk, sneaking a nip when no one was looking, as if he had something to hide. But that was nonsense. He was no drunk. He simply used the booze in bad situations like this to help him through.
    Levi took a deep breath and stepped back out of the washroom. The flight attendant smiled at him, but he ignored her and made his way back to his chair. The lights were off and everyone was asleep. The roar of the plane engines, much louder than on Air Canada, was the only sound, and eight rows up ahead an overhead light was shinning for someone who obviously couldn’t sleep either.
    Levi sat in his chair and sighed.
    â€œCant sleep?” the aisle sitter said.
    â€œIm not used to this flying racket.”
    â€œIt gets easier...a bit.”
    â€œHow long you been at it?”
    â€œIve been a cook on sites all over Gods creation for the last twenty-five years.”
    â€œMarried?”
    â€œWas.”
    â€œYeah. Im going through the same racket now. Split up with the wife.”
    â€œHer choice or yours, if you dont mind me asking?”
    Levi was going to lie, but figured this wasn’t the place. “Hers.”
    â€œId give you some advice but there is none, except time. Time is the only thing that makes it easier. Me and the ex been divorced about five years now I suppose. She didnt even leave me for another fella. She just left me.”
    â€œWish I could say the same.”
    â€œNo you dont by. No. At least then theres a good reason, but Mary just said she didnt want to live with me anymore. Hard thing to accept after being married for close on forty years.”
    The aisle sitter whose wife’s name was Mary looked at Levi. “And you know what I blames it on? This goddamn racket. I spent over half our marriage being away from home for two to three weeks out of every month — sometimes months at a time, and we got used to not living with each other. Then when I retired and came back, well, I wasnt used to cleaning up after myself. I was used to a camp attendant doing that for me. I