Neighbourhood Watch by Rhonda Mullins (best feel good books txt) 📗

she brings her violin to her shoulder. She plays in the storm. She plays for them and so she won’t die. The notes cross the street. Slowly, they penetrate winter. Then nothing else moves because the music skins the girls on the inside. Because it permeates their entire bodies, over the cold and over all the penises from that month. The crystalline sound of the strings as they’re caressed tells them a new story, presses RESET on their inert bodies.

They are motionless, tears in their eyes.

For a moment, there’s nowhere else they want to be.

Roxane plays.

Her hand clutches the bow and sends the notes, any notes, into the air. For a long time, because if she stops she will fall.

Her violin alone, in tune, crying out, pierces the emptiness and fills the night.

I’m here. A stranger but alive. Do you hear how alive I am?

She will have to play until she dies so she doesn’t go under. Her violin will have to cling to the surface so she doesn’t fade away. It has to.

Above the street, through the frost on a dark window, a woman is crying.

Louise emerged when notes crept into her sleep. First she saw the Volga running along the wall and thought she might be dead. The persistent notes split the brick of the apartment block to reach her, and she glanced at the clock on the night table. 10:12 in red. She already knew she had missed it. She just wanted to check. So she got up. Carefully replaced her daughter’s blue sheet. She moved closer to the notes on the other side of the window. A warm breath to melt the white film of ice. Down below, on the sidewalk, Roxane was playing music.

The sound was sweet, delicate, heaven-sent. But most importantly it was her. Roxane. Her daughter. Tall and proud. It was her height and grace that particularly astonished Louise. At that precise moment, Louise told herself no. It turns out she hadn’t messed everything up.

Now, face pressed to the warmed window, Louise watches her child playing in the snow. The violin is like her. There is nothing more beautiful.

A Conversation with Roxane

The three child characters in Neighbourhood Watch – Roxane, Kevin, and Mélissa – are inspired by children Anaïs got to know while working with youth in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve. The character of Roxane is based on the real-life Geneviève Ledoux, with whom Anaïs remains close to this day. I was fortunate enough to be able to talk to Geneviève about her childhood, her reactions to the novel, and her thoughts on the character of Roxane. My thanks to Geneviève for taking the time to speak with me and to her mother for watching young Nathan while she did.

Rhonda Mullins: Tell me a bit about your life today. I understand you’re a new mother.

Geneviève Ledoux: Yes, I have a little boy. He’ll be turning two soon.

R: What’s his name?

G: Nathan.

R: I guess being a mother keeps you busy. Are you up to anything else these days?

G: I just finished studying to work in hospitals in health and hygiene, but with covid, well, let’s just say I’m waiting.

R: Yes, that’s unfortunate timing.

G: Yes. We would be the specialists in bacteria and disinfecting. So right now …

R: Tell me a bit about your relationship with Anaïs back then and now. How did you meet?

G: When I was young, I lived in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, where there are a lot of disadvantaged families, lots of alcohol, drugs, and violence. Dr. Julien* took me under his wing when I was four. Later he told me about Big Brothers Big Sisters, and I thought it would be fun to meet someone new, to have someone to confide in. I was twelve years old and she was in her twenties. There was an immediate connection between us. We were both shy, so we connected right away. She’s my role model. She inspired me and helped me a lot. Just like the arts and music did.

She helped me find my way. I’m not sure where I would have ended up. Although I think I would have made it anyway, because I have inner strength. I would have become someone regardless, because I never give up. I’m proud of her and I’m proud of me too. She’s my sister, my true sister.

R: What did you think about the novel when it came out, or now?

G: The novel, amazing. It talks about me, but that was okay. Anaïs was always interested in what we were going through. She was always interested, and I’m fascinated by her work, because it’s reality. She explains what reality looks like.

It helped me. I was moved. I didn’t expect it. I didn’t realize my story was worth telling. I’ve had my up and downs, but I’ve always kept putting one foot in front of the other. I’ve never been a quitter. There were drugs and alcohol around, but I never got too caught up in it. It wasn’t easy, but I knew I should keep moving forward. I’m happy I did.

She was an inspiration. But I have inner strength. I’m a spiritual person, and I always look for the good in life.

R: When Anaïs speaks of you, it sounds like you are an inspiration to her.

G: Inspiration goes both ways.

R: Who chose the name Roxane for the character?

G: She chose it. It’s a character she invented, based on my story. I did feel a connection with Roxane. She is someone who doesn’t give up, she is courageous, and Anaïs explains her journey.

R: So, like Roxane, you played the violin?

G: Yes. I’ve always had an ear for music. Anaïs had a piano in the country, and she would take me there. I was always interested in music. It’s an escape, it’s calming. I would play the piano, just random notes. She was fascinated by my interest in music.

R: Who got you the violin?

G: Dr. Julien, and my uncle