Main Brides — Gail Scott

It is a hot June day. A woman sits in a bar in Montreal's Main, waiting. Pushing down the disturbing scene (the police, a blanket) she saw that morning in the park. To focus herself, she tries to guess the stories of other women who come and go as the day darkens into night: the teenager Nanette; Adele of Halifax, who's constantly on a train; a woman just back from Cuba; two lesbian lovers (one's a �"cowgirl”); Z., a performance artist; Norma jean from Toronto; the taunting radio voice of a woman promising a tango. Between the portraits, the woman watches and drinks and spins a setting for her �"brides.” The question is, why does she keep deferring going home?