TWENTY YEARS I’d been friends with Bec, but it was Lois and how she’d changed that finally got me to go to Toronto. I’d meant to go see Bec, but life got busy and I kept forgetting to actually set up a visit. My hands were cold as I stepped through the door from airport customs at Pearson, backpack on my shoulder. The first thing I saw was Bec’s bright face. Then she was hugging me, and I knew it didn’t matter how long it had been.
“I’m going to show you all over town,” she said, her eyes merry.
Hearing that familiar little thrill in her voice made me feel as though we were students again, setting off into the October night, ready for adventure.
Evan and Bec lived in the Annex, near the University of Toronto. We got off the subway at Bathurst and Bloor, coming up the steps to an intersection bustling with people of all ages, though mostly students. The corner was dominated by the garish façade of Honest Ed’s discount department store, a full block long, lit up like a carnival with blinking lights and huge signs.
“Holy smokes!” I couldn’t help saying.
“Yes, quite the landmark. Good place to get socks and tuques, though. That’s watchcap to you.”
“Don’t tell me you’ve lost your Baltimore accent already.”
Bec grinned. “Maybe we’ll go downey lake tomorra, hon, but the wooder’ll be too cold to swim.”
She led the way along Bloor, a major artery lined with storefronts, pubs and Second Cup coffee shops.
…
Barbara Morrison, who writes under the name B. Morrison, is the author of an award-winning memoir, Innocent: Confessions of a Welfare Mother, now available as an audiobook. Praised by Hillary Clinton and others, Innocent is a powerful coming-of-age story that dispels some of the myths and misunderstandings about those living in poverty. She is also the author of two poetry collections. Her work has appeared in anthologies and literary journals such as Little Patuxent Review, Tiny Lights, and elsewhere. She conducts writing classes and workshops and provides editing services.