How Ya Doin'?

The ‘hood is good.

For the longest time (fifteen years?) I resisted bonding. Checkout dude/dudette at the local Metro? No parlay fransay. Even though I speak perfect French and got to know all their names just by hearing others talk to them. 15 years is a long, long time.

But I’m softening. It’s just that I don’t want to go through life like a Californian, with a “How ya doin’” from some total stranger on the street. It’s like, I don’t know you and I don’t want the obligation to address you by the name that you know I know . . . it’s just another day and I just want to pass it anonymously.

But like I say, I'm softening. Tonight I went to Masako Sushi and learned that Rebecca (her adoptive Christian name)’s mother had died in China last week. And Rebecca is only 35. They are solemn (her husband and her) but my heart bleeds. They work so hard and make such good food and it’s just such a horror to hear news like that. Then Rebecca laid the clinker on the equation and revealed she’s been battling brain tumours for three years. The docs can just not assure her of the outcome.

Then I went to the dépanneur for beer with my 6-year old son and Michel who is a Lebanese landed immigrant told me that if I ever needed to go somewhere without Tai-chan that I could leave him with Michel at the dép, no problem.

It’s really amazing how these tiny networks NET-WORK.

But glad to know all these folk are around. Just wish I hadn’t been so reticent all these years.