Back in Vancouver

Dee, 

Herewith a few words about some folks I met on the train.

On our trans Canada group train tour from Vancouver BC to Halifax NS I was returning from the second dinner service when I noticed a very depressed looking lady, as they say in France of a certain age, sitting alone in the bar car appearing or well on the way to being drunk. I stopped and asked why she was looking so sad.

She told me at his request she had flown to Vancouver to see her son George, he was working on a large construction project in northern BC, in order to let her know, in person and face to face he had been diagnosed with a cancer that had metastasized and he had 18 months to live.

I commiserated as best I could and listened a lot while she told me about her heartbreak and desperate anger. She told me they both had Fuck Cancer tattooed on their left breasts above their hearts and showed me hers and told me George should be back soon, he had just gone to his cabin to fill his glass, CN Via Rail  was providing the mix.

Our conversation had skipped platitudes and spoke directly to and acknowledged her situation and we both found a place to be friends. With that in mind and to lighten the mood I proposed that when George returned we should tell him that we had just met, that our attraction was both mutual  and immediate and  at our age had decided to skip all the intermediate hoopla and if not marriage at least wanted a romantic relationship. She thought this was a very funny idea, in her defense she was a bit inebriated, terribly sad and obviously needed a laugh.

George arrived, a very large and heavily muscled man, he also operates a lobster boat in Nova Scotia, I later learned he boxes,  arrived and inquired “who the fuck are you and are you flirting with my mother.” I told him I am Irish and relatively harmless and he told me he was a fan of Connor McGregor the Irish world Ultimate Fighting Champion.

I told him his mother and I had just met but there was an instant attraction, she had even shown me her tattoo, and in consideration of our ages and the time remaining decided to skip all the preliminary hoopla and move directly to the planning our future. He was immediately in on the joke and told me he liked the Irish and was OK with our plans and showed me his tattoo.

I told him there was no need to feel threatened as his mother and I had agreed I should adopt him and we were for now not planning on children. At that he laughed and asked ‘just who the fuck are you Irishman ” and had another drink.

The next day the train stopped as scheduled at Jasper in Alberta. The hours ticked by and the train manager finally announced that due to the massive forest fires along the track we were going to wait to see if it was safe to proceed, that we could leave the train but should stay around the station. When I joined George in the station he presented me with an Irish flag, the last one to be found, he assured me in the small station. It is  now on my balcony.

I thanked him and scoured the stalls and the best I could find at the charity second hand book stand was a copy of The Little Mermaid which I endorsed to my new friend George, signed and hid in his backpack.

Later the train manager advised us that due to the fires we would be returning, another 24 hour overnight journey, back to Vancouver. Next morning while waiting in line at the Canadian National Via Rail counter in Vancouver for reimbursements or rebooking I saw George and his Mom, George laughed and said “you shit, I found the book and knew it had to be you.” He was putting his mother on a plane to Houston to attend her granddaughters graduation while he was going to lay up in a hotel and call family and friends, and now having told his mother personally, give them his news. And would then return to Nova Scotia, take his boat out and set some lobster traps.

We hugged, wished each other well, took these photos and said our goodbyes. 

We did not exchange email addresses.

If you pay attention when you least expect it life sometimes presents you an opportunity to meet wonderful people.

Stay well, take care of yourself and if you can, someone else.

John