Once More, With Feeling
Toronto’s been a very pleasant city to be in so far (especially since it’s not winter). People there were so nice and looked less angry/tired than in the US. I saw a lot of smiles. Saturday — two days ago — was our last full day, and I decided to make it count. We wandered around Chinatown/Kensington Market, and went to the Art Gallery of Ontario. Me being me around art, I spent hours there and didn’t even notice the others had messaged me to say they were mobing on to the next location on our list. I didn’t even end up seeing all the exhibits, but loved the First Nations one. Even though I don’t actually have a connection with Mohawk culture in my life right now, I have Mohawk ancestry dating back to the American Revolution. My ancestor was a Loyalist who fled to Canada, and seeing the First Nations exhibit with that in mind was cool. Someone in my group even said they saw my ancestor’s name in an exhibit.
When I noticed the others moved on, I decided to reply I was going to stop at my favorite bubble tea one last time (they don’t have any back home :/ ) on my way to where they were. The next stop was closed so I decided to head back towards the hotel. Then, somewhat recklessly, I decided that I was in the mood for abdribk. I was of age there, after all. I ducked into a liquor store and found nothing too tempting. I tried a sample of George Clooney’s tequila and it made me tear up, as tequila does. Apparently it has the taste but not the bad hangover after-effects of normal tequila. The woman who gave me the sample was kind, and we chatted for a bit while I tried not to choke on the half a shot of tequila as it went down. She eventually said I had good vibes and inspired her, and asked to follow me on Instagram. Her name was Angelique. Angelic.
I feel like Toronto definitely made me more positive, lighter and more myself. Earlier in Chinatown, my mom mentioned a woman we’d passed whom I hadn’t seen the first time around. My mom said the woman, selling produce on the sidewalk, had her stall sign upside down and possibly couldn’t tell. I don’t know about that, but I initially kept walking with my mom. I couldn’t make it across the crosswalk though, before I went back and turned the sign rightside up for the vendor. Her smile was worth it. Or later on, I passed a girl who was dressed up and seemed to be waiting for her date and told her she looked good (which she did). I’m not trying to say I’m suddenly a knight in shining armor, I just suddenly felt springier and could actually register that my good actions make others feel good. And I, at the end of the day, love making others happy and uplifting them in times of need.
But yeah, so from the liquor store Inwent across the street for a drink at a small bar & grill place. They had a promo on their margaritas that day, so that’s what I got. They didn’t even card me. I sat there drinking it and alternating with a glass of water, and thinking about I don’t remember what. The possibility of my mom past the bar and seeing me briefly crossed my mind. In retrospect, I was kind of irresponsible and inconsiderate of her worrying about me. An older guy at the end of the bar started sneezing uncontrollably. The bartenders called him “Jim” when they said bless you, so maybe he’s a regular. Not long after, someone else came in and sat next to me. I asked him if you’re supposed to tip bartenders, bc I had noidea. He said yes and then asked where Inwas from. We started talking about Canada, America, Canada vs. America, college and French. He asked how old I was to not be of age in the US, how much longer I was staying in the area, so my walls were kind of up. But then he said his boyfriend was Canadian French, and most suspicions I had about his intentions talking to me evaporated. He got his order of wings and wished me a nice rest of my vacation in Toronto, and told me to make the most of college because “it sucks once you start working full-time”.
When I got back to the room three hours after splitting from the group, my mom got mad. I guess I overestimated the amount of independence I had, probably because they left me behind in the first place. I have street smarts and know my way around a city, be it Beijing or Toronto, but I guess she didn’t think the same.
We’re almost back home now, but Toronto was a nice trip. I’ll go back someday, it’s not that hard to do after all.
