Pearson’s Take the West

On our final night we drove straight to Point Roberts off the ferry to meet Mike, Natalie and their three kids. We had arranged to meet at Mike's dad's place because it was so close to the ferry. Point Roberts is actually a peninsular piece of America geographically cut off from the rest of the country by Canada. We had to go through the border to get there and again on our way back to our hotel at the Fairmont Vancouver airport. We had a good old fashioned American fried chicken dinner down at the water. The kids played in the driftwood and then we went back to the house for ice cream. We finally got to our hotel around 10:00. Toby fell asleep in the car and transferred to bed for the first time in his 3 years of life.

Despite the comfort of our room neither Jessica nor I could sleep much that night. In the morning I left with the rental car to return it on the other side of Vancouver and meet Greg with his son Jack. The plan was to drop off the car and drive back to the hotel with Greg where the kids could have a swim together and then eat lunch altogether before checking out. Our plane was leaving at 5:00 so we thought we had lots of time before we had to get moving. When I got to the busy tourist district at Canada Place I couldn't find the Enterprise parking lot so I pulled over to phone them. There was no answer the first time I called so I tried again. As I was listening for someone to answer, I heard the distinctive sickening crack of metal on metal directly behind me. I got out of the car to see what had happened. I wasn't expecting a tragedy but a tragedy was taking place.

A man died a car length away from where I was parked after being hit by a bus while crossing the street. According to the news, he was 49 years old and on vacation. He had woken up on this archetypal summer Sunday morning, familiar to any tourist; full of awareness and prospects, on his way somewhere new. Natural emotions, hopes, dreams of things he might do and the person he might become lingered invisibly just behind his moment by moment experience. Each step forward out of the hotel was being taken under the innocent presumption of innumerable more to follow. Maybe he had just enjoyed a nice breakfast at his hotel with a coffee sipped from a non specific mug. He had been carefree, jocular while discussing plans for the day with his family or friends. And then half way across the street he was struck by a bus and pulled ineluctably under the right front wheel, tucked into the wheel well. When I rounded the front of the bus I saw his eyes open looking shocked and then his features went slack and like a raggedy doll he stared dumbly into nothingness. On his way back to his god, it's possible he had no time for petty regrets. It's possible his memories of his daughter or son or grandchildren or his wife slid away so quickly beneath him there was nothing to grasp at or maybe there was just nothing, nothing at all where he went. All the metal, rubber, concrete, flesh and bone was on our side on display.

He went away and all went with him.

We got home to Toronto later that night around 1:00 AM. While I read a chapter of Charlotte's Web to Ollie, he wanted to hold on to a Canada 150 wand that lights up with flashing neon lights. He got it on a school trip to Harbourfront at the end of grade 1. He said it was his favorite thing even though I know he had never slept with it before. I kissed him goodnight and before leaving his room, I tucked the wand into his arms and asked him not to turn it on until morning. He smiled with his red watery tired eyes. We were both happy to be home.Okumaya devam et