Bonnie scans the breadth of the expansive grey stone building ahead of her. “No matter how stern they try to appear,” she thinks, “they aren’t intimidating. Here in the laid-back West coast, nobody takes them all that seriously.”
Victoria had been the original colonial settlement, recalls Bonnie from her Canadian citizenship study book. Now it is the capital city of “British Columbia,” which everybody just calls “BC” most of the time now. However, Victoria still has the British atmosphere and is very different from Vancouver, that multicultural port full people from all the continents, but mostly from Asia. Vancouver, the largest port on the Pacific coastline of the Americas.
This is the place where laws and policies are made in the province, the landmark nineteenth century edifice with the huge dome. It is somewhat exciting for her to realize that. But they would have to wait for another day to watch a sitting of the House; the government is on holiday too. She climbs the steps of the Legislature Building and pulls open the heavy door of the visitors’ entrance with a slight groan. A gust of cold wind from the nearby harbour seems to push the party following her up the stairway into the building’s main chamber.
The two girls, Nona and her little cousin, Trixie, run past her laughing in their eagerness to enjoy the warmth of indoors. The day is cold and damp. Her two best friends, Chirpy and Celia, enter next. Slowest are Mrs. Blais with her daughter Lucy.
It is Mrs. Blais who first proposed this three-day excursion into the New Year. Lucy seconded the motion, glad that Mrs. Blais herself wanted to take few days to get away from her routine. Lucy, however, had fretted that their choice of rooms might not be available at such short notice. “Nonsense, my dear!” the elderly lady had replied. “People will not be flocking to Victoria in midwinter. Just make sure we get winter rates.” Indeed, the reservation had been easy to make. The one hotel acquiesced to Mrs. Blais’ appeal for the off-season rate as she and Mr. Blais had been regular guests. Mrs. Blais took a one-bedroom suite at what had been her and her husband’s favourite hotel, while the other women shared two double rooms in the Day’s Inn next door. It would be more familiar and comfortable for her mother in the hotel next door, with its kitchenette and sitting room. “I may as well spend my money,” Mrs. Blais had commented. “What on Earth would I save for?” She invited Bonnie both for her family’s convenience as well as for the woman’s pleasure. “Please come as a friend of the family. Never mind the agency.” If her friends could cover their own transportation costs, they could join Bonnie and the family on this short trip, added Mrs. Blais. But there was not quite enough room for seven bodies and their gear in her daughter’s utility van. The family and Bonnie left after Boxing Day and chubby Chirpy and sunny Celia joined them on the day after that, arriving by coach bus. On the first night, all four females crowded into one double room and Bonnie took the cot while Trixie, the 10-year-old, slept on the floor. Plus, they smuggled Mrs. Blais’ pet cat in during the night when she was not imprisoned in the van during the day, blankets and hot water bottle to nestle against. The young girls complained because they have been using the sofa and a cot in Mrs. Blais’ apartment. Today, the Filipina threesome inhabit a separate double room for themselves. After a day of relaxing around the hotel and a fine dinner at an English style cottage restaurant, the group is ready to explore some sites today.
The group shuffles slowly around the rotunda on the first floor, examining the wall hangings and historical paraphernalia of the colonial and post-colonial eras. Chirpy remarks, “Look, the ceiling is sky-blue!” Except for the elderly lady who remains behind roosting on a bench, they mount the stairway to the second floor of the domed rotunda. They peer into the roped off legislative chamber craning their necks. Finally they descend and make their way to the exit. “Onward to the museum!” cries Nona, giving Trixie a nudge as they dart out the doorway.
“How are you doing, Mom?”
“I’m just fine. You know, I walk all the time. This is nothing. Anyway, dear, there are places for one to rest in the museum. You know, I don’t think I’ve been there in some 15 years. I’m sure it’s changed.”
With a sly eye, Lucy sneaks a glance at her mother. Her breathing is normal. Her face is alive, but not flushed with exertion. The doctor gave her more than a passing grade a couple of weeks ago. Mrs. Blais is sporting the new hearing aid and how wonderful the results. Her responses over the phone and in person have improved tremendously because of it. They’ll try enrolling her in a seniors’ exercise program in the New Year. Her mother has objected so far, saying that she can exercise at home but the doctor and she, as well as the seniors’ center staff, think that it would be better socially as well as physically. Physically, she seems all right to Lucy. “This visit is doing her some good too,” reflects Lucy.
As if hearing her thought, Lucy’s mother says, “This visit is doing me good. Thank you for taking the time to visit me, Luce. And it’s a nice treat coming here too. Thanks for taking me here.”
“Oh, Mom. You gave us somewhere to go. We’re not stuck in the house in Calgary while the guys go skiing, because of you. It’s a nice change for me, and Trix, too. And I’m sure Nona is having a good time. What do you think of her?”
“Smart girl with a good sensible head on her shoulders. She’ll do well.”
“You know the basic reason why she was sent out West to school? Her aunt on her mother’s side has cancer and her mom is nursing her. It’s pretty bad, I hear. Her mother thought it best for Nona not have to experience that atmosphere. I think I get her point. I think I agree.”
“Yes, yes. She probably feels a little deprived of her mother’s attention, However, if she understands the agony and misery of a prolonged death and its toll on the closest relations, I’m sure Nona appreciates the opportunity to have some reprieve, even, or especially I should say, at Christmas.”
“Well said, Mom. You have a good head on your shoulders, yourself,” remarks Lucy with a wide grin at her mother.
The girls are waiting by the dark and ominous bronze cast of Queen Victoria in the middle of the Parliamentary grounds. They make faces posing for photos of each other blasphemously. Then the women trudge off to cross the street and study the longhouse situated on the museum lot before they enter. “This is how people here used to live,” said Nona to Bonnie. Trixie hugs a totem pole hoping for a photo op.
Grandmother and daughter resume their conversation once they all get inside the museum foyer and check their coats. “Collin didn’t say much on the phone,” comments Mrs. Blais.
“He’s a moody and aloof teen now, Mom.”
“I suppose. He hasn’t talked much to me since he was about eight. How’s that foreign student doing?”
“I’m sure he’s having a blast right now. We’ll see how it is in January, after the fun of the holidays. When Collin and Trix begin school, he will stay home a lot until the international students’ intake is completed and they’re ready to teach them. Glen and I will have to spend more time with him then. He’s actually here early. That’s because the school system in Korea takes a winter break and starts a new school year after Lunar New Year, in March. International students in Calgary are generally enrolled to start in February. But some students, because they have the free time back home, arrive early. Some only stay a few weeks, in fact, instead of registering for the full year or half a year. In fact, sending June to Canada early, during Christmas, is a way for the family to find out if he will be able to tolerate being in a foreign country for a long term. June’s family could take him out of the program before February if he is not adjusting well or doesn’t like it. We just have to hang on and see. We hope he’ll do well and enjoy being with us. We don’t know, though.”
“It sounds like it might be burdensome.”
“It is an extra responsibility. We do act like his parents with him. But I think it’s a good change. It should make the home more interesting, give us something new to talk about and someone new to talk with. After all, he’s here to practice English!”
“Quite right….So you and Glen have thought this over together quite a bit, then?” Mrs. Blais tries hard not to sound too nosey. She really wants to know how her daughter is getting along on the homefront.
“Mom! Aren’t you going to tour the museum with us?” interjects Trixie, head cocked in annoyance.
“We’ll be right along, Trix. Grandma and I have seen this place before. We’ll have a bit of tea, then join you. Take your time.”
Bonnie catches up with Trixie to check the status of things and hears Lucy’s last utterance. She nods and escorts Trixie back into the first exhibit hall, firmly but playfully in charge. “Come on, Trixie girl,” she coaxes. “Let’s go look at the mammoth bones.”
Lucy leads her mother in the direction of the snack bar where they find a free table. Their conversation recommences once Lucy has brought the tea to the table.
“It’s been a long time since we had a real conversation, Mom.”
“Well, you know. The ears.”
“Mom, I got the feeling that you stopped wanting to talk to me.”
The old woman turns away and sets down her teacup, hesitating to respond. Then she looks at her daughter’s face, her fine lean features and healthy skin that are framed by a fashionable chin-length cut to her naturally brown hair. “It’s just that—honestly, Lucy. You go about it like a social worker all the time. It puts me off.”
“Hey, that’s unfair! I am a social worker. It’s an advantage. You’re lucky. Some families don’t know what to do.”
“I can get professional advice elsewhere,” is the snappy retort.
“Well, I’m here, am I not. I’m spending the holiday with you.”
“And dutifully.”
“It is duty, of course. It is also what I want to do, for me, for you and for Trixie. I need girl time. Trixie needs girls only time just like Collin needs time with his Dad and the guys. Trixie is still young enough to love spending time with Grandma. And I need girl time, too.”
“I know all that very well. You see, you should listen to yourself. You have everything figured out, sorted out into little packages. Like we’re little packages.”
“Look, I’m sorry we got out of touch. But you used to be more independent. I have been with Glen in Calgary for many years now. You had gotten used to that. You used to say you liked shedding the role of mother and living a freer and easier life again. Things have changed. You, we all need a change. And you could and still can come and see us, you know. You haven’t sounded interested in doing that for a long time, and you never did much when Dad was around.”
“You don’t want an old biddy around. Collin wouldn’t want it. Men don’t generally like it, they tolerate it out of duty and for the sake of the wife.”
They pause and sip a little more tea to step back and take in the situation from another angle. “I know I kind of barged into your life, sending in the agency and Bonnie like that. But you weren’t responding. I was getting worried. It turns out that you needed a little help after all. You should be glad.”
“I am glad, really. I like having Bonnie around. She hasn’t gotten on my nerves yet.”
“So I see. That’s good.”
“What about you? How does Glen like the social worker you at home?” It is a direct hit.
Lucy shifts uncomfortably. “All right. Yes, you’re right. It’s a habit. It’s a way of organizing the home, my life and managing things, keeping things in order and everyone safe and content. Don’t knock it—it works.”
“How are you two getting along these days?”
“We’re fine. Everything’s normal, predictable.”
“Ah-hah! Settled into the hum-drum, have we? It seems to be rampant sickness. My problem, your problem, a lot of peoples’ problem.”
Put like that, Lucy relaxes and feels less defensive. She chuckles a little. “Yeah, the ‘malaise of modernity.’ We have so much but feel empty. Desensitized, spoiled, lazy on one hand, while bogged down with administration and keeping on the racetrack, on the other. How to fill ourselves up, and stay in line and still behave morally? That’s a very good question.”
“We just have to change the routine, and get a little out of line, then. Bend the norms, not the rules. Take a fresh perspective, that’s all.”
“That’s all,” echoes Lucy wryly. They are quiet for awhile.
“You shouldn’t be with me. You should be with your husband,” pronounces Mrs. Blais suddenly, and admonishingly.
“Christmas time is family time. Glen is spending time with his brother and son. You need attention too. Also, I want to spend time with you and the girls.”
“It’s about time you and Glen got back to dating. You should take a romantic holiday. Do it soon.”
“You’re right. Of course, I’d love to go somewhere nice with just him for awhile. But the next thing will be your birthday party. Anyway, we have made changes at home. There’s another person to think of.”
“What? Don’t tell me—“
“Oh, no,” laughed Lucy. “But there is another child, with us, now.”
“You’re talking about some arrangement with Nona and her mother.”
“Well, actually, I’d like to keep up with Nona and invite her around sometimes. What if we asked her to your birthday party?”
“Fine. She’s a sensible girl with a good head on her shoulders. She doesn’t ruffle easily. That’s good. So many girls are so gaga about the most mundane and pettiest things, like the magazines, fashion, stores, pop stars and all the glitter and nonsense. Yes, I’d like Nona there.”
“Okay, then. In addition to her, we’ve got a foreign student with us. He arrived early to join the guys in Banff.”
“Oh! Like they do in Vancouver.—so many English students from Japan and whatnot around. You bump into them everywhere. I bet they’re having a good time. It can’t be all that serious, going to school here, those who can afford it mind you. It must be expensive.”
“Yes, the family of the foreign student pays, of course. Some of the money is given to us from the family, by the child, to us each month for his expenses. Collin seems pleased. When I called Glen last night, he said that the boy—June is his name—was having the time of his life. They’re all getting along well.”
“Well, now. No harm in that. That’s good. Good for the young man to see a real Canadian winter and in the Rockies, no less. He must be quite thrilled indeed. Where is her from? How long will he stay?”
“He’s Korean. He may stay a few weeks. He may stay for the rest of the school year. We’ll all try it and see if it’s working. If it works, he’ll stay longer.”
“I see. You’ve got him in the basement bedroom, then. No room for me, anyhow.”
“Oh, we’d shuffle things around so that you could visit. Anyway, let’s wait until after your birthday to consider a visit to Calgary. See where we stand at that point. Good enough?”
“Right you are.” She pauses. “Well, you’ve created a nice little sidetrack. So where does that leave you two, you and your husband? You have more responsibilities now—me, June, and Nona somewhat. It just got more crowded at your house when you probably need some time alone again.”
“Yeah, we should make time for it soon. Maybe in the summer. I think he likes having June in the house. The household needed to be spiced up a bit, I think. We’ll see how it goes.”
“Goodness! Look at the time. We’ve been here for some 30 minutes. I want to see the displays. I don’t want to waste the entry fee, you know.”
“All right. Me neither. Let’s get a move on.”
They rise and Lucy takes the tray and cups to the racks. “I think I’d like dinner in the suite tonight, if you don’t mind, Lucy dear,” announces Mrs. Blais once Lucy rejoins her.
“Okay. I’ll join you. Bonnie and her friends offered to take the girls for burgers and grill by the harbour.”
“Just fine then.”
The rest of the women have reached the longhouse display with its enormous Salish masks and high murals guarded by carved poles. Trixie and Nona are amusing themselves by making monster noises beside the huge beaks protruding from red and black painted masks that are mounted on pedestals, then posing for pictures beside the in front of the displays.
“They’re having a good time,” remarks Bonnie to her friends.
“Are you having a good time?” calls out Nona, having overheard her comment.
“Yes,” say the three Filipinas. Celia adds, “This is fun. We’re glad to come along.”
“Yeah, this is nice,” assures Chirpy.
It seems to Bonnie that the white foreigners can seem strange and rather cool a lot of the time. True, they are the people of the north, basically. They seem to fuss and fret often. Mostly, though, they are kind.
Bonnie discusses these people and their ways with her compatriots from time to time. Canada is so big, and cold most of the year, that you would think they would want to be together in groups as much as possible. But so many people spend days in large quiet rooms alone, working or minding the house. Filipinos loved crowds, movement and noise. That kind of ambiance seems to unsettle and confuse these people, make them annoyed. But they have warm hearts. She admired the way that they set great store by friendship. Friendship means a lot to people in the West, much more than it does to people in the East, where family and God are much more important than in the West. There’s a kind of freedom in that, though she thinks that Canadians could benefit by the greater support and comfort of family and church.
The Filipina women are delighted to be in this group today, joining this family, being grouped together with the family, as a family, at least for a few days. Life abroad can get lonely, tiresome and sad. It makes them happy whenever a Westerner reaches out and included them. “And maybe it’s good for them to be with us,” considers Bonnie. “I think it’s healthy for them.”
If there is anything Filipinos enjoy more than anything else, well except for weddings and honeymoons, it is birthday parties. Bonnie could not help but hint that she would like to be present at the old woman’s birthday affair. When Lucy approaches her in the museum and makes the actual invitation, she jumps with joy and mouths a resounding, “Yes, ma’am!”
“We’ll need you help, Bonnie,” says Mrs. Blais. “I hope you help us plan things, all in the course of your regular job hours.”
“Oh, yes! That will be fun!”
“You may bring Celia and Chirpy to the party with you. Do you have a boyfriend yet?”
“Oh!” Bonnie had been shy to discuss this topic with the elder. She feels that Filipinas have a candid interest in love and sex that might offend older Westerners, or make them uncomfortable. “No, not yet. But I’m looking.”
“Yeah, we’re trying to find a match for her. She’s searching on the internet.”
“On the internet! The computer! Unbelievable!”
“Yes, ma’am. You have to be careful but there are good clean services. There are proper matchmakers, Filipinos matching Filipinos,” explains Chirpy. It can be a great way to find someone. Celia met someone on the internet a few months away. A nice Pinoy boy.”
“Really?”
“We have to find Bonnie a nice Pinoy boy too,” says Celia.
Mrs. Blais makes a mental note.