A feral cat. Screeching on the other side of my condo. He’s in distress. His cries pierce through my heart. I have to get to him. I swing my legs over the side of my bed and jump up. I wobble. My stomach is a water balloon filled to the brim being held together with…
The Sesame Seed
Dizzy. I'm dizzy. It's the sesame seed inside me. A week ago, I was just me. Now we're a we. And I'm scared because I want to meet you so bad. Don't want to be sad. I'm so glad. But it feels like I'm going mad. Secrets and not inflating expecations. Keeping things between close…
The Little Free Library
I’m a big proponent of Little Free Libraries. They add so much value to a city, and they’re usually indicative of a special sort of neighbourhood. Literacy and sharing are both signs of a good community. I’m lucky enough to live within walking distance (1 hour max each way) of 63 Little Free Libraries.…
The Fiancee
I always imagined myself to be like Lorelai Gilmore on the eve of her marriage to Max Medina. Satisfied, but not quite happy. Since I was a teenager, I imagined myself drunk at my bachelorette party calling my first love. I thought for sure that’s what my life would be. A life of longing and…
The Plight of a People Pleaser
“Could you pick me and my friends up for the airport?”“Sure thing”“We’re short staffed, could you come in to support?”“A night at home would be a waste!” “Can you help me with this one little thing?”“Of course”“Is it cool if I put you in charge of everything?”“Yeah, you’ve got great taste.” “Are you okay to…
The Reading Ruction
The summer I turned 3 years old I begged my parents to send me to school. My brother Michael had just completed the first grade, proudly bringing home artwork, class pictures, a shining report card and classmates' phone numbers to keep in touch over the break. Michael and my older cousin Francy were swapping stories…
The Unasked Questions
If you had asked me to.. I would have run away with youI would have moved to Dalerex tooIf you had asked me to I would have cut off friends you didn’t likeI would have told them all to take a hikeIf you had asked me to I would have stopped listening to my favourite…
The Haunted House on Dalefern Drive
There’s a house in the middle of my new city At the end of its row Wide porch, two car garage, white porcelain guard dog Maroon brick with rose stripes on the corners Typical suburban abode Not different than the houses before it Except that when I drove past that house in my new life…
The Old Country
What is a home? Can one have multiple homes? Is home dictated by birth country? National origin? Citizenship? Current residence? Is home a place or merely a feeling? I wonder this from the comforting confines of what I can confidently describe as my very favourite home yet. I had a friend whose grandmother was battling…
The Good Ol’ Days
"Troy and Raquel are running late," Stewie mentioned at his BBQ as I sipped my Aperol Spritz. "It seems married life is really getting the best of them." "They're not even married yet," Stewie's wife Aiko frowned. "What do you mean?" Stewie shrugged. "I don't know. On the phone he was going on about groceries…
Stories I've Never Told... 