Trinidad ...

(Canada chronicles continued)

Yesterday I met a friend at corner of Queen and Yonge Streets. She's from Trinidad and is here for a few weeks (leaving soon). By chance she found my contact info and got in touch, not even knowing I was here. Yesterday was the first time we were seeing each other in twenty years. According to her: "Imagine we had to come all the way to Toronto to meet again."

Because we were so close to the labyrinth, I introduced her to it. Prior to walking it, I showed her the finger labyrinth with braille for the blind. As she looked at it, I noticed the ironic reflection in her shades: a labyrinth for the blind, reflected in seeing eyes via the shades (often worn by the blind). N.B. The walking labyrinth also reflected.
Her husband, who's currently in Trinidad, has been keeping her up to date with what's happening 'back home'. She was about to fill me in on what I sensed would be gruesome details, so I quickly stopped her, saying: "I purposefully haven't read a thing about Trinidad since being here and I don't want to hear."

But she had already started to say something about "You heard what they did to that English couple in Tobago?!!"

She didn't have to say any more. It sounded like a whole new level of whatever-it-was-that-had-happened. Her shocked look and tone made my face wince and my chest open as if to cry ... in anger and frustration. Emotions I haven't felt or thought about in over a month since being here ...

Later, at 6:15 I had to leave to meet another friend. Before parting at Dundas Square my friend was looking for someone to take a photo of us. I suggested the man selling international flags and paraphernalia by the corner. Ironically he turned out to be from Trinidad (living in Canada since the 1980's).