24. Not On A Holiday Together
24
NOT ON A HOLIDAY TOGETHER
KYLIE
“So, I want to introduce you to one of my friends. I think you guys would really hit it off. He’s coming to the game on Friday with us.” Adele casually drops this news while we browse the racks of some store called Nordstrom, looking for a new top for me to wear.
“Hm… I don’t know… I’m kind of still hung up on someone.” I’ve never been a fan of being set up with people.
I’m also not lying. Now that I’m in Canada, Seth has been plaguing my thoughts constantly. I’ve even considered contacting the tour company to see if they have an email address for him. Not sure if they’d share that info, but it’s worth a shot.
“The guy you met on your trip, right?” Adele holds up a very revealing top.
I eye it cautiously. “Yeah, the one in all my photos.”
“I’m going to admit something that probably makes me a bad cousin, but I actually didn’t really look at all the photos.”
I laugh, then shake my head at the top she’s still holding out. “ It’s okay, I probably wouldn’t have looked either. Other people’s holiday photos are kind of boring.”
“He’s Canadian, right? Have you stayed in touch? Do you know where he lives?”
I shake my head
“No. And even if we had stayed in touch, things with Seth might be completely different now that we’re not on a holiday together.” I’m trying to downplay my feelings, and shrug to give the impression of aloofness.
Adele doesn’t buy it though. “You clearly like this guy a lot or you wouldn’t still be thinking about him months later.”
I sigh. “Yeah, but I’m realistic. How often do these things really work out? And besides, I didn’t come here for a guy.”
“Well, I, for one, won’t complain if you fall madly in love and end up living here forever. Grandma and Grandpa will love it too. Oh, and Mum said to tell you to come into the office next week to chat about starting work when you’re ready. We need a new tour guide for some stuff coming up and she thinks you’d be the perfect fit.”
I’m interested to learn more about the tours that they run, the idea of getting to travel around for work becoming more and more appealing. But for now, I just need to focus on getting through tomorrow night and Adele’s attempt to set me up with her friend.
I finally find a red top that is both warm and pretty, trying it on to applause from Adele.
“That’s the one to get any man’s engine racing. That’s if anyone sees it, given that we will have you covered in Mounties merch for the game. I’ve decided I’m buying you your first jersey as soon as we get to the stadium.”
“It still blows my mind how seriously you guys all take hockey here. I mean, I’m sure there are avid sports fans around in Brisbane. I just only ever saw them wearing the gear if they were on their way to or from a game. People here seem to wear the Mounties stuff as part of their daily wardrobe.” I lead the way to the register, handing over the top to the smiling sales assistant.
When she tells me the price, I pause for a moment, before remembering I’m in a country that doesn’t include the tax in the price listed. I suck at maths. This is going to hurt my brain every time I buy something.
“Well, we’ve become particularly rabid after we made the Stanley Cup final last year. Like, we were pretty full on beforehand, but this was the first time we’d made it to the playoffs in years, and we were so close to a win. But the captain, Davidson, tripped on choppy ice just as he was about to take a shot, and then New Jersey stole the puck and scored the winning goal with seconds to spare.” Adele leads the way out of the store and we head for the food court.
“Wow, that sucks. Poor guy.”
“Yeah, the media went pretty hard for him. Ben is actually friends with him. I’ve never met him before, but Ben was going to try to catch up with him while he’s in town this weekend, so I might get to meet him. From what I know, he’s a really nice guy but pretty reserved, so having all the negative attention probably messed with his head a bit. He seems to have come back strong this season, though.” She stops at the first of many food places. “Right, what do you want to eat?”
I look at the options and feel myself becoming overwhelmed by the choices.
“Um… what’s good? You guys have way more fast-food places than we do back home.”
“Well, what do you feel like?”
Oh those dreaded words that have long caused me to panic. I look around, tempted just to go to McDonalds because I at least know what to expect from there. But I’m here for new experiences, so I need to expand my culinary choices as well.
“Can you just take me to one you like? Narrow down my choices?” I finally ask, and Adele nods, happy to take charge.
Next time, I’m doing more research about what my options are. I’ve never been great at deciding on the fly, and other than McDonalds, I don’t recognise any of the names.
Adele leads the way to a place called A&W. Staring up at the menu, she points out the different burgers to choose from, and I settle on the Mama Burger with fries and a Coke. When they hand me my order, I stare at the ‘small’ drink, stunned at the size of the cup. It’s bigger than the large drinks back home. There’s no way I’ll be able to drink that much soft drink.
We might speak the same language and both be a part of the Commonwealth, but some things in this country are so different from what I’m used to. So far, it’s all still a novelty, but I wonder when that novelty will wear off and I’ll start missing things from back home?