mark

mark was our ticket in. our backstage pass into the japanese culture, yet he remained as mysterious and elusive as the very country we were trying to infiltrate, despite his canadian upbringing.

erin

erin made everyone hand over pictures that possibly painted her in an unflattering light. someday i am confident i will say, i used to know the president back when she lived in.......

jen w

jen's frequent flasher has just proudly shown his wares for the third time. however, this time she is ready. in flawless japanese, laughing, she yells, "do you call that a penis?"

j

j is leaving soon. she is moving out west to reunite with a husband who had an affair for the span of their marriage, while all around her, friends nurse second babies.

charles

charles eats a large fish and chips at the cash; ketchup drips onto my newspaper. "DUDE! sorry bout that." in a past life he played ted, but i am a sorry bill.

couple who buy the globe and mail

every saturday without fail, some odd argument to check my response; hysterical laughter at my replies. they think i am quaint and quirky. i think they are scouting for a potential threesome.

joe

my husband's grandfather scared the bejeezus out of me at 15 telling me he'd lost those fingers in a bear fight. no one told joe different, except berta, who melted his heart.

berta

berta once taught her grandson matthew to fish off the pier. now familiar faces fade in and out of memory and she wonders when joe is going to come take her home.

judy

judy suffered far more from the same loss as her husband neil. although her faith in god remains intact, it's people she has lost faith in. it's not about forgiveness but fear.

neil

in his forties, neil had the church he had tended/nourished for 20 years, taken away. not bitter, just resolved to the will of god - he coaxes flowers from the dirt now.

jen

in grade 5 i told jen her new haircut made her look like lady di; we've been friends since. we have that easy chemistry of opposites, always finding humour in our differences.

jon

curiouser and curiouser. jon is all oddness and irregular angles packaged with a staccato laugh and an honest demeanor. he will never be the leading man, always the quirky, but attractive side-kick.

stacy

her work leads her to dark places in people's hearts, so she always carries a bright light. the cliche that one person can make a difference is a cliche for a reason.

frank

...would like a tea and a sweet, please. his penchant for confections has resulted in beekeeping and maple syrup harvesting. if only canada were more agreeable to the production of sugar cane.

joan

for years, joan cooked for an army of children. now with just her and frank to feed, the intricacy and sophistication of the recipes has increased, but the quantity has not decreased.

home

we have just moved back home. no jobs, no house, no idea what is going to happen over the next few months, but we have our fingers crossed. so this little batch is home inspired.

lady who sends back her meal everytime

i wonder what it is like to go through life consistently and chronically disappointed. it's not the food; i have waited on her in 2 restaurants, a bookstore and a clothing store.



*and no smartass, it wasn't the service, i am an excellent customer service representative

todd

todd's the guy who has a guy; he can hook you up. a shit eating grin charmer, he gets away with calling the waitress honey, hand on the small of her back.

elsie

gramma. elsie gave me paddington bear, the stanley park train, my first shirley temple, love for billie holiday. she competed with louise because of the money; she couldn't see it didn't matter.

louise

granny lou. louise fussed and clucked around us, but never spoiled us. gifts, while plentiful and expensive, were practical. she was small but mighty. her house was the home of my childhood.

dave

it hardly matters that we've never met, i know in my heart the reaction i would have. it would be akin to those saturday morning cartoons when wylie coyote melts like wax.

belki

OH BUT WE WERE SUSPICIOUS!!!!! i mean, who marries gordon!? citizenship? money? but no, belki just loves gordon. it's nice that sometimes it is that simple. oh, but we can be jaded.

gordon

gordon. balding, 50+ confirmed bachelor, millwright, carpenter, jam-maker, beer-drinker, the hollywood version of a cantankerous uncle with the heart of gold, went on vacation to cuba one winter and came back married.

junichi

"MAN FOR THE FUTURE" was how he introduced himself. mr. furley meets the japanese absent-minded professor. 8 calls one day to correct my teaching schedule-shimokoide/shimo-kawafuchi? turns out it was neither.

galen

god bless him he was dumb. cute, but dumb as a bag o'hammers. good ol' southern boy who craved his mother's homemade biscuits and missed his father. being abroad simply overwhelmed him.

karita

everything about karita was compelling. you held time spent with her over the heads of others, like an item fought for at an auction, and won. the crush i had on her.............

natalie

natalie is bent double laughing, tears soaking her cheeks, telling her own stories. this is entirely forgivable because the stories are almost as good as the manner in which she tells them. almost.