Published in ILLUMINATION·Jan 15The Pandemic — Season ThreeAs I walked into the dining room, I was struck by the elegant table that my partner had set for dinner. Darrel had dimmed the lights, lit two candles and set a vase of flowers in the centre of our glass table. “Let’s dine like its March, 2020”, he said. …Pandemic Diaries5 min read
Published in Hello, Love·Oct 27, 2021A Totally Inappropriate Person“Good for you”, Jay said. “You met your TIP.” — I used to love sitting in the one armchair in the living room of David’s tiny basement apartment, listening to him talk about the big Catholic family he grew up in near Vancouver or the carefree life he enjoyed with his fellow Canadian expatriates in Paris. His stories were long…Divorce7 min read
Published in ILLUMINATION·May 28, 2021I Need A Back Alley JobThe story which follows was written in Toronto about a year ago. It is submitted in response to Anna Maltby’s request to the thousands of Medium writers, to submit their pandemic stories. Things are looking up in Toronto but we are still in lockdown. …Pandemic Reflections2 min read
Published in ILLUMINATION·Apr 18, 2021Like a Good Canadian, I Rolled Up My Sleeve and Didn’t Ask QuestionsI tried to shake off the feeling that I was about to be injected with a vaccine that had a spotty track record and was much too close to its best before date. My cellphone lit up with yet another email from a friend containing the same urgent message, “You…Vaccine7 min read
Published in The Bigger Picture·Feb 26, 2021I Am Stuck in Toronto in February Watching the World Get VaccinatedToronto’s brutal winter, long lockdown, and the lack of vaccines are wearing away the resolve of Torontonians to take care of one another — It is -12C (10.4F) in Toronto today but people in this city are feeling hot under the collars of their puffies. We have been in unremitting lockdown since November 23, our paltry vaccine supplies were exhausted weeks ago and the promised shipments are still days if not weeks away. …Vaccines6 min read
Published in P.S. I Love You·Jan 29, 2021A Wartime RomanceThe Story of Two Young Lovers Who Meet on a Train Helen saw him running down the embankment through the grey November morning toward the train, clutching a briefcase to his chest, his overcoat flying out behind him. Over the din of the engines and the chattering passengers, she heard…Romance7 min read