Beginner's Test

"Well, if I have to walk home from the GO station, at least it's a beautiful evening. And a half hour walk is good exercise. If I ever get to live in Toronto, maybe I will be walking a half hour home from work every day.  This is good."

Rob and his folks are in the city for a family function, and Carson has my car.  This isn't the first time I haven't had a ride home and it definitely isn't going to be the last.  We are now just days until our new lives officially begin. New homes, new labels.  Single mom. The kids will still have their support group. Mine will be significantly diminished.

7:40 p.m. Five minutes from home I receive a text from Evann.  She's volunteering at a school carnival in the next neighbourhood and needs money and a sweater. I tell her that I'm almost home and will bike over with her stuff. "A little more exercise!" I tell myself.

I'm starving. In the house, a quick hug to Leah, a greeting to her friend, change, grab a square of dark chocolate, hop on my bike and I'm off. I also managed to scrounge a handful of change - hoping I have enough for Evann to buy one of the bbq offerings. Curse these school events - just about the only place that doesn't accept debit cards.

8:15   I find Evann outside at the back of the school working at the freezie stand - freezing and hungry.  She gets permission to take a break and we head for the cafeteria.  Hooray, the food is marked down. We can get a hamburger or hotdog and a drink for $3.00.  Ev counts the change. I had managed to scrape together $6.25. Yippee! We can both dine at the school tonight!

We park ourselves outside on a baseball bench, wolf down our burgers and take a few minutes to catch up.  Ev has to help out til 9 so I bike around the neighbourhood until she is done.  I really don't want to walk all the way home so I make Ev ride with me. She is seated and I am pedaling upright. It takes a bit of adjusting to keep her legs from tangling in mine and in the pedals.  We laugh as we picture how we must look - thinking of those images from somewhere in the far east of families of 8 or so all piled on one bicycle. Ev is a great sport. She is both mortified (that someone she knows will see her) and terrified (I'm a bit wobbly riding this way), but hangs on tight and laughs along with me.  We manage to ride together most of the way home.

As we near our house I see my car in the driveway. "How long has Carson been home? Don't tell me we could have got her to pick us up."  Ev finally clues in that my walk home from the train and my bike ride were not whims of fancy. They were a necessity.

I remain positive, thinking "Ah well, it was a fun bonding experience and a great workout. One car, one parent and three busy kids. We will be able to make this work."

I am greeted at the door by a panicked Carson.  Her toilet won't flush. Only a few days ago I was thinking about all the little home maintenance jobs that I felt I would be able to handle on my own once I'm in my new place.  "I think I'm going to warn the landlord that he better be prepared to help out with any clogged toilets.  That's about the only thing I don't want to deal with."

It didn't take long for me to become agitated - especially after finding out that it has been clogged for two days.  Two days that Opa or Rob could have fixed the problem.  At first I told her she was on her own - but then I gave my head a shake and rose to the occasion.

And we did it! That's about all the details I need to share about THAT bonding experience.

Back downstairs to check in with Leah, fold some laundry and finally at 9:50 I sat down, thinking "That felt like a test."

I think I passed.