First steps
“He looks like a criminal,” our neighbour, Claudia, told my mother. “Shifty-eyed.” Claudia was elderly and happily divorced, tall with hunched shoulders and a loud voice. She was referring to my brother, Thomas. She did not like him. “Look me in the eyes when I’m speaking to you,” she said to him on multiple occasions. … Continued
Shyness
“Mallory,” Mr. Nelson, my Pre-Calculus 12 teacher, said, “what’s the first thing you need to do to solve this equation?” I blinked up at the SMART Board, where Mr. Nelson had written a series of numbers and signs in red computerized ink. It was an easy equation to answer—isolate x, plug the result into the … Continued
The Chinese food heist
I was sweaty. The sun pressed into my pale neck as I dragged my way to my friend’s house. As usual, I was overdressed, wearing multiple layers despite the heat. It was a habit I had indulged in for years. I was the kid in July wearing jeans, a t-shirt, a button-up, and possibly a … Continued
Take a stand
Running on the treadmill at Vancouver Island University’s gym, listening to a playlist of old ’90s rap, “Shook Ones” by Mobb Deep begins playing. It triggers a landslide of memories. The day David Lacroix took a stand for me, a kid he barely knew, floods my mind and I have to decline my speed to … Continued