Atlantic Canada Tales by Mike Bozart - HTML preview

Monticia of Moncton

by Mike Bozart

© 2024 Mike Bozart

It’s a the-outside-air-temperature-is-mild-but-the-inner-mind-is-wild, mostly cloudy, lightly-breezed-with-memories, late-morning summer Sunday (July 1st, 2018) in the Old North End of Moncton (New Brunswick, Canada). Eighteen-year-old Monticia, a Myanmar (Burma) refugee, looks out her second-floor bedroom window at the very-verdant-once-again patch of woods on the opposite side of nondescript Fraser Avenue. As she finishes her lychee bubble tea, Monticia’s mind meanders beyond the family abode: an unassuming octaplex apartment building. That mini-forest

[across the street] sure is dense – almost opaque. Can barely see three meters [about 10 feet] into it. Bet there’s been some sexual escapades in there over the years. And I bet Marvin [her online male friend who lives 147 km (91

miles) to the north in Miramichi] would love to have a romp in there with me. Would not resist. [internal giggle] Should I email him my ‘thirteenths analysis/nonsense’ today? Why not? He’ll probably eat it up. Bet he wants to eat me up. ‘Lick away, loverboy!’ [internal giggle] Loverboy … hmmm … It does seem like we are headed for a monogamous relationship. Finally. Can’t wait for [Saturday] the 14th [of July 2018] to get here. Can’t wait to hug him. Smell him. And kiss him. Just hope that we hit it off in person as much as we do in the [online] chats and texts. Though, the voice calls have been kinda lame, probably because we’re both introverts.

Once we break the ice, we’ll be fine. Am so glad high school is over. At last. NBCC [New Brunswick Community College]

starts in two months. And I’m only two blocks away. An easy walk. But must stay wary. Margie [a close friend] said that it can be ‘iffy’ after dusk. Can always borrow the parents’ car for evening activities. Or just do rideshare. Hmmm … IT:

[Internet Technology] Software Development. Is this really what I want to do the rest of my life? Coding? Code, decode, and recode. Old code, new code, mangled code. Never share the code! [internal chuckle] Now, reboot and reload.

There certainly are worse professions. Let this temporary gig remain decent. May actually grow to really like it. A permanent position? One can hope. Marvin sure is dead-set on Game Development at the Miramichi [NBCC] campus.

Suppose a commuting relationship could work for 22

months. Might even be better. Won’t get tired of each other.

[internal chuckle] Every time he or I arrive at the [VIA Rail Canada] train station, it will feel new. Well, sure hope so.

Fingers crossed as that Anglo idiom goes.

Suddenly Monticia’s smartphone chirps. It’s a text message from none other than Marvin. She reads:

Good day, lovely lady. What’s on your docket today?

Monticia wonders why Marvin chose the word docket, sighs, and then replies:

L & L: laundry and lunacy. Joking about the latter. Well, kind of. LOL. I am finishing up a zany, little, impromptu analysis of 13ths. Want me to email it to you?

It’s totally tabular, man! Pleasantly planar.

Four meta-scholarly minutes later, Marvin replies: Sure! Please do. It’s lucky 13 for me, babe. I’ve never had any bad luck with 13 or fractions thereof. None. I think uber-odd 13 gets a bad rap. All these high-rise buildings with their 13th floors signed as 12b or 14a - or completely skipped!

Collective western triskaidekaphobia. So pathetic. And so weak. Feeble minds if you ask me. Well, I’ll be looking for it, princess.

Monticia then cross-examines her thirteenths analysis for about an hour. At 12:12, she sends an email to Marvin just as a purple finch collides with the window pane. Yikes! Hope that little bird is ok. Crystal-clear glass can be a hazard.

Hey kewl dewd,

It’s me as forewarned.

“Where have you been?” Just joking, bro.

Please see attached. The ‘F’ Notes were created with you in mind, Mr. Faux Sports Commentator Extraordinaire. It lines up with the other table, row by row: 100%

corresponding.

Am so looking forward to our first day/date together.

Stay well, my extra-spatial [ sic] one.

XOXOX,

Monticia

p.s. Plan accordingly.

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