For the remaining hour of the tour the group, (excluding Angela and Thomas who did not wish to talk to the others), got to know each other better while sauntering down the rest of the trail. The older people of course talked the most about their life because they had lived longer.
Angus Benatar, the old scooter riding grandpa, had fought in World War two making him a veteran. Before that he worked as a lumberjack in the wild Canadian north, which was very unbelievable since he now weighs only one hundred and twenty pounds.
“There was this one time, when our boss had left to go to town, the chaps and I found a straight line of trees all lined up perfectly in a row. So, we got this great idea and began chopping the trees just enough so they wouldn’t fall. The tree standing at the beginning of the line was cut all the way sending it toppling down, knocking over all the trees in a domino effect! Saved us at least twenty minutes per tree. When the last tree hit the ground it unexpectedly started to slide down the hill onto the road below. We all knew right away this was super bad and definitely going to get us caught but, we didn’t expect to see what happened next. We heard this brutal crumbling metal sound so we instantly began running towards the road worried we had hurt someone. When we got there we discovered our boss’s truck had been pinned to a tree by the flat bed. We thought we were fired for sure but, he jumped out of his truck with this big grin on his face. When we asked why he was he laughing he goes, “Because you killed all the beer I just got you.” We all look down to see there were gallons of beer spewing out all over the road! We didn’t have beer for weeks but, it was definitely a great experience.”
He met his wife Onka Onderdonk, at a dance club which he went to in the seventies with his tree chopping buddies. The moment their eyes met they knew there was something special between them. She came from Sweden and, at the time, could only speak Swedish, so, she made her friend translate everything being said between the future couple. In Sweden Onka was a performer. Since a young age she acted in high class stage productions and danced in many ballets and theater shows. She came to Canada to perform with an eccentric travelling circus act when she met Angus.
“The bearded lady and I were very good friends but, I couldn’t stand the rest of the carnies that hung around. The only reason I stayed was for the adrenaline rush as I was lifted up into the air in a huge white ring hanging high above the awestruck crowd, doing death defying tricks to the sound of peaceful music.”
The two of them were hitched a few months after first meeting in a petite white chapel that looked out towards the ocean. Onka decided to stay in Canada and she acted at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Vancouver. They had four children, two girls and two boys, all of which had four children of their own except Timothy’s father who just had Timothy.
Timothy attends Langley Meadows Elementary school which is a few minutes away from his house. He has a passion for music and wants to perform on stage like his grandma or be a lawyer since that’s what his mom wants him to do.
Ben Finnegan, has lived next to the sea his whole life. He told many fishermen’s tales during the next hour about fishing with his majestic boat “The Robin” which sported a red hull.
“There was this one time, way back when, where I sailed her from Vancouver Island, all the way to Alaska just so I could see an iceberg! I touched one too! Dropped my anchor into the depths of the sea and leaped off me boat into the freezing water and swam up to this monstrous piece of ice that had a nice space at the base to sit on. It was more cold than ye’ could ever imagine but, I survived and got to do something most of you never had the chance to do.”
Jimmy Marley Jr., is a twenty nine year old who dropped out of college during his second year in becoming a doctor to play for the BC Lions football team. Unfortunately, that dream like most sport dreams didn’t work out as planned and now he drives the sea taxi back and forth every day. Many people ask him if he’s related to the famous singer who shares his surname but, he honestly does not know because he grew up in an orphanage. That doesn’t dampen his spirit though; he is literally one of the nicest people you can ever meet.
Then there is John, the aboriginal representative for his nation at just thirty, who has a secret liking for cowboy hats which he admitted to during the walk.
“I love watching the old Western movies. They were always so entertaining.”
He is single and lives with his family on their gorgeous acreage of land by the water side. John’s dream, before negotiating things for his nation’s people, was to win the lottery and buy a farm to live on in peace and tranquility.
Getting to know each other was very helpful in the scheme of things. Very soon they will need each other for survival.
After the long tour the group decided to eat in the main building. Timothy proudly ordered food for his grandparents, which was the first time he ordered food all by himself. Thomas and Angela sat three tables down from them, licking away at their no fat ice creams while whispering harshly back and forth. Jimmy, John and Ben returned to the staff room talking privately amongst themselves.
"When you guys want to leave the island give me a holler." instructed Jimmy with a smile as he closed the staff room door behind him.