Lifeguard from Maracas Bay

Chapter 14 - Maria's Transfer

With all the required paperwork and approvals and politics in the education system, it took two years for Maria’s transfer to be approved. Maria and Willie were thrilled and life in the country school turned out to be quite different at first. However, Maria enjoyed meeting Willie on the beach for lunch while Brenda looked after the twins. At the stroke of twelve, Maria could be seen walking barefooted in the sand with her hair blowing in the wind on the way to meet Willie.

Maria loved the carefree atmosphere and the daily picnic lunches with Willie in the shade of the coconut trees. This however was short lived because Grandma and the boys started joining them for lunch. The daily picnics got even shorter when the boys decided that they wanted to walk Maria back to school.

After walking Maria back to school the boys returned to the beach to swim with Grandma under Willie’s watchful eyes. With this daily routine the boys became good swimmers too. The early years came and went like a blur and before long the boys were going to school with Maria on mornings. They continued the picnic lunch with their parents until they developed friendships at school.

The boys excelled at school under Maria’s tutelage. They grew bigger and stronger each day as they swam on evenings after school. During one of their regular walks on the beach, Willie asked Maria if she realized that their boys were quickly outgrowing their little village. It would not be long before they have to go to High School in the city.

At first, Maria was excited because this would allow her to go back to the city school and take the boys with her every day. Then she realized that she would be away from her beloved Willie for most of the day. She decided against it and they reluctantly agreed to let the boys stay with her parents in the city to go to school.

Alfie and Lucy welcomed the opportunity to spend this additional time with their grandsons. Auntie G wanted to know why they couldn’t stay at her house. Alfie renovated Maria’s room to make it comfortable for two growing boys. Uncle Peter anxiously looked forward to introducing the boys to his turf and his favorite sport – basketball. He also planned to take them to the movies on Saturdays.

That summer, while the boys were excited about moving in with their grandparents in the big city, Maria and Willie decided to go on a vacation by themselves. They had been saving for this trip for many years and wanted it to be memorable. Alfie recommended that they visit Uncle Eddie and Auntie Joan in Toronto. Uncle Eddie was Auntie G’s cousin.

When Uncle Eddie heard about their plans to come to Toronto, he insisted that they stay at his house. “How could my family even think about staying at a hotel in Toronto?” he asked. “Don’t they know that the beds in hotels are never clean?” he muttered to himself.

After a tearful goodbye at Piarco International Airport, Maria and Willie took off for their very first vacation abroad. Maria grabbed on to Willie’s hand as the airplane gently rolled forward on the tarmac. “Are you sure this was a good idea?” she asked. Willie placed his arm over hers to comfort her and said, “Don’t worry, we’ll be fine.” The first time jitters eased gradually after they were airborne for a few minutes.

Uncle Eddie and Auntie Joan met them at Toronto Pearson International Airport a few hours later. Uncle Eddie hugged Maria and lifted her off the ground as if she was still a teenager. Then he hugged Willie and said, “Welcome my boy, this will be your best vacation ever.” Willie and Maria marveled at the size of the airport and the number of highways crisscrossing each other as they traveled east along Highway 401. Auntie Joan pointed out the shiny TTC train as it whizzed by overhead.

Maria looked at the train with a puzzled look on her face and said, “That looks like a train to me, why are you referring to it as a TTC train?” Auntie Joan quickly explained that TTC was short for Toronto Transit Commission and apologized for forgetting that this was Maria’s first trip to Toronto. She also told Maria about the TTC buses and street cars.

Pulling into their driveway in Scarborough, Uncle Eddie declared, “Welcome to our humble abode; your home away from home. This is where we have been living since we left Trinidad twenty odd years ago.” Looking around at the well landscaped front lawns Maria said, “This is very lovely, we are so happy for you.” Overwhelmed by the moment Maria said, “I bet you guys love it here.” Auntie Joan replied, “We do. We love it here but we really miss you guys and all our family down in sunny Trinidad.”