Lifeguard from Maracas Bay

Chapter 16 - The Little Yellow Flower

Three hectic days followed the CN Tower Tour. At the Ontario Science Center they explored the Rain Forest and went Under the Sea with an IMAX Dome Film. The next day, they discovered Atlantis, the gem of Toronto's waterfront and the BIG Screen Cinesphere at the Ontario Place. Willie particularly enjoyed their visit to the Royal Ontario Museum where they saw Dinosaurs and mummies in various exhibitions.

By the end of the fourth day they had also sampled some of the international cuisine that could be found in Toronto - Souvlaki, the hamburger of Greece; spicy Thai food, Rigatoni from Italy and authentic Chinese foods from China Town. Willie and Maria were grateful when Auntie Joan suggested that they stay at home the next day for an all Canadian BBQ in the backyard.

Maria wearily admitted that Humpty Dumpty and all the King’s horses could not drag her out of bed tomorrow morning. She slept until 10:30 AM while Uncle Eddie took Willie jogging around the neighborhood. By mid-afternoon they were all sitting on the deck with a cooler of cold beers and sizzling steaks on the BBQ. “This is my idea of a holiday,” declared Maria as she adjusted her sun glasses.

Uncle Eddie went on and on about his prowess with the BBQ. “Today you will have the best steaks this side of the Mississippi!” Willie and Maria heartily agreed that it was the best steak dinner they ever had. After dinner, Willie commented on the beauty of the little yellow flowers that were everywhere. “I’ve been watching them since the day we arrived; they look especially nice on the green lawns,” he said. Uncle Eddie laughed heartily and offered, “They are a weed, despised by all and sundry from coast to coast in North America.”

“Let me tell you a little story about me and those yellow flowers. When I first came to Canada in the late 70s, I reached for my little Kodak camera and took pictures of everything; the ubiquitous squirrels, the mourning doves and those little yellow flowers growing everywhere. I still have pictures of your Auntie Joan posing on the grass with those flowers. I wondered why they didn't have them in Trinidad, my lush little island in the sun.

I’ll bring some with me! I exclaimed. This will make me famous. Everyone will remember me for bringing this little flower to the Caribbean. I closed my eyes and imagined seeing them everywhere on the island. I was so excited about this idea that I thought about telling everyone about it during my upcoming speech at a wedding reception. That was before someone came by and referred to the little yellow flowers as those pesky dandelions, the curse of the warm weather.”

When Uncle Eddie noticed that Willie, Maria and Auntie Joan were dozing away in their lazy chairs, he raised his beer and said, “Early to bed tonight, Niagara Falls tomorrow.” Shortly thereafter, with the sun still high in the sky, all four were fast asleep on the deck. Uncle Eddie’s snoring could be heard across the street.

It was still dark when they got into the car for the trip to Niagara Falls. Uncle Eddie plugged a cord into the cigarette lighter and stuck a small holder with a suction cup to the windscreen. Willie wondered what he was up to. Uncle Eddie then attached his GPS to the cord and fixed it to the holder on the windscreen. Willie, unable to contain his curiosity any further asked, “What is that contraption?”

“That my boy is my trusted GPS. A lady in the sky gives me directions through it whenever I go on long trips. This could easily be the best invention since sliced bread.” Willie confessed, “I have been reading about them but this is the first time I am seeing one. We don't have them in Trinidad as yet.”

Maria felt like staying in bed that morning but was glad she didn’t when they stopped at the nearby Tim Hortons for coffee and bagel with cream cheese. The next stop was the Scarborough Bluffs where they witnessed an incredible sunrise. Walking hand-in-hand with Willie, away from Uncle Eddie, Maria said, “He is strange but his intentions are good. We would never have seen this much of Toronto if we were on our own.”