Stephen pulled his rental car into the parking lot behind Tim and Darlene’s building. The snowy mess meant that this time his running shoes would definitely end up soaked.
He opened the door and stepped out into the frigid air of an October evening in Edmonton. Before he could move a single step, a small ball of shaggy brown fur hurled itself into his arms, barking like an angry banshee but simultaneously covering him in sloppy kisses.
“Bucky, you tiny bastard! Get back your ass back inside.” Aunt Darlene was silhouetted in the light from the back door. “Come on, kid. Get yourself inside where it’s warm. I’m not f*cking paying to heat the whole city, standing out here with the door wide open.”
Stephen leapt carefully across the snowy ground, each stride as long as he could make it. He got to the gate in three steps and then crossed the back yard in another four. A short, plump woman enveloped him in a bear hug that threatened to crush his ribs. He hoisted the dog up out of the way.
After a long, restorative hug, she took a step back and studied him. “What the ever-loving f*ck are you wearing? What the hell is wrong with you, kid? Didn’t pack for Edmonton weather, eh? You call that a coat? Maybe in Toronto. And where’s your touque?” Looking down, she smacked his elbow. “What in the manmade clusterf*ck that is climate change have you got on your feet?”
Darlene was in her mid-seventies. A pair of rainbow specs perched atop her short, vivid blue hair. Her orange T-shirt declared “every child matters”. Stephen didn’t remember her swearing this much – or at all – when he was a kid. But she was very different back then.
An inner door opened at the top of a short flight of stairs, letting heavenly scents waft out. A tall, bald man wearing an apron emblazoned with “f*ck your fascist pancakes” in giant letters joined Stephen and his aunt.
“Darlene, stop berating the boy and let him in,” Tim said as he descended the stairs.
Stephen took the opportunity to put the dog – Bucky – down on the floor. As soon as he stood back upright, Tim enveloped him in a hug.
