I remember you....

you're the one who made my dreams come true, a few kisses ago.

I remember running every morning to Chet Baker when I was in grade 11.


I was tagged by Spanglish over in the hood.


I remember the day I opened my first bank account. My dad took me when I was about 8. At the age of 8, I was still a very shy kid and somewhat mortified everywhere I went. In an effort to curb this shyness, my parents would often make me speak at moments when they knew I would be most uncomfortable. I think the theory was I would just "get over it". So my dad put me in line and he waited on the side and when it was my turn to go up to the teller, he walked over and joined me. There was a long silence until he said, "well, tell her why you're here" and the teller breathed a huge sigh of relief. Apparently they all thought he was a bank robber due to his bizarre behaviour. hahahahaha! Meanwhile I was standing in the line wondering how I would know what to do when I got there and if I was standing in the right place and was I really allowed to stand there and really what was I supposed to say to her when I got up there.

I remember the first boy I kissed. I was 5, we were baking cookies at his house. I ended up working in an office with him years later when I was 20. He did not remember the kiss but did remember the cookies.

I remember that I used to get up in the assembly in elementary school and perform my latest jazz dance solo. Combining that (can you see the purple spandex leotard here?) with my crippling shyness and other memories of being a know it all smart ass makes me wonder if I wasn't a few different people back then. How do these behaviours all fit into one person?

I remember the day my parents decided my dog would be put down. I was 18. She had been wandering into walls and walking funny and we thought it was a reaction to her food if it was left out too long. My parents had been away for the weekend and I forgot to clean up her food one morning and she ended up eating it without my knowing. The next day she was walking into walls again and so they decided it was too much suffering for her. The day we put her down, some friends came over and we visited the vet to discuss since I couldn't be there when they did it. I bought The Tao of Pooh. That night I had to teach. I bawled the whole time. Those poor traumatized kids had to sit through it. Meanwhile my sister held her while she died and I think she wishes she hadn't.

I remember at one of my own lessons, my teacher got a call that her father in law died. I had to play through that, she wouldn't let me go home.

I remember stealing baby aspirin from my piano teacher's house when I was about 7. My sister used to do it too. One day I stole something else that I thought was those little pink pills you chew to see how good you are brushing your teeth. I hid the wrapper in my pocket. My mom found it when doing the laundry and it was pandemonium. Turns out it was actually some medication. I told her a long series of lies which she saw right through and eventually I confessed to taking it from the teacher's bathroom. She made me go over and apologize. My teacher was super nice about it. I never stole from an adult again but I did "borrow" my neighbour's barbie lipstick. It was a mini fake lipstick, navy blue with a red heart on top. The size a barbie would use. She saw right through that when I snuck it back in to her playthings the next time I was over. Gave me a lecture to rival my mom's.

I remember the girl who told me about Santa Claus. I was in kindergarten. She made fun of me in front of a group of people because I didn't know the truth.

I remember the first time I saw Guys and Dolls. I was babysitting at a house where you weren't allowed to sit in the tv room. Since the kids' rooms were upstairs and the other tv was in the basement, the only option was to sit in the kitchen and watch tv through the open door. When the parents came home, I didn't even care if they paid me, just wanted to get home to see the rest of it.

I remember my first trip up to E town after B and I got back together. I was wearing a vintage turquoise cowboy shirt. A girl named Crystal helped me get from the bus depot to the pub on campus. She even stopped at the bank so I could pay my Mastercard bill.(?!) I was early so I waited upstairs at the pub only to look down a little later to find him seated, pint in hand, staking out the door waiting for me.

I remember meeting Spanglish. I was 15. My mom took us to Heritage park for lunch at the restaurant. Her cousin was our server. It was the summer I got my braces off, a friend died in a house fire, my sister was on a band trip in Europe?. The beginning of many wonderful years of letter writing.

I remember meeting Yellowbird. Rather, I remember constantly looking for her in the hallways until we finally 'met' in Environment club of all places. I remember one long night at McD's where we talked about the great unknown IT and I was so relieved to finally be able to truly relate to someone (other than Spanglish who lived so damn far away).

I remember the moment I found out I was pregnant (years ago). I was at my parent's condo with Yellowbird. B was in Oil town. I called him and then my sister. Thank god for all three of them.

I remember the last time I saw my Grandmother. I had gone to visit and on my way out she decided to stand at the elevator with me. She never did that. We looked at ourselves in the mirror and laughed.

I remember the kids I was a nanny for in Germany. They were 4 and are 15 now. I can't even imagine what they are like.

I remember the first kid I taught piano to. I was 14. He couldn't read my writing and his mom so very gently told me that maybe I should print.

I remember our family would bike ride to Dairy Queen once a week in the summer. It was lesson in riding on the road. I always ordered a Peanut Buster Parfait and could never eat more than half. The rest would sit in the fridge until the next day at which point it had usually lost it's appeal.

I remember playing Cops and Robbers with my cousins one day when a house blew up in the next neighbourhood over. I can't remember why. Gas leak maybe?

I remember too
a distant bell,
and stars that fell like rain out
of the blue.
When my life is through,
and the angels ask me
to recall,
the thrill of them all.
Then I shall tell them I remember you.
If they should ask.
I'll gladly tell them I remember you.

Tag Yellowbird and Amy.