Journal of a Lifetime (Journals of Love) (4 page)

“You never know if you’ll get stuck sitting next to a grumpy, smelly old man. At least we’ll have a good time on the trip if you sit with me.” He smiled and his yellow teeth showed signs of severe nicotine damage.

That smile made her stomach churn. “I’ll take my chances,” she said and moved forward with the line.

He just shrugged her off and turned to the woman behind him and proceeded with the same act.

To her relief, her seat on the plane was a window seat, and a mother with her young son took the two seats next to her. She would much rather deal with a potential wiggling child than a drunken flirt.

She looked back at the terminal through her window and shook her head, amazed at the various people she had come into contact with in such a short amount of time. It always intrigued her the way friendships were formed and the similarities and differences it took to maintain them. She could have befriended John. She prayed the young boy would find a different group of friends, and wished the flirt a needed dose of reality. Yet, she also knew that those people had others in their lives that cared for and needed them.

Her prayer of thanks for Pete and Marie was followed by a prayer for her angels to guide the wings of the plane safely to their destination. She opened her Bible and found Isaiah 41:10: “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” The verse gave her the calm she was looking for, so she closed her eyes as she left the earth, and waited for the seat belt sign to turn off, signaling they were safely on their way.

L
INDSEY OPENED HER
eyes and realized that she had slept for an hour. She could smell the feet of the four-year-old boy sitting next to her, as he had taken off his shoes and was curled up to his mother. The boy’s mother was quietly reading to him from a book of nursery rhymes, and the melodic and comforting sound caused Lindsey’s eyelids to droop once again.

She fought the urge to sleep however, as she had wanted to use this time reading the journal. The flight attendant approached, and Lindsey asked for some lemonade, hoping that the sugar would help wake her up.

She set the journal onto the seatback tray and opened to the first page. It appeared that Nana had written down the interesting facts that the tour guide had stated upon her arrival.

Lindsey was surprised to read that those who immigrated to Calgary received free land if they traveled by railroad to get there. This caused the population to grow from 1,000—4,000, which officially turned Calgary into a small city in 1894.

The addition of the Canadian Pacific Railway brought new settlers, businessmen, and tourists into the town. The cheap land was attractive to ranchers who bought large amounts and settled with their families.

Lindsey read that the population continued to increase after the first oil well was found. By 1960, 400 oil companies had moved into the area. But, during the 1980’s, the changes in the oil laws sent the city into a recession. To recover, they had to return to their cattle raising roots.

The city was also home to the 1988 Olympic Games, which helped to rejuvenate the town’s economy.

Her Nana had taken the time to write down all of these small details and facts. Lindsey learned more from this small journal than she had in all of her school years. She wondered why educators didn’t focus on more interesting facts such as these, and shook her head at all the years she had wasted thinking that history wasn’t worth her time.

The clouds were floating by outside her window, and she paused for a few minutes to daydream. She looked down over the homes and the sparse land below. Ever the curious one, she wondered what the people who lived in those homes were doing. Were they planning a trip, fighting with a loved one, or having a pivotal, life-changing conversation?

As the ground got closer, she knew she was over Canada and that their descent had begun. Her anticipation grew and she was happy to see that the weather was sunny with only a few clouds.

Just as the thought entered her mind, the captain spoke to the passengers, his deep voice resonating confidence throughout the cabin. “We’ve begun our descent and will be arriving at the gate in twenty minutes. The local time here is seven after nine in the morning, so set your watch. The weather is a balmy seventy-eight degrees with highs in the nineties expected today. Thank you for traveling with us, and we look forward to seeing you on another flight in the future.”

Using her few remaining minutes in the air, Lindsey returned to her journal to learn a little more about Calgary.

She read that the town contained the Bow and Elbow rivers, and that originally it had been established as a fort by the Northwest Mounted Police. Her points of interest on this trip were Banff Park, Sulphur Mountain, Lake Minnewanka, Lake Louise, the town of Jasper, and various places in between. In an effort to not get overwhelmed, she closed the journal and put it back into her purse. She wanted to enjoy this trip one moment at a time.

The flight landed without any drama. She exited the plane and made her way toward the doors near the taxi stands. As she walked closer she saw a man dressed in orange pants and a red polo shirt with the Sun Dog Tour Company’s logo. He was holding a large sign with her name written on it, his sun-lightened hair down to his shoulders, and round glasses which reminded her of John Lennon’s signature pair.

“Hi, I’m Lindsey Waters,” she said to him.

When he smiled, his bleached-white teeth were the first thing she noticed. “Welcome to Calgary, Ms. Waters!” he shouted with excitement. “I’m Don. Let me carry your bag for you.” As he reached for her carry on, Lindsey noticed that his whole body seemed to be alive with energy, as if he couldn’t move fast enough.

“Thank you, Don.”

Lindsey hadn’t ever seen this much enthusiasm from someone in the service industry. Lindsey had to hurry to keep up with him as Don walked toward the exit. He led her through the airport and outside to the tour bus. She climbed the steps and was surprised to see that she was one of the last to arrive.

“Getting an early start?” she asked Don as he climbed in behind her.

“Yes, ma’am. This group from New York arrived about fifteen minutes ago. We’re still waiting on one more traveler, so make yourself comfortable.” He pointed toward a seat in the back.

Don sat in the driver’s seat and picked up the microphone. “Good morning, ladies and gentlemen,” he began. “I am Don, as most of you know by now. We’re waiting for Steve to return with our remaining passenger, and then we’ll be on our way to the Banff Rocky Mountain Resort. Does anyone have any questions for me while we’re waiting?” He shifted the weight of his body from foot to foot as he waited for a response.

A middle aged man wearing gray shorts and a black T-shirt that read “I can burp my ABC’s” stretched over his protruding beer belly cleared his throat as if in an attempt to get everyone’s attention. “This is our first trip to Calgary,” he said. “Can you tell us which restaurants are the best?”

Lindsey stifled a laugh. To her, eating was a necessity, not a luxury. She was happy to eat a peanut butter sandwich and then get on with the rest of her day.

“Yes sir, we have a brochure with recommendations that I can get for you. That reminds me . . . ” Don stood. “I would like to pass out the welcome packets that contain brochures, maps, emergency phone numbers, and discount coupons.”

While Don passed the bags around, Steve returned with their final passenger.

Lindsey would never have been able to describe the final passenger, but the details about Steve, like his brown wavy hair, tanned face, and green eyes, would remain imprinted in her memory. He was also dressed in the company’s orange pants and red polo shirt, but on him, the shirt only accentuated his tanned skin and muscular arms.

As if he felt her staring at him, Steve looked directly at Lindsey. Flustered, she quickly turned to look out the window. For some reason, her heart was suddenly pounding.

The final passenger sat down next to her, and Don announced they were on their way.

L
INDSEY STOLE A
glance back toward the front, and watched as Steve took the seat behind Don. He picked up the microphone.

“Howdy, ladies and gentlemen. I’m Steve Sloan, and I’ll be your guide for the week.”

His smile lit up the bus, and Lindsey’s eyes.

“I hope Don took good care of you while you were waiting,” he continued. “Let me tell you how this works. If at any time you have a question, either shout out for me or raise your hand, and I will be happy to answer for you. Otherwise, I will continue to talk for most of the drive to provide you with trivia, history, and other information on Calgary.”

Lindsey thought that she could listen to his smooth, deep voice all day. She felt as if she had heard it before, and was immediately comforted by him.

“I’m sure one of the first things you’ll notice,” Steve continued, “is that the street signs are in kilometers and not miles per hour. We’ll be doing the driving for you, so you shouldn’t have to worry about any conversions, but if you’d like to know, one kilometer is point six tenths of a mile.”

Lindsey had decided to keep her own journal of this trip too, and began to write down what Steve said. He recounted all the information Lindsey had read in Nana’s journal regarding the history of Calgary, and added that the meaning of Calgary was “clear running water.”

“The Blackfoot Indians were the first to live here,” Steve explained. “With the addition of the railway, Calgary grew into a cow-town when the ranchers moved here in response to the free land the government gave away. When oil was discovered, the population continued to grow, and Calgary officially became a city.”

Lindsey looked down at her Nana’s journal. It was as if Steve were reading word-for-word off the pages. She looked up in surprise at the coincidence, and saw him staring at her.

“The movie
Brokeback Mountain
was filmed here among the Canadian Rockies, too, which has increased our tourism during this past year.”

The look Steve had given her was almost a teasing one, she thought, as if he were telling her there was more to know than what was in her pages.

He continued, and Lindsey followed along in her journal. “Old Calgary resembled the traditional old western towns. The streets were a series of wood framed houses and buildings. This held true until the fire of 1886, when most of the town burned.” He pointed out the Bow River on the right side of the bus.

“It was then that the townsfolk discovered that the sandstone from the river provided a longer lasting and safer material for their homes and buildings.”

The words “longer lasting and safer” seemed to awaken emotions deep within Lindsey. Those were words that she hadn’t allowed herself to say in months. Nana’s passing had made Lindsey’s world feel fleeting and dangerous. She could only wish that her world would feel safe again, someday.

With a quick shake of her head, she returned her concentration to Steve.

“We’re passing by the Saddle Dome, which was built for the 1988 Olympics and is now the country’s greatest hockey arena, aptly named for the shape which it resembles.”

Lindsey looked up, and he was looking at her once again. She quickly turned her gaze toward the Saddle Dome and checked his facts against the ones Nana had written. So far, everything matched word-for-word. She had wanted to recreate this trip, but it was making her nervous the way things were following the journal so perfectly.

Steve’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “You can also see the Calgary Tower from here. It is 540 feet tall and is one of Calgary’s greatest known landmarks. When the Olympics were here, a flame was installed on top of the tower, making it the world’s largest Olympic torch.”

Lindsey had a vague memory of receiving a postcard from Nana that contained a picture of the Calgary Tower, and smiled at the recognition. They rode for a few minutes in silence, with everyone looking out the windows to see the sights.