“Hello?”
“International call for you Ma’am,” said a male voice.
“Hello?” said Beth after the click.
“Hello Beth its Tabitha, have you got my email yet?” she inquired.
“It just arrived I haven’t had a chance to open the envelope yet,” explained Beth.
“That’s fine, we have you all sorted. It’ll be business class on Jet Airways direct to Brussels leaving this evening at 6.10pm. That’s the fastest I could get you out of Toronto Beth. The full details are contained in the note including a contact mobile number for me. I’ve booked a great hotel for you it’s centrally located and it’s all prepaid by the Generosity Account.”
“This woman has her act together,” thought Beth.
“You’re traveling on a UK passport so you can travel to Belgium no problem, no visa required. You told me about your ground transportation in Belgium. I’ve taken the liberty of contacting Everard at the number you supplied and he now knows your landing details. He’ll meet you at the airport and have a sign. I passed on the hotel information so he knows where you will be staying in Brussels. Your Toronto hotel will have a limousine on standby ready to take you to the airport. I’ve taken care of that on account also. I’d like you to contact the concierge to find out when you should leave for the airport. That should do it Beth you’re on your way,” finished Tabitha.
“Wow, you’re good, thank you so much Tabitha,” said Beth feeling relieved. “I don’t know how I can thank you enough?” said Beth.
“You don’t have to thank me Beth but I have to say I’m terribly jealous,” said Tabitha playfully.
“Why are you jealous?” asked Beth.
“Come on Beth, Its Brussels, the home of the best chocolate in the world! You know what they say about Belgium chocolate?” laughed Tabitha.
“No, what do they say?” asked Beth giggling and playing along.
“Resistance is futile!” Both women laughed as Beth thanked Tabitha and ended the call.
Beth thought about her entire experience and was impressed with the Blue Phoenix Group. “These folks are good. I’m bringing Tabitha some chochies home,” thought Beth. “She sounded like the type of girl you wanted on a girl’s night out. I’m going to have to meet her when I get to London. Maybe have her show me the city?” thought Beth. Getting showered and packed did not take long. Beth contacted the concierge and asked him about the travel time to the airport.
“Your flight is at 6.10pm and you’re not going to the US, customs is always longer to the US. From here I’d say you should give yourself about 45 minutes. You should get there at about an hour and fifteen before your flight. So if you left here at say 4pm that should be plenty of time to get there with no bags to check. You have your seat confirmed, it’s the new terminal and they’re fast. I’ll have the Limo ready for you out front at 4pm Miss,” said the concierge.
It was only 8am and Beth had the entire day to kill. She felt guilty wasting the day this was Toronto! She could not leave until 4pm so what was she going to do? She looked at the young lady behind the tourist counter setting up for the day.
“Hello, I’m Beth,” she said stretching out a hand.
“Good morning Beth, I’m Yvonne. Sorry I’m a little disorganized, I’m just getting settled. How can I help you?” said Yvonne shaking Beth’s hand warmly.
“I need some advice,” said Beth.
“That’s why I’m here.”
“I’m new to Toronto well new to Canada. I’ve only been here a day and I need to leave for the airport at 4pm today. I have between now and 4pm to fill my day. What do you recommend?” asked Beth looking at the pamphlets behind Yvonne.
“I have a couple of choices for you. You can see Toronto and the CN Tower or if you want something magical that you’ll never forget I can get you face to face with Niagara Falls. The full force of the water splashing your face,” Yvonne said in an excited voice. “There’s one catch, the tour bus leaves in 10 minutes. I can get you on it but you have to tell me now. The day costs $80 Canadian and includes your transportation and boat ride. You’ll be dropped back at the hotel at 3.15pm. This will give you time to shower and change if you need to. I can arrange a courtesy suite for you to do that upon your return.”
A swell of energy surged through the base of Beth’s neck and the words “Niagara Falls” popped into her mind. “Well, I know which option Subra is voting for,” thought Beth. “I’ll take it,” said Beth. “I can do the CN Tower when I come back to Toronto.”
“Great! Just fill out this form, name, room number, signature and we will bill it to your room.” Yvonne picked up the phone and dialed. “Hi can I speak with Dave please?” she said hurriedly. “Hi Dave, I have a single guest here who would like to join the tour this morning can you can fit her in?” Yvonne paused to let Dave talk to her. She smiled and said nothing. Covering the mouthpiece she looked at Beth, “He’s such a flirt.” Yvonne turned her attention back to Dave uncovering the mouthpiece. “Have you had your Tim Horton’s coffee this morning yet?” she asked. Beth could hear Dave talking but could not hear the words. “Good” said Yvonne. “You’re in, the bus is not full, and Dave said he needs to swing down Front Street anyway. He wants you to cross the road and he will pick you up. Just look for a white bus it holds about sixteen passengers.” She put the phone to her mouth again; “Prepaid by the hotel and she’s wearing jeans and a white tee shirt, very pretty,” Yvonne winked at Beth. “Go now, cross the street and have a great time. Come see me when you get back and I’ll arrange the shower for you.”
She instructed Beth with a sense of urgency. Beth picked up her backpack and headed for the hotel exit. She passed through the tall glass doors and nodded to the doorman. Taking a glance at the sparse traffic on Front Street she decided to jaywalk. She crossed the street and waited for the white bus outside a Lone Star Texas restaurant.
Beth had raced across the street but she had more time than she thought. The bus did not arrive until a couple of minutes later. It stopped at the curb and the door opened revealing the beaming face of a young man in the driver’s seat. “Good morning, come on in for a fun filled day,” he said in a perky tone.
Beth ascended the few steps onto the mini bus and quickly glanced at its occupants. There were about three couples of varying ages and a few singles spaced about the bus. Beth smiled at the staring faces as she found a spot containing two empty seats. The driver was wearing a headset with a small microphone wrapped around his face. Beth took her backpack and placed it in the aisle seat. She positioned herself near the window for a better view. The mini bus door closed and pulled away heading west along Front Street as the speaker system crackled into life.
“Good morning everyone we’re going to have some fun today. My name’s Dave and I am your driver on this magical mystery tour. Well, actually, it’s not much of a mystery we’re heading to the Falls. You guys are going to be seeing the falls from its most awesome vantage point, aboard the Maid of the Mist. I’ll mention a few things to break the journey up along the way but we should be there under two hours, depending upon traffic. Let’s start by looking to the left, you can see a great view of the Rogers Center, or as the locals call it, the Skydome.”
Beth could see a rising walkway and a glimpse of a concrete structure with a crisp white dome topping the building. She recalled airplane video showing the roof opening for baseball games. She caught a glimpse of a large concrete balcony built into the structure. Oversized gold colored statues spilled out from the building. Statues of fans all shapes and sizes exaggerated in a cartoon like manner were attached to the building as an art decoration.
“Next to the Skydome of course is the CN Tower,” raved Dave.
Dave continued to pepper the bus with facts and trivia about the Tower, the Skydome, Toronto and its history as the mini bus weaved through traffic. At one point the mini bus started to climb an onramp onto an elevated highway. Dave informed the occupants that they were traveling along the
Gardiner Expressway and they would be on here for a while. The Gardiner Expressway was a three-lane highway and although it seemed fairly busy it was moving quickly. Beth glanced out of the window and could see condominium buildings and glitzy billboards. It reminded her of that scene in Blade Runner. She laughed as she recalled sleeping through the end of that movie it was a bit slow. Suddenly Beth got a postcard view of the lake. She could see the harbor with docked sailboats. Most were white colored and she thought of the majestic sailboat docked in Tokyo Bay. Occasionally Dave would break the silence with a joke or an observation about a point of interest. It was clear that he enjoyed his job and Beth was warming to his fun personality.
“Folks we are now entering the QEW as the locals call it. This is the road that’ll lead us to the falls it’s called the Queen Elizabeth Way. I know we have a few Brits on the bus today so you can now go home and say that you’ve driven all over Queen Elizabeth,” chuckled Dave.
A few polite laughs echoed around the mini bus at Dave’s corny joke. Beth stared out of the window and drifted off. She was not sleeping but she was daydreaming and tuned Dave out. Overhead traffic signs flashed by and she read each one as if to mark her progress. Dave explained that this was a hotbed of historical action as the British defended the border from the invading Americans. Many British forts were erected on the Canadian side. The British and the local native Indians cooperated in these skirmishes against the Americans long ago. The names of the places were either native Indian like Toronto or remarkably British. Beth saw signs for Mississauga, an obvious Indian name and Oakville. She almost jumped out of her seat and craned her neck to see the next sign. Flashing by was a sign for Bronte Road.
“Bronte,” said Beth softly. She immediately thought of the Bronte sisters, the parsonage museum and her home village of Haworth. “A little bit of home right here in Canada. There are no coincidences,” Beth heard herself mumble.
The mini bus continued at a decent speed and Beth was starting to get a little bored. She decided to play the cloud game, to see if she could bust a hole in one. There was one small problem; it was a gorgeous day in Southern Ontario. Pure blue sky could be seen for miles, not a cloud in sight. The temperature was climbing up as the morning hours disappeared. The next sign that Beth noticed was a metal sign looking like sail boats with a Welcome to Burlington message.
“Burlington,” said Beth remembering the Tai Chi group performing on Harbour Front. At the roads edge was a large billboard showing a beautiful woman stretching in a yoga pose. The caption read “Yoga with Dominique, voted Burlington’s best Yoga teacher.” Beth studied the billboard and thought, “I’d like to do that. I should get into Yoga when I get back home.”
The traffic flowed easily around Lake Ontario and the mini bus was making steady progress. Moving through Burlington they passed over a bridge and Dave explained the stark scenery of Hamilton. Once a proud steel town it reminded Beth of Sheffield. Passing Hamilton the mini bus started to offer more scenic views. Dave talked about the wine-growing region of Niagara; he mentioned Ice Wine and talked about the famous wineries located here. Beth pictured herself enjoying her celebratory glass of Ice Wine and eating Belgium chocolates. Some of the place names reflected the wine-producing region such as Fruitland. Passing the township of Stoney Creek she saw specific names that reminded her of home such as Grimsby and Lincoln. Beth glanced at her thighs they felt warm from the sun streaming through the window turning her denim a lighter shade of blue. She thought about how much she had grown as a person these last few weeks. She felt stronger, resilient and more mentally prepared. She always lacked confidence and felt awkward, almost clumsy. She sat here today heading towards another experience and feeling excited about trying something new. It was more than that. She felt connected with the world as if she now had a purpose. Her life now meant something; people needed her to be on her game. She had responsibilities and she had not shirked them or laughed them off. She was delivering on her promises and handling tight pressure filled situations. She had shown a strong spirit and had kept her head. Beth smiled to herself as she realized she was not the same woman that left Yorkshire and she could never go back to being that person. She felt more confident in herself and her boundless possibilities.
“Is this what maturing feels like?” she thought.
It dawned on Beth that she also, for the first time, felt like a woman instead of a scared little girl. She could feel her power grow resulting from a sense of inner peace and her renewed confidence. Men always agree that the sexiest attribute of a woman is confidence. She recalled how she managed to push back with Kaigara and thought about the Beth of old. She would have been intimidated into silence. Beth sensed a large smile cross her face and she flashed her green eyes towards the window and soaked up the strong sun. When they reached St. Catherines Dave informed the passengers that they were starting to get close and would be entering Niagara soon. Beth could see signs to the USA and the Rainbow Bridge. The mini bus snaked an intricate path through Victoria Avenue and Eastwood Crescent before finally turning onto River Road. Dave was starting to get excited as he described the falls. He talked about their history with high wire walkers and people going over the falls in wooden barrels. He pointed to a huge plume of water spray that was visible high in the air causing a brilliant colored rainbow. Beth felt the excitement. You could not see the falls but you could hear a constant roaring noise from within the bus!
“Right people listen up,” crackled Dave over his headset. “When I pull up to the curb I want everyone to get off the bus as quickly, but as safely, as you can. A young lady wearing blue will meet you. She’ll be your guide and I think its Tammy working today. I’ll have to pull away quickly and park elsewhere. You’ll be whisked through the boarding process and avoid all the lineups. They’ll kit you out in waterproof rain gear and help you onto the Maid of the Mist. My advice to you is go upstairs to the upper deck and stand at the front of the boat. That’s the best vantage point to feel the full force of the falls. You’ll get the best experience if you take the boat ride first then go and see the falls from above on the promenade. I’m sure that you’ll have fun and remember, upstairs. Most people go to the front of the boat downstairs and it’s too close to the water and too crowded,” said Dave trying to be helpful.
As the mini bus drew closer the roar of the water became louder adding to the anticipation. The mini bus stopped at the foot of Clifton Hill close to the Rainbow Bridge. Everyone gathered their belongings and filed off the bus in an orderly manner. From the outside of the bus the roar of the falls sounded significantly louder and the air had a cooler misty feel. A young woman wearing shorts and a blue golf shirt beamed a smile at the group as the mini bus pulled away.
“Everyone, my name’s Tammy I’m going to be your guide today. Your boat ride has been prepaid as part of the tour and I’m sure you’re going to have a great time,” she said doing a quick head count. “Follow me everyone please.”
Beth walked with the group and entered the Maid of the Mist plaza. Tammy talked about the falls and the powerful diesel-engine boats that transport you from the Canadian docks past the foot of the American falls. The journey continues into the basin of the Canadian Horseshoe falls as the captain fights the powerful current and navigates a course clear of sunken rocks. It reminded her of a salmon swimming upstream. Tammy explained that there are two boats that depart in a cycle. Each boat can carry 600 passengers and are named the Maid of the Mist VI and VII. Each is 80 feet long and has two 350-horsepower engines. Tammy proceeded through this well rehearsed speech as if she had delivered it a thousand times. Her timing was impeccable for just as Tammy completed her speech the group was given recyclable blue plastic raincoats. Beth could feel the nervous energy in the group. The excitement grew when they were asked to enter a large brown stone tower, covered in mosaic vines. Inside were four high-speed elevators that took the group down to the docks at the river’s edge. Beth could see the water streaming by and got her first glimps
e of the Maid of the Mist VI.
Passengers were streaming off the boat as Beth looked at the sleek lines and pointed front of the boat. It had a second tier and a small shed like protrusion that she imagined the captain would occupy. She could see the location on the boat that Dave had indicated to be the ideal spot. Tammy waved the group forward. Beth could see more passengers filing in behind her group as the boat readied for another trip. The water roared in the distance and the plastic raincoat was starting to get hot in the sun. The group headed for the boat, Beth was swept along as if she were caught in the strong currents of the river. She headed upstairs and found a good spot at the front of the second deck. She hung onto the railing and watched hundreds of people pack in behind her. After what seemed an age the engines roared and the boat pulled away from the docks. The engines were noisy and the boat swung around and started to pass the American falls. They were larger and more impressive when you stared at them from the vantage point of the river. The water rushed over the edge and fell at great speed. Beth could not believe the pace of the water. Below were large dark stone boulders being battered by the force of the crashing water. A woman from the bus tapped Beth on her shoulder and pointed to the sky. Beth turned to see a beautiful rainbow arching through the spray and the sun.
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