In the spring of 2007 Vicky[1] moved from Edmonton to her new home in Calgary, with the knowledge that it was a start to a great journey; possibly her last. It was a journey of a life time; to escort a new playwright, and his cast, on the launch of his first play in Winnipeg, followed by performances in Saskatoon before returning to Edmonton for the final run. Despite a broken tail[2], Vicky happily made the journey east and back west. On her return to Edmonton from Saskatoon she was glad to be able to help out other artists on the journey.[3]
After her adventure Vicky started to feel her age. As the winter wore on she developed a limp[4], which first appeared right before Christmas while she was visiting Edmonton. Over the holidays she was doctored and back to health.[5] Or so she thought. The limp was only the first sign. In the early spring she broke her leg[6] as she was coming down the 14th Street SW hill in Calgary. After some medical attention[7] she was allowed to recuperate[8], while someone new moved in to help.
Neo[9] was initially looking for a place to stay temporarily, more of a temporary change of address actually, and meeting Vicky he could see there was potential. He moved in with Vicky prior to her mishap, however continued to hang out with his old group of friends[10].
After her injury, Vicky needed the rest, and initially called upon Neo to help. But his friends were a bad influence on him, and he refused to come home[11]. It took a run-in with the law[12], and a short time in custody[13], before Neo was back with Vicky.
Neo’s time with Vicky was short as Vicky’s leg did not improve[14]. With regret she accepted that her freedom, and life, was essentially at an end, and in late spring, moved to a facility where she could spend the rest of her days helping others in need[15].
A couple months after Vicky’s departure, Neo moved to Edmonton. He was not one to really settle down, and after a couple more months at a temporary place[16] in Edmonton he found a more permanent place[17]. Having someone move in with him soon after getting the place helped him overcome the stress he felt from losing Vicky.
Persephone[18] had been quite happy in her old place, but it was about time to move on; a youngster was moving in to take her place[19]. Through a whim she found out that Neo was interested in having a housemate, and planned to move in with him.[20]
Persephone was beginning to reach her middle age, Neo wasn’t that much younger, but she figured the two could help each other out. She was actually hoping for a bit of a rest.
On the September 2008 night that Persephone agreed to move in, Neo fell into the wrong crowd once again[21]. The people Neo went on a joyride with were upset when he got to a point and refused to go any farther[22]. This resulted in his new acquaintances beating him up and leaving him for dead[23]. Persephone found him a week later in the morgue[24].
This meant the rest Persephone was hoping for would not come. She resigned herself to taking over the house, and dealing with her pains[25] as she grew older; including a heart attack[26], while staying in Calgary for the summer of 2010. A successful operation[27] brought her back to health.
To this day still lives at the house, feeling her age everyday.
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[1] 1990 Chrysler Voyager van named Vicky (V)
[2] Broken tailgate which hand to be propped up with a broom handle (V)
[3] Helping by carrying one performer’s set and another performer & set as a passenger (V)
[4] A flat tyre – back passenger side (V)
[5] Newer (refurbished) tyres (V)
[6] Blown tyre – back passenger side (V)
[7] AMA putting on the spare tyre (V)
[8] Left in Edmonton at my parents’ place (V)
[9] 1997 Dodge Neon named Neo (N)
[10] The old owner still had use of the car (N)
[11] Previous owner refused to give up the car (N)
[12] The car was reported stolen, and the RCMP recovered it at a gas station in Carstairs (N)
[13] Impound lot after being recovered (N)
[14] The back passenger tyre was slowly going flat, again! (V)
[15] Junk yard (V)
[16] My parent’s place while I looked for a house / waited for possession (N)
[17] Taking possession of my house (N)
[18] A 1993 Plymouth Acclaim named Persephone (P)
[19] The previous owner (family friend Robin I.) bought a newer vehicle (P)
[20] Family friend Robin I. asked me if I wanted to buy her old car (P)
[21] The Neon got stolen (again) (N)
[22] Ran out of gas as it only had 1/8 of a tank (N)
[23] Slight over exaggeration; the steering column was torn apart, probably from being stolen, the cops who recovered the Neon said it could not be repaired (N)
[24] Impound lot for wrecked cars, I got the licence plates and most of my stuff out of the car and never returned (N)
[25] Various upkeep expected from an old car (P)
[26] Loss of power, while parked (P)
[27] Repairs that included a replacement spark plug and some electrical wiring (P)
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