Boston, so far away from home, but then again I had gotten used to be being far from home during the war, even further away actually. I hadn't wanted to leave again but in terms of the history department, it was vital to take a job when they were rarely found.
My family, my mother and sister were back in Canada in that small little house my grandmother had left us. In such a big unknown city I felt so alone and confused but at the same time I had learned only years earlier how to function in new surroundings.
My job was at the local museum where I worked as assistant curator and my apartment was only blocks away, which was quite convenient for such a lost stranger as myself. Everyday I would walk home as the street light flickered to full glow and the sky was fading to its routine navy blue, the stars only minutes behind.
There was a subtle chill creeping into the fall air and as others pulled their jackets closer, I embraced the coolness around me. Living in the Great White North for a significant part of my life made the cold of Boston seem comfortable for me.
As I enjoyed my usual after-work stroll home, I found myself stopping in at a local corner store due to deep urge to break free of my daily routine. I felt it every once in a while to stop somewhere new and slowly I would learn the lay of the land.
As I was gazing the racks of various magazines and sweets, I heard the bell on the door sound and footsteps behind me. As the neared and just passed me, they stopped and I looked up sensing a familiar presence. What I saw left me speechless, it was someone I hadn't seen the end of the war two years earlier. Someone who had saved my life, and in my opinion many others. To me he was 'Grizzly', the man with whom I corresponded as an informant with while in France, but to others he was the 'Bear Jew', the Nazi killer who's favourite weapon was a scratched up, blood-stained bat.
"Grizzly?" I said staring at the tall figure of an old acquaintance I thought I'd never see again.
"Vivien." He said, seeming just as surprised by the coincidence of the situation, "I didn't think it was you, I mean, what are you doing in Boston."
"Well, it just kind of happened. I needed a job, the museum needed an employee, you know how things work." I replied, still trying to shake of the feeling of nostalgia, of having to remember the events of such a war. I had never had a chance to thank this man for what he did for me and I never thought I would.
"So how long have you been here?" He asked, bringing me back from my thoughts.
"A month or two now, not very long, you know." I said, shrugging my shoulders. "And I'm going to assume you're from Boston, I mean now I recognize that accent."
"Yeah, born and raised, left and returned. So you work at the museum, sounds exciting...for you."
"Ha, thanks, it's not for everyone and you? I never really pictured you...working."
"My father owns Valiant Bank, I work with him, I just got back to Boston myself...It was,um, different returning after...Anyways, I am also currently living with my parents ,too."
"You know, that's hard to picture, too." I laughed and reached for my purse as I saw him glance at his watch. "I don't want to keep you from anything but maybe we should catch up..or something, you can call me or something, I live in the building just around the corner. There it is, my card.." I said handing it to him.
"I'm sorry," He said taking it, "It's just I'm already late for dinner, which my mother loathes, and I don't even know why I came in here really, I used to come here all the time when I was kid and I guess I just wanted to see if it had changed. It was, um, unexpected seeing you and I'll see you."
"You, too Grizzly." I said, smirking, his reaction was just as it had always been. "You still insist on calling me that?"
"It suits you well." I said, and he rolled his eyes before disappearing to the outside of the store and I turned back to the shelf, grabbing the closest newspaper and paying for it, I soon found myself walking the grey sidewalks of Boston, with a newspaper I would probably never even look at.
