There is a child sitting alone at the bench, holding tightly to a stuffed white bear. She is crying, her tears fat and plentiful as they roll down her cherub cheeks and soak into her red shorts and white shirt. There are hardly any people out here, busy as they were with the festivities elsewhere, so he is confused.
"Hey, there."
Matthew's voice is soft, because he does not want to scare her away. While she does not run, she lifts her head and the fear is there in her eyes. She seems to lean away from him, as if distance with make her fearless.
She doesn't answer, but that is okay because Matthew doesn't expect her to.
"Why are you all alone here?"
The girl is stubborn and quiet even though she just keeps producing those tears. She looks off to the side and says nothing, the only sounds she makes are the quick gasps for air from her sobbing. Matthew smiles kindly, understanding, and goes to sit beside her. He is careful to sit as far away as possible.
"I like your bear," he muses, smiling at her when she looks to him from the corner of her eye. Her bear is big and white and clean, save for one bright red leaf on its cheek. "I have one just like it. I kept him from when I was small."
He bends the story to make it more believable.
"He's a good friend," he is saying, and the girl is staring right at him now. He notes with a warm smile that her long blonde hair is pinned back with a red clip – also in the shape of a maple leaf, "he was always there when I was scared or lonely, and I kept him with me so that even when I got lost, I'd never be alone."
He was alone often – but never truly, thanks to Kumakiri.
Kujuriko.
Kuma-
"His name is snowflake," the girl whispers, and she hides her mouth behind the plush of the bear's head. Matthew smiles.
"Snowflake is a good name," he tells her, "easy to remember."
Absently he is checking around. There really are very few humans in this area. Most of them are by the lake, there are stalls and tents and music there. But what troubles him most is that there are no humans that pass who look distressed – no humans that might be missing this child.
"How did he get his name?" he asks, keeping her attention and building her trust all at once.
"I got him at Christmas," she says, "it was snowing a lot that day."
Matthew's smile is as genuine as his concern.
"So it's a fitting name, too! Is he nice?"
"Yeah."
"Would he mind if I pet him?"
The girl puffs out her cheeks in thought, glancing down to her stuffed bear as if seeking his counsel. Her tears, Matthew notes, have finally stopped.
She holds her bear out to him and shakes her head quickly. He thanks her and puts his hand on the bear's head, scratching behind ears. She laughs, and the sound is a relief.
He pulls his hand back and she is still smiling.
"He likes you," she tells him, placing her bear on her lap.
"I'm glad."
And he is.
"Can I ask what your name is?"
This time the girl answers without missing a beat.
"Madeline."
"Oh, that's a pretty name."
"Thank you very much!"
She is happier now and it shows. She plays with the bear's paws and kicks her legs cheerily. She couldn't have been older than six.
"My name is Matthew."
"I like your name, too."
The man smiles.
"Madeline, can I ask you a question?"
The girl gives her cheery nod no thought, and Matthew is glad for her good cheer and trust.
"Where are your parents?"
It is now that Matthew is saddened by their conversation, because he has no other choice but to remind the child that she is missing an accompanying adult. She remembers the absence and frowns, her eyes glaze over and Matthew is scared she might start crying again. She scoots a little closer and her lip trembles but no, she does not cry.
"I'unno," she said, her voice small and scared. "I lost 'em."
"Ah, I thought you might have," Matthew nods.
"Daddy always says to stay in one place when I get lost, so they can find me."
Matthew keeps nodding.
"That's a good idea, your dad is smart."
"He is," she agrees, and she doesn't seem so sad anymore.
"But, Madeline, why are you so far away from the lakefront? That's where everyone is."
The girl hides her shame behind Snowflake, shaking her head. Matthew understands and he maintains his smile.
"It's okay, if it were me in your position, I probably would have wandered off too."
It is a guess – an educated one – and he takes the girl's silence as an indication that he is right.
"Do you know your parent's cell-phone numbers?"
Madeline takes a moment to think, but then her face lights up and Matthew feels uplifted. She sang ten numbers in an unfamiliar tune, paused, then sang a different set of numbers in a different tune. What a smart girl.
"The first one is mommy's."
"Could you sing hers for me again?"
Madeline does, and Matthew is already punching the numbers into his phone. When she is done her song and the line is ringing, the man hands the device to the girl. She looks at it funny for a moment, before understanding dawns on her youthful face and she holds the phone to hear ear. There is silence while they both wait for an answer.
"Mommy?"
Matthew hears a voice on the other end and feels relieved. He looks towards the lake and tries not to eavesdrop on the child's conversation, because that would be rude.
"I'm okay, mama, I wandered off an I'm sorry. I uh...I don't really know."
There is laughter coming from the park by the lake and the sound if infectious. Matthew smiles and thinks on all the people celebrating and shopping and talking with strangers. Because today is a day where here, no one truly is just a stranger – they are a potential friend, a makeshift family member.
"No, a nice man gave me his phone. Yes. He likes my bear."
Their energy is what makes today one of his favourite days, in contention with Christmas. The people he loves love dearly today, and though he may be forgotten by his brother and friends, his people are hardly the same. For all they are humble and quiet, they are proud, and today is the day they show it – to each other and to the world.
"Okay."
There is a tug on his sleeve and Matthew turns back to the child, who holds his phone up to him.
"Can you talk to my mama? She wants to ask you something."
The young looking man laughs.
"Of course."
He lifts the device and speaks, his voice stronger than it usual is, but no less kind.
"Hello, ma'am?"
"Hi! Hello! Uh, I hear you've found my daughter."
"Yeah, she's fine. She's very brave."
He winks at the girl and she blushes. Her mother's laughter is strained on the line and Matthew sympathizes.
"Listen, she doesn't know where she is and my husband is off on the other side of the park looking for her. I hate to ask anything of you, but you could do me a favour?"
"Would you like me to bring her down to the lake? We can wait for you by the ice cream truck in the park."
"Oh, could you? That would be tremendous. I can't thank you enough."
"No thanks necessary. We'll see you soon. If you need to reach us, just call this number."
"It's in my call history, yeah, and thank you again, Mr...?"
"Just Matthew is fine."
"Alright, thanks, Matthew. See you soon."
There is a click and the call is over. Madeline is at his side, looking up to him with wide eyes.
"How would you like some ice cream?" he asks, and she beams.
The two walk together back down towards the lake. She skips ahead in excitement every now and again, only to remember that she is supposed to stick close and waits for Matthew to catch up. Even before they are very close to the truck, the man can see a woman standing beside it. Her hair, blonde like Madeline's, is up in a bun. There is a flag tattoo on her cheek, and she too wears a white shirt and bright red shorts. Her arms are folded over her ribs and she glances nervously from side to side, looking anxious.
He smiles at her, and she finds his smile in the crowd.
So does Madeline.
The girl takes off running and Matthew lets her go. She is swept up into a big hug as the woman pulls her into her arms and stands. She showers the child with kisses, fighting off tears of joy as she does.
Madeline hugs her mother tightly, and the woman looks to Matthew from over the top of her head.
"Thank you so much," she says again, and the gratitude is there in her eyes.
"It's not a problem,"
He is honest.
"My husband is on his way now, is there anything we can do for you? I feel like we should repay you somehow."
The young man's laughter is light as he shakes his head.
"Please, don't worry about it. I'm just happy Madeline isn't going to miss out on all the fun."
"You and me both, Matthew," the woman's smile is joyous. Madeline pulls away to twists and face the man. "What do you say to the nice man for helping you find us, Maddy?"
"Thank you," she recites dutifully, and the thanks is as genuine as the smile on her young face.
"You're welcome. Enjoy the festivities, eh?"
He is given matching smiles from the mother-daughter pair, and he feels as if his returning grin pales in comparison. He waves to the two as he turns to leave, stopped only when Madeline calls after him.
"Happy Canada Day, Matthew!"
From somewhere in the crowd, there is a celebratory cheer. The phrase is echoed, without the name, by countless as it is passed from person to person. The buzz of the crowd grows into a roar as people laugh and shout those three words. People are waving their flags in the air as whistles and horns are blown in unison with the cheering.
And at that moment, the country swells with pride – the same pride echoed by his usually humble folk, on the day they set aside their formality to let loose and have fun in the name of the home they love. And though his soft voice is lost in the proud roar of the crowd, he speaks them with no less delight and means every one of them.
"Happy Canada Day."
Love me some Canada.
Happy Canada Day, fellow Canadians (:
Ami