"But now you're back in contact with Hannah?" says Francois.
"last year, just out of the blue, she sent me an email. There is no way we re getting back together,but we do seem to have become friends. I have finally met Lara our daughter. She is so adorable and I am anxious to see her in person.
"And there's your mom", say I.
"Yes. She needs me and I am hoping to get out of here in a couple of weeks time..."
"Did Sarah ever tell you about Angela?"
"A bit", say I. "That she is older, part Aboriginal, and that she was in the past a sex worker with addictions but that she had since come into a very strong relationship with Christ."
"The woman is a walking miracle. Anyway, we met for breakfast at the hostel, and before we even sat down she said that Hannah had already spoken to her, that she no longer wanted to stay with a husband who would not properly make love to her, and point blank she asked me if I was gay. I refused to answer, and she said it wasn't important, but since I was now on my own, there was a posting for a street minister in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside that she thought was tailor made for me. And she was right. She told me she would give me the full contact info only on the condition that I completely respect Hannah's request that I not contact her again. Of course, I knew I was being taken out of the way, but to tell you the truth, I love this city, Vancouver, and I really felt strongly the calling to come here...
"Did you meet her in Australia", says Francois.
"Yes. In the church actually. There is a bit of a story. Remember that hostel where I was living for a while, in Melbourne? and that's also where I happened to know your friend Sarah. Well, Angela, who lived and worked there was involved in a mission church, they were Pentecostals. Hannah was in recovery from a nasty addiction and was also recently minted, as we used to say about new converts to the faith. She took a huge interest in me. One thing led to another and within six months or so we were tying the knot. It turned out not to be the greatest idea. We were really quite incompatible, and I wasn't able to really be for her the kind of husband she was wanting. We were soon fighting and arguing. About almost everything. Then, one morning I woke up. She was gone. She left a note, simply saying that I must not try to find her. That same morning I got a phone call from Angela, who only told me to meet her right away at the hostel..."
How old is your daughter?" say I.
"Just three. I never had a chance to meet her."
"What happened?" says Francois.
"As I said, it is a long story. I didn't even know that Hannah was pregnant when she left me. Then someone in the parish informed me of this position for a street worker in the interchurch Network, and thought I should apply for it. And of course, I did want to get away, make a fresh start, as they say. and here, I feel I have found my place, and where God wants me. But my mother's partner died recently, from covid, and she is suffering from stage four cancer and may not be around much longer, and I am still waiting for flight restrictions to relax, but might make a try anyway to get back and spend time with her before she goes. Plus, I have been in touch with Hannah, and she badly wants me to know our daughter. Reconciliation is out of the question, since I was never cut out to be a husband or a partner, but we can at least give each other closure...
"Are you a libertarian?"
"I believe profoundly in the right to personal agency of every single human being on the planet."
"I don't suppose", say I, "Then that it would matter much to you that Carl's mother is in hospital, in intensive care with covid, or that Francois' mother now has it?"
"How old are they?"
"That shouldn't make not one iota of difference", sputters Francois. "They are human beings, and as well as having personal agency as you call it, they have also been victimized by other idiots' use of their damn personal agency."
"I am really sorry to her that", says Chuck patiently.
We are quietly sipping our beverages, not daring to speak or look at each other. Then Francois says, "Christopher mentioned that you are involved in street ministry here. and yes, you also mentioned it", he says self-consciously.
"That is correct", says Chuck, in this determinedly cheerful manner that I never saw in him twenty-five years ago.
"How long have you been doing this" say I.
"Just over two years. I came here from Melbourne to fill the position."
"And your wife and kid", says Francois.
"That is a long story..."
But I'm not feeling quite ready to give it up. I am suddenly feeling ornery, like a capricious dog with a stick in his mouth, just daring anyone to try to take it. "are you scared of needles?" say I to Chuck.
"Don't be ridiculous."
"Then what have you got against vaccinations? How do you think they eradicated smallpox and polio, to name just two deadly diseases almost wiped off the map thanks to vaccinations."
"That was a different time, before the government got its hands into our very bloodstreams."
"And now you are being ridiculous", says Francois, clearly wanting to match my orneriness.
"I beg your pardon."
"And irrational. What is your real problem?"
Chuck pauses, as though trying to collect his thoughts, but then seems to be discovering something as for the very first time. "You know what it is" he says. Then pauses, draws a deep breath as though preparing to jump off the high diving board. "You know what it is. It's that I do not want government, nor church, nor anybody telling me what to or what not to do, nor what to put into my body or not put into my body. not now. Not ever...
"How is your mom's partner?" I ask, hoping to completely change the subject.
"He has tested positive but is asymptomatic. They haven't figured out who got it first or who infected whom. She's saying they're both to blame, since like a lot of Montrealers they were being cavalier about not wearing masks in public."
"Masks should be an individual choice", says Chuck.
"And so should making everyone sick", quips François, "We all have the right to infect others, including the elderly, the frail, the immunocompromised..."
"All it is is a kind of flu."
Say I "I think you should pay attention to what Francois is trying to say. Our healthcare system has never been so overwhelmed and now it is at breaking point. This has never happened because of the flu"
"The healthcare system here is overextended because it is underfunded. The exact same thing is happening in Australia."
"Do you think we might talk about something else?" says Francois.
"Maybe the weather?" say I.
"Well, I don't think we are about to change each other's minds", says Chuck, "And I for one do want us to have an enjoyable visit..."
