Tonya Williams walks in an pays the entry fee, moving into the bar proper looking a little anxious and nervous.
Tamela Douglas listens to Anna telling a story and exhales into a whistle. She glances up at the nervous woman walking in and gives her a kind look before answering "So they weren't just posturing? Was either of them hurt in the fight?"
Anna Wright shakes her head but then rolls it side to side on her neck "Not significantly. And Mike was all proud.....he's been teaching Sasha and I guess this makes it seem like she's learning. Different worlds I know." She saw Tams look at someone and glances back casually, giving the stranger a small smile before sipping her beer.
Tonya Williams is still looking around, a little anxious but sees a kind smile and tries to place the face. Then she hears the name Sasha and approaches, looking more, or less worried. "Um ... hi .... I ... um ... I'm" she fumbles a little. "Are you talking about Sasha Williams?"
Tamela Douglas nods to the lady and chuckles a bit "Yes. Yes we are." Having met the kid once she sort of squints at the asker now "Are you acquainted?"
Anna Wright looks at the woman as well, thoughtfully and a little self consciously. She maybe should have been a little quieter.
Tonya Williams sighs deeply an nods. "I'm her mama." she sounds at once proud, worried an resigned for the worse. "What she done now?" she asks.
Tamela Douglas grins "Nothing terrible Ma'am. Come join us and Anna will tell you all about it. I'm Tamela. I actually met Sasha the other week and she'll be doing some first aid training with me. I work at the CPPD."
Anna Wright gives Tams a stressed out look and then tries to smile at Sasha's mom "Come join us.....I'll buy you a drink?" There's a hint of guilt in her tone.
Tonya Williams pulls up a chair and sighs. "Yea. Oh ... right ... the police." the word seems to have two distinct syllables coming from her 'po-leece'. She arches her brows. "Is it that bad?" she actually doesn't laugh, but expects it could be bad.
Tamela Douglas sips her gingerale and then says "Nah. Just kids testing their limits. Did Sasha tell you she got into a little scrap?"
Anna Wright can't hold back any longer "Ms Williams...I'm so sorry.....I thought they were kidding and then I found out later there was a fight. I would have called someone, tried to stop them. Officer Reinhardht handled it and he says they're OK...friends even, but as a responsible adult I shouldn't have shrugged it off and not checked up on them."
Tonya Williams blinks an looks at Anna. "Um .... some kind of cola, please." then she looks at Tamela. "Well .. yea..." and then looks at Anna as she starts confessing. "I .. um . I thought it was something serious..." she looks back at Tamela. "I'm just glad she got someone to watch her back." she sighs. "We din't really come from a nice place like this. I was surprised Officer Reinhardt offered to teach her how to fight right." she sighs. "She ... we come from a different place." she shrugs.
Tamela Douglas nods "I got that sense from your girl. This town takes that whole takes a village to raise a child thing to heart." She smiles at Sasha's mother and then gives Anna a cheeky look "And there's a few helicopter parents and helicopter aunts watching out a little extra. She'll do OK here. I didn't catch your name?"
Anna Wright pretends to be offended by Tams calling her a helicopter aunt and then looks sympathetically at Sasha's mom "Mike...Officer Reinhardt explained a bit of the neighbourhood Sasha is more used to. I hope this town offers you both a community you can call home."
Tonya Williams chuckles. "Yea, well .... we KINDA ha that in Minneapolis. It was Sasha being friens with people in multiple gangs ... so none of them would hurt her. Taught her to watch her own back an fight." she places her hand over her chest. "I'm sorry. I'm Tonya Williams." she looks at Anna an smiles. "Well I don't know bout a helicopter, but it's nice people watching out for her. That's like home, but ... well, it's interesting knowing cops ain't asking after someone. The more eyes on my baby, the better far as I'm concerned. If I keep her too close, I'm afraid something .... well ... Hani is a boy an all." she sighs.
Tamela Douglas gives Tonya her full name to return the proper intro "Tamela Douglas. We really do try to help kids here, not push them down the wrong path. Helps being a small place, relatively low crime rates. I know it's a scary world to have kids in no matter where you live...and shit you just got out of Trumpland."
Anna Wright adds her full name too since Tonya is still getting to know the town "Anna Wright. I'm the cook at the Lavender Dreams B&B. Before they fought, Hani did seem very respectful..." she says, trying to be helpful. "They seem to have this zombie survival thing going on and I think that fueled the fight as some kind of test of the fittest."
Tonya Williams nods and then laughs. "Well police would keep asking Sasha about gang members and she kept telling then she didn't know any .... snitching .... that's get her killed for real. And now ..." she sighs. "I'm hoping my mama comes here before Trump comes for her." she chuckles. "They into zombies. But since Trump, Sasha sort of come down to earth a little ...now she thinking what to do if a revolution happens in America. She imagines every Mexican, Muslim and Black persons pouring over the border here." she blows out a breath.
Tamela Douglas snorts "It's not that far fetched sadly. The immigration website crashed on election night in the States. Can't say I blame anyone who wants to get the hell out. Where does your mother live now?"
Anna Wright sighs and nods into her beer and then sips. The clever waitress, Molly had heard the asking for cola and dropped one off now in front of Tonya.
Tonya Williams snorts also. "He's gonna deport all the Mexicans .. my guess is the ones that was born there too. Then the Muslims. Then the BLACK Muslims ... and of course, he can't tell us apart so back to Africa I guess." she rolls her eyes and takes her pop. "Thank you." she turns her attention back to her table. "Minneapolis, Minnesota. I started applying for jobs a year and a half ago. But my mother used to march in Chicago. I'll get her here, tho." she sighs. "By the way, Anna I had breakfast at your B&B a couple weeks back. VERY good, what I could eat before I had to get back to the clinic."
Tamela Douglas shakes her head at the state of the USA and then smiles at Anna "See, best cook in town. Don't tell the Yamadas I said that though."
Anna Wright blushes and then replies to Tonya "Thank you. I'm glad you liked it. Do you work with Doc Pierson....oh and that new nurse practitioner. I'm seeing her next week for a check up. Nurse Kim."
Tonya Williams smiles, but shakes her head. "No, I work for Dr Ziven Ayala. I'm a vet assistant." she chuckles. "He's a nice man. Has the cutest boyfriend, too." she sighs dramatically. "Ain't that always the way? The best men are either married or gay."
Tamela Douglas starts giggling to herself and suddenly can't look at Anna. She's trying to contain it and failing. Finally she just manages to mutter "Small towns...."
Anna Wright turns beet red and then laughs and gives Tams the finger "Sorry Tonya. We were just talking about them." She gets a very tongue and cheek look and then says dryly "The boyfriend is my ex....and I just found out he switched teams. Don't get me wrong, we're done and I'm happy for him."
Tonya Williams looks at Tamela a bit confused. She picks up and sips her pop ... and almost spits it out when Anna speaks. Covering her mouth, even though she ha managed to swallow she mumbles. "Oh, shit." she lowers the glass and her hand. "Well. I gues a long as everyone's happy?" she sort of asks. "I guess it don't hurt nobody. Me? I'm happy with Bob." she snorts and sips her pop again.
Tamela Douglas laughs some more "I always say no one knows you like yourself. "
[21:58] Anna Wright looks bewildered for a second and then frowns "Is that an innuendo? Bob?" She looks between them with a bit of doom, knowing she'll either be laughed at or mildly shamed.
Tonya Williams snorts. "You ain't nevah lied." she laughs. Then she looks at Anna as if she is wondering if shes serious? "Bob? The one you ain't got to feed or clothe or worry they steppin out on you or gonna bring you home something you can't get rid of but by dying?" she grins. "Battery Operated Boyfriend?" she isn't laughing, just amazed to meet a woman who didn't know Bob.
Tamela Douglas is almost beside herself now "Anna you're adorable, you do know that?" She sighs "I'd rename mine BOG but that just sounds like an infection waiting to happen."
Anna Wright giggles madly, turns even redder if possible and pulls her sweater up to hide her face with a small groan.
Tonya Williams looks at Tams. "Ain't Bob and Bobby short for Roberta too?" she suggests. "Cause a bog ... that's like a puddle of mud? Get dirt in places it does NOT being." she looks at Anna and tries to withhold her laughter. "Now you can't tell me you've never ....." she assumes Anna will know. "Hell I set Sasha up with her own last year." she pffts, as if that was perfectly logical.
Tamela Douglas finally composes herself and then nods with a shrug "Alright then." She zeroes in on Anna too now "There's a club in Vancouver I know of that has a vendor of them in the bathroom...if you're lacking and too shy to go into a big shop." She teasing her of course because she knows the reaction.
Anna Wright peeks out from her sweater, at both of them now, her eyes wide and then says in mock indignation "I am perfectly capable of all of those things." She clears her throat "So Tonya, what's Ziven like to work for? A friend of mine works with him on Falcon Island."
Tonya Williams grins. "Or buy one online. Adum and Eve is a great store." she grins. "Hell ... you're smart, Anna. Fingers work too and don't need batteries. Like an orgy with ten." she grins. "He's very sweet and professional." she agrees to change the subject. "During the week, I never see him cause he's on that Island. A doctor with two jobs. Go figger." she shrugs and sips. "He doesn't mind hard work either. Couple weeks ago he had NINE cats from ONE family all in to be fixed. He just smiled at me and told me to set up the assembly line for the cast of Harry Potter ... whatever THAT means."
Tamela Douglas rolls her eyes "Jesus Christ those are my sister and brother in law's cats...the nine. AND she keeps telling me they're trying to get pregnant too. Adum's forbidding her from naming the human children after Harry Potter people."
Anna Wright has to laugh a little and then looks surprised "Megan wants kids? Don't take that the wrong way...she was always such a party girl. I'm still wrapping my head around her getting married." She smiles at Tonya after "Well that's good about him as a boss. He and my friend had a personality clash for awhile but they seem OK now."
Tonya Williams laughs. "Small towns again?" she asks. "Well I guess they could be all into Lord of the Rings. How many Dwarves was that again .. oh wait that was the Hobbit, right? Or Snow White? No that's not ENOUGH dwarves." she's apparently not geek enough. She looks at Anna. "Doctor Ayala? Who could HE clash with. Seems pretty easy going."
Tamela Douglas shrugs "Well he must be a good vet because Adum and Megan live in Alexandra." she laughs at Tonya "Not enough dwarves, nope."
Anna Wright thinks "Charlotte was going through a tough time...but also they live and work together on that island and when it's not tourist time that could get a little intense. They didn't choose each other as workmates, the job did right? Anyhow, they're cool now."
Tonya Williams chuckles. "Well, he is. Is Alexandra far? I know he does a lot of work in White Rock and Vancouver. A good reputation goes a long way?" she nods at Anna. "He seems to really try and get along with people, so I'm glad they're cool now."
Tamela Douglas swirls her drink before sipping, making the ice clink on the sides "Yeah it's about 2 hours from here. Be closer to find a vet in Vancouver. Not a bad little town though in it's own right. It's considered our sister city, lots of family connections between the two places. Case and point, my sister Megan married their police chief on Thanksgiving."
Anna Wright nods along with Tams and then asks "How's Adum doing by the way? I mean i know he's home....but is he all healed?" She explains why she's asking to Tonya "There was a robbery in Alexandra and Adum was shot, in the head, went right through but he's miraculously OK."
Tonya Williams smiles. "Maybe that's why they choose him. Did they come and visit you when they dropped he cats off or picked them up?" she looks at Anna an her eyes go wis. "Jesus." she sighs. "Who did THAT?"
Tamela Douglas grins "Yeah we had a meal together. He's doing OK....switched to left handed, and a little spacey but considering...he's amazing. And back to work now too. No rest for the wicked." She exhales "The shooting is even more of an example of our version of 6 degrees of separation being around a 2."
Anna Wright: Anna continues the story where Tams left off "The guy who shot Adum Brate was a guy named Colin Rankin. I don't know how he ended up in THAT life, armed robbery that is, but 10 years ago he was connected to a close friend of ours. He's the father of her son. He also held up the pharmacy here and she was in there shopping when it happened.....messed up 2 degrees of separation..."
Tonya Williams considers that. "And that's probably why they choose Dr Ayala ... a built in excuse to visit." she sighs and looks a little uncomfortable. "Now ... I know this is gonna soun like an odd question ... or maybe not to you, Tamela. "But that souns like a white man ... Colin .... " shepauses. "How they takin all that?"
Tamela shrugs a bit "Well it was a white man shooting a white man. They actually shot at the same time. Colin's dead. But if you're asking if there's racial profiling in the Canadian police work, yeah sometimes. Although, and I realize my bias here, it's more prevalently directed at our First Nations people. If you look at the population dynamics in the prison system by race, it's pretty apparent."
Anna winces and nods in agreement "Yep. Although Canada has all other kinds of racism too. This town is pretty happily diverse, but not all places are."
Tonya Williams sags in relief and covers her face a moment as if she just found out her only child was safe. "There's ALWAYS racial profiling, Tamela." she states, flatly. "But now I know THAT, I'll worry bout Dr Ayala. He's half that First Nation and half Inian .. I mean Native American." she nods. "Just a different group to hate up here." she considers that a simple fact of life, like breathing.
Tamela Douglas nods "My mother was Spanish descended and my Dad's descended from the Semiahmoo peoples of Boundary Bay. Now I don't look Aboriginal enough to have gone through some of the shit Dad did and still does. And we're not perfect in terms of Black History here. Canada had slavery too, for less time, but it still did. And there have been chapters of the KKK surfacing from time to time. Basically our shit stinks too. Maybe we use more air freshener to mask it, not so out in the open or a little quieter. I would say as a whole, British Columbia is one of the better provinces for awareness, activism and accountability.
Anna just quietly nods, looking saddened by the need to agree. she slowly sips her beer after.
Tonya Williams listens and nods. "Well, I'd be crazy to think Canaa is perfect. But my mama says its the great white north up here ... so i counter her with things like all the slaves that excaped to Canada. Meeting that Lieutenant helped. Johnson? I think she can help Sasha, too."
Tamela Douglas grins now "Angie Johnson, yep. CPPD would fall apart without her. She's my extra work mom and my pal."
Anna Wright smiles a bit too "Angie's everyone's mom there isn't she? She's worked there forever."
Tonya Williams nods. "Yes. She is very nice and Sasha likes her ..." she snorts. "Even though she told her she couldnt knife fight here." she grins. "I will TRY not to have her babysitting mine too much." she blows out a breath. "Sasha tire a body out. Thinks things WAY out of proportion .. like the millions abandoning America for Canada." she chuckles. "Did shetry and inventory your weapons, Tamela?" she wonders.
Tamela Douglas's eyes go wide and then she chuckles "Not yet but thanks for the heads up. I can tell she has some nervousness. That must be a lot on you too Tonya."
Anna Wright looks sympathetically at Tonya "She did seem to have fun at the craft sale, despite no liking our Santa. I think she was expecting Justin Trudeau. As far as I know he does selfies and Pride Parades but no Santa requests."
Tonya Williams chuckles. "She's smart. That means she thinks too much and that means she worries too much. I guess I should be happy she at least concentrating on the people she knows and likes. I have a friend with a daughter worried about some water crisis that's gonna force us all into being vegetarians." she sighs and then laughs again. "Oh she LOVED that craft sale. And yes she loves her new Prime Minister." she shakes her head. "I told her I'll see what he does with his shirt ON." she rolls her eyes.
Tamela Douglas snickers "Yep. He made some promises, lime them all. We'll see where it goes." She smacks the table "Even Gord Downey reminded him on the Hip's last tour."
Anna Wright looks a bit misty eyed about the Tragically Hip and then tunes into what Tonya was saying "So she's vegetarian because of water waste in food production?"
Tonya Williams snorts. "He's a politician .. he just isn't a ROUND one." she nods to Anna. "Yes ... turns off her water when shes trying to wash dishes ... gets on her abot leaving the water running when shes brushing her teeth. Wants her to shower by turnig the wateron nd off...." she shakes her head. "Maybe I'm just old or something ... I don't get it."
Tamela Douglas thinks about it "Well conservation is good for sure...but you also have to live in the world. Course some folks opt out. Anna used to live in a commune back to the land type thing on Salt Spring Island....I like to tease her that it was a cult." she says with a grin.
Anna Wright scoffs "It was not a cult!" She looks at Tonya "It was an intentional permaculture community. We had some alternative arrangements for things like showering with solar bags and whatnot. I will confess that when I was off island I took horribly long showers and just reveled in them."
Tonya Williams looks at Anna as if she has two heads. "Lawdy ....." and blinks. "A intentional .... perma ... awhosiewhat?" she snorts. "Just ... no ... no ... maybe when the US immigrates en masse or something ... hell worse I ever did was take my dishes in the bathrub with me when things was bad money wise." she pffts again. "You two are a hoot." se glances at her phone. "Lawd it's almost midnight. Watch em get a lecture for staying out half the night from Miss Grizzly Adams."
Tamela Douglas laughs "Just watch out for the forks in there...oi. i should head home to bed too. I'm on in the morning with Nault. I need to be awake enough to tranq him if the moment calls for it."
Anna Wright smiles warmly at Tonya "It's been fun to chat with you too. Sasha will do alright here....Oh mu god Tams....you're joking right? Although he really is a dick."
Tonya Williams grins. "Oh he sounds like fun?" she stands. "Good night ladies .. and thanks .. it really does feel like home here." and off she goes.
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