The Intersection<\/p>\n\n\n\n
___________________________________________________<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Intersection ___________________________________________________ Living next to a busy intersection had many drawbacks but if you are observant and have a little time in hand along with a good friend owning a busy convenience store in the strip mall, yeah, you would definitely learn to like it, even love it. Since retirement, this has become my […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-254","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shabbeedurshuja.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/254"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shabbeedurshuja.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shabbeedurshuja.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shabbeedurshuja.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shabbeedurshuja.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=254"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/shabbeedurshuja.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/254\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":499,"href":"https:\/\/shabbeedurshuja.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/254\/revisions\/499"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shabbeedurshuja.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=254"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Living next to a busy intersection had many drawbacks but if you are observant and have a little time in hand along with a good friend owning a busy convenience store in the strip mall, yeah, you would definitely learn to like it, even love it. Since retirement, this has become my new hobby. Looking down from my 4th<\/sup>-floor condo, watching people and vehicles moving around the clock at various speeds and directions has become more than just passing time. Never before I realized that even in the smallest of things there can be a hidden story. Consider the man in the wheelchair who came at least once every other week, in his special car designed for the wheelchair, parked it in a disabled parking spot, came out in his wheelchair, and just sat there on the sidewalk, looking solemnly at the intersection, sometimes for hours. \u00a0
Rola \u2013 my Afghani friend who owned the only convenience store in the strip mall, was a living storybook. He would spend most of his day in his small store, talking to people, listening to them, asking questions, and being very observant. From all his customers he picked bits and pieces of stories, mostly about things that happened in and around the intersection. Fortunately for many of us, his customers and friends, he was more than happy to share those stories with us whenever the opportunity came.
The wheelchair man came up in our conversation one day during our regular early afternoon social gathering in Rola\u2019s store. That was usually a slower time. Rola took a break from his monotonous work behind the counter, made a pot full of his first-class dark Columbian coffee and we sat around a round table that he had placed in one corner of his small store along with several old chairs, probably picked up from the curb. Rola could do that. Chairs were for sitting, it didn\u2019t matter where they came from.
Mahmud, an Indian Muslim who worked as the meat cutter for the Pakistani halal meat store next door, was sure to take his break during that time.\u00a0 Sometimes, Chanduran \u2013 the chef and owner of the Sri Lankan restaurant popped up. The pizza place two stores right was run by two Czech brothers \u2013 Kael and Kaelan. Sometimes they stopped by. Lin Ching, the middle-aged Chinese-born lady who owned and worked at the saloon was a regular too. Many others showed up irregularly when their situation permitted. Most worked in the plaza. On a good day, you could step inside Rola\u2019s convenience store intending to buy a bag of milk or god forbid \u2013 a pack of cigarettes and you could be taken by the assortment of people hoarding around that table listening to Rola \u2013 sipping in his cup of coffee with utmost seriousness while telling a story. I\u2019d be surprised if you didn\u2019t forget what you came for and stood there to get a taste of the story.
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThat man there, sitting on a wheelchair, next to the bus stand,\u201d he pointed out by nodding his head toward the only window in his store which was almost entirely covered with stuff arranged on shelves. But if one looked long enough, through whatever little space was left, it was possible to see part of the man in the wheelchair. All of us had seen him over the years. He was a balding brown man who wore a short beard, and had grown quite overweight since we first noticed him, always wearing an oversized collared half-sleeve shirt and a pair of trousers \u2013 both different shades of gray.\u00a0
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 As we raised our coffee cups almost in unison and sipped, Rola nodded heavily \u2013 his signature habit. \u201cWhy do you think he comes here and sits like that? See my friends, there\u2019s a story behind everything. Today I\u2019ll tell you the story of this man. What should we call him?\u201d
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 We looked at each other. If he was telling the story, shouldn\u2019t he know his name?
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYou know, I don\u2019t name names,\u201d Rola sensed the doubt and defended. \u201cStories are not about names; it is about people. Let\u2019s give him a name \u2013 say, Belal. Is that good?\u201d
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He was overdramatic but we all liked that in him. We all nodded. Belal or John, we would all be fine with either.
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s get going with the story, man!\u201d Lin impatiently said. For a hairdresser, she was too restless.\u00a0
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I patted her back. Rola didn\u2019t like to be rushed.
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cOkay, okay,\u201d Rola said with a gesture of his hands. \u201cLet\u2019s get to the point. It gotta be like twelve years ago when he came from one of the Asian countries, I forgot the name. But does it really matter? Hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world are coming to this country. They all have situations, stories \u2013 something to get them moving, away from their motherland, away from their family, friends, relatives \u2013 you know what I mean. So, this guy, Belal, had a good government job, making good money, the system was corrupt but he managed to keep a balance \u2013 you know, you got to do what you got to do to survive.\u201d
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 We all nodded. Wasn\u2019t that the one truth that we all could share? I am sure we all had a lot of experiences that were bubbling up into our throats, screaming to come out, but we controlled. You don\u2019t want to interrupt Rola. He might just say, \u201cOkay, let\u2019s hear your stories today.\u201d That had happened before. He got annoyed easily.
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cNow, Belal met a beautiful girl \u2013 all girls are beautiful\u2026\u201d
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYou mean, ladies,\u201d Lin corrected.
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Rola looked a little confused. I stepped in. \u201cAdult girls are ladies\u2026we understand. So, Belal was in love. Was she a co-worker?\u201d
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHow do you know all that?\u201d Mahmud asked the forbidden question.
Rola gave him a cold look. \u201cWhere\u2019s your patience, brother? All of your questions will be answered when I am done. Okay?\u201d
Mahmud laughed. They were good friends. He could afford to offend him. Chanduran wanted to move on. He gave Mahmud an ugly frown.
The brothers exchanged glances, smilingly. They knew how idiosyncratic Rola could be. Afghanis were always like that. Headstrong. They had said that to him many times. Rola usually returned the favor by saying something mean about the Czechs.
\u201cShe was indeed a co-worker,\u201d Rola said, looking pretty serious. This was a good sign. It meant the story was about to get going, finally. \u201cShe was pious. Didn\u2019t wanna play love-love games. Tie the knots, let\u2019s have a family. So, Belal goes to his parents and says he loves this girl \u2026lady\u2026 and wants to marry her. His parents soon find out her father worked as a police constable. Not a very high-class job there. Belal\u2019s dad was a director in a private company. The social levels were clearly different. They said \u2018No\u2019. Clear and loud.\u201d
Everybody nodded. Yeah, this was something they were all familiar with, more or less.
\u201cWhy couldn\u2019t he just go and marry her?\u201d Kael said. \u201cThey were both working. Both adults. Why not? Right?\u201d
\u201cHow can you hurt the parents?\u201d Chanduran said. \u201cThey are like gods.\u201d \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0
\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhat did Belal do?\u201d I asked, curiously.
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHe was the only son. He couldn\u2019t go against them. He tried and tried but couldn\u2019t change their minds. Seeing him so desperate they now went on to find a matching bride for him. Soon a pretty, quiet, and educated woman was found. He objected but nobody paid any heed to him. One fine evening, they were married in a very flashy, expensive ceremony.\u201d
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhat happened to the other girl?\u201d Mahmud asked.
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cShe took a vow never to marry, never to love,\u201d Rola said, letting out a heavy breath.
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 We nodded. It was quite understandable. The cruelty of the situation! One could only feel disdain for the parents.
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI guess Belal then came to Canada with his wife,\u201d Mahmud said, trying to jump ahead.
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Rola rolled his eyes. \u201cDo you wanna tell the story, brother? Should I stop?\u201d
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Mahmud cackled. He enjoyed bugging the man. Rola shook his head in mock frustration. \u201cYeah, the following year. He wanted to punish his parents. The job was also demanding increasingly more dishonesty from him. He was scared. He was mad. He landed here in winter. It was all snow and cold, very cold.\u201d
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cOuch! That reminds me of my first winter,\u201d Lin said. \u201cI had seen some snow before but no cold like this. Minus thirty degrees below zero? My bones froze.\u201d
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 This brought some laughter. Rola joined too. \u201cThat\u2019s exactly how he felt. He got sick a lot, didn\u2019t get any proper job, living conditions were not great, his savings were going\u2026he was really depressed. He couldn\u2019t go back home because that would mean going back into the fire. Where would be his dignity? He called up his friends and cried. The new country was not very kind to him. You know, it happened to all of us. You can\u2019t expect to go to a new land and to have everything ready for you. Right?\u201d
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t even want to start to talk about that,\u201d Mahmud said, with a big smile. \u201cI am still cutting meat for minimum wage. I was a banker back home. But I am not complaining. I am doing fine.\u201d
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYeah, there are a lot of people like you. Respect from me,\u201d Kaelan said. \u201cWe are a business family. My dad came here when we were in our teens. We tried different things. The pizza worked for us.\u201d
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhat about you Chandu?\u201d I asked. The quiet Sri Lankan guy barely opened up.
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI came here thirty years ago with a fake passport,\u201d Chanduran said, smilingly. \u201cI was a young man with a college degree. Wanted to come abroad. Did a lot of things. Put all my money into that store. Doing well. People in my community know me. Kids are going to university. I am good.\u201d
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cOkay, okay, boys. Enough of your stories. Let\u2019s hear about Belal,\u201d Lin barked.
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYou called us boys!\u201d Rola objected in mock contempt. \u201cWe are gentlemen.\u201d
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Lin threw her hands up. \u201cJust move on.\u201d
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 They all laughed. Lin joined. \u201cYou guys are bad boys!\u201d
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cOkay.\u201d Rola got up,\u201d Let me take care of this customer first.\u201d He left for almost five minutes, which opportunity we took to share some of our own bitter experiences.\u00a0 When he returned, he looked at his watch and sat back in his chair with a little more urgency. The day would soon be rolling into late afternoon when the rush would start.
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhere were we? Oh, Belal came to Canada with his family. Right here in Toronto. He was depressed, frustrated, and wanted a way out but was helpless. With time things started to work out for him. He went to college and did a couple of short courses. Got a clerical job in a bank. Wasn\u2019t much but was enough to live a decent life. They had their first baby \u2013 a girl. They named her Daisy. Beautiful girl, always giggling. His wife started working in a store. They started to have a life, after some really tough time.\u201d Rola poured some more coffee into his cup. Sipped twice, slowly, while everybody waited. It was quite clear something was about to go wrong in this picture-perfect family \u2013 as perfect as it could be under the situation.
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThen?\u201d Lin was scowling at him. Could barely wait.
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cOne afternoon, Belal was driving his wife and kid to the Walmart,\u201d he pointed across the intersection, on the North West corner, where the Walmart was located, \u201cnobody knows exactly why and how, as he was taking a left turn a TTC bus ran right into them, mowed the car a hundred feet before smashing it into a light post right there,\u201d he again pointed at a direction little more west to Walmart but out of their view. He shook his head in disbelief. \u201cI heard a noise; I looked and I saw this bus going like a storm. At first, I didn\u2019t see the car. But when I did see it my heart just sank. I ran out. It was a little after noon. Barely any traffic. How could that happen? Oh! I can\u2019t believe I saw that. Even now I wake up at night and think of it. You don\u2019t want to see anything like that.\u201d
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhen was that?\u201d Kael asked. \u201cWe have been here almost eight years now. I haven\u2019t heard about this.\u201d
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cIt happened right before you guys moved in,\u201d Rola said.
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cNow I remember! I read about it,\u201d Mahmud excitedly said. \u201cBut there was no mention of his love affair.\u201d
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI have a friend who is a friend of a friend of Belal,\u201d Rola said. \u201cI heard it from him.\u201d
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Chanduran seemed to remember something as well. \u201cDidn\u2019t the wife die?\u201d
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYes, yes!\u201d Lin almost yelled. \u201cThe baby survived! She was in her car seat. They had to cut the car roof to get the father out. Both his legs were smashed. The doctors cut both. Oh! What a tragedy! I felt so bad. So, that\u2019s the guy? That\u2019s Belal? Can we go talk to him?\u201d
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cNo, no,\u201d I quickly said. \u201cHe must visit here to pay respect to his wife. We should not interrupt. Let it be.\u201d
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Lin shrugged. She was sad. \u201cI just wanted to give him a hug.\u201d
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cPeople come here for many reasons but with one expectation \u2013 to have a better life,\u201d I said, reverently. \u201cBut this type of incident really breaks my heart.\u201d
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The mood in that room suddenly went from curiosity to deep sadness and compassion. We all peeked out of the window and tried to have a better look at Belal, except Rola. Noticing him grinning, I readily knew there was more to it.
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhat are you withholding, my friend?\u201d I inquired.
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 As we all looked back at him with questioning eyes, Rola smiled broadly. \u201cThe story has a good ending, relatively speaking. Remember the lady he loved, who he couldn\u2019t marry and who promised to never marry? After hearing Belal\u2019s misfortune, she broke her celibacy and decided to marry him. She traveled to Canada to look after him and his daughter. I heard things had worked out very well for them.\u201d
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWith his legs gone, how is he making any money?\u201d Chanduran asked, baffled. \u201cDoes the government pay him money?\u201d
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Rola smiled again. This time a bigger one. \u201cSee, brothers, that\u2019s the best part in this story, for me at least. Belal sued TTC and the company finally agreed to settle it outside the court. People talk about all kinds of numbers, but I can tell you, it was not less than seven figures, possibly eight. That\u2019s a hell lot of money, wouldn\u2019t you agree?\u201d
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 There was a momentary silence before Lin broke it with a sigh of relief. \u201cThanks, God!\u201d
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 We all smiled. Happy for them.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"