Bringing the Eh-game

So yesterday (Monday) my office had put me on this 4-day course. Working in a big company means sometimes decisions are made over which you have no control, such as sending me to this course downtown. They give me food allowance, parking, AND I am not working, while the course they enrolled me has nothing to do with my work. But, what can you do?

Not to mention, the course started bright and early at 8 am sharp. Given that I live in Mississauga, I decided to leave early due to the traffic downtown. And lo and behold! There was hardly ANY traffic! Everyone must have partied the night before for our hockey win (WHAT A WIN!) and so taken an impromptu day off. At least that’s what it looked like as I found myself standing outside the class room at the learning centre at 7.45 am.

There was one other guy, an older gentleman standing there. We were waiting for the caretaker to come and open the locked classroom door.

“Early for the class?” He commented.

“Ya,” I replied, “Everyone else must have taken the day off eh.”

“Must be the game.” He laughed. “What a game.”

“Oh absolutely. What a thriller. So glad we won in the end though.”

“Ya, it was mighty close. Anyone could have won.” He said.

“And,” I commented now, “you know what was the best part? We beat the Americans!”

“Ah,” He replied.

“Yep,” I continued, “be it hockey or tiddlywinks, as long as it’s Canada-USA it’s intense rivalry. But good that we won.”

“Well,” He commented, “both teams played well, but it was a good hockey game in the end.”

“Ah, but what if the Yanks won?” I asked him, “How embarrassing that would be! It’s our game. We should have thumped them, rather than it get so close! And now, even our women’s team beat them!”

Then we talked about the weather and how unseasonably warm it was.

There was a pause. And then I asked him, “So you are here as a student or you teaching the course?”

“I am the instructor.” He answered. “I do these courses all over North America.”

“Oh, you are travelling.” I realized. “Where do you come from?”

“Tampa Bay, Florida.” He answered.

“Oh, er…. “, I connected the dots. “You are an American!”

Um ….

*awkward pause*

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