excerpt
We’re hustled into cubicles and made to strip. I have a plastic container
filled with American soil, a souvenir commemorating my first
foreign adventure. The Cameron indignation is infectious and I
chuck it into the garbage.
It turns out Mrs. Cameron has Lenore outfitted in layers. Assorted
knickknacks, none of which I’ve seen previously, are also discovered
in my duffle bag.
While authorities deliberate, I have a flash ofMeatmaking a dash for
freedom. She dropkicks our sentry and jumps barbed-wire fencing. She
fights off vicious tracker dogs with the stainless steel steak knives.
Back in custody, meanwhile, the real Mrs. Cameron debates with
her spouse which of them is responsible for our quandary. Lenore
weeps quietly. Larry thinks it all quite exciting and so do I. Travellers
entering the Customs building gawk.
– We’re outlaws, Larry says proudly. Our mug shots will be on
posters.
– Desperados, I concur.
He decides to slip outside for a smoke.
– If anybody asks, he says . . .
– You’re in the washroom, I know.
I doodle in the condensation that has formed on the window of
the Customs building. I draw three faces. The first is happy, the second
wears a scowl. For the mouth on the third face I use a flat line—
none of the above.
Lenore crosses the room and studies my scribble. With the flat of
her hand she wipes away the first two. We’re making progress.
– Okay, folks, announces the senior official. The car will be confiscated.
Duty will be charged on every item seized. There’ll be a fine.
A taxi is summoned. Our bikes are loaded into the trunk. Mr.
Cameron has to stay behind to write a confession. You’d think by the
look on his face he’d be facing a firing squad.
Larry leans out the window of the taxi, Don’t forget to write, Reg!
The cab joins the flow of traffic entering Canada.
A few minutes later Larry says, All that excitement, we’re starving.
How about a burger, Mom?
Mrs. Cameron blows her nose. I’ll fix something when we get
home, she says. She’s choking back sobs.
– Fries and a shake would really hit the spot.
Libros Libertad 