went
      gift
      shopping,
      but
      were
      going
      to
      have
      to
      pick
      up
      Stephan,
      who
     
     
      would
      probably
      still
      be
      walking
      home
      once
      we
      got
      to
      University
     
     
      Avenue.
     
    

    
     
      ~Sure
      enough,
      as
      soon
      as
      we
      got
      to
      the
      corner
      of
      University
     
     
      and
      Belvedere,
      we
      saw
      Stephan
      waiting
      to
      cross
      the
      intersection.
      At
     
     
      the
      red
      light,
      we
      yelled
      at
      him,
      but
      he
      had
      his
      headphones
      on
      and
      he
     
     
      could
      not
      hear
      us.
      I
      swung
      my
      car
      into
      the
      Burger
      King
      parking
      lot,
     
     
      got
      out
      of
      my
      car
      and
      ran
      to
      the
      intersection
      in
      time
      to
      meet
      Stephan
     
     
      as
      he
      crossed
      the
      street.
      I
      guided
      Stephan
      back
      to
      my
      car,
      and
      we
     
     
      headed
      for
      Stephan’s
      house.
     
    

    
     
      When
      we
      pulled
      into
      Stephan’s
      driveway,
      Marc
      was
      already
     
     
      there.
      He
      was
      dressed
      in
      a
      black
      suit
      that
      made
      my
      blue
      suit
      jacket,
     
     
      grey
      pants
      and
      Tim
      Horton’s
      tie
      look
      like
      casual
      wear.
      Ryan
      was
     
     
      wearing
      khakis,
      a
      black
      v-neck
      sweater
      and
      a
      blue
      jacket.
      Stephan
     
     
      was
      not
      dressed
      yet.
     
    

    
     
      _
      We
      decided
      to
      go
      buy
      gifts
      before
      Stephan
      got
      dressed
      and
     
     
      so
      we
      all
      packed
      into
      Marc’s
      car
      and
      drove
      two
      blocks
      to
      the
      liquor
     
     
      store
      to
      buy
      the
      President
      a
      bottle
      of
      wine.
      To
      commemorate
      the
     
     
      beginning
      of
      the
      journey,
      I
      took
      the
      lense
      cap
      off
      of
      Stephan’s
      video
     
     
      camera,
      put
      it
      inside
      coat
      pocket
      and
      recorded
      our
      visit
      to
      the
      liquor
     
     
      store.
     
    

    
     
      Marc
      and
      I
      were
      going
      to
      pay
      for
      the
      wine,
      since
      Ryan
     
     
      already
      had
      pickles
      and
      Stephan
      was
      going
      to
      bring
      one
      of
      the
      many
     
     
      scented
      candles
      that
      his
      mother
      has
      hoarded
      away
      for
      special
      gift-
     
     
      giving
      occasions.
      Knowing
      very
      little
      about
      wine,
      Marc
      and
      I
      picked
     
     
      out
      a
      white
      wine
      with
      a
      depiction
      of
      Cape
      Breton
      on
      the
      label,
      in
     
     
      honour
      of
      Stephan’s
      homeland.
      Having
      no
      cash
      on
      me,
      I
      left
      Marc
     
     
      _
      to
      pay
      for
      the
      bottle
      while
      I
      followed
      Ryan
      with
      the
      video
      camera
      as
     
     
      he
      selected
      a
      case
      of
      beer
      for
      his
      father’s
      birthday
      present.
     
    

    
     
      Once
      the
      present
      gifts
      were
      paid
      for,
      we
      piled
      back
      into
      the
     
     
      car
      and
      headed
      back
      to
      Stephan’s
      house.
      We
      had
      about
      forty-five
     
     
      minutes
      before
      we
      had
      to
      arrive
      at
      the
      President’s
      house,
      but
      since
     
     
      Stephan
      is
      notoriously
      slow
      at
      doing
      just
      about
      anything,
      I
      knew
      we
     
     
      would
      probably
      be
      short
      on
      time
      once
      Stephan
      changed.
      Sure
     
     
      enough,
      it
      took
      Stephan
      ten
      minutes
      to
      change.
      During
      that
      time,
     
     
      Ryan,
      Marc
      and
      I
      stood
      waiting
      in
      the
      small
      entryway
      to
      Stephan’s
     
     
      side
      door
      and
      watched
      Stephan’s
      sister
      make
      spaghetti.
      We
      got
      rest-
     
     
      less
      and
      tested
      out
      The
      Cadre’s
      digital
      camera
      on
      Stephan’s
      dog.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
      the
      time
      Stephan
      had
      changed
      (he
      wore
      the
      same
      pants,
     
     
      but
      a
      different
      shirt,
      a
      tie
      and
      a
      blue
      jacket)
      we
      were
      still
      a
      little
     
     
      early.
      I
      asked
      Stephan
      if
      he
      had
      the
      certificate
      and
      he
      said
      that
      it
      was
     
     
      still
      posted
      on
      the
      bulletin
      board
      at
      the
      Cadre
      office
      and
      so
      we
      head-
     
     
      ed
      there
      so
      that
      we
      could
      present
      the
      certificate
      to
      him.
      When
      we
     
     
      arrived
      on
      campus,
      I
      ran
      to
      the
      office
      and
      pulled
      the
      certificate
      off
     
     
      the
      bulletin
      board
      and
      grabbed
      an
      extra
      video
      tape,
      just
      in
      case.
     
    

    
     
      Still
      a
      little
      early,
      we
      tried
      to
      take
      a
      photograph
      of
      the
      four
     
     
      of
      us
      sitting
      in
      the
      front
      seat
      of
      Marc’s
      car
      using
      the
      timer
      on
      the
      dig-
     
     
      ital
      camera.
      Even
      though
      the
      sky
      was
      overcast,
      there
      was
      too
      much
     
     
      glare
      coming
      off
      of
      the
      windshield
      and
      we
      decided
      to
      head
      toward
     
     
      the
      President’s
      house
      and
      try
      again
      later.
     
    

    
     
      During
      the
      voyage
      to
      the
      President’s
      house,
      I
      gave
      Marc
      the
     
     
      directions
      that
      were
      written
      on
      the
      fax
      that
      we
      had
      received
      the
      day
     
     
      before.
      I
      was
      also
      videotaping
      as
      much
      as
      I
      could.
      As
      we
      got
      nearer,
     
     
      we
      were
      still
      early
      and
      before
      we
      made
      the
      last
      turn
      toward
     
     
      Stanhope,
      we
      stopped
      at
      the
      Brackley
      Beach
      drive-in.
     
    

    
     
      The
      drive-in
      was
      closed
      for
      the
      season
      and
      we
      had
      the
      place
     
     
      to
      ourselves
      just
      at
      the
      time
      when
      cars
      would
      be
      flooding
      in
      to
      see
     
     
      the
      latest
      Martin
      Lawrence
      opus.
      We
      were
      losing
      light
      fast
      and
      it
     
     
      was
      beginning
      to
      rain,
      but
      we
      set
      up
      the
      camera
      on
      one
      of
      the
      posts
     
     
      in
      front
      of
      the
      screen
      and
      took
      a
      couple
      of
      pictures
      of
      us
      holding
      the
     
     
      gifts
      we
      were
      bringing
      for
      the
      President.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Before
      we
      could
      get
      any
      more
      pictures
      taken,
      we
      had
      to
      get
     
     
      back
      in
      the
      car
      to
      take
      shelter
      from
      the
      rain.
      We
      were
      still
      early.
     
    

    
     
      And
      so,
      on
      the
      final
      stretch
      of
      road
      that
      led
      to
      the
      President’s
     
     
      house,
      Marc
      drove
      ten
      kilometres
      per
      hour
      so
      that
      we
      would
      not
      be
     
     
      too
      early.
      Driving
      that
      slow,
      we
      had
      a
      lot
      of
      time
      to
      observe
      the
     
     
      President’s
      house
      from
      afar.
      Sitting
      on
      the
      top
      of
      a
      cliff
      on
      the
      edge
     
     
      of
      the
      sea,
      it
      seemed
      a
      lot
      like
      Xanadu
      to
      me.
      We
      wondered
      if
      Wade
     
     
      was
      watching
      us
      approaching
      at
      a
      snail’s
      pace,
      but
      in
      the
      end
      it
      did-
     
     
      n’t
      matter.
      We
      arrived
      on
      time.
     
    

    
     
      As
      Marc
      parked
      his
      car
      next
      to
      the
      President’s
      car,
      a
      thought