Sometimes
      I
      just
      need
      to
      get
      off.
     
     
      It
      can
      be
      so
      barren
      here,
      so
      calm,
      so
      neu-
     
     
      tral.
      There
      is
      a
      peacefulness
      here.
      A
      state
     
     
      of
      being
      that
      is
      so
      sure
      of
      itself
      and
      its
     
     
      people;
      sure
      of
      its
      past
      and
      future.
      An
      infi-
     
     
      nite
      life.
      A
      constant.
      This
      is
      a
      great
      state
      of
     
     
      being
      to
      grow
      up
      in,
      to
      retire
      to,
      even
      to
     
     
      visit.
      Sometimes
      the
      whole
      world
      seems
      a
     
     
      distant
      isle
      while
      we
      are
      at
      the
      centre.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      But
      at
      this
      age,
      the
      age
      of
      young
     
     
      adulthood,
      where
      hormones
      and
      ideas
      and
     
     
      energy
      surge
      out
      of
      every
      part
      of
      our
      bod-
     
     
      ies,
      we
      need
      to
      get
      off.
      I
      needed
      to
      get
      off.
     
     
      So
      I
      went
      to
      the
      most
      dirty,
      eccentric,
      erot-
     
     
      ic,
      adventurous,
      inconstant
      city
      I
      know.
     
     
      Montreal.
     
    

    
     
      La
      belle
      ville
      de
      Montreal.
      The
     
     
      most
      English-savvy,
      French-proud
      city
      in
     
     
      Canada.
      A
      place
      where
      the
      air
      is
      cloudy,
     
     
      the
      merchants
      are
      greedy,
      and
      the
      bohemi-
     
     
      ans
      overflow
      from
      the
      buildings.
      And
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
         
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
        
       
     
     
         
     
    
   
   
    
     
      14
     
    
   
   
    
     
      page)
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Getting
      Off
     
    
   
   
    
     
      damn,
      do
      they
      have
      good
      baguettes.
      Je
      suis
     
     
      allée
      avec
      mon
      chum,
      et
      on
      a
      vu
      toute.
     
    

    
     
      We
      spent
      10
      days
      wandering
      the
     
     
      streets
      and
      poking
      our
      noses
      into
      every-
     
     
      thing.
      We
      walked
      the
      length
      of
      the
      infa-
     
     
      mous
      Saint
      Catherine's
      street,
      where
      you'll
     
     
      find
      your
      pick
      of
      sex
      toy
      stores
      and
      peep
     
     
      shows.
      There's
      also
      St.
      Denis,
      where
      you'll
     
     
      find
      Weedstock,
      a
      pothead
      accessories
     
     
      store;
      Sucre
      Bleu!,
      a
      candy
      store;
      and
     
     
      Tokyo,
      the
      best
      four-floor
      bar
      in
      town.
      But
     
     
      these
      are
      not
      the
      only
      things
      these
      streets
     
     
      had
      to
      offer.
     
    

    
     
      There
      were
      shows
      upon
      shows
      of
     
     
      art;
      all
      kinds,
      every
      night.
      Dance,
      still
      life,
     
     
      music,
      theatre,
      and
      comedy.
      Contemporary,
     
     
      illegal,
      twisted,
      explored,
      and
      indulged.
     
     
      There
      is
      an
      entire
      underworld
      in
      Montreal
     
     
      with
      its
      own
      separate
      society
      of
      starving,
     
     
      semi-schizophrenic
      make-shifters.
     
    

    
     
      How
      I
      want
      to
      be
      a
      part
      of
      that!
     
     
      Living
      off
      next
      to
      nothing
      and
      spending
     
     
      days
      in
      rehearsal
      or
      production
      and
      sweat-
     
     
      ing
      blood
      and
      spilling
      guts
      into
      some
      kind
     
     
      of
      creation
      that
      would
      mean
      something
      to
     
     
      someone.
      Meaningful
      art
      connection
      to
     
     
      random
      people.
      And
      oh,
      reaction.
      Buzz.
     
     
      Criticism.
      Yes.
     
    

    
     
      Montreal
      buzzes.
      It
      quivers
      on
      the
     
     
      edge
      of
      the
      people
      who
      adapt
      themselves
     
     
      there.
      The
      men
      are
      smoother.
      The
      women
     
     
      are
      sassier.
      Even
      the
      animals
      look
      stylish.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      _
      And
      everyone
      has
      a
      cell
      phone.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      We
      got
      caught
      up
      in
      the
      art,
      the
     
     
      history,
      the
      shops,
      the
      food,
      the
      sights,
      the
     
     
      activity.
      But
      then,
      I
      started
      to
      feel
      out
      of
     
     
      place.
      I
      would
      look
      around
      and
      there
     
    

    
     
      wasn't
      a
      single
      familiar
      face.
      Five
      days
     
     
      had
      passed
      and
      no
      one
      was
      anyone
     
     
      whom
      I'd
      seen
      before.
      A
      rushing
     
     
      herd
      of
      unknown
      faces.
      An
     
     
      infinite
      life.
      A
      constant.
     
    

    
     
      It
      occurred
      to
      me
      how
     
     
      much
      I
      missed
      being
      in
      a
     
     
      crowd
      and
     
     
      recognising
     
    
   
   
    
     
      (the
      Island)
     
    
   
   
    
     
      When
      I
      head
      downtown
      in
      Charlottetown,
     
     
      I'm
      surprised
      when
      I
      don't
      know
      at
      least
     
     
      ten
      people.
      My
      heart
      lurched,
      and
      I
      began
     
     
      to
      feel
      the
      inevitable
      pull.
      The
      island
      was
     
     
      starting
      to
      call
      me
      back.
     
    

    
     
      As
      the
      remainder
      of
      my
      trip
      wore
     
     
      on,
      more
      aspects
      of
      Island
      life
      began
      to
     
     
      jump
      out
      at
      me
      while
      I
      was
      studying
      the
     
    

    
     
      potential
      life
      for
      myself
     
     
      in
      Montreal.
      Waitresses
     
     
      _
      won't
      outright
      harass
     
     
      you
      for
      a
      tip
      on
      PEL.
     
     
      "Do
      you
      want
      to
      add
     
     
      anything
      to
      the
      total
      on
     
     
      .
      _
      the
      debit?"
      "No
      thank
     
     
      ie.
      you."
      "Well
      did
     
     
      ~~
      you
      leave
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
        
     
     
         
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
         
     
     
        
     
     
         
     
     
       
       
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
         
     
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      anything
      on
      the
      :
     
     
      table?"
      She
      glares
      at“
     
     
      me.
      The
      food
      took
      half
     
     
      an
      hour,
      the
      place
      was
      nearly
     
     
      void
      of
      customers,
      and
      the
      poutine
     
     
      wasn't
      all
      that
      great.
      And
      she
      wanted
      a
      tip.
     
     
      Bitch.
     
    

    
     
      I
      didn't
      like
      the
      total
      lack
      of
      con-
     
     
      nection
      between
      people
      either.
      There
      is
     
     
      something
      special
      about
      PEI
      in
      respect
      to
     
    
   
   
    
     
      large
      families
      and
      family
      ties.
      My
      cousin
      is
     
    
   
   
    
     
      dating
      your
      brother.
      My
      brother's
      friend's
     
     
      sister
      is
      best
      friends
      with
      a
      person
      in
      my
     
    
   
   
    
     
      class.
      My
      mom
      knew
      your
      mom
      and
      aunts
     
    
   
   
    
     
      and
      uncles
      growing
      up,
      and
      now
      we
      work
     
     
      together.
      Sometimes
      these
      ties
      are
      so
      long
     
     
      and
      complex
      it
      can
      take
      hours
      to
      figure
     
     
      them
      out.
      But
      they
      are
      there.
      They
      are
     
     
      always
      there.
      It
      is
      something
      you
      can
     
     
      depend
      on.
      I
      missed
      the
      community
     
     
      strength.
     
    

    
     
      Another
      thing
      was
      the
      pace.
     
     
      Women
      in
      stilettoed
      boots
      would
      be
      run-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ning
      to
      their
      next
      meeting
      with
      dry
      cleaned
     
    
   
   
    
     
      outfits
      in
      their
      arms
      and
      a
      cell
      phone
      past-
     
     
      ed
      to
      their
      ear.
      Men
      with
      brief
     
    
   
   
    
     
      cases
      would
      plough
      through
      you,
      if
      not
     
     
      thwack
      you
      with
      the
      corner
      of
      the
      case.
     
     
      Everyone
      was
      in
      a
      rush.
      No
      one
      left
      home
     
     
      early
      enough,
      I
      suppose.
      It
      was
      almost
      as
      if
     
     
      people
      were
      on
      fast-
      forward.
     
    

    
     
      Do
      they
      know
      how
      beautiful
      their
     
     
      city
      is?
      Have
      they
      ever
      sat
      on
      a
      park
      bench
     
    
   
   
    
     
      _and
      watched
      the
      squirrels
      run
      in
      their
     
    
   
   
    
     
      jagged
      way?
      Have
      they
      taken
      the
      time
      to
     
     
      skate
      outdoors
      near
      the
      St.
      Laurent,
      to
      take
     
     
      in
      the
      splendour
      of
      their
      ancient
      churches,
     
     
      or
      to
      simply
      explore
      their
      own
      streets?
      I
     
     
      wonder
      if
      Montrealers
      know
      their
      own
     
     
      town
      as
      well
      as
      the
      tourists
      do.
     
    

    
     
      As
      much
      as
      I
      want
      to
      and
      proba-
     
     
      bly
      will
      move
      to
      Montreal
      some
      day
      soon,
     
     
      I
      know
      that
      the
      force
      and
      the
      culture
      of
     
     
      PEI
      will
     
    
   
   
    
     
      me
      back.
      There
     
     
      is
      something
     
     
      sweet
      about
      the
     
     
      air,
      characteristic
     
     
      about
      the
      roads,
     
     
      osy
      about
      the
     
     
      towns
      that
      I've
     
     
      become
      so
      totally
      accustomed
      to
      that
      it
     
     
      will
      never
      leave
      me.
      The
      Island
      has
      a
      great
     
    
   
   
    
     
      What
      Islander
      has
      never
      gone
     
     
      swimming
      in
      Cavendish?
      What
      Islander
     
     
      doesn't
      know
      what
      goes
      on
      at
      a
      ceilidh?
     
     
      Who
      doesn't
      know
      where
      to
      get
      lobster?
     
     
      Who
      doesn't
      know
      all
      the
      highschool
     
     
      sports
      teams?
      Who
      doesn't
      know
      Anne?
     
     
      Ok,
      so
      not
      all
      of
      us
      like
      the
      cold
      water,
      or
     
     
      the
      sound
      of
      fiddlin',
      or
      the
      taste
      of
      lobster.
     
    

    
     
      or
      know
      the
      rules
      of
      rugby,
      or
      mer
      g
     
     
      Anne.
      But
      we
      all