It
      didn’t
      take
      me
      very
      long
      for
      me
      to
      decide
      for
      Stephan
     
     
      whom
      he
      would
      share
      his
      prize
      with.
      There
      happened
      to
      be
      four
      of
     
     
      us
      at
      The
      Cadre,
      including
      Stephan,
      who
      were
      in
      a
      band
      together.
      A
     
     
      rap
      group,
      to
      be
      precise.
      Our
      rap
      group
      consisted
      of
      Stephan,
      Ryan,
     
     
      Marc
      and
      me.
      I
      suggested
      to
      Stephan
      that
      we
      should
      all
      go
      together
     
     
      and
      he
      seemed
      fine
      with
      that
      idea.
      And
      so
      it
      was.
     
    

    
     
      Stephan’s
      first,
      and
      more
      immediate,
      order
      of
      business
      was
     
     
      to
      arrange
      a
      date
      for
      the
      dinner
      with
      the
      President.
      That
      evening,
      as
     
     
      soon
      as
      the
      banquet
      was
      over
      and
      the
      last
      of
      the
      door
      prizes
      had
      been
     
     
      handed
      out,
      I
      convinced
      Stephan
      to
      speak
      to
      the
      President,
      who
      was
     
     
      in
      attendance,
      before
      he
      left.
      Stephan
      was
      hesitant,
      but
      he
      did
      sum-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “mon
      enough
      courage
      to
      approach
      him:
      Marc.
      and
      I
      watched
      from
     
    
   
   
    
     
      afar
      as
      Stephan,
      wearing
      his
      red
      blazer,
      waited
      for
      his
      opportunity
      to
     
     
      speak
      with
      the
      mingling
      President.
      When
      it
      was
      Stephan’s
      turn,
      he
     
     
      spoke
      only
      briefly
      with
      the
      President
      and
      then
      returned
      to
      where
     
     
      Marc
      and
      I
      were
      standing
      to
      tell
      us
      the
      news.
     
    

    
     
      The
      President
      had
      told
      Stephan
      that
      the
      end
      of
      the
      school
     
     
      year
      was
      a
      busy
      time
      for
      him
      and
      that
      he
      should
      call
      him
      when
      the
     
     
      fall
      semester
      began.
      As
      this
      new
      information
      settled
      in
      my
      mind,
      I
     
     
      began
      to
      doubt
      that
      Stephan
      would
      ever
      be
      able
      to
      redeem
      his
      door
     
     
      prize.
      And
      that
      I
      had
      lost
      my
      only
      opportunity
      to
      dine
      at
      the
      home
      of
     
     
      the
      President
      of
      UPEI.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      II.
      The
      Interim.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Time
      passed.
      The
      semester
      was
      ending
      and
      that
      meant
      writ-
     
     
      ing
      last-minute
      essays
      and
      cramming
      for
      exams.
      Soon
      enough,
      the
     
     
      semester
      was
      over
      and
      I
      was
      ready
      to
      settle
      in
      for
      a
      summer
      of
      being
     
     
      exploited
      for
      minimum
      wage.
      The
      weather
      grew
      warmer
      and
      I
      no
     
     
      longer
      needed
      to
      wear
      sweaters,
      so
      I
      put
      my
      winter
      jacket
      away
      for
     
     
      the
      summer.
     
    

    
     
      With
      more
      free
      time
      on
      our
      hands,
      our
      rap
      group
      got
      togeth-
     
     
      er
      and
      recorded
      a
      few
      songs,
      one
      of
      which
      was
      our
      Spanish
      song
     
     
      about
      the
      struggles
      inherent
      to
      urban
      life.
      I
      just
      found
      out
      recently
     
     
      that
      the
      song
      has
      been
      lost.
     
    

    
     
      After
      a
      while,
      however,
      the
      rap
      group
      stopped
      assembling
     
     
      and
      each
      member
      got
      caught
      up
      in
      his
      summer
      job.
      I
      managed
      to
     
     
      quit
      my
      minimum
      wage
      job
      and
      my
      mother
      found
      me
      work
      with
     
     
      Nabisco
      in
      New
      Brunswick.
      Marc
      went
      full
      time
      washing
      dishes
      at
     
     
      a
      downtown
      hotel.
      Ryan
      found
      a
      job
      at
      a
      service
      station.
      Stephan
     
     
      didn’t
      do
      much
      of
      anything.
     
    

    
     
      I
      spent
      most
      of
      that
      summer
      in
      New
      Brunswick,
      filling
      in
     
     
      for
      Nabisco
      sales
      representatives.
      Essentially,
      |
      ordered
      crackers
      in
     
     
      almost
      every
      backwater
      and
      logging
      town
      in
      New
      Brunswick.
      The
     
     
      company
      put
      me
      up
      in
      motels
      and
      paid
      for
      my
      meals
      and
      I
      spent
     
     
      most
      of
      —
     
     
      my
      free
      time
      waiting
      for
      summer
      vacation
      to
      end.
     
    

    
     
      By
      the
      time
      I
      was
      finished
      with
      my
      work
      in
      New
     
     
      Brunswick,
      I
      had
      two
      weeks
      left
      before
      school
      began.
      I
      spent
      that
     
     
      time
      at
      UPEI,
      in
      the
      Cadre
      office,
      preparing
      to
      revolutionise
      the
      lay-
     
     
      out
      of
      The
      Cadre.
      Kent
      had
      recruited
      me
      as
      the
      Production
      Manager
     
    
   
   
    
     
      and
      it
      meant
      that
      I
      would
      no
      longer
      be
      a
      volunteer.
     
    

    
     
      The
      two
      weeks
      passed
      quickly.
      A
      day
      before
      school
      started
     
     
      again,
      I
      had
      finished
      the
      layout
      for
      the
      first
      issue
      of
      The
      Cadre
      with
     
     
      the
      help
      of
      Kent;
      Ryan
      and
      Stephan.
      Within
      a
      few
      days,
      it
      was
      clear
     
    
   
   
    
     
      that
      people
      were
      liking
      the
      new
      Cadre.
      At
      this
      point,
      Kent
      was
     
    
   
   
    
     
      reminding
      Stephan
      to
      call
      the
      President
      in
      order
      to
      set
      up
      a
      date
      for
     
     
      our
      dinner.
      He
      wanted
      to
      see
      a
      story.
     
     
      It
      took
      Stephan
      a
      few
      days,
      but
      he
      finally
      managed
      to
      contact
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      -
      President.
      Finally,
      a
      date
      was
      set:
      October
      7.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      -
      Kent
      began
      hailing
      this
      as
      the
      cultural
      event
      of
      the
      semester
     
     
      and
      not
      only
      did
      he
      want
      a
      story,
      but
      he
      wanted
      hype.
      He
      immedi-
     
     
      ately
      wanted
      to
      place
      advertisements
      in
      The
      Cadre
      that
      would
      pro-
     
     
      mote
      this
      historic
      event.
      In
      order
      to
      make
      proper
      advertisements,
     
     
      however,
      we
      would
      need
      photographs.
     
    

    
     
      And
      Founders’
      Day
      was
      the
      perfect
      opportunity.
      With
      The
     
     
      Cadre’s
      new
      digital
      camera
      in
      hand,
      |
      attended
      the
      first
      annual
     
     
      Founders’
      Day
      ceremony.
     
    

    
     
      It
      was
      a
      good
      day
      for
      an
      outdoor
      ceremony.
      The
      sky
      was
     
     
      clear
      and
      the
      trees
      still
      had
      all
      their
      leaves.
      Orange
      chairs
      were
      laid
     
     
      out
      in
      two
      sections
      in
      the
      quad
      in
      front
      of
      Main
      Building.
      One
      side
     
     
      seemed
      to
      be
      designated
      for
      students,
      and
      the
      other
      for
      professors.
     
     
      Most
      students,
      as
      I
      understand
      it,
      had
      been
      given
      the
      class
      off
      that
     
     
      day
      in
      order
      to
      attend
      the
      ceremonies.
      The
      side
      where
      the
      students
      sat
     
     
      was
      only
      about
      half-full.
     
    

    
     
      The
      ceremony
      itself
      was
      not
      very
      interesting.
      I
      spent
      most
      of
     
     
      my
      time
      taking
      photographs
      from
      various
      angles
      and
      paid
      little
      atten-
     
     
      tion
      to
      the
      various
      speakers,
      including
      the
      President
      himself.
      What
      I
     
     
      was
      really
      waiting
      for
      was
      the
      reception,
      when
      I
      would
      hopefully
      be
     
     
      able
      to
      take
      some
      photographs
      of
      the
      President
      while
      eating
      some
     
     
      cake.
      The
      possibilities
      with
      such
      a
      picture
      would
      be
      endless.
     
    

    
     
      The
      reception
      was
      located
      around
      the
      gazebo.
      I
      was
      the
      first
     
     
      person
      to
      arrive
      and
      eagerly
      anticipated
      the
      President
      tucking
      in
      to
     
     
      some
      cake
      and
      punch.
      As
      the
      professors
      and
      students
      arrived,
      people
     
     
      began
      mingling.
      The
      President,
      being
      such
      a
      high
      profile
      person,
      was
     
     
      immediately
      approached
      by
      people
      who
      presumably
      wanted
      to
      offer
     
     
      their
      congratulations
      on
      a
      successful
      ceremony.
     
    

    
     
      I
      circled
      around
      as
      I
      waited
      for
      the
      President
      to
      make
      a
      move
     
     
      for
      the
      refreshment
      area.
      Kent
      approached
      me
      and
      I
      told
      him
      about
     
     
      the
      shot
      I
      was
      trying
      to
      get.
      He
      watched
      with
      me
      for
      a
      few
      moments
     
     
      as
      the
      President
      continued
      to
      chat
      with
      anyone
      who
      approached
      him.
     
     
      A
      few
      times,
      the
      President
      took
      his
      glasses
      off
      and
      put
      the
      part
      that
     
     
      wraps
      around
      his
      ear
      into
      his
      mouth
      in
      some
      sort
      of
      academic
      pose.
     
     
      Kent
      seized
      the
      camera
      from
      me
      and
      tried
      to
      get
      a
      shot
      of
      that,
      but
      he
     
     
      couldn’t.
      He
      did,
      however,
      get
      a
      few
      good
      closeups
      of
      his
      face.
      Kent
     
     
      left
      soon
      after
      and
      as
      the
      crowd
      thinned,
      I
      began
      to
      feel
      exposed.
      |
     
     
      finally
      decided
      to
      give
      up
      the
      hunt
      when
      I
      thought
      I
      saw
      the
      President
     
     
      watching
      me
      point
      the
      camera
      in
      his
      direction.
     
    

    
     
      And
      so
      my
      initial
      plan
      had
      failed,
      but
      I
      managed
      to
      make
      the
     
     
      first
      advertisement
      from
      the
      pictures
      that
      Kent
      had
      taken.