Minor Alterations
Now the holidays are done, it’s time to resume the chores and errands that were put aside. Such as updating financial records for the coming tax season – assessing the condition of our cross-country skis – fixing things around our house. I tell myself that those things don’t have to be so bad: just try to get a couple of tasks done each week.
Today I’m taking a coat to a new alteration place I found online. I leave the job of navigating to Google Maps and, nearing my destination, drive along unfamiliar streets and through unknown neighbourhoods.
The shop is in a bunker-like, long red building with multiple entrances. I park in the busy lot and choose an entry door. Once inside, I realize that what I’d taken for a plaza is a well-organized mall, with Cantonese or Mandarin signs on the many electronics stores, banks, and fruit markets. Finally, I see the alteration shop. The proprietor quotes a price for installing a new zipper and tells me when my coat will be ready.
It’s interesting to explore a new area – why don’t I do this more often? I’ve lived up this way for more than two years but have somehow missed whole parts of Markham. Back in the car, I navigate the mall’s puzzle of a parking lot, rounding the many curbs and turns until I get to what I hope is the exit road. At the intersection, I wait at the lights then make a left – and realize that this whole time, I’ve been in the area directly beside the Roots outlet, Kelseys, and other stores I’ve often visited.
ANECDOTE
