I’m back from my trip to Seattle, Vancouver, Whistler, and beyond! Now that I’ve taken the Coast Starlight train to all its destinations I can’t wait to take some more long distance train journeys!!
Danny has often pointed out to me how I go down a social class for every bag I’m carrying and it was even more true for this trip. As I went from my friend Els’s house near the giant geodesic dome thing in downtown Vancouver, to the train station, at 4:30am, laden with giant backpack hanging off the back of my wheelchair, smaller backpack at my feet, and duffel bag balanced on my lap, a little group of maybe 30-somethings was heading away from the crosswalk I was approaching. One of them veered off towards me holding out a bag. “Would you … would you like breakfast?”
Now…. what a question since I was just looking around wondering if anything was open so I could get a muffin or whatever before getting on a 3 hour bus to Seattle where I’d get back on the train. Perhaps this young man had been at some sort of … early meeting rife with donuts, or was a baker carrying home some fresh pastry and a MAGICAL CROISSANT was going to appear for me.
Thus I paused a bit, consideringly, and said “Um… what is it?”
“It’s my leftover McDonald’s pancakes. Please, take it, go on!” (Earnest eye contact, look of deep and pained concern.)
Maybe I should have taken it so he could feel good about himself but I did not and I may have giggled inappropriately without explaining but I did smile and was as nice as possible at 4:30 am on the street. Then I passed through a sort of encampment in the park and at the train station a cab driver was screaming at a definitely homeless dude who was asking for change and so I gave the homeless dude my leftover Canadian money mentally attributing it to the nice man with the free bag of (gross!) Mcdonalds pancakes.
Completing my downwards journey to squalor I then just flat out laid down and fell asleep on the (relatively clean) floor of the bus.
p.s. I did get breakfast from a nice man in the train station who opened a tiny cafe at 5am and sold me a slice of lemon cake!!!
p.p.s. Wait staff in Vancouver AND Whistler sensitively offered me a straw, multiple times! They lean over and say it with soulful discretion, while making eye contact and touching my arm a little! “Would you like a STRAW, ma’am?” (They have HEARD that disabled people have this whole straw thing so…….)
More about the amazing adventures on my trip later !!! A little at a time!!!
p.p.p.s. CRIPS!!
I love train travel too, especially on the coast starlight.
Your story reminds me of a lady with whom I had relations a very long time ago. She lived in Groningen, in Holland, where she went to school, and had ridden her motorcycle to Oyer, in Norway, where we met on a farm.
We went our separate ways for a bit before meeting again in Amsterdam. There she told me that on her trip back she was wearing her black leathers for the motorcycle trip and was waiting in line to put her motorcycle onto a ferry. She said she was very dirty from the trip. Someone begging for money was working his way down the line. She said that when he got to her, instead of asking for money, he offered her some food. I think that at first she was a bit offended, but then became amused.
Yes, I find it actually quite touching and sweet, but underlying that, I get sad that it is very easy to assume a wheelchair user is living in poverty and underhoused, because it is so often TRUE.