Chapter 2

We spent another 2 hours in the hospital. The doctor examined my head and sent me off for x-rays. Fortunately the x-rays came up clean; I guess having a thick skull is sometimes an advantage. After a few more tests, the doctor decided I was fit enough to leave but he told me that he would get the nurse to schedule an appointment with my family doctor next week to make sure everything was ok.

Emily stayed by my side the entire time.

"Are you hungry?"

"Yes, but..."

I realized she didn't have money on her.

"Come on, there's a really nice Thai restaurant nearby. Do you like Thai food?" I said taking her hand in mine.

She smiled shyly and nodded at me letting me lead the way.

We walked to the restaurant which was only about five minutes away. 'Young Thailand' was always a favourite of mine.

The restaurant was busy as usual but for a weekend, we were lucky to be seated right away. After browsing through the menu for a few moments, we decided to share our food (the only way Thai food should be eaten). Emily ordered the green curry chicken and I ordered the pineapple fried rice with Tom Yum Soup as an appetiser.

While we waited for our meals to arrive, I asked her, "So, any thought about my offer?"

She replied, "Are you really sure about it? I feel so bad about imposing on you. You know, you don't really have to do this for me but I really appreciate it."

"I'm very sure Emily. You wouldn't be imposing at all."

"Thank you Nathan. In that case, I accept." She said and immediately her whole demeanour lightened up as though a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. I didn't realise how worried she was about her situation until just now.

"So tell me about yourself, how did you land up here in Toronto?"

She sighed, "It's a stupid story, are you sure you want to hear about it?"

"Definitely." I replied.

"Well, the short story is I had falling out with my parents and decided I needed to move."

"Wow, it must've been bad if you moved all the way across Canada just to get away from them."

"You have no idea."

"So what happened?"

"They wanted me to marry someone I didn't approve of so I got back at them by running off with a guy they didn't approve of."

"But you're here alone."

She flushed a little, "Unfortunately for me, the guy I chose wasn't exactly the best choice either. We had planned to come here together but when it came time to go, I found out that he wanted to give a friend of mine something to remember him by."

I almost spat out the water I was drinking.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to laugh. God, everything happens to you. How old are you anyway?"

She grinned, "Twenty-three and I can see how it could sound funny."

"You're so young for all of that to happen to you. So what are your plans now?"

"I'm not really sure. I was hoping to find an apartment to stay in and then look for a job somewhere in the city. The problem is, I had all my money in my bag that was meant to pay for the rental and get me started over here. I don't want my parents to find out where I am so I thought cash would be a good idea. I'm just full of those, aren't I?"

I laughed, "At least I'm always guaranteed to be entertained around you."

Our supper arrived shortly afterwards and we fell into a companionable silence as we ate. As usual, the food was delicious.

"Let me show you my place." I said after supper.

We walked the five or so blocks it took to get to my Condo. It was about ten at night so the neighbourhood was pretty quiet. The only people walking around were pet owners walking their dogs and teen-agers loitering around near convenience stores. Emily seemed pensive during the walk so I didn't intrude on her thoughts.

"Well, here we are."

"Wow, it looks really nice. Isn't it kind of strange to have a condo building right in between all these old houses?"

"I know, I thought it was strange too but the neighbourhood is great, well except for this evening of course."

My condo unit was on the fifteenth floor. I opened the door and let her in.

"Please excuse the mess."

She laughed, "I wish everyone's place was as messy as this."

I showed her around the condo, it was a fairly standard design, a small kitchen that overlooked the dining room/lounge, two fairly big bedrooms with an en suite in the master and another bathroom just off the foyer.

"Look at the lake." She said as she looked out the large window, "All those lights, it's beautiful."