Call Me Mimi by Francis Chalifour

Author:Francis Chalifour [Chalifour, Francis]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-77049-010-9
Publisher: Tundra
Published: 2008-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

MIMI FALLS OFF THE WAGON

“I think I’m going to order a hamburger after all, with onion rings.” I had to get away from the table to collect myself. Suddenly, I was ravenous. I stood in line at the counter. A tiny Asian woman ahead of me stepped aside to wait for her food while I placed my order. She nodded encouragement as I struggled to pronounce the words in English.

“It make you fat fat, Québec girl,” she said, treating me to a brilliant smile.

“I guess,” I said, looking at the blackboard displaying the menu, which hung above her head. I wanted to die.

I knew she was being impossibly rude, but her words still hurt me. They hurt like mad. What puzzled me was why I cared. I didn’t know her and I didn’t want to know her. She was nasty and she was nosy. Here I was on what I thought was my first date, even though the illusion had lasted only for a millisecond. Besides, apart from my unfortunate addiction to lying, I was a really nice person. Why in the world was I giving some twerp power over me and what I felt? Now that’s neurotic.

By the time I got back to the table, Luc was absorbed in a book. I was tempted to say I’d read it too, but for the moment I’d lost my appetite for lying. “Is it any good?”

“Mm.” He used a scrap of napkin to mark his place and closed the book. “What are you doing in Toronto? Are you studying something?”

I may not have many social graces, but something told me that talking about my search for my sperm donor wasn’t a topic for a first conversation. “Not exactly. I needed a break, you know.” I hate when people say “you know” at the end of their sentences. What could I expect him to know?

“A break from what?”

“From school, from lots of things.” I looked at the passersby outside the window.

“Cool!” he said, even though there was nothing cool in what I had just said. I probably wasn’t ever going to see Luc again. I might as well find out what it feels like to be honest.

“I didn’t exactly need a break from school. That’s not true.” I took a breath and studied my nail polish. It was smooth and unchipped, for once. “I’m here because I want to find my father.”

“Why?”

I knew why. I used to watch Sesame Street every day and pretend that Big Bird was my dad. But a bird doesn’t really count as a father figure. Over the years, I’d refined my vision of my fantasy father. He would fly into my life and sweep me away to a place where everything ugly and coarse and mean was banished. He’d love me, and it wouldn’t just be me and Maman anymore. He’d have a good job so Maman wouldn’t have to work so hard. He would like music and books and he would be interested in the kinds of history I like.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.