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Toronto is a big place, but most people shop for groceries and do other errands in their own neighbourhoods when possible. I mean, why drive, walk, or take public transit for an hour when you can pop by the corner store two minutes away for most things instead? It only makes sense.
This means that you tend to see a lot of the same folks over and over again while buying groceries, doing laundry, or going to the post office even though there are millions of people in this city.
The neighbour I’m talking about today is someone I generally see out and about a few times a week. She’s a short, friendly, talkative, and energetic woman who is probably in her early 70s by now.
If there’s a problem with our elevators or some other neighbourhood news, she will not only already know about it but also may have insider information about what really happened.
Here’s the most interesting thing about her to me, though: she treats everyone just a little like they’re her own kids or grandkids. If you didn’t know the backstory, you’d think she had a gigantic multicultural and multiracial family because of how diverse Toronto is and how many different types of people she’s taken under her wing, so to speak. She loves everyone.
If you’re coughing, she will fuss over you and tell you to stay warm and get better.
If your coat isn’t thick enough for the cold weather in her opinion, she’ll want to know where you’re going and if you have mittens and a hat with you.
If you got a great deal at the local pharmacy or grocery store, she wants to know what’s on sale!
I don’t get the sense that she means to be overbearing with these comments as she won’t press the matter if you tell her you’ve already seen a doctor, or that you’re not going outside in this cold weather, or similar explanations.
If anything, she seems a little lonely to me. I like our occasional moments of small talk.
When I’m missing my mom (who lives far away from here and who I don’t get to see as often as I’d like to), I can get a little taste of having a mom fuss over me for a minute just by talking to that friendly neighbour. It’s kind of sweet.