Wednesday, November 30, 2011

I heard a news story....

....about a new business in the area that was holding an open house to welcome potential clients.

Right away, I became to tremble violently, thinking of my one and only misguided and embarassing attendance at an open-house event.

My childhood best-friend and I (who I had the pleasure of reconnecting with this past summer after years and years of living in different countries and losing touch) were big animal lovers. So when I saw a poster at the local Giant Tiger advertising that a new vet clinic was opening in a neighbouring town, I just new we had to be there. In my mind I likened it to a debutantes ball. Anyone who was anyone would surely be there. It was going to be the event of the summer.

I mean, who would pass up a sweltering hot & humid mid-summer afternoon, in a new office, smelling of fresh paint, cat pee and antiseptic? Not this awkward, and misinformed, firzzy-haired, gangly 12 year old, I can assure you. And not my best friend Tina either. I convinced here that there could be some important people there, people we should know. Maybe we could even get jobs there. And if nothing else, there would be some animals on display, right? Isn't that what vet clinics were all about? The poster also advertised free coffee and snacks, but I was more in it for the possibility of getting to lay my hands on some poor creature. Nevermind the fact that we had 2 dogs and a cat of our own at home. This could lead to something big.

Imagine your 12-year old daughter walking out the door, dressed in a poor excuse for early 90's business casual (Double Whammy: pleated and baggy up top, yet still tapered at the bottom floral print, tan coloured corduroy pants, a long sleeve button up blouse, brown loafers and hoop earrings) on a summery, Sunday afternoon, happily swinging my purse, which contained nothing but a chapstick and a banana clip. Whose parents would allow this, you ask yourself? Oh, that's right. Mine.

Sidenote: Considering my fashion sense based on the above outfit, is it any wonder that the following summer my father asked me if I was gay?

I walked over to Tina's and as we admired how mature and downright rad we both looked, we waited for her dad to drive us over to the new vet office.

I won't bore you with the details but suffice it to say, the open-house was not what we expected. The 2 staff were nice and didn't get angry or even really acknowledge the fact that two demented pre-teen girls in really weird clothes were hanging around the office, without any parents in sight, doing nothing in particular. I think at one point, we began to feel a bit odd and we decided to stand in a side hallway and have a lively, albeit very hushed discussion about the row of cat cages affixed to the wall. They were empty I should point out. There were no animals in to be found. Possibly because it was an open house for a new business that had yet to start seeing patients. Anyways.

I can't say there is a direct corrolation, but this story may lend itself to somewhat explain why I went another 3 years before ever having a first boyfriend.