This morning I met Benoit

Or so he told me his name was. But I guess it was.

I was walking back from Lu's garderie and I saw Benoit coming from the back side of this "for rent" home (2100$ for a 7 1/2). At first he walked a little behind me and then he started talking, first I think about the chili weather (it was cold this morning, as a matter of fact), and then about the hospital we were walking past.

Benoit wanted to know everything about me, it seemed. He asked me very precise questions (starting with my accent, a classic starter, but not so precise, he went on though to ask me about what I do, where I go to school, if I was going to school right then, what my parents were doing and how I managed to live on being a student, telling me I was "très débrouillarde"-that much is true and I have a high limit on my credit card). He did not even know I had 2 kids to feed and clothe and entertain, I did not tell him.

I found his questions and his interest funny, so I answered them, at least by half-truths (my 2 cents today : always better to tell a half-truth than a lie, in case it comes back later, then you can work around it), but to this complete stranger I could have told just about anything, as I used to do when I was younger, inventing all these stories just for fun.

But somehow, instead of finding this creepy, this old man questioning me so thoroughly, I found myself answering, sometimes by half truths, or smiles.
I like talking to people, meeting people, sharing bits about even just the weather, it doesn't matter if it's on the street or the metro, but usually I am the one starting the conversations, being not exactly the approacheable type sometimes; and also this old gentelman was well dressed and well mannered (although I forgot to look at his shoes, they do tell everything, especially about a man), so I did not really mind... At least he seemed so, I mean he seemed nice and normal, anyway, although you never know (maybe he has Alzheimer's and was actually escaping from the hospital without anybody knowing, and he was hiding behind that house for rent :)

And the questions he asked were not potentially dangerous (or actually the answers I gave him), I'm saying this because I am always thinking for the worst somewhere in the back of my head, and being always afraid of my shadow.

He also shared a lot of things about himself, during a 5 minutes walk I learned that he came from Boston (where he went in 1964, or was it 1974?, or maybe 1967? something like that), to study, and then he stayed there, now visiting his sister, P.T.(and he spelled the name for me), diréctrice du département d'anthropologie (I googled her briefly, and she does exist, and she's the diréctrice), and he was going to get groceries from a store on cdn, but did not know where to go, I have directed him to Metro.

Also, he sort of saved me by being hit by the bus (twice), as I was walking close to the street and the bus driving so close that this nice gentleman thought the bus might have hit me with its mirror, although not true in my opinion, I don't think I was going to get hit by it, but maybe I was, being so clumsy as usual and not completely awake (it was, after all, before 9), I will never know now, maybe I have met this person so he saves me from a trip to the hospital.

Anyway, I'm blabbering (does this word even exist?), but there it is, my story of the day, which by the way got a lot better and more fun as it went on, starting with some shopping (it has been a while, I love Zara, even though I restrained from buying, just trying on things for once, I have found this black top for going out (40$, so sexy), but then I thought I am not really going out lately, and will be even less in the near future, so I forgot about it. I got the most beautiful jeans from American Eagle Outfitters, very light in color, soft and a little strechy, not even that expensive, and then I saw 2 more nice pairs at Zara but did not buy them since I had the one from AE already (this store I don't even ever go to...), on the other hand I have bought underware for Angélique, and several items for Lu who's growing...