Adele kept asking to speak with her son but Mark declined to see her. It didn’t matter how much she begged to see him, he continued to refuse to meet with her or any of his siblings, as if to punish them. The only one he was willing to see other than his lawyer was his grandmother. Every time he saw Monica he asked about Anna and the baby.
Monica knew he was having a rough time and did not want to tell him that Anna disappeared. Monica and Adele would go to visit Mark’s son who became stronger every day against all odds. They would feed him and give him love. Adele had no intention of giving up and let her grandson be raised by strangers. She already started the legal process to adopt him and have him stay in the family. The problem was that Adele wanted to go ahead with the adoption with Anna’s consent but Anna could not be found.
Anna’s body was found in a deserted field approximately a month after she left the hospital. Her body was buried underneath the snow and after it melted a group of hikers found her and immediately called the police. The pathologist who conducted the autopsy said that she died a month before her body was found and the cause of death was a drug overdose.
Mark fell apart when he heard about her death. He was enraged and started crying hysterically. He was throwing things at the walls of his cell and It took three prison guards to subdue him. They felt sympathy towards him and tried to calm him down without having to restrain him.
News of Anna’s death shocked the entire country. Pictures of her beautiful face were all over the news media and people were talking about her story for days. They spoke about her tragic life, and the baby she left at the hospital who would never know his mother.
Monica and Adele arranged Anna’s funeral. The number of people who attended was enormous, although just a few of them knew her personally. Many people lit candles in the filed where her body was found, and her death touched a great number of people.
Anyway Brandon, Mark’s lawyer put up a hell of a fight for him at his trial. Mark was quite skinny and looked indifferent during the trial and Adele started crying when she saw him. However, Mark didn’t even glance at her. Mark received a 15 month sentence and the judge said he was lenient with him as he took his circumstances into account.
Brendan wasn’t happy with the decision and promised Adele he would immediately file an appeal with a higher level court. At the same time, Adele applied to legally adopt her grandson, and she succeeded. She named the baby Adam, as Monica told her this was the name Anna wanted to give him.
Mark’s appeal was successful. The appeal court ruled they would release Mark from jail provided he entered a drug rehab program and promise he would never be in court on drug charges again. This time, Adele took Mark to a privately run rehab center which was much more pleasant than the previous one.
It took a while but eventually Mark appreciated that his mother’s struggle with the authorities to adopt his son and raise him. As well, he appreciated her determination not to give up on him even though he insisted he did not want anything to do with her. Mark was finally willing to talk to his mother about his upbringing. Fortunately, he was able to look at his childhood from a different point of view. He now understood that his mother was absent from they home because she had to earn a living, and not because she didn’t love him or his siblings.
However, Mark went to a drug rehab as the appeal court ruled. He was in a live-in type of treatment program where he stayed in the facility for two months and focused on his healing. Mark was thinking about his father during his stay in the medical detox. He remembered when he was very young Sam had notebooks where he used to draw when he wanted to relax.
Mark, who was fascinated by his father’s drawings, asked Sam to buy him notebooks and coloring pencils. He was 3 years old at the time, yet he drew pretty well considering his age. Mark stopped drawing for a long time after his father died, but kept the notebooks as if they were treasures. A decade later when he felt blue or stressed, he would try drawing again but he couldn’t concentrate which increased his frustration.
Anyway, when he was at the rehab he started drawing once more. He would draw Anna and his father from memory. The rehab staff were amazed how talented he was when they saw his drawings. They encouraged him to develop his skills which led to an exhibit later on. Mark’s family would often come to visit him in the rehab and Adele would bring Adam to visit his father every time she went there.
Adam’s visits brought so much joy to Mark’s life and he would countdown the hours until his next visit. Adele significantly cut down on her hours in the bakery since Adam became a part of her life. She was completely dedicated to him and was sensitive to his needs. After a two month stay in a live-in treatment program, Mark was ready to move to an outpatient program.
He decided to finish high school while attending treatment sessions at the rehab. After finishing high school, he went to university. At the same time, Mark was volunteering at the local medical detox center. He gave lectures all across Canada about the dangers of drugs. He would tell his story and he became a sought after speaker. In addition, he continued to paint and wrote a few books about addiction.
Mark was lucky thanks to the wonderful and professional staff at the rehab who gave him the tools he needed to cope with the challenges in his life. They treated him as though he was one of their family and not as a patient. As well, thanks to his loving family, Mark managed to lift himself up from the bottom, get a second chance, and be a somebody……..
Anna went to rehab and expected Mark would join her shortly thereafter. The program was very hard for her but she had hope she would unite with her boyfriend soon and that they would support each other. But when she understood it wouldn’t happen, she could not hold on anymore.
After a couple of weeks, Anna left the rehab and returned to the street. Although she reduced her drug use, she did not completely stop. She went in and out of rehab several times, but never persevered. One day when Anna was eight months pregnant, she had severe pain in her belly. Luckily it was winter and she and Mark were staying at the shelter at the time because it did not stop snowing all day.
Anna was rushed to the hospital and the next day she gave birth to a baby boy. The baby was premature, small and addicted to drugs. Anna was told he doesn’t have much chance of surviving. Later on she was told by the social worker that even if her son would survive, he would be transferred to a foster family as neither she or Mark could raise him.
Anna was upset and full of guilt. She cried nonstop and Mark didn’t know what to do to comfort her. He called his grandmother and updated her about the baby and asked for her help. Monica was surprised as she didn’t know about Anna at all. But she arrived at the hospital in no time anyway. She saw Anna and Mark and her heart went out to them. Monica tried to encourage Anna and said she was willing to help however she could.
Monica used to work as a nurse in the neonatal intensive care unit in the same hospital where Anna gave birth. Since she still knew some of the staff who worked in that unit, she promised Anna and Mark she would come to visit the baby every day and keep an eye on him.
However, before Monica left the hospital she glanced at Mark who looked tired and did not say much. She wanted so badly to hug him like she used to do when he was a kid, but was afraid he would push her away. Monica invited him over to her house to have a decent meal and stay a long as he wanted. Surprisingly, he accepted her invitation. The day after, Mark had to make a delivery before visiting Anna at the hospital. He was arrested by the police after he sold drugs to an undercover cop.
Monica received the news when she was on her way out to visit Anna and the baby. Adele had not yet processed the fact that her younger son became a father when Monica called and told her he was arrested. Adele was horrified when she heard what her son was accused of.
When she came to the police station, the officer in charge suggested that she hire the best criminal lawyer she could get. He told her that her son got himself into a lot of trouble. Adele asked the officer to see her son and he agreed, but Mark did not want to see her.
Nevertheless, Adele called her lawyer in Brampton and he referred her to a criminal lawyer in Toronto who had a very good reputation. Adele went with Monica to see Anna and the baby. Unfortunately, they had to inform her about Mark’s arrest. Anna froze when she heard the news and looked like a zombie. She could not utter a word.
Anna was desperate. She knew Mark might get a lengthy prison sentence and she needed drugs to numb her grief. In the meantime, Monica and Adele went to see the baby and when they went back to Anna’s room to say goodbye, she wasn’t there. Apparently, she left the hospital against doctor’s orders and according to the nurse, she was very upset.
Furthermore, Mark wasn’t the only one from the gang who was arrested. But he was the only one that kept silent. The police put all the suspects in one cell in the hope they would talk and betray the mastermind. Mark remained completely silent and did not speak with the other detainees even though he knew them very well. Adele hired the best criminal lawyer who had a lot of experience working with youth.
During the trial the lawyer claimed that Mark was taken advantage of and manipulated because he was distressed. Mark did not do it out of greed but to finance his drug habit. The lawyer also claimed that Mark was afraid to betray the head of the gang as it would put his family at risk.
The judge did not accede to the attorney’s request to release Mark on bail as he was a flight risk. In addition, this was his second arrest in the last year. Mark went through a very difficult time during his period in custody. It wasn’t enough he had to deal with his drug addiction, but he also missed Anna terribly……..
Monica received a phone call from the rehab telling her that Mark just left the centre without telling anybody. She was distressed that he was out on the street by himself and did not know what to do. So she went to the police and reported him missing. The police told her she can’t force him to stay in rehab, and she needed to wait at least 48 hours to report a missing person.
Mark couldn’t go home or to his grandmother’s, therefore he lived on the street. Living on the street was very difficult for him as he never did it before and he had to adjust to it. As well, because he did not have the money to buy food, he would sometimes eat leftovers he found in the garbage or steal food from a grocery store.
A few days later after he left the rehab he met Anna, a beautiful young girl who was living on the street since she was 12 years old. Anna came from a very tough background. Her parents were drug addicts who neglected and abused their children. Consequently, welfare services transferred them to a foster home.
Anna experienced violence during her stay at foster homes. She was placed in four foster homes over the course of two years. When she was twelve years old she ran away from one of the abusive foster parents. Anna was the same age as Mark but much more mature than him. They had a good rapport the first time they met, and looked out for each other.
Since Anna was familiar with living on the street, she introduced Mark to most of the youth shelters in the city of Toronto. Mark really loved Anna and she was his first love. Anyway, Mark needed money and the easiest way for him to get some was to return to his drug dealing. Thus, he contacted Antony who was happy to hear from him and almost immediately put him back to work.
Antony’s gang supplied drugs all over Ontario and because Toronto is the largest city in Canada, dealers are always needed. However, Monica Karen and Jimmy were intensively looking for Mark on the street, as the police had no information for them. At some point, they had no choice but to inform Adele about her missing son.
Adele hired a private investigator to look for Mark , and he found him. But Mark did not want to go home or to speak with his mother or his siblings for that matter. He also didn’t want to live with his grandmother even though he liked her. He would call her from time to time to let her know he was OK.
A few months later Anna started to feel sick. Mark tried to persuade her to see a doctor but she vehemently refused until one day she collapsed on the street. She was taken to the hospital and after being examined she was told she was four months pregnant. Despite her young age, Anna got pregnant several times before and had an abortion each time. But this time she wanted to keep the baby as she loved Mark.
Mark was overwhelmed when he heard about Anna’s pregnancy. They both lived mainly on the street and barely had any money for food. Besides, they were both too young to be parents. The doctor who examined Anna at the hospital told her if she wanted her baby to survive, she has to go to a detox program otherwise she could lose the baby.
Anna agreed to go to a detox program but she wanted Mark to join the program as well. The doctor involved a social worker who tried to find a place for both of them in the same rehab. But unfortunately, after a few days of intensive research, she could find only one place available. The social worker decided Anna must be the priority as she was the one most at risk.
Anna did not want to go without Mark unless the social worker promised her she would not stop until Mark was placed in the same detox program. Anna wished to have a fresh start with Mark and believed this was a one time opportunity. On the other hand, Mark was not enthusiastic about going back to rehab. He also had a considerable amount of drugs in his possession which he needed to deliver to his regular clients.
In addition, he could not afford to mess with Antony as he knew perfectly well what happens to people who disappointed the head of the gang. Antony was very cruel and would stop at nothing to punish someone who did not meet his expectations. He would punish their loved ones as well. As a result, Mark was terrified that Antony would hurt Anna. Mark did not want to disappoint Anna too. She was all he had and would be more than happy if she were able to get off drugs.
As she promised Anna, the social worker tried her best to place Mark in the same program she placed her or at least in the same treatment centre. But sadly, it did not work out……..
Mark was addicted to drugs and would do almost anything to get them. He became drug dealer when he was 15 years old. Since he did not have a driver’s license, Antony would send him with a driver from party to party to sell drugs.
Mark would deliver drugs to rich people and to students at universities as well. He made a lot of money in a short period of time, which all went to purchasing drugs. Luckily for him, he had a home to return to unlike most of his friends, who had nowhere to go, so they lived on the streets. While his siblings were every parent’s dream; they went to university, helped their mother in the business and never used drugs, Mark was every parent’s nightmare.
Anyway, one day while Mark delivered drugs to one of the universities, his brother Jimmy saw him. Jimmy saw that Mark was handing out a small package to the guy who usually organized campus parties. Mark was getting cash in return, which did not leave much doubt with what he was doing. Jimmy froze in his place and Mark didn’t even notice him.
When Mark came home that night, Jimmy and Karen were waiting for him in his room. They demanded an explanation for what Jimmy saw at the university. Mark tried to run out of the room but his siblings grabbed a hold of him and wouldn’t let go. They were much stronger than him and he couldn’t move. Mark had no choice but to talk. He started to cry and told them he had been using drugs for a while. He said that in order to buy the drugs, he occasionally had to deliver them to customers.
Jimmy and Karen were in shock, even though Mark did not tell them the whole truth about being a full time drug dealer. He also did not mention anything about the home burglaries he was involved with. It took them a few minutes to regain their composure. They always thought Mark was weird and they knew he did not like to study. But they never thought he could go that far and be involved with drugs or be a junkie.
Karen and Jimmy made it clear to their younger brother that he had to go to a drug addiction rehab centre before it was too late. Mark was stubborn and did not like being told what to do. Thus he refused to hear anything about the drug rehab and said he could stop taking drug whenever he wanted. His siblings were worried sick about him and decided to threaten him. They said that if he would not do what they told him, they would inform their mother about his activities. In addition, they would not hesitate to go to the police and turn him in.
After a long night, the siblings agreed that Mark needs to be hospitalized as soon as possible. Mark would tell his mother that he was going to stay with his grandmother, who just lost her husband not too long ago. Mark’s grandmother Monica lived in Toronto and when his father died, she came to help Adele with her children.
She stayed with her daughter for several months and even after she went back to her home, she would visit them very often. Mark and his siblings loved their grandmother and thought they could turn to her for help whenever they needed to. Besides, they thought they would find a rehab for their brother in Toronto faster than in Brampton.
Monica was very happy to see her grandchildren but was devastated soon after she learned the reason for their visit. She immediately agreed to keep the information from her daughter and help find a suitable place for Mark. Mark’s siblings and Monica were looking for a place for him the next day. It did not occur to them that all the rehabs had a waiting list, and it could take months until he would be accepted.
Just when they were ready to give up, one of the rehabs called and said there was space available for Mark. Mark’s siblings and his grandmother were very happy to hear the news while Mark was gloomy. The day after Mark was hospitalized in the drug rehab, and his siblings went back to Brampton.
Monica promised her grandson she would come to visit him whenever the rehab would allow it. She also promised Mark she would help him beat his addiction and would always be there for him. Mark went to an in patient drug rehab at one of the government funded treatment centres in Toronto.
He did not like the place from the first day he arrived. Mark hated closed places. He also did not like to adhere to a system of strict rules and schedules. In addition, he had to share a room with a roommate, and to wake up early in the morning every day even though he barely slept at night. Mark didn’t connect with anyone at the rehab.
His grandmother came to visit as she promised, and her heart went out to him. He looked lost and barely communicated with her. He was supposed to stay at the centre for one month and after that the treatment team would reevaluate his condition. After he was clean for two weeks, Mark decided he had enough and left the rehab……….
Adele was in shock when a police officer who she knew very well informed her that her son was arrested. It was even harder for her to digest the fact that he had been arrested for theft from an eighty year old woman. Mark was released on bail and put under house arrest.
He did not utter a word all the way from the police station to the house. Mark did not even express remorse for his actions. He maintained his silence no matter how hard Adele tried to coax him to talk and explain his actions, why for God’s sake did he have to steal…..
When they arrived home, Mark went straight to his room and closed the door. He was so bitter and unwilling to speak with anyone. Mark hid drugs in his room in case he needed them. When his supplies dried up, he asked his friend to bring him more. Since he did not have any money, he took cash from his mother’s wallet, without her permission of course. Mark didn’t dare invite his buddies into the house, so they would exchange money for drugs through his window.
For a short time Mark stole money from his mother. But every time he did that his heart skipped a beat as he was afraid she would find out. Thus, when his friends suggested he join them to break into houses, he agreed. His friends convinced him that it was easy money. They told him all he had to do was follow the residents for a few days and learn their routine. He should break in when he was absolutely sure no one was at home and take everything of any value.
The leader of the gang Anthony was a little older that the rest, but had an extensive criminal record. Anthony went in and out of jail several times and nothing scared him. He divided the gang into pairs while breaking into houses. One would enter the house, while the other would stay outside and keep an eye out in case someone was coming.
The gang worked like a well oiled machine. When Mark joined the group he had a panic attack every time he had to break into someone’s house. He just could not do it. He froze the minute he went inside and repeatedly came out empty handed. But Anthony needed more people he could trust and Mark desperately needed money to buy drugs and had no choice.
Therefore, the head of the group decided Mark will stay outside of the house to observe that no one was coming. At first they would break into the houses of wealthy people. But they soon became greedy and broke into any house they thought had potential. They would even break into the homes of seniors that barely made it to the end of the month. All those seniors had was a meager pension that they had withdrawn from the bank, and before they knew it, the gang would get their hands on the money.
The gang would knock on the elderly person’s front door under the pretext of being from the cable TV company or telephone company. They would tell them they came to upgrade their equipment. The minute they were inside, they took money and small items they could easily sell.
As Mark and his buddies consumption of drugs increased, the tactics they resorted to sunk lower. They were willing to do almost anything to get the money to buy them. Although Mark became a professional thief, he did not like doing it. It was not because he cared whatsoever about those poor people he stole money from, but because he thought it was too much effort and the risk of being caught was high.
Adele had no idea what was going on with her son the whole time. He acted like a stranger. He would come and go in the middle of the night and sometimes she didn’t see him for days. She did not know what he was doing with his life as he refused to answer her questions. Adele thought it was something fleeting because he was a teenager and it would go away over time. She could not imagine how deep the trouble he was in.
Anyway, Anthony knew Mark did not like to break into houses, so he offered him a solution. He suggested that Mark would become a drug dealer. He told him he could make much more money and would not be short of drugs. In addition, Anthony would direct customers to him. Mark felt he had gone too far already and was afraid of the consequences.
He always thought he was in control and whenever he wanted to stop, he could. But then he realized he was on a slippery slope, thus he asked Anthony to give him a few days to think about his offer. Mark deliberated for a few days not knowing what to do. Obviously, he could not speak with anybody about it. Eventually what pushed him to decide was when he ran out of drugs………
Sam took the entire situation to heart and found some relief in food, alcohol and cigarettes. He gained weight, and stopped exercising which led to high blood pressure and diabetes. He literally neglected himself. One day Sam just collapsed and was rushed to the hospital. After being examined by a doctor he was diagnosed with Ischemic Heart Disease and he was only forty years old.
Sam took medication at first but it did not help much. Since he had severe symptoms which weren’t relived by medication alone, his doctor suggested a surgical procedure. Sam never came back to himself and his quality of life significantly declined. He stopped spending so many hours at the bakery and would go there just for a couple of hours a day. Over time Sam became depressed and was not pleasant to be around. Because of her husband’s health condition, Adele had to run the store in addition to her household chores.
Sam was disappointed in his family as they didn’t support him when he found out Calvin was stealing from him. On the other hand, his sister received all the support she needed because she had small children. Furthermore, they pressured him to drop the charges against Calvin. As a result, he distanced himself from them and he didn’t even inform them about his surgery.
Anyway, sales at the bakery went down since Sam got sick. He was the foundation of the bakery and many of the customers shopped there because of him. In fact, most of them had personal relationships with him. But after he reduced his working hours, they didn’t come to the store as often. Consequently, Sam reluctantly let go some of his long standing employees.
Sam suffered from heart disease for more than two years until one day his heart gave out. After his death, Adele decided to cut off contact with his family. She also did not want her children to be in touch with them, as she knew this was what her husband wanted. Adele blamed Sam’s family for his poor health over the years and never forgave them for that.
However, Adele had to work more hours at the bakery since Sam died. Therefore, she could not be at home like she used to when her children came home from school. The eldest daughter Karen who was only 10 years old would take care of her younger brothers. Jimmy was 7 years old and Mark was 4. The three children loved their father, and it was a great loss for them when he died. But for Mark the loss was more traumatic as he was closest to him. In addition, he felt he was losing his mother who he needed so much but wasn’t as available to him due to the circumstances.
From a chatty little boy, Mark became an introverted child and could be short tempered. While his siblings were good students, he wasn’t. He did not participate in class and as he grew older he often did not attend school at all. Adele was busy supporting her family and did not notice that her youngest son was in distress.
When Karen and Jimmy were teenagers, they would help out their mother at the bakery during school break while Mark avoided entering the store. It was as though he blamed the bakery for taking his parents away from him. Nevertheless, with hard work, Adele turned the bakery into the most popular one in Brampton. The place became even more successful than it was before Sam got sick.
In fact, Adele enlarged the store to keep up with the increased business. She was determined to fulfill her husband’s dream and rehire all the employees he laid off during the crisis. Adele never forgot who helped them establish the business. As it grew, she had to hire more workers, so she also rehired the employees who lost their jobs because of Calvin’s fraud.
Anyway, Mark did not fit in with any regular high school and his mother didn’t know what to do about it. At some point he dropped out of school against his mother’s wishes. Adele tried to talk him out of it but he wouldn’t listen to her. He would hang out with a rough group of guys. He found comfort with his new friends and was in the street most of the time.
Although his friends frequently used drugs, he tried not to touch them. One day he was in a really bad mood and his friends persuaded him to try some marijuana. They said it was not addictive if he occasionally consumed it. Besides, it would significantly improve his mood. At the beginning, he would take it from time to time just if one of his friends offered it to him. But he slowly started using it on a regular basis.
Mark needed more money since he started using drugs. The pocket money Adele gave him wasn’t enough anymore so he had to find a way to earn some money. He would work at all kinds of temporary jobs yet he soon realized that the money he earned wasn’t enough to buy the amount of drugs he consumed.
Thus, he did what his buddies would do, stealing from innocent people at the train stations and in the malls. Mark was arrested by the police one day after he tried to steal a wallet from an elderly woman who was brave enough to put up a fight. Even though Mark was much stronger than her, she managed to hold his arm tightly and didn’t let go until the policewoman who was in the mall arrested him……..
A few days before Sam put the cameras he received a phone call from someone who used to work in the new bakery for several months. Steven was fired by Calvin the week before and had a lot to say about him. He asked to urgently meet with Sam. Steven drew Sam’s attention to his brother-in-law’s poor management of the bakery.
He told him Calvin would only come to the store for a few hours a day. And when he showed up, it was clear he really wasn’t interested in what was going on. Calvin would sit with his friends for hours and everything they ordered was on the house. He usually did not show his face before 11 AM and would leave by 2 PM. He employed one of his acquaintances in the bakery and actually his friend was the one running the place.
Steven mentioned that he suspected that some of the money from the sale of pastries went into the pockets of Calvin and his friend. He also said the rest of the employees knew about it, but were afraid to say anything as they worried they would lose their jobs.
Sam kept silent while Steven was talking. Partly because he was embarrassed as Calvin was his brother-in-law, and partly because he was in shock and left speechless. Sam was daydreaming for almost an hour after Steven left. It was late at night and he was still at the bakery. He couldn’t bring himself to go home that night. But when he finally arrived home he was exhausted physically and mentally.
Sam could not sleep at all that night and couldn’t stop thinking about what Steven told him. He knew he made a huge mistake by letting his sister convince him to hire her husband. He also knew that as much as he believed every single word Steven had said, he still needed evidence that his brother-in-law was committing fraud. Therefore, he decided to go to the bakery before dawn and put up the cameras.
A couple of weeks later Sam had all the evidence he needed. He went to consult with his lawyer who told him he should file a complaint against Calvin and his friend for theft. The lawyer also suggested that Sam change the locks on the doors of the bakery to prevent the two from entering the store. The police sergeant was one of Sam’s regular clients, so he decided to go see him.
Calvin and his friend were arrested shortly after that. Calvin was arrested while he was at home. He was very surprised by his arrest as he did not see it coming, and his wife was in shock. When Beverly realized what her spouse was accused of, she started crying and tried to reach her brother. She was sure Sam would tell her he had nothing to do with it and this was probably some mistake.
But when she understood she would not hear what she wanted to hear, Beverly slammed her brother for chasing her husband for no reason. She hurled harsh words at him while he tried to explain to her he had unequivocal evidence of embezzlement on the part of her husband and his friend. Beverly didn’t care what Sam had to say and demanded that he immediately dismiss the complaint against Calvin.
Later on Sam’s family tried to put pressure on him to withdraw the complaint so that Calvin could go back to his wife and their small children. Sam tried very hard to keep Calvin’s arrest secret but the news soon made the rounds. However, when Sam went back to run the bakery, he discovered how much financial damage Calvin caused. He received countless phone calls from suppliers demanding their payments without delay, otherwise they would sue him.
It turned out that Calvin did not pay those suppliers for months and the debt continued to grow. Every time that they asked to be paid he assured them in his manipulative way he would pay them soon and at the same time he turned to other suppliers. In addition to the enormous debt Calvin left behind, he managed to ruin Sam’s reputation as well. Sam had to lay off all the employees who worked at the new bakery, as he could not afford to pay them any longer, nor keep the store open either. It was one of the hardest things he ever did as some of them had families to support.
Nevertheless, Sam was always overweight and a smoker. Before he opened the new bakery, he decided to make some changes in his lifestyle with his wife’s encouragement, which went beautifully. But soon all this changed and Sam was under a great deal of stress due to all the upheavals that took place in his life thanks to his brother-in-law…….. That along with the nonstop arguments he had with his sister who blamed him for not paying her husband enough to support his family, even though Calvin’s salary had significantly risen since he started working for Sam. Beverly said her husband had no choice but to steal money to get through the month. Her words were like a knife to his heart……….
Adele’s husband Sam died after a long-term illness and left her with three young kids. Sam and Adele had a successful bakery for a decade in Brampton the fourth most populous city in Ontario, Canada. Many people from the area and outside the city would come to the bakery every day to buy their special pastry.
The big mistake Sam made was when he decided to open another bakery in a different location in the city, against his wife’s wishes. Adele thought since they did very well for themselves, Sam should spend more time with their children instead of opening another bakery.
This was a very ambitious step on his part as shortly after he opened the store, he realized he could not withstand the pressure. Same would run around like a headless chicken all day. He would wake up early in the morning before dawn and rush to the bakeries. He would come home late every day exhausted. Sam barely saw his children as on weekends and holidays he was even busier.
After sending the children to school, Adele would take his place at the old bakery while he would go to the new one. After a few months of working like a dog, Adele was able to persuade Sam to hire a manager to run the new bakery. Anyway, when Beverly, Sam’s sister, heard that her brother was looking for someone to run his new bakery, she suggested he hire her husband Calvin who was a supervisor in the bakery at Costco.
Sam did not like the idea of employing someone from his family. As well, he had a very special relationship with his little sister and was afraid that if he hired Calvin and something went wrong, this would affect their close relationship. In addition, Sam always thought that his brother-in-law was lazy and the last thing he wanted was him running his business.
But Beverly told him that Calvin was unhappy where he was working. The salary he earned was very low, even though he had a degree in business administration in addition to the experience he had in the field. Besides, she assured him that their relationship would not be affected as she had no intention of interfering in his business decisions regarding Calvin.
Beverly convinced Sam to give her husband a chance to prove to him he could do an excellent job running the store. She and Calvin had a little boy and were expecting their second child. They were struggling to finish the month before the money ran out. Therefore if Sam hired Calvin, his salary would jump overnight and Beverly knew this very well.
However, Sam told his sister that he doesn’t want to decide without consulting with his wife. When Sam made the suggestion that Calvin would run the new store, Adele thought he was out of his mind. She knew what Sam thought about his brother-in-law and wasn’t in favour of hiring him. But Sam wanted very much to help his sister so he persuaded his wife that this was the right thing to do.
Later on, he hired Calvin. Sam didn’t trust his brother-in-law during the first few months and would watch him like a hawk. Likewise, he did not let him make any independent decisions, which Calvin didn’t like. Calvin complained to his wife, who immediately ran to her brother and asked him to leave her husband alone. It wasn’t easy, but eventually Sam complied with his sister’s request to let it go, and to let Calvin do what he was hired for.
For a while everything went well. Sam finally started to trust his brother-in-law. He even planned to go on vacation with his family after years of not taking one. Over time, Sam noticed that the new bakery was not nearly as profitable as the old one. When he spoke with his brother-in-law about it, Calvin mentioned the fact that the store was still new. He thought they needed to spend more money on advertising as the location wasn’t in a high traffic area.
Sam accepted Calvin’s suggestion and invested more money on advertising. He saw an improvement for a few months and revenues even doubled. But it did not take long for them to drop again. Furthermore, Sam’s accountant called him and said there was a discrepancy between the expenses claimed and receipts submitted. The accountant tried to get an answer from Calvin, but he brushed him off.
At that point Sam began to suspect that something was wrong. Although he tried not to make a big deal about it, he still demanded an explanation from his brother-in-law. Calvin flatly denied what the accountant said and insisted he gave him all the receipts. After several days of deliberation, Sam took his wife’s advice. Adele suggested he install miniature cameras all over the store in addition to the existing security cameras he put up when he opened the bakery. Sam hoped at least for his sister’s sake, he would not find any evidence of theft……..
Let me explain the reason for being sponsored in order to receive Permanent Resident status. The authorities don’t want people who are applying for P.R. to rely on the Canadian taxpayer. They don’t want those people to be funded by Canadians while they are waiting for the approval of their application (which can take several months to several years). Therefore, the applicant must have a Canadian citizen sponsor them.
Anyway, to the crux of the matter in this instance Mandy was stuck with her Canadian boyfriend. She had no one to turn to for help in Canada. Another rumour making the rounds was that her ex used to beat her as well and that she liked to hang out with abusive men. Alma really liked Mandy and wanted to help her, while Emilia thought she was sleazy and did not want anything to do with her. Well…..I can guess why, since Mandy had nothing to offer Emilia so why would she like her.
Regardless, Emilia liked to have dinner parties at her house. She would invite all kinds of people she did not know very well but who could benefit her. However, she never included Mandy in her parties. When Alma asked her why she didn’t invite her, Emilia would make all kinds of ridiculous excuses. She would say if she invited her, Mandy would probably have dressed provocatively and she didn’t want her to be a bad influence on her young children……. Besides, she didn’t like the way she talked.
Emilia called Mandy a vulgar person, which was disgusting on her part. By the way, Mandy never dressed provocatively or said anything vulgar, that was only in Emilia’s sick head….. She was a polite and quiet person. But hey…..Emilia would say anything as long as it served her agenda. Alma would plead with Emilia to include Mandy in her events. She tried to speak to her heart and mentioned the fact that Mandy had no one in Canada. Plus these events are a good opportunity for her to meet some new friends.
Alma also promised Emilia that Mandy would not dress inappropriately for her parties. Emilia still remained unwilling to even discuss it. Mandy did not know about these events. But when she found out she was quite offended. She asked Alma how come she was never invited……and why she didn’t tell her about it. Alma was speechless for a while……and then she said Emilia was inviting a limited number of friends. Besides, she said most of the guests were usually the parents of Emilia’s children’s friends.
Mandy didn’t buy Alma’s answer. Later on she barely spoke with her. Basically she blamed Alma for Emilia’s behavior without specifically saying it. She felt unwelcome and looked sad. When Alma asked her what was wrong, she would say nothing was wrong and kept to herself. Shortly after that Mandy left school without telling anyone. Alma tried calling her countless times but she never answered. She just disappeared as if the earth swallowed her up.
Over time, Alma’s husband realized he was taken advantage of by Emilia. He refused to go to her dinner parties anymore and stopped answering her legal questions as well. I have to say that Emilia’s husband was a great person. If I had to guess, I would say that most of the guests that came to her house were there to see him and not her.
Anyway, Emilia stopped inviting Alma and her husband to her house, after she understood she couldn’t manipulate them anymore. She would completely ignore Alma at school. However, despite diligently looking for a job, Emilia did not find one in her field, nor did she set up a business as she had planned. The people she would often invite to her house did not help her much at all. Maybe they thought she should work on her personal skills before looking for a job…..
After two years of frustration which was long past they year she gave herself, Emilia decided she wanted to return to England with her family. It wasn’t easy for Emilia’s husband to leave his job in Canada as his salary was much higher than what he earned in England. In addition, he held a middle management position, therefore they had a higher standard of living. He very much wanted to stay a little longer in Canada to save more money in order to buy a bigger house in England, but Emilia already made up her mind.
A couple of days before Emilia left Canada, she called Alma and updated her that they were leaving. She said she would be in Alma’s neighbourhood and would like to stop by for a few minutes to say goodbye. Alma was surprised by the phone call as she hadn’t spoken to her for a long time. Alma was waiting for her the day she said she would be in the area, but she never showed up……Who needs friends like that……………….
It is humiliating when you discover that a person you considered to be your friend, someone you went out of your way to help, is taking advantage of you.
Alma moved from England to Toronto approximately two years before she met Emilia. Alma was taking a computer programming course at Seneca College when she was introduced to Emilia. She met her in the campus cafeteria when both of them were waiting for their coffee. After a short conversation, they realized they lived not too far from each other back home in England.
Emilia came to the campus to check which programs they had to offer. She spoke about what she did for living back home while complimenting herself…… Alma noticed that Emilia was a bit arrogant right from the start. Emilia was barely in Canada for a few months and was already criticizing Canadians.
Emilia’s husband worked in a multinational corporation and was sent by his employer to the Canadian office. He flew home for a short visit every few months and that wasn’t often enough. This separation was extremely challenging for him, Emilia and their kids. After roughly a year, they decided to move the entire family to Canada. Emilia worked in network security back home and was sure she would find a job in the field in no time. When she and her husband decided to unite the family in Toronto, it was on the condition she finds a job in her field within a year.
Anyway, Alma was delighted to meet someone from back home. She immediately introduced Emilia to her friends as she wanted her to feel comfortable. However, when you immigrate to Canada, you are entitled to free English or French as a second language courses. But I don’t think it is just for immigrants, it’s also for people who have a work Visa. At least it used to be this way, and I am not sure if this is still relevant today.
Alma was taking French courses at the time. When she met Emilia she suggested that she also apply for the courses until she finds a job, which she did. Obviously they weren’t in the same class as they did not start at the same time. Emilia made new friends in her French class, and many times when she was talking with her new friends at school and Alma came close by, she would behave as though she did not see her. But when Emilia needed something, she would act as though they were best friends.
Every time Emilia was absent from school, she would call Alma, ask her to go to her teacher and get the material which was taught that day. Emilia would also frequently ask Alma to copy the material for her. However, since Emilia couldn’t find a job in her field, she decided to try designing websites for small businesses. She needed a lawyer to help set it up, and yet she wanted to keep her costs down as much as possible.
Guess what? Alma’s husband Ron was a lawyer. When Emilia found out, it was as though she won the lottery. She would invite Alma and her husband for dinner. After dinner, on their way back home, she would send Ron emails asking him all kinds of legal questions about setting up her own business. Emilia found an original way to get free legal advice. Since she was Alma’s friend, Ron did not even think about charging her for his time. However, it did not even cross her mind to offer to pay him.
Ron was OK with not charging her as long as he was only answering the occasional question. Besides, he wanted to help out. But after a while, he noticed that every time she invited them to her house, she would ask him for legal advice. Anyway, Emilia had a bad habit, one of many….. she would frequently embarrass Alma in front of others by saying things like “oh, you speak too loud” and shhhhing her. While in fact, she was the one who needed to be the center of attention by speaking loud and making a lot of noise. Emilia had another annoying habit and would regularly contradict Alma.
Nevertheless, Alma had a friend from her class named Mandy who was also from England. Mandy came from a tough background and would complain about her family all the time. She said they would take advantage of her by repeatedly borrowing money and never paying it back. In addition, her family abused her as a child and as an adult as well. This was the reason she left her country, to get as far away from them as possible. Instead of having sympathy for Mandy, Emilia would look down on her and gossip behind her back.
Furthermore, Mandy had a Canadian boyfriend but unfortunately, they had a complicated relationship. Rumor had it that he was violent with her. Still she couldn’t leave him as he was sponsoring her to receive permanent residence status……
With Experience Comes Wisdom 