A couple of weeks went by and on a rainy, dreary afternoon in July, Osama told me he would be moving out. He was headed back to Saudi Arabia and often spoke about how devastating it would be when he returned to his home country and could no longer smoke the devils lettuce. I tried to be sympathetic, but if I'm being honest Osama kind of creeped me out for some unknown reason. His departure would eradicate the creepiness and the incessant smell of weed that saturated my bedroom; for that I would be thankful.
When Osama left, another roommate was due to take his place. A few days went by and no sign of a new body to occupy the room. I had a lot of free time to sit around and ponder what the new roommate might be like, because initially, there wasn't much work available at my "cousin's workplace"; we'll call the company "Can Do Coatings", so I spent the first couple of weeks in Vancouver cruising around on Transit, going to a vast array of fitness establishments that offered free trials, while seeing the sights, and then I'd return to the apartment to see if a new human had taken root in Osama's weed emporium.
After finishing a seven-kilometer run to UBC campus I walked in through the sliding doors of the apartment and came face to face with the new tenant. He looked to be Asian, and was making supper with his girlfriend who had decided to stay for a bit until he got settled. They invited me to have supper with them and I gratefully accepted. No more free food from my parents, so I took full advantage of any free meals available.
The kind, fit looking Asian gentlemen said that his name was Hyun and that they hailed from South Korea. We discussed our mutual obsession with running and decided that we would engage in some physical activity together someday soon.
It was evident that we had similar personality traits and we got along nicely. I was elated and enamored with this man. Such a relief to feel like a solid friendship was in the making.
Following Hyun and I's initial meet and greet my cousin called to say that he'd be taking me along with him to a job site the next morning.
Larry began taking me to projects where he needed an assistant. Often times he just took me along with him to make sure I was getting some hours and some semblance of an income.
Work at "Can Do Coatings" was great when I was working with Larry, he always explained things to me and he helped to instill a sense of calm in the work environment so that social anxiety wouldn't jump into the mix to portray me as a frantically clumsy spaced-out moron. The hands-on work was calming, and kept me out of my own head.
There were several days throughout my employment with "Can do Coatings" where I would travel for hours on the city bus just to get to the new work location. The bus ride in the early morning hours was usually relaxing and delightful, but after a twelve to seventeen-hour day, lugging bags of concrete dust and handling a long green hose (not the Grinch's Dick) I'd be covered in dust and water, along with a host of other things that made the ride home almost insufferable, miserable and weird. Weird because no one wanted to sit beside the dirty construction working guy who looked like that dirty kid surrounded by a cloud of dust on the show "Charlie Brown". I was totally okay with that because it left me a lot of room to stretch out.
The first three to four months in VanCity were relatively sound. Hyun gave me someone to talk to when things got tough, he was also someone who would accompany me on my daily runs.
After work some days I'd be so stressed that a run seemed like the only thing that might calm me down. The problem with that recipe for "calmness of mind" was that I had just finished doing manual labor for eight to seventeen hours straight and was already exhausted. It was the interactions with my co-workers that were often the most draining aspect of the job. So, off I'd go on a five-kilometer run to ease the tension (just easing the tension baby). The next morning would come all too fast and the process of getting out of bed was a war I'd often lose.
Along with accompanying me on my post-work runs, Hyun and I did a host of other things together as well. We went hiking in various locations throughout the Vancouver area. We particularly enjoyed the "Diaz Vistas Trail" and the "Grouse Grind" or "The Grind" as locals like to call it. The Grind is a hiking trail that runs straight up the side of Grouse Mountain in North Vancouver. You climb straight up a large accumulation of steps constructed out of rock for about 2.9 kilometers. How fast you can traverse "The Grind" is a source of local pride. If you can climb it in less than forty minutes you are considered an "Elite" hiker; challenge accepted.
Hyun and I made our way to "The Grind" one sunny morning in the summer months of 2013, ready to take on the challenge. Step after step we heaved and grunted moving through bouts of light headedness and physical suffering. When we arrived at the top, I quickly looked at my watch and it read 40.47. Damn you mountain of pain!! We had just missed the mark. I laughed it off, but deep down in the cockles of my heart it was evident that "it" was not over. I wanted to come back the next day and try again, but knew my legs needed some rest; four days went by before meeting the challenge once again. This time I met the mountain alone and by the time the heaves and sweaty sleeves were acquired I had crossed the finish line. I glanced down; the watch read 39.19. Victory! Zues had surely ordained me the greatest man alive in that moment. All my problems would surely be solved. The End.... Fooled you! I took the gondola down to the foot of Grouse Mountain and made my way back to King Edward Avenue and then stole some of Shimpe's Mini Wheats.