Broken Telephones: Chapter 4 (Serial Fiction Game)

The Story So Far…

Dexter and Trace met in Paris. Dexter, as he tells Trace, is an American who has been travelling and living the hostel life for nearly a year. He’s alluded to many adventures and many one-night stands, but for a reason he can’t quite grasp, Trace stuck in his mind and he sent her an email telling her so before her flight home to Montreal even left Paris. (Chapter 1)

Trace, meanwhile, hasn’t been as forthcoming as Dexter. Though she told him she was flying home to Montreal, she decided against it at the last minute and flew to Cuba. She did, however, include an invitation for Dexter to meet her in Havana in her letter, and she did admit falling for him despite her reservations. (Chapter 2) In Cuba, she and a supposed British boyfriend friends met up with MSN-user “scj” who later chats with his friend Christine, who introduced him to Trace and the alleged boyfriend. He tells her that he gave the couple contact information for another friend of theirs, Max, who lives in Brazil, and suggested they go visit him unannounced. (Chapter 3)

And now for Chapter 4!

Dexter…

I hope you’re checking your email.

I did go to Cuba like I told you. I ran into an old friend in Havana, though I guess at the time he was more of an acquaintance. Now he’s a friend, the kind of friend you nickname “Giles” because he’s so damn British. I don’t really have to nickname him, I guess, because he’s got such a British — well, Scottish, really — name anyway, Alastair, but he goes by Al. And that’s no fun. But anyway, we met, got together, and even went on to Brazil together after some friend of Christine’s (did I tell you about her?) gave us a contact. Al and Max (the contact) went to Brasilia together for four days, to a conference Max is speaking at for work. He’s big into languages, that guy. Speaks more than me — more languages, at least! I’m glad to see them go. I have a house on the beach all to myself for three more days and then…

…and then I leave. Before Al gets back. I’m pretty sure this puts me into some horrible category of people, the kind that lie and ditch others all the time, but this one isn’t entirely my fault. I know for certain that I told you I live in Montreal, which is true. But did I tell you that I’m a fashion designer? It’s not as glamourous as it sounds, with long hours spent at the sewing machine followed by even longer hours spent networking… But I’m my own boss and I can take extended vacations whenever I want, as you well know!

Still, on these vacations, I always seem to miss something back home. Not in the emotional sense, but in the flaked-on-the-date sense. To make a long story short, I missed the deadline for submissions to this craft fair I always table at. Okay, longer story: it’s not really a craft fair, more like a little art market in the middle of a major festival of indies and actors and musicians and beer-tent dwellers. (You guessed it… it’s a Fringe!) Turns out all that time I’d been talking about going to the Fringe in Adelaide or in Sydney back in the spring, I should have been worrying about my own! Whoops… Anyway, a good friend who’s also a designer told me she’d share her table and we could have both our collections on display. It’ll boost her visitor count at any rate, right? I’m not expected t pay or tip her or anything, right?

Somehow I doubt you’ll fly over an ocean for a festival close to home when you’re in Europe, where there are tons of festivals you’ve never even heard of, but our Fringe is pretty darn cool. And not just because I’m (usually) in it. Well, I guess I kind of am this year anyway, though I think I should be prepared to give up table space at a moment’s notice. Not that my friend’s mean or anything, but you never know what could happen.

But I guess we proved that already, in Paris.

A bientot,

Trace with the Sunburnt Face

P.S. I am, admittedly, really excited to have Club Social coffee again. It’s this place in Mile End where people are either a Club Social person or an Olympico person. I was a Club Social person, so I guess I still am, but it’s been so damn long since I’ve had either coffee that I think I’ll begin anew and do a taste test!

P.P.S. If you can reply in time… What do you think will sell better this year, embroidered wristbands or old-school friendship bracelets? (In my experience, random kitsch does well when people aren’t always prepared with a bag for three new shirts!)