Colborne Lodge

Sunday, May 31

Pulling up to the large house on Parkside Drive, Jayne parks her car into the same spot she had parked in on Friday.

A week ago, you were living in your tiny basement apartment, playing video games and eating takeout Chinese food by yourself. Now, you have a girlfriend, a supernatural mystery, a tiny but real sense of vague danger in the background, and you and your girlfriend are going to go on a second date with a beautiful young woman.

It is literally dizzying to think about it, and it’s not just you. As Jayne turns off the car she shakes her head, looking up at the large, expensive old home next door to Karissa’s large, expensive home. “Totally normal, just parking in my regular spot at my maybe girlfriend’s place to go for a walk with her and my boyfriend?” her voice rising in joking confusion.

Sharing a look of amused disbelief, you smile. Getting out of the car, you see Karissa has already bounced out of the front door, a big grin and cheerful wave at you both.

“Hi you guys!” She was dressed in a cute top, open wide at the neck and arms to show a practical athletic undershirt of stretchy material. She was dressed in some white sneakers that matched the top and a pair of shorts, as she had suggested. “Oh, you both look great!”

Jayne hooks a thumb at you and smirks, “I was just bugging our cutie about how I’d never seen him in shorts before! Behold! The rare sight of a 30-year-old male IT worker with his legs uncovered!” As Karissa laughed along with her you try and fail to look insulted. You’re just wearing a faded Maple Leafs t-shirt and a pair of totally normal cargo shorts to go with the shoes you wear when you remember to go jogging.

“Well, sadly we don’t all have perfect legs and butts to show off,” you deadpan back. Jayne is wearing a plain cropped t-shirt and shorts tight and brief enough to highlight her long limbs and high fitness level. You wink at Karissa, who laughs and gives a playful growl as Jayne blushes and mumbles at you, clearly pleased.

You belatedly remember where you are, the three of you flirting in an unusual but oddly comfortable way. Seeing you look at the front door Karissa chuckles again. “My mom is out doing errands or having lunch with her friends. Don’t worry, I’m not 100% sure how I’d introduce you guys either!” Bashfully, she looks down before continuing, “Uh, I guess I’d just say you’re work friends? I don’t want to rush things or make you in any way uncomfortable with labels or stuff. But my mom got used to me bringing home girlfriends and nonbinary partners, so I think she’d be fine! And she knows about you guys… already. Kinda. I just mentioned you both once or twice, like funny stuff that happened at work.”

“I don’t know how we label things either yet Karissa,” Jayne says with a smile, “but speaking for myself I’m happy with however you want to talk about us to your mom. Uh, my family knows about Zach now but not you? Seems, premature, I guess? Also, my mom would be so confused. I have no idea how I’d even begin to explain the concept to her!”

“Exactly, and that’s totally reasonable,” Karissa agrees, “now if this is our second maybe-hopefully date, let’s get going! I can’t wait to show you two High Park!”

The walk down Parkside Drive gives you and Jayne some time to recap the previous days talk with Karen Harding. Karissa has a few intelligent questions about what Karen did regarding the PoI list and ‘resetting’ Timothy, which you and Jayne answer as well as you can. But after the TAM discussion, the conversation drifts to other things. The weather is warm, the sun is shining, and everyone is smiling. Crossing the street into the park, you follow a wide path through the trees, passing families, cyclists, and joggers.

You and Jayne are holding hands, and occasionally Karissa stands close to the side of one of you but that’s it. You debate taking her hand too, but you chicken out. It hurts to admit to yourself, but you’re just not sure how it would look to others.

Karissa had mentioned going to the big pond, but on your way, you see a sign that looks interesting. “Oh, Colborne Lodge?” Karissa says, “It’s pretty neat, it’s a museum now. We can go see it on the way.”

Walking down the path you see a large house with a distinctive rounded porch and carriage barn, but your attention is stolen by something far cooler than a house, no matter how old.

“Holy shit!” you exclaim, before rushing over to look at an old cannon mounted on a pedestal in the yard.

Karissa laughs and takes Jayne by the arm, “What a boy!” Jayne is laughing at you too, but who cares - it’s a freaking cannon! You embarrass Jayne slightly by asking her to take a photo of you standing next to it, pointing at the horizon and scowling heroically.

Pausing to show you the garage, filled with old gardening and farming implements, Karissa happily leads you all to the door. There is a charge to enter the museum, which you offer to pay for.

“Uh, don’t worry about me,” Karissa says, blushing oddly.

“Do you have a season pass or something?” Jayne asks curiously as you hand over a few dollars to a parks employee working the door.

“Basically,” the young woman says, smiling at the attendant then leading you into the house. The museum shows the history of the house and the park itself. With a casual wave, Karissa gestures to a pair of paintings of an old couple dressed in what looks like 1800’s fashion. “As you may know, Colborne Lodge was built in 1836 by John George Howard to live in with his wife Jemima. The house is an example of the Regency cottage style and was one of the first such buildings in the Toronto! It was named after Sir John Colborne, he was the Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada from 1828 to 1836 and, just as importantly, was the first Canadian patron of Howard's architecture.”

An older couple standing nearby is listening as well, and the woman, looking down at a brochure she is holding, nods as if confirming what the young woman is saying. “You mentioned him before,” you say, “and you told us he made the park?”

“Yep! He donated the land but kept a small chunk with the house on it. The city agreed to name him the park ranger and let him live here, until his **** in 1890, at which point it all became part of the park.”

“You know your local history,” Jayne says.

Nodding happily, you enthuse, “It’s so cool how know all this, I love learning about it!”

As you are talking an older woman, in a period costume marking her as one of the museum’s staff, has walked into the room. She is in her 50’s wearing a large dress with full sleeves and a small hat - it looks like it must be hot as heck in the warm air, but she glides in as if in perfect comfort. With the clear tones of a practiced public speaker, or a teacher, she nods at Karissa, “Indeed she does! I often tried to get Miss Martin to accept a summer job here in the museum when she was in high school, but she preferred to just hang about. She ended up helping us more than most of the full-time staff, so maybe it was for the best!”

“Hello Angela,” Karissa says warmly as the older woman walks up and gives her a hug, looking briefly strange in her old-fashioned dress hugging the young blonde in her casual summer clothes.

Turning to smile at the tourists, the woman nods at Karissa and says, “Miss Martin grew up nearby and was a constant presence around here for years. It’s fitting she knows so much about John George Howard, being descended from him and all!”

Karissa sighs at being so introduced, but clearly is used to it. She had already told you and Jayne that, but the older tourists are clearly impressed, although the woman looks again at her brochure, “Truly? I thought the Howard’s were childless…”

“They were, but John had children with another woman. If Jemima knew - and she must have, he did not hide the children - she and John had an arrangement. Indeed, in studying her journals it seems as if she preferred it that way, although whether she could not bear children or simply did not want to is left unsaid.”

“Oh, my, fascinating!” the tourist looks again at Karissa closely, before smiling politely as her husband, perhaps bored, wanders off to look at the antique piano in the sitting room.

Watching them leave the room, Angela turns to Karissa, “Sorry dear, I know you used to hate it when I did that but it’s so hard to not!”

“It’s fine Angela,” Karissa shrugs, “it doesn’t embarrass me like it did when I was 14!” Shyly, Karissa pauses then says, “Uhm, this is Zach, and this is Jayne. They are my... friends from work, I am showing them around the park and stuff. Guys, this is Angela McLellan, she’s the head of the museum now, but she’s been working here since, I believe, 1905?”

“Hilarious young lady, hilarious,” the woman chuckles, “I am very happy to meet any friends of Karissa. I hope she gives you the full tour of the entire house, she knows it better than anyone else alive, excepting her mother and maybe myself.” Pausing to politely shake your hands, the museum head leaves to go to a small group of visitors in the kitchen.

The tour is indeed thorough and engaging. Karissa certainly knows the house very well, dropping interesting facts about the furniture or clothing on display and working it into a concise and interesting history of Toronto itself. As she brings you from room to room, you can’t help but be terrifically impressed by her knowledge and clear enthusiasm for it all.

In the cramped bedroom the three of you pause to look at a display of 19th century clothing. “Karissa, this is so much more interesting than I thought it could be,” Jayne is clearly as impressed as you are.

You have to agree, and you place a hand on her shoulder, “I hope you take us all over, you’re a wonderful guide.”

Karissa blushes and smiles widely. You leave your hand comfortably on her shoulder as you look around, it just feels natural and you realize Jayne is close on her other side, almost leaning against her. It feels right.

A creak from the old floorboards interrupts the silence, and almost guiltily you remove your hand. As Jayne turns and Karissa coughs, Angela appears in the doorway. You can’t help but feel like a schoolboy caught in some mischief.

“Hello again,” she says mildly, then Karissa’s blushing glance away seems to make the woman’s mouth quirk in a suppressed grin. Clearly, Karissa isn’t any better at hiding her emotions from Angela than she was masking her guilty conscious from Juniper!

The museum director seems like she is about to apologize for the interruption and starts to move as if to turn away and leave. But she stops, then turns back to face you directly. “It truly is wonderful to see Karissa bring her friends to see the park, and I’m so happy to see her so engaged. A couple of times I’ve heard her down the hall telling you about her family’s old home, and it occurred to me that you must all be very good friends indeed. I’m quite… pleased to see that you appreciate Karissa’s passion for her history.”

You freeze, feeling a touch of colour on your own cheeks. But Angela, her eyes twinkling, looks at Jayne, “I half-watched Karissa grow up these past 12 years I’ve worked here. She used to be embarrassed that Howard and Mary Williams were not married, once she realized what it meant. But even back then, people had ways of finding a family in all sorts of ways, didn’t they? Who are we to say that John and Jemima weren’t perfectly happy, they certainly lived full, rich lives? And Mary Williams and her children were never ignored or denied. Well, very pleased to meet you Jayne, and you Zach. I hope Karissa brings you back in the future, there’s always more to see and do in a good museum.”

The air crackles, and the three of you stand there, staring. With a final, enigmatic, nod, Angela turns and leaves down the hallway. No one speaks until, her head high and eyes clear, Karissa grabs you and Jayne by the hand.

Pulling you out the room, she lets go and walks down the stairs, and you both follow her, looking confused. Outside in the bright sunshine, you see the barns and sheds and the view down the large yards shows people on the pathways through the park, walking, playing, sitting on the grass.

Nodding to herself, Karissa takes your left hand in her right hand, then takes Jayne’s right hand in her left one. As the three of you walk toward the barn, you are briefly panicked… until you realize it doesn’t matter. A few people notice, and one man looks slightly quizzical, but he almost immediately looks away. Perhaps it’s the fact that Karissa is a beautiful blonde woman, but her walking with two people in hand doesn’t cause alarms to blare or people to run away in a confused panic. Few people notice, and none seem to really care.

Jayne keeps glancing at you, as wondering as you are but equally unwilling or unable to stop walking hand in hand with Karissa. You walk behind the low carriage house, and Karissa pauses to undo a latch on a side door. You follow her in - you can’t imagine anyone or anything could stop Karissa now - and she closes the door behind Jayne, latching it.

The space is clear, with some old tools laying on a bench. It’s not open to the public, probably because it’s exactly the same as the rest of the building, but Karissa just stares at you, her ample chest heaving, her face flushed. You’re trapped in her yearning eyes, and she turns away only to spear Jayne with the same look.

Without words, without conscious thought really, the three of you embrace.