These are some of the people I met who made my time in Deline so great. They are all grown up now, and I wonder what they are doing.
Mark and me - 1994
Mark
It is hard to imagine that Mark is now a grown man with a career. When I left Deline, he was still a boy, really.
Barely seventeen, he was already a keen mind with a view to the world outside his small community. Now, he tells me
he has travelled to South America, speaks Spanish, is a web designer, and wants to see Italy.
Clint - 1994
Clint
Whenever I go to a new community, I always hope to meet someone like Clint. Smart, funny, and slightly devilish,
Clint tried to teach me words in Slavey and then would burst out laughing at whatever I said. I never knew if what I
was saying was just mispronounced or truly naughty. And he NEVER said.
Angela - 1994
Angela
Angela was a bit younger than Mark and Clint, but man, she could hold her own with them. I didn't get to know Angela
as well as the others, and that's something I'd love to change. What I really remember about her was that smile.
And she was so darned nice. And she wanted my shirts.
Jack - 1994
Jack
Ah, Jack. What can I say? I never saw a kid try so hard and still mess up. He came to my house so many
times with Shane. He barely spoke at first. Eventually, he did start talking and he was a bright, funny, and very
troubled guy. I don't know what was eating at him all the time, but he was sometimes just so sad and angry. He
tried to break into my house once - scared the crap out of me! Afterwards, I told him he was always welcome to
come in a ask for anything he wanted, and if I could give it to him, I would. I really don't think he was expecting
that! Oh sure, I banned him from the house until his community service hours were done, but then it was all good.
I told him how my feelings were hurt more than anything; he cried. We never spoke about it again. I wish he could
have found his way. I am sad that he never did.
Gladys and Mary
There were some very young kids that came to the house, too. I wonder what these two are up to now?
These three met up in Yellowknife at Cheryl's house, I think.
And this fellow, whose name I have forgotten, came by one time to show off his big pants. Back in the early nineties,
baggy pants could be seen on Muchmusic, but they couldn't be bought anywhere within a thousand kilometres of Deline.
This guy solved the problem by going to the Co-op and buying the biggest pair of pants he could find - size 38, if i remember
right. He had his belt cinched tight around his size 26 waist, and his pants were definitely baggy! Clever boy,
really.
Johanna, Clint, Faye - 1994
Johanna and Faye
What I remember most about Johanna was her intensity. But more than that, she was probably the most self-assured
teenager I have ever met. I always imagined her as a leader of people, someone who could get things done. She
was wickedly smart and always spoke her mind. I always admired her for it. I don't know what she is doing now but I
hope she is safe, happy, and still as feisty as ever.
Faye, to me, seemed Johanna's opposite. Oh, she was smart, no doubt about that, but she had a quiet way about her
that I really liked. She was one of the kids that was almost always there, but that didn't command attention.
I always tried to get her to laugh. She had a great laugh.
Pizza Party
Pizza!
Oh man, I had so much fun with everyone. I loved having all these young people at my house. These kids, my
friends, were the only ones to get me a going away gift when I moved. They threw me a party. I was so sad to be
leaving when it felt like I had just arrived. Politics. Blah. I wouldn't change one thing about living in
Deline. I loved it. I loved chaperoning the dances at the school; I loved having all those kids at my house; I
loved watching them learn things about themselves and others. What I loved most of all is what I learned from them.
They accepted me for who I was. It didn't matter what I looked like or where I came from. When we spoke to each
other, it was from the heart. And I loved them for it. Mahsi cho.