The big bureaucracy of Via Rail is peopled by humans of
great generosity and kindness. The train was two hours
late arriving outside Quebec at Charny. At midnight,
while I snoozed on a bench, the Charny station master went out
in his slippers to pick up doughnuts and hot coffee for everyone
who had been awaiting the train.
Now the station agent in New Carlisle, Dominique Leger,
second cousin of the great Cardinal Leger,
is known all over Bonaventure county for her kindness and efficiency.
Cousin Ted phoned her to say my train was late.
(She allows everyone to have her HOME phone number, how about that!)
She told him she’d ring when the train was coming,
“so you can come and pick up Mr. Almond.”
Leaving Montreal, they discovered the baggage car had faulty wheels.
So after a delightful to-ing and fro-ing outside Matapedia, finally
the train backed into the station and we were all loaded on a bus.
We rang Ted and he came to meet the bus and bring us home.
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