From Vancouver, Canada
It was after midnight, a week ago, the U.S. had earlier defeated Canada in a preliminary-round Olympic hockey game, the emptying streets wet, the mood soggy.
I was returning from our nightly visit to the giant four-pronged Olympic flame with my 15-year-old daughter, Mary Clare, who was wearing an American flag like a cape, and a smile like a necklace.
It was one of the first times she wore something that didn't represent her high school or favorite sports team. It was one of the first moments she may have realized the pride in being an American.
And here came the Canadian.
He appeared to be in his late 20s. He was wearing a scruffy beard, a pale bandanna, and wild stare. He jumped in front of Mary Clare on a darkened patch of sidewalk and started shouting.
"Eh, eh, eh!" he said.
She froze. Her brave and resourceful father also, um, froze.
At which point the man stuck out his hand.
"High-five, eh?" he said. "Great game, America. You won fair and square. We'll see you in the finals."
Before disappearing into the shadows, the man looked back at me with what appeared to be a wink.
"I know what you were thinking, but that's not how we do it here," he said. "We're Canadian."
I was returning from our nightly visit to the giant four-pronged Olympic flame with my 15-year-old daughter, Mary Clare, who was wearing an American flag like a cape, and a smile like a necklace.
It was one of the first times she wore something that didn't represent her high school or favorite sports team. It was one of the first moments she may have realized the pride in being an American.
And here came the Canadian.
He appeared to be in his late 20s. He was wearing a scruffy beard, a pale bandanna, and wild stare. He jumped in front of Mary Clare on a darkened patch of sidewalk and started shouting.
"Eh, eh, eh!" he said.
She froze. Her brave and resourceful father also, um, froze.
At which point the man stuck out his hand.
"High-five, eh?" he said. "Great game, America. You won fair and square. We'll see you in the finals."
Before disappearing into the shadows, the man looked back at me with what appeared to be a wink.
"I know what you were thinking, but that's not how we do it here," he said. "We're Canadian."
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