Province stories

Hot tea

Five large boxes were piled into Alberta's tow truck. The shiny dark blue metal contrasted the brown. It felt wrong. But when did someone moving away not?

"Are you sure you don't need me to come along aswell?" Manitoba asked as Saskatchewan and Alberta packed into the front seats.

"Don't worry Mani! Sask is helping me unpack and get set up there."

"For a week," he grimaced.

"Yeah yeah," Alberta muttered, rolling her eyes.   "I'm not a kid anymore y'know? I'm turning 19 this year."

"Ha, yeah," He hit the truck door and looked up at Alberta. "Visit, please." He turned his attention to Saskatchewan, sitting in the passenger seat. "And you, keep your sister out of trouble, you hear me? I don't want a call from BC, aight?"

Sask nodded her head and the truck's wheels started to turn. Soon enough all that was left of his little sisters was smoke and tire tracks on the old road.

"So did that all happen before or after you broke down into the bathtub?" British Columbia asked Manitoba.

He stuffed his face with another spoonful of ice cream. "Does it really matter?" He lowered further into the bubbling water with a frown painting his face.

"Manitoba Winnipeg Canada, you need to pull it together! They'll always be your little sisters and they might occasionally visit your poor excuse for a house. It's only been a few days since they left anyway," British Columbia tried to cheer him up. It did not work. He just slumped down further in the water. "C'mon Mani! If Northwest was able to do that for all of us, you can too."

"Northwest Territories has daddy issues, anger issues and leaves woodcutting tools around anarchist toddlers."

"I never said he was perfect," she reflected. If he didn't drown she might have to strangle him herself. "How about we go and try and have tea with Yukon? You seem like you could use company."

"No."

"Vicky I'm--" Yukon cut herself off.

"But I don't wannaaaa!"

British Columbia snapped back at Manitoba, "You're going to have tea with Yuki and you're going to like it!" Her hands were wrapped around Manitobia's legs as he dragged him through the prarie house to the table. She gave Yukon a little wave as she shoved Manitoba into a chair and started to pour herself a cup of tea. "Join us?" she asked.

"If you want me to leave I can..." she backtracked, slowly stepping out the door.

British Columbia shook one of Manitoba's shoulders. "Oh please, Manitoba and would hate to see you leave so early. Right Manitoba?"

There was a clear kick under the table.

"Ow! I mean... oh yay. My siblings. Woot," Manitoba said slowly with a roll of his eyes.

Yukon, fearing retaliation from her sister, sat down across from the two. She took a small teacup and BC filled it up with a hot brown liquid, tea. The cup was pretty. A wave design with little boats floating through it decorated around the cup like a ring. The handle had swirls and jagged edges molded onto it with British Columbia Victoria Canada printed small across it. "Are these yours?"

"Of course! I got them when I joined the union. Pretty aren't they?" she explained, putting her tea down to admire her own cup. Her voice was soft and drained when she continued with, "I never leave my house without them."

"Huh. All I got from joining was a decorative piece of my own gold," Yukon mumbled.

"Well... you didn't exactly join the union, dear," BC replied with a pitiful smile. Yukon could hear the lecture already. "After Rupert died... you guys were sort of just... drawn up." She paused, thinking over her words. "It's hard to explain."