Mrs. Redd was calling to us loudly to remember where we parked. Given that we had come on an enormous bus with a massive green leprechaun painted on the side, I didn’t feel her concern was necessary. What did concern me was that the Beige Girl was still on the bus when we boarded it that morning. She sat in the same seat she’d been in when I first saw her. She continued to stare out the window, and this time I did not attempt to engage her in conversation. When we all disembarked at the Mount-Royal Park guest area, Beige Girl made no move to leave. Sid was directing us to follow him on the wide, paved path that led up Mont-Royal to the famous overlook at the Chalet du Mont-Royal. He was walking backward up the hill, talking to us as he moved. I was enjoying that Sid seemed to start every sentence with the same two words. “Okay, guys, so I’m sure you’ve all done your homework, and you know that this place was visited and named in the 1500s by a famous French explorer named… Come on, guys, who knows this?”
