—an excerpt—
My wealth was a barrier. The CRA classified me as single with no dependents, and so did everyone else. I had friendships of a sort, but it was doubtful anyone considered me a close confidant. Polite acquaintances were what I had. People treated me with respect, but never sought to know me. Women remained an unsolvable mystery, and I’d given up trying.
I had no siblings. My parents were long gone and never held much importance in my life, nor I in theirs. They shuffled me between stuffy boarding schools and overly regimented summer camps, and I rarely saw them. And when we were together, they always seemed anxious for me to be gone, for the burden of my presence to be lifted. I never understood why our relationship was strained. It just was.
After my parents’ yacht sank off the coast of Tierra Del Fuego, their accountant told me they’d left me enough to do anything, and also enough to do nothing. I chose the latter. It wasn’t a conscious choice, but a decision nonetheless. Regardless of the life I chose, one certainty remained, my parents wouldn’t have approved. It used to bother me, but I’ve since decided their approval wasn’t required. Not anymore.
My inheritance included an eight-bedroom house with an Olympic-sized pool and a view over the sprawl of High Park. My father’s impressionist art collection adorned the walls, and a large bronze Henry Moore dominated the garden. I owned two shiny black cars, an antique Rolls Royce and a new Range Rover. For a time, I travelled the world on my private jet, but found it meaningless and gave it up. I often made significant donations to food banks and toward medical research. They put my name on the new cardiac wing at the local hospital, but I wished they hadn’t.
The maid and the gardener had left for the day. The sun was still out, and it was warm, but this brought no solace. Pushed along by some unknown force, I removed my shoes and climbed the aluminum ladder to the diving platform. I stood on the board with my toes curled over the edge. Miles away, the CN Tower glimmered. A red kite soared above the park. I bounced twice and launched into a perfect swan dive.
There hadn’t been water in the pool for years.
