TTSOML #203: How We Left For Canada

I didn't tell anyone we were leaving. I had had my birth certificate disappear from my house, and a couple of old drivers' licenses, and I knew to cross the border you had to have a birth certificate and some other form of ID. I had one license, and then I finally found a COPY of my birth certificate with my photo on it.

I put food in my car, at night, over a couple of days so it wasn't obvious, and clothing, and blankets and pillows, and toys and books and my son's things.

I had only $420, from money from the state. I didn't return the computer, the desktop I'd recently purchased at Wal-Mart, because I thought it might tip someone off. I needed the money I could get back from it, but it was too much of a tip-off, I thought.

It had been snowing a lot so I had to wait for a night when the roads were clear. I warmed up the car, put my son in the carseat, and although we were both sick, I could only try. I also took with me some photos of my son, and a strip of photos I got for my son and I from the photo booth at the Mall in Wenatchee. I would take my son there to ride the motorized cars and kids rides and then we had photos taken together at a booth. There was no caption for "mother and son" and the closest thing was one that said "Best Friends". It had four shots, with our surprised faces and laughing faces. We are very happy and my son got a kick out of looking at it. He laughed every time, and just loved it so I had it clipped to the sun visor of the car.

I took my social security card and my son's birth certificate as well, and a document from the state which said the father was unknown and cleared from child support claims (indicating there was no father we were running from).

I also already knew the father involved had an agreement with me which we both found satisfactory. I had gone over this very scenario, because I thought it might come up and asked if I could take my son out of the country and he said yes.

I was legally, in every way, clear to leave. And I left for the sole purpose of keeping my son and I together.

I got gas in a town, and noted it seemed we were followed or recognized by people in their 20s. They didn't get right behind and follow though. Cars passed us, but it was fairly quiet on the road. Right before approaching the border, there was a car with a sticker for South Wales on it. That car went through the gate and then it was us. I gave the woman the documentation and she asked the purpose of the trip and I said it was to tour and purchase hockey memorabilia. She was very nice and we were through.

After I crossed the border though, when we were around another car, at some point, both my son and I jumped (my son cried out) from a "shock". I was suprised and worried because I had just left the U.S. and wondered if the same thing was going to happen to us no matter where we were and I wondered who was doing this and how it was happening.

It did happen though, and my son noticed it and sucked his thumb vigorously to calm himself. My stomach really, really hurt. It was a much lighter "shock" though and I wondered if someone in the car around us had done it with some kind of equipment. I didn't know. But I kept driving.

I drove to a women's shelter. I did it because I thought we could get some directions and save money and then make a plan. My goal was not to stay in B.C. I wanted to get to Toronto. At that point, if no one was going to believe me, I was going to drive to an area where there were several clubs for the Orange Order and see if we could get assistance and explain things. I thought they might understand better over there, because there had been historic in-fighting between the Catholics and Protestants, with bad deeds on both sides of course, but at least we could find support.