-
      of
      mixed:
      greens.
      and
      a:
      vinaigrette.
      It
      was
      00d,
      but
      we:
      wondered
     
     
      --why
      we-have
      salad
      after
      the
      main
      course.
     
     
      >.=
      But,
      of
      course,
      the
      meal
      ended
      with
      dan.
      Wade
      had
      pre-
     
    

    
     
      :~.
      pared
      a
      raspberry
      puree
      and
      put
      it
      on
      top
      of
      peach
      frozen
      yogurt.
      It
     
    

    
     
      was
      delicious
      and
      a
      perfect
      ‘way
      to
      round
      out
      the
      meal.
     
     
      '.
      While
      we
      ate,
      our
      conversation
      turned
      to
      various
      subjects.
     
     
      ‘One
      of
      the
      most
      important
      subjects
      that
      we
      talked
      about
      the
      result
      of
     
     
      ‘a
      very
      open-ended
      question’
      that
      Wade
      —
      _
      -
      D
      YOu,
      as’
      stu-
     
     
      ~
      dents,
      see
      UPEI?
     
    

    
     
      oe
      I
      was
      the
      first
      one
      to.answer.
      1
      knew
      this
      question
      was
      com-
     
    

    
     
      ~
      ing
      and
      I
      had
      prepared
      an
      answer
      before
      hand:
      I
      told
      him
      the
      truth.
     
     
      I
      told
      him
      about
      how
      UPEI
      has
      no‘sense
      of
      community
      and
      how
     
    

    
     
      many
      students
      just
      don’t
      seem-to
      care
      about
      anything
      other
      than
      get-
     
     
      -
      ting
      their
      degrees.
      I
      told
      him
      that
      Founders’
      Day-was
      proof
      of
      just
     
     
      how
      students
      will
      not
      even
      paseipae:
      es
      see
      are
      given
      the
     
     
      opportunity.
      —
     
    

    
     
      ~
      Wade,
      on
      the
      other
      hand:
      told
      me
      that
      he
      thought
      Founders’
     
    

    
     
      Day
      was
      a
      success.
      He
      said
      that
      just
      by
      putting
      on
      something
      that
     
     
      celebrated
      UPEI’s
      heritage
      |
      it
      was
      a
      step
      in
      the
      right
      direction
      for
      the
     
     
      university.
     
    

    
     
      Yes,
      I
      said,
      but
      say
      showed
      up.
     
    

    
     
      Wade
      then
      went
      on
      to
      tell
      us
      about
      how
      the
      new
      Student
     
     
      Centre
      would
      help
      to
      bring
      the
      students
      together
      so
      that
      they
      have
      a
     
     
      place
      where
      they
      feel
      welcome
      to
      go
      between
      classes.
     
    

    
     
      -
      Too
      bad,
      I
      thought,
      that
      none
      of
      the
      students
      at
      this
      table
      will
     
     
      be
      able
      to
      make
      use
      of
      it.
     
    

    
     
      Wade
      then
      asked
      us
      if
      we
      all
      agreed
      with
      my
      assessment.
     
    

    
     
      They
      did.
     
    

    
     
      And
      then
      he
      asked
      if
      we
      represent
      the
      average
      student.
     
    

    
     
      We
      didn’t,
      we
      said,
      but
      we
      do
      represent
      the
      way
      students
     
     
      should
      be.
      We
      cared.
      We
      wanted
      to
      make
      a
      difference.
      That
      was
      why
     
     
      we
      were
      involved
      with
      The
      Cadre
      and
      the
      student
      council.
      That
      was
     
     
      why
      we
      were
      organizing
      the
      concert.
     
    

    
     
      After
      the
      meal,
      we
      sat
      at
      the
      table
      and
      discussed
      other
      mat-
     
     
      ters.
      We
      thought
      of
      possible
      recipients
      of
      an
      honourary
      degree.
      We
     
     
      thought
      of
      Canadian
      popular
      culture
      icons,
      like
      Don
      McKellar
      and
     
     
      Jonathan
      Torrenz.
      Wade
      praised
      us
      for
      having
      a
      young
      perspective.
     
    

    
     
      We
      also
      talked
      about
      music
      and
      we
      talked
      about
      Maritime
     
     
      musicians
      for
      a
      while.
      Marc
      and
      I
      fell
      silent
      as
      Ryan,
      Stephan
      and
     
     
      Wade
      discussed
      Stompin’
      Tom
      and
      others.
      Ryan
      somehow
      men-
     
     
      tioned
      the
      film
      Alices
      Restaurant
      during
      the
      conversation
      and
     
     
      Wade,
      recognising
      the
      name
      tried
      to
      recall
      a
      scene
      from
      it.
      His
     
     
      description
      was
      the
      most
      disturbing
      things
      I
      ever
      heard:
      As
      I
     
     
      remember
      it,
      it
      involved
      a
      dog
      chewing
      a
      bear’s
      testicles
      and
      some-
     
     
      one
      yelling,
      “Shoot
      the
      dog!
      Shoot
      the
      dog!”
     
    

    
     
      One
      of
      our
      last
      topics
      of
      conversation
      was
      the
      CBC.
      Wade
     
     
      mentioried
      that
      he
      thought
      that
      the
      CBC
      could
      be
      a
      lot
      stronger
      if
      it
     
     
      bailed
      out
      of
      television
      broadcasting
      and
      focussed
      its
      attentions
      on
     
     
      the
      Internet.
      He
      said
      that
      local
      cable
      networks
      could
      do
      a
      good
      job
     
     
      of
      filling
      in
      for
      community-based
      television
      programming.
      He
      said
     
     
      that
      UPEI
      should
      probably
      take
      advantage
      of
      what
      the
      local
      cable
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      network
      has
      to
      offer
      and
      do
      a
      show.
      -
     
     
      Stephan
      then
      mentioned
      how
      we
      wanted
      to
      Aeeuhing
      relat-
     
     
      ed
      to
      that
      with
      the
      documentary:
      about
      UPEI
      that
      we
      were
      making.
      I
     
     
      suddenly
      felt-uncomfortable
      at
      the
      thought
      of
      Wade
      knowing
      that
      we
     
     
      were
      making
      a
      documentary.
      I
      remembered
      how
      I
      wanted
      to
      take
      the
     
     
      camera
      inside
      and
      decided
      against
      it
      to
      be
      polite.
      leven
      remembered
     
     
      how
      I
      was
      going
      to
      ask
      him
      for
      funding.
     
     
      -
      We
      had
      been
      at
      Wade’s
      for
      four
      hours
      when
      Wade
      decided
     
     
      it
      was
      time
      for
      us
      to
      leave.
      He
      never
      told
      us
      that
      we
      had
      to
      leave,
      but
     
    
   
   
    
     
      I
      could
      tell
      from
      the
      way
      that
      he
      was
      shifting
      in
      his
      chair
      and
      yawn-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ing.
      I
      made
      the
      first
      move
      by
      standing
      up
      and
      thanking
      him
      for
      a
     
     
      great
      evening.
      The
      others
      did
      the-same
      and
      we
      walked
      to
      the
      door.
     
    

    
     
      -
      As
      I
      bent
      down
      to
      put
      on
      my
      shoes,
      the
      lens.
      cap
      from
     
     
      Stephan’s
      video
      camera
      fell
      out.of
      my
      jacket
      pocket.
      Wade
      bent
     
     
      down
      and
      picked
      it
      up
      for
      me.
      I
      felt
      awkward
      because
      I
      did
      not
      know
     
     
      what
      to
      say.
      We
      had
      mentioned
      the
      documentary,
      but
      how
      could
      I
     
     
      explain
      that
      we
      were
      going
      to
      videotape
      the
      evening
      after
      everything
     
     
      that
      he
      had
      done
      for
      us.
     
    

    
     
      I
      took
      the
      lens
      cap
      from
      Wade
      and
      thanked
      him.
      I
      think
     
     
      Stephan
      might
      have
      tried
      to
      cover
      everything
      up
      with
      a
      joke.
     
    

    
     
      We
      all
      shook
      hands
      with
      Wade
      one
      more
      time
      and
      we
      went
     
     
      out
      onto
      the
      front
      step.
      We
      headed
      back
      into
      the
      car
      and
      Wade
      dis-
     
     
      appeared
      back
      into
      Xanadu.
      As
      Marc
      pulled
      away,
      I
      picked
      up
      the
     
     
      video
      camera,
      turned
      it
      on,
      and
      pressed
      the
      viewfinder
      to
      my
      eye.
     
     
      The
      battery
      was
      running
      out,
      but
      I
      thought
      I
      had
      enough
      time
      to
     
     
      shoot
      our
      trip
      back
      into
      town.
     
    

    
     
      During
      the
      ride
      back,
      we
      assessed
      the
      situation.
      There
      was
     
     
      no
      way
      we
      could
      write
      an
      article
      about
      this
      evening.
      Wade
      was
      too
     
     
      nice.
      We
      couldn’t
      invade
      his
      privacy
      by
      writing
      about
      what
      hap-
     
     
      pened.
      We
      reflected
      on
      how
      good
      the
      food
      was,
      how
      interesting
      the
     
     
      conversation
      was
      and
      how
      cool
      Wade’s
      house
      was.
      As
      we
     
    
   
   
    
     
      approached
      Charlottetown
      city
      limits,
      the
      video
      camera’s
      battery
      ran
     
     
      out
      of
      power.
      The
      screen
      in
      the
      viewfinder
      went
      black
      and
      the
      cam-
     
     
      era
      stopped
      recording.
      I
      pulled
      the
      camera
      away
      from
      my
      face
      and
     
     
      looked
      around
      at
      the
      world
      with
      my
      own
      eyes
      for
      the
      first
      time
      since
     
     
      leaving
      Wade’s
      house.
     
    

    
     
      Two
      months
      later,
      I
      wrote
      the
      article.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      il