Fiorito: Warning - don't mess with moms of Parkdale
October 19, 2009
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Joe Fiorito
You do not trifle with the women of Parkdale, who are brave and strong and also fearless in the protection of their young.
My friend Charmain lives down the block and around the corner. She has a son, Noah, who is 10. And Noah has a friend who has a bike.
Noah said, "It's a mountain bike, really nice. It's pretty new, not old." Charmain said, "It's expensive."
Noah's friend and his family went away on vacation, and Noah had the use of the bike while they were gone. The worst thing happened:
Noah said, "It was garbage day. I came home and leaned the bike against the stairs, and I came in to get my backpack; when I came out it was gone."
Charmain heard the anguish of her son and she ran to take a look, and a neighbour said he'd seen some rough guy riding off on a bike but he hadn't realized anything was amiss.
Charmain said, "Noah was crying." Noah said, "I knew I was in trouble." Charmain said, "You were in trouble because it's a very expensive bike and it was your responsibility to lock it up."
Charmain decided on the spot that she was going to find that bike and get it back, and the neighbour said he'd stay and look after the kids.
Yes, as the women of Parkdale are strong, so the men of Parkdale are nurturers and we trust them with the children.
So Charmain hopped in her van and drove off. "My plan was to head over to Queen and Jameson."
That is, or it can be, a rough corner.
"I was looking around. There's a parking lot, a café and a laundromat. I didn't see him."
Then she saw him.
"It was the morning rush hour, 8:25 a.m. The guy on the bike was crossing at the corner near the bank. I got a green, and I pulled forward and I stopped the van."
"In the middle of the road," said Noah.
Charmain said, "All I can think of is getting the guy. There were people waiting at the streetcar stop. The guy hasn't seen me. He doesn't know."
What he did not know was that Charmain was bearing down on him, a laser-guided missile of protective Parkdale motherhood.
"I grabbed him. I stopped him. I said, `You stole that bike, you idiot.'
"He said, 'I didn't steal it, it was in the garbage.'
"And I said, 'You came on my property and you stole it. You came up to my home, where my children are.'
"And I grabbed him and I took the bike."
She paused, as if surprised at the memory. "I only had a moment. I figured I could take him. That's why I was so aggressive."
No cars honked their morning horns while Charmain's van was blocking traffic. Then, she said, "A police car pulled up."
A short, sharp discussion ensued between miscreant, mom and cop. A woman who'd been watching the scene while waiting for a streetcar chimed in and said she'd had three bikes stolen, and she said to Charmain, "You go, girl."
In the end, Charmain did not pursue the matter with the cop. She had the bike, and she'd made her point; that was enough.
Okay, the heat of the moment has passed – Charmain, any second thoughts about tackling a Parkdale bike thief? Her answer was sure and swift. "I am the kind of person, right or wrong, who seizes the moment. I was going to track that guy down. I was very passionate about that."
Do not trifle.
Joe Fiorito usually appears Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Email: jfiorito@thestar.ca
Toronto Star