'Once Upon a Time in Canada' Chapter 61.

I am smiling a great smile. The smile of a man who is now free from the shackles of oppression. I finished my last shift, doing the usual unnecessary crap, for the last time. I was pretty damn aggressive about it, too. Now there is a simple explanation for my mindset that day. The harder I work and the more crap I got done, the more rewarding it would be for me when I finally leave that God forsaken place forever. In addition, the harder I work and the more crap I got done, the easier it would be to get a great reference letter / referee for me.

First off: Arrive to work earlier than usual. Of course. Next: Then start off the usual way – taking photos. But this time round, encourage and take as many photos as much as possible. Which is already a difficult enough task as it is, since people are not exactly receptive, especially towards people like me who actually harass them to take a photo. Nonetheless, it’s my job. That just sounded depressing. So I made my way upstairs to the Capture station. I managed to take over a hundred-and-fifty photos during my rotation, which was an hour.

Then made my way downstairs and did what I had to do for the Gallery station. The work there is the most gruelling and frustrating. The work never got any easier as my time there went by, but I thought it would. It really didn’t get any easier. However, by the end, the tasks required came naturally to me and I knew what to do every time I stepped into the Gallery. If something goes wrong, I know what to do. The Gallery always has something going on, even if it’s something going wrong. Since becoming part of Magic Memories, the place looks different from when I first came on the scene. It’s now a different place altogether.

The company has since seen many, many changes. Over two-dozen people, I would say, have come and gone during my time, including employees and managers. Making it the first job I ever had that had the highest number of turnovers, on top of being the longest job I’ve ever worked at. Yeah, it’s that bad, in case those of you who are wondering. But once you worked there as long as I have and have seen the things I’ve seen, you’ll understand. Magic Memories, other than Walt Disney World, is unlike any low-end, minimum wage, retail / customer service job I’ve ever seen or worked.

I’ve worked at Magic Memories for a year and a month, by the time I finish. As long as I do my best for my last day before my shift is over, I will be happy, as well as be confident that my future will look better than when I first came to Toronto.

With the prospect of knowing that today is my last day of dealing with whatever Magic Memories threw at me for a year and a month, I was able to do the work that was required with very little complaints and with much more enthusiasm than usual. After five hours flew by, I found myself saying goodbye with great bitter sweetness. Together, my co-workers and I ended up saying goodbyes. I hadn’t had received goodbyes since my time working at Sky Tower. I’ve never gotten this kind of camaraderie since then.

The feeling was bittersweet, but nonetheless positive as overwhelming sense of joy was flowing through my veins. So I wasn’t completely soul-crushed to say goodbye to Magic Memories. As this was all for the best. A prisoner, who has served his time, is a man who deserves his freedom. When I walked out of CN Tower, this was ultimately who I was.

This may seem minor, but it’s awesome. Today I’m going to the Toronto Rock vs. Georgia Swarm game after work. So I’ll able to celebrate my freedom with a nice Lacrosse game. Scotiabank here I come. But according to my phone, game isn’t until 7:30pm (meaning I have two-and-a-half hours). That means I have a meal before I head off. At that point, I was getting hungry. I’d been working for five hours straight with no break. So I’m hungry as usual. Being on an empty stomach sucks. Luckily I found myself, and Michael, having a nice celebratory dinner at Quinn’s Steakhouse on Richmond Street West. Oh boy!

Next: Off to the game I go! Then I got on the subway and made my way to Scotiabank Arena. The arena was teaming with people everywhere. Making it just as big as a Toronto Maple Leafs game. Yeah, it was that big, surprisingly. But once the game began, it became a more quiet and subdued game, even though there were moments of excitement and tension. I watched both teams whilst I was recording bits of the game. After a while of recording, I found a moment or two to just watch the game.

The end of the game ultimately saw the Georgia Swarms winning the game, so I was a bit disappointed at the end (not exactly the feeling or result you wanted especially on a day like this for me).

See my videos of the game here. Also, see Chapters 60 and 62.