This ain’t my first inaccessible rodeo.

The date of my RTB hearing has passed. And the verdict is…

in limbo.

Surprisingly, not for the reason I expected. I told a few people I wouldn’t be surprised if the RTB fudged the arrangements with the interpreter. Instead, because I did not receive a copy of the evidence the ex-landlords submitted to the RTB, the arbitrator decided we could not proceed. The Canada Post tracking info displayed the mail as having been Returned to Sender.

As a matter of fact, the RTB fudged the interpreting arrangements: they hired the ONE interpreter I asked them not to book! The interpreter is a lovely person, but not somebody I could rely on to convey what I sign, which put me at a disadvantage.

I didn’t end up booking time off work to attend this hearing as I’m in-between jobs. However, I deliberately planned my quit/start dates around this hearing. The arbitrator didn’t understand how much I’d been inconvenienced. “It’s only an hour long,” was their response.

Had I the privilege of attending the meeting via speakerphone, as my ex-landlords did, it would’ve been an hour. It took me an hour alone to reach the office. I arrived 15 minutes early, as requested. In all, the rigmarole cost me almost 4 hours of my time. That’s about $20,000 in Rob Fraser dollars.

On a happier note, my retirement after 16 years with the company had the right amount of sentimentality. There was hugging–but only with people I cared about. However, I did not recognize two signatures on my farewell card: I figured my two mystery fans got wrapped up in social niceties. I got a bag of gummy unicorns, a vodka-filled crystal skill, German fruit chews, a tiny lipstick plant, $50 gift card to Opus Art Supplies, stroopwafels, cupcakes, mini cheese wheels, onigri, and green tea (both hot and cold).

My last purchase under my employee discount yielded a 94cm-long receipt. (I measured it!) I had a $113 bike shop tab to pay off, then the rest listed were edible items. Well, except for the bottle of Nikwax Tech Wash–that one’s potable.

I had worked for this company for so long that 99% of the people I’ve connected with since 2007 were because of my job. It was almost like being in a cult. Much like with cults, it was hard to leave. Jordi told me how proud he was of me, “It’s not easy leaving that kind of job security.”

He asked me this afternoon if I was nervous about my first day at the new job. I am not. After moving to Montrèal with scant knowledge of the French language and a worse understanding of bikes and finding myself surrounded by unfamiliar faces in a bike shop, this feels like a cakewalk. Or cakeride.

Jordi and I had dinner together. We ate while we watched the final episode of King of the Hill. It took us about six months to get through all 256 episodes. That’s about 9 episodes per week. Not only do I measure receipts, but also I do the math on my viewing habit. I discovered I enjoyed the show more now than when it was on the air. Season 6 is my favorite, I’ll tell you what.

That was the extent of my evening with Jordi. I may not be nervous about the new job, but I care enough about making a good first impression and wish to be well-rested, so we parted ways.