February 23 , 2022 A man walked into a bar

“Do you have an open mind?” Sam looked over at Barrman and smiled.

Barrman stared back across the table at the bearded man. His hair was tied up in a ponytail and his heart was on his sleeve. In his eyes, there was a look that said he knew what he thought.

Barrman just joined his good buddy Jeb at the bar and they welcomed him at their table. It was a strange question to start a conversation, he pondered it for only a second, “yes, I would consider myself open-minded.”  He paused for a minute and continued, “Why do you ask?” 

Barrman wondered where this conversation was going. Was it going to be one where he was lectured about how covid was a hoax, or would it be something else?

“I’m just wondering, I am open-minded and I see things for what they are. Right now I don’t like what I see. Do you?” Said the man wearing a ball cap and Carhart hoodie.

Barrman didn’t feel threatened by Sam’s demeanor, despite the man’s rough around the edges appearance. 

“No, I don’t like what I see lately,” Barrman answered, not sure what else to say. It was surreal watching all the tension and division in Canada. This guy was his good friend’s good buddy so he must be alright… right?

“Ya, the division is unreal. I think, as Canadians, we should find a way to be united.” Sam held out his hand to Barrman and shook it, “too bad we don’t have a leader in Ottawa that can do something about it.”

“I agree, Trudeau sure dropped the ball on this one. At least he ended the Emergency Act today. Crazy days, I hope it’s over soon.” Barrman looked at his good bud Jeb and shook his head.

Jeb laughed, “yup they ended it today because the Senate wasn’t going to pass the act anyway.”

“No doubt about it man.” Barrman and Sam said in unison. 

“Here are the three of us trying to solve Canada’s problem’s eh? All I know is the Government should have talked to the protesters three weeks ago instead of calling them names and ignoring them.” Sam sighed, then continued, “In my whole life, all forty-seven years of it, I have never seen a protest or anything like what happened in Ottawa. How can you ignore that?”

“Well, there was Oka and some fishermen protesting in Nova Scotia…” Barrman searched for a better answer. Sam had a point, this was unprecedented. 

“Not a single window smashed, no rioting, no violence just a bunch of Canadians fed up with what the government has been doing.” Sam shook his head looked at Jeb.

“Nothing like it…” Jeb nodded his head.

“Nothing like it at all, and they warned them a week ahead they were coming. What does our PM say to them? You’re the fringe, you don’t matter, your opinion is nothing.” said Sam and shook his head, “fucking stupid if you ask me.”

“Ya but um… I dunno you are right they did warn them they were coming and to call them the fringe and to say they were nothing but tinfoil hat-wearing conspiracy theorists is not the best approach…” Barrman felt a pit in his stomach, things were messed up. “The government just played into the story that this is all about control. I think the healthcare experts are doing their best but come on man… Tinfoil hats?”

“I don’t wear a tinfoil hat.” Sam shook his head and chuckled. “Do you?”

“Ya I wore one with my buddy Joey, we debated all the theories, from 5G to we are all going to be zombies.” Barrman laughed, “I think it’s all messed up and they should have just talked to the protesters.”

“I agree they should have talked, but the government went all heavy-handed – they could have just negotiated or offered them a solution. I’m a working man that wants to take care of my family. I don’t usually care about politics and I have done what they asked. But this went too far.” Sam picked up his beer and took a swig.

“There are no winners in this one. The government can’t back down now so it will last longer. I think the whole thing will backfire. Trudeau hates being wrong.” Barrman started to look for a way out of this conversation. It has been toxic lately. Why couldn’t two new friends talk about hockey or something?

“Yup and the protesters couldn’t back down either, many of them had no job to go back to so why not camp out in Ottawa?” Sam said. 

“It’s a pissing contest and usually when that happens someone gets pissed on.” Jeb chuckled and took a swig of his beer.

“Ya and everyone gets pissed off.” Barrman laughed and raised his beer, “to pissing contests.”

Sam smiled, “I’m beginning to like this guy.” He held up his beer and the three Canadians chinked their bottles. 

“I can’t wait for this to end. I’m so tired of wearing the masks,” Barrman looked over, beside Sam lay a mask with the Oilers emblem on it. “Especially ones like that,” Barrman laughed. “I miss the days when we would sit around a bar and argue about who’s going to win the cup.” 

Jeb shook his head, “It won’t be the Canucks.”

“I like my Flames chances, ten wins in a row now.” Barrman smiled, hockey was a better conversation than the covid one that has taken over the world lately.

“I used to like this guy,” Sam laughed, “I’d rather debate hockey any day…”

Barrman looked at the two working-class buddies at the table with him, “these are strange days indeed. I can’t wait for the day we can all agree to disagree on who will win the Stanley Cup instead of who is less wrong in the world of covid…”

“I’ll drink to that!” Jeb raised his beer bottle. 

“Cheers,” Barrman and Sam raised their bottles and together they drank to the end of the division in the world they have lived in for the last two years.