"I got the job with Merrill & Anderson Marketing," Marilyn "Mare" Biao said enthusiastically, and the slender, short-haired young Asian woman smiled at her lover, Cain Zachary. They were on Bank Street in downtown Ottawa, catching up after Mare's second interview with a certain marketing company. Marilyn had been unemployed for the past eight months, having gotten fired by the Bank of Montreal, and without the Covid-related government subsidy, life would have been hell for her.
Cain was thrilled by Marilyn's good news. It was about time his favorite lady got back on her feet, seriously. The tall, dark-skinned and burly young biracial man stroked his goateed chin as he considered the implications of his lady's latest revelation. Marilyn is a real go-getter, as befitting a daughter of the Chinese Canadian Diaspora. Cain couldn't be prouder of Marilyn, and he wanted to let her know that...
Marilyn Biao had been applying for jobs for quite some time, scouring Indeed and other spots every day to look for opportunities. Banks, call centers, temp agencies, Marilyn hit them all, flooding them with her resume, but to no avail. Finally, Merrill & Anderson Marketing, a small company located in downtown Ottawa, gave Mare the nod she'd been anxiously waiting for. Cain couldn't remember the last time he'd seen Marilyn look happier.
"Mare, this calls for a celebration, let's go to Buffet Du Continent," Cain said, and Marilyn beamed at him. They got in Cain's car and drove from downtown Ottawa to the environs of Gatineau, Quebec. Buffet Du Continent had been one of Cain's favorite restaurants prior to the Covid mess and now that things were slowly getting back to normal, he saw no reason to change. When something works, Cain likes to stick to it.
"Steve, you're the best," Marilyn said, and she then kissed him full and deep. Cain and Marilyn met one fine day on the Carleton University campus, while reaching for the last Advanced Algebra II book on the library shelf. On the surface, the two of them couldn't be more different. Cain was born in Oshawa, Ontario, to a Haitian immigrant mother and a white Canadian father. He considers himself a proud member of the Black Canadian community, and doesn't mince words.
Cain's parents, Angelique Pierre and Leopold Zachary didn't have it easy as an interracial couple in the town of Oshawa, Ontario. While bigger Canadian cities like Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Halifax have a lot of minorities, Oshawa is lily-white, and damn proud of it. As a tall, handsome biracial young man, Cain got teased and sometimes harassed by a lot of the young white folks in the town of Oshawa, Ontario. As soon as Cain reached college age, he left town, never to come back.
Marilyn "Mare" Biao was born in the environs of Tianjin, Northern China, and moved to the City of Ottawa, Ontario, to attend Carleton University as an international student. Fast forward four years, and Marilyn has graduated from Carleton University with her accounting degree, and as a new permanent resident of Canada, she's trying to make some headway in the working world. Cain, as Mare's dutiful boyfriend, is fully supportive of her efforts...
Cain Zachary has a Criminology degree from Carleton University, and works for Brinks, driving an armored truck. Cain is one of those uniformed, armed men who comes to the banks, the stores and the ATMs to make the money deliveries. Cain aspires to work for the Ontario provincial police or perhaps the RCMP someday, but for now, being an armed guard pays the bills. The brother from Oshawa can't complain at present time. He's got a good job, and a good woman.
"Now I can call my father and share the good news," Marilyn squealed excitedly, and Cain's smile froze. To say that Cain and Marilyn's father, Antonin Biao, did not get along would be an understatement. A lieutenant colonel in the Chinese Navy, Antonin Biao had been thoroughly unimpressed when he met his daughter Marilyn's boyfriend Cain, the foreign mongrel whom she was so fond of. The older Asian military man did not hide his dislike of Cain, and the feeling was mutual.
"Give the old man my best," Cain said, and Marilyn frowned, detecting the sarcasm in her lover's tone. It is no secret that the majority of Chinese families frown upon Chinese female/Black male relationships. Cain knew this when he and Marilyn began dating. There are lots of Chinese students at Carleton, and a lot of them gawked when they saw Cain and Marilyn walking about, hand in hand. Marilyn seemed oblivious to the stares, but Cain felt bothered by them. It takes all kinds.