Protect Me Not

Chapter 7

Mary placed her bags down beside her with a sigh. Her arrival to Toronto didn't go without any hiccups. Without Victor by her side to keep her calm, Mary's flight dramatically exasperated her anxiety. Nonetheless, she conquered her first hurdle on her own which made her smile. After a quick glance around the airport, Mary picked up her bags, spotted her exit route and made her way to the outside world. Standing straight and tall, she attempted to hail a cab by extending her arm on a slight diagonal outward reach toward the street. Quickly, Mary realized she was not in New York anymore. Torontonians did not request modes of transportation the same way her New Yorker counterparts did. While shuffling through her Hermes bag for her cell phone, Mary wondered why her personal assistant didn't book her a taxi service of some sort. Mary felt a little out of sorts on the streets of Toronto while still impersonating her New York lifestyle. Realizing her upscale life in New York needed to be toned down a tad while staying in Toronto, she quickly dialed a taxi service. Clutching onto her Louis Vuitton luggage while balancing her Hermes Birkin hand bag on her forearm, Mary internally wished her taxi would arrive sooner rather than later. She could feel the stares from strangers passing by. Mary placed her oversize sunglasses on to try and hide behind the stares and glares but that only seemed to attract more attention. She could hear the whispers and giggles of some young girls standing to her left convinced she was a movie star from some other part of the world visiting Toronto to film an upcoming box office hit. Mary quickly realized that the airline tags on her luggage gave away her whereabouts so she removed the tags and placed them in her pocket. Without being obvious, she turned so that her back was now facing the young girls. Mary wasn't ready to be in the background photo of their selfie picture. She could only imagine the tag line they would use while posting the picture on social media. When Mary noticed the taxi arrive curbside, she quickly jumped into the back seat letting the driver place her luggage into the trunk. She was never so happy to have tinted windows in her car service. Somehow or another, these young girls managed to create a scene which only prompted a larger crowd who then started to snap more pictures and gossip on who they speculated she was. It was that very moment Mary knew she needed to ditch the elite clothing and accessories and try to blend into her new home, even if it was only for a limited time.

"You've managed to attract quite a crowd," the cab driver stated.

"Believe me, it was not my intention," Mary explained.

"Are you some kind of movie star or something," he asked.

"Drive, just drive!" Mary blurted out noticing the crowd circling the taxi.

"Where to?" asked the taxi cab driver.

"Oh shit," Mary said. "Just start driving while I find my itinerary."

The cab driver did exactly what Mary asked and proceeded to take the cab from zero to sixty in no time flat. He instinctively headed towards the highway waiting for his proper destination to be told to him. Mary pulled out her itinerary and skimmed through the wording to find her hotel name booked by her assistant on her behalf.

"Four Seasons Hotel in Yorkville please," Mary blurted out.

"Very well Miss," he said without hesitation.

Mary's thoughts of her airport posse were easily distracted with her destination. There were a few select hotels that she stayed at when she traveled to Toronto. On one of her most recent trips to Toronto, Mary stayed at The Hazelton but preferred to stay at The Four Seasons. The Four Seasons was one of the hotels she always enjoyed staying at. Having access to all the fashionable shopping she desired as well as being able to relish in the best restaurants were some of her favourite perks the hotel's location had to offer. Even though her suite was equipped with a dining area and kitchen, Mary favoured evenings at local restaurants. Knowing that her taxi ride would last forty minutes, Mary took advantage of the time by placing a call to Victor. She wasn't sure why her hands where so shaky while dialing his personal cell number but she knew his calming voice would be all the reassurance she needed. When Victor answered her call, Mary's uneasy feeling seemed to vanish as quickly as it came on.