Ajax, Ontario

I am from a semi-small town called Ajax. When you enter Ajax, a cleverly marketed sign states that not only is this town Ajax, but it is "Ajax-by-the-lake" being Lake Ontario. Definitely a tourist ploy. I grew up in the same house my whole life, always went to the same school and always had the same friends. And I hated it. I longed to break through the monotony of the simple town life. I dreamed of large cities and interesting people, and resented living in a place where nothing ever changed.

When I was 19, a man came into my life and swept me off my feet, not only bringing the promise of a love I had not yet known, but also the promise of new places and people -- he was from the United States. When he proposed, I jumped at the chance to get out of my town. I moved far away. I moved 2000 miles away.
I relished the new experiences I was having after our marriage. I loved finding my way around a new place and meeting new people. For a time at least.

About six months after I left little Ajax, I began to miss it. I was surprised, because I hated Ajax. At Christmas I looked out the window at the snow and wished I was at home, playing with my younger brothers as if I was eight again. In the summer, I missed the man on my street who every day, at 5pm would play his accordian on the verandah. I missed the corner grocery store where the checkout lady knew me by name, and thhe pizza place where the owner would sneak me extra pudding. I missed nights by the lake, where I had spent just about every date I had ever been on. I missed my friends that I had taken for granted, and I missed the hockey games on Friday nights. I even missed the cleverly marketed tourist sign stating it was "Ajax-by-the-lake", even though the lake was severly polluted and smelled when it got hot.

I still live far away from the little town of Ajax. I still miss it. I miss its charm and people and houses and atmosphere. Sometimes I wonder why I didn't realize how perfect it was until the day I left it behind me. It was perfect. It is perfect.

Jacqueline C

Submitted: Monday 26th January 2004, 12:49 PM

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