The Dream That Was

Belinda - 1957

Leaning back in office his chair, Sandford stared up at a poster on the wall. He had personally designed it as a promotional device for Urbia. From the lower left-hand corner the eye was led up along a set of train tracks. It showed two freight trains passing on parallel tracks. One train was coming toward the viewer and the other was moving away. They represented the Canadian National Railway tracks that ran through Urbia's site. On the right half of the poster a tractor-trailer was shown stopping at a level track crossing. This represented the industries planned for the city. In the sky above, a plane was pictured flying out of nearby Malton International Airport. Underneath the poster were written the words: PROGRESSION – THE WAY OF THE FUTURE LIES IN THE CITY OF URBIA. Underneath was the name of the company he created to build the city, Villeneuve Consolidated Developments.

It was his favourite poster. It proved to be popular in attracting business investments. Next to it was another poster also aimed at business investment. It read: A HAPPY AND HEALTHY WORKFORCE WILL GUARANTEE PRODUCTIVITY. This poster depicted a series of gleeful women and men enjoying the many pools and parks in the neighbourhood.

As he viewed it now, it made Sandford laugh. It was almost too tacky. But they worked. Investors loved the promise of having a city where the residents would be able to live, work, and play all in the same place. Likewise, the interest of perspective citizens was also piqued by these posters.

Sandford thoughts were disturbed when he heard a knock at the door.

"Come in."

His secretary entered. She was wearing a tight sweater which accentuated her bosoms. Why did all the secretaries at Villeneuve wear such tight sweaters, he wondered.

"Sorry, Mr. Cohen, but the intercom is broken. The technician will be in this afternoon to fix it."

"Very well. Is there something else Mindy?"

"Yes, there is a woman in the lobby who wants to see you. She said she has a proposition for you. She wouldn't reveal anything else. She seems adamant that she sees you today."

"How is my schedule today?"

"All clear. Tomorrow will be busy. You have three meetings."

"Okay. Please send her in."

His secretary signalled to the woman to enter his office, and then promptly left. The woman shyly entered. She was tall with black hair, steel grey eyes, and was thin. Too thin, Sandford thought. The woman was not what one would consider beautiful, but something about her was intriguing. Her face was tired and her hands looked like they had done too much rough work. The orange dress she sported did not quite fit her properly. It was too large, and must have been borrowed. Her black pumps had scuff marks.

The woman slowly approached the desk and introduced herself as Ms. Belinda Sutherland. Sandford signalled her to sit down in the chair before his desk.

"What can I do for you?"

Belinda wrung her hands. "Well, actually I am looking for a job...I don't know if you have any openings, but let me explain things first."

Her forehead furrowed.

"You see Mr. Cohen, I came all the way from Hamilton because of you. I read about your dream city in Life magazine and was inspired. I have followed your story ever since. When my husband left two years ago I found it very hard. With a five-year-old son, I have had to balance three jobs just to support us. It is very difficult for a woman to get work, especially with a young child."

She looked down at the ground for a moment, then looked back up at Sandford and continued: "When I read about the city you were going to build for your motherless children, I was moved. I saw how much you loved your children, and how the new city would foster them. I want my son, Brendan, to live in the kind of place you are building. For a single working mother, living in a coherent community is what the two of us need. I knew right away that I had to be a part of this great city that is going to be built."