once

Once

Upon a time all day I typed stories and since no one reads I
thought I’ll make videos so I signed

Up for classes at the University of Toronto Hart House Film
Club because if you took the classes you got to borrow the equipment free. I was
a librarian and stripper but also a miser.

Ok I was the only girl there with 14 white boys and one
black man.

The man was the teacher.

I never knew that something that has only happened

Once

Was about to happen to me.

I was unprepared.

It has, upon reflection more than

Once

made me cry.

The teacher said get into partners and we did. My partner
was a (obviously) a white boy.

Now, said the teacher, take a camera out and assemble it together
and so I knew enough to act fast and opened the case and took the camera and
battery out and was just about to put it together when my white boy said here
let me help.

Instead of helping, my white boy took the camera and the battery from me.

I did nothing outside but inside I hated us both.

Once

Was about to happen, I didn’t ask for it, nobody did. It seemed
spontaneous but was the product dedicated hard work:

Stop! said the teacher. I’d like to use this moment to teach
you something real. Part of, but beyond camera qualifications.

We all turned bright red, shame glowing. What had we good white
university students done wrong.

Then the teacher did something completely inexplicable to us
all. And

Once

He started my life was forever changed.

We, teacher said, are going to learn something about gender
for

Once.