Chapter 1: Love Above the Clouds

It all started long before I arrived, at a time when my parents worked for an airline that no one talks about anymore: Quebec Air. A company that no longer exists, a bit like a forgotten legend, but that’s where it all began for them. My father was a pilot, with his impeccable uniform, his sunglasses, and that relaxed air of those who master the skies. He was cool, always at ease, even in the most stressful situations. And then, he had that sense of humor that made everyone smile. You know the type? The guy who always has a joke up his sleeve, even when he’s ten thousand feet up.

My mother, on the other hand, was a completely different story. She managed the plane schedules with a rigor that would make a Swiss watchmaker pale. She was serious, focused, and frankly, flirting at work was clearly not on her agenda. Work was work. Especially when it came to getting planes off the ground safely. So I can tell you that she ignored my father’s jokes with professional grace. Detached, indifferent, imperturbable.

But did that discourage my father? Not at all. Already in a relationship at the time, that didn’t stop him from trying to make my mother laugh. Maybe it was to impress her, or maybe he saw it as a challenge – after all, who can resist a pilot with a good sense of humor? Except that my mother, she resisted, and not just a little. For her, all that was a distraction, and she wasn’t there for that. She had her planes to manage and her schedules to respect, period.

And then, as in all good stories, there was an unexpected twist. A car accident. Nothing too serious, but enough for my mother to be forced to take a year-long break, away from planes, away from the tarmac, and especially away from my father. It's funny how an unforeseen event can change everything. During that year, my father continued to fly, but his jokes took a little break. It must be said that making jokes without an audience is immediately less interesting.

Then, a year later, my mother came back. A little calmer, a little more composed after this long forced break. My father was waiting, but this time, he didn't come out with one of his usual jokes. No, he let out something much more serious, almost sincere: "You know, I missed you." A sentence that changed the whole dynamic between them. No more little pilot jokes to seduce an indifferent woman. From that moment on, they started to get closer, slowly but surely.

A few months later, surprise! A little baby is coming. And that baby is me. Conceived in autumn, under the colours of red and gold leaves, like an unexpected project but full of promise. They didn’t expect it, but they couldn’t have been happier. I was due in the middle of summer, on August 14th to be precise. But as you will discover when you get to know me, I have always had a bit of a special timing. Instead of waiting quietly for my due date, I decided to arrive a month early, on July 9th. A surprise baby who doesn’t waste any time!

My mother, on the other hand, never really stopped, even during pregnancy. Always active, always on the move. She went from left to right, as if nothing was happening, and I, in her belly, was already preparing for a busy life. I swear, I felt like there was so much movement inside that I must have said to myself: “I might as well go out now, we’ll see what awaits me outside.” »

And then, my parents, true to themselves, didn’t do things the conventional way. To go to their medical appointments, they took a motorcycle. Yes, you heard correctly. A motorcycle. Imagine my mother, pregnant to the teeth, clinging to my father, crossing the city on two wheels. And the day I decided to arrive, there was no question of doing things by halves. My father, in his inimitable style, came to pick up my mother to take her to the hospital… in a convertible. Yes, a convertible, because why do it simply when you can do it chic? You see, from the beginning, I knew that I was going to have a life full of adventures.