I glanced at the storefronts on Somerset Street in Chinatown. The Chinese signs were worn, with Vietnamese signs scattered among them. The arch that stretched across the road welcoming us to the neighbourhood was like a diamond-encrusted tiara placed on top of a grimy paper-bag princess. Gems like Shanghai Restaurant and May’s Garden remained, but Chinatown had seen better days. I often wondered where the Chinese people in the suburbs now ate, and how long it would be before this urban Chinese community shrank again.

Hilary handed me a travel mug. “It’s magic,” she said.

“Coffee?” I asked.

“Yes, but it’s called ‘magic.’ I just discovered this new coffee shop in a bike store, of all places. It will change your life forever. Just the perfect ratio of milk and ristretto.”

I took a sip. The bold, strong but sweet flavour gave me the reassurance I needed.

We pushed our strollers, and my feet began to remember what it felt like to move on pavement. Hilary allowed me to walk silently with my thoughts for a while. Only when we were a block away from our destination did she say, “I take Abby to this playgroup because I know a few of the moms but mainly because the woman who leads it does a great circle time. Even I’m enchanted! Another benefit? There’s a Chinese playgroup there.”

I laughed. “My kid is only a couple months old. What’s she going to get out of it?”

“Who cares?” exclaimed Hilary. “It’s what you get out of it. You get to hang out with me for the morning. After this, we’re going for lunch at that pho place on the corner of Booth. Then we’ll hit that new bubble tea place.”

I smiled. Hilary knew me so well. She had planned the perfect day according to Lily, and it was nice to think that I could indulge in a few of my favourite things.

We parked our strollers in the stairwell and climbed up with our babies and bags. Shedding our outerwear and unpacking our gear took as long as the walk. Abby ran into the familiar room and grabbed a toy stroller, pushing it around and cooing, “Baby!”

I followed Hilary, grabbing a set of toy keys for Leo. She took my elbow and pointed out a woman whose long brown hair looked professionally blow-dried. I admired her cable-knit cardigan and ankle boots. We exchanged warm smiles.

“Madhu, I want you to meet Lily.” Hilary seemed to know everyone. “She’s a childhood friend of mine and she has a new baby. Her first. She’s a playgroup virgin, haha.”

“Nice to meet you, Lily. Welcome.” Madhu was distracted by her son trying to escape the room. “Gotta run!” Hilary told me that Madhu was a lawyer too, so we might have something in common to chat about other than our kids.

Then Hilary abandoned me on the mat to retrieve her coffee at the other end of the room. She ran into a mom who’d just made it inside before they closed the door for the morning and stood there chatting for some time. I sat cross-legged with Leo in my lap. She was drooling happily on the new toy in her clutches, so I pulled out my phone to check my email.