Andy HoffmanOur first morning in Montreal, after a grueling drive that forced a late arrival, our hosts prepared a welcoming meal. Our hosts had invited us to watch their house and their dog, Tau. Ondine and Deborah have teamed up to write a book about flourishing business, but honestly this story actually begins almost a year ago, with our first trip to Montreal.
Deb and Ondine met virtually through one of Deb’s amazing networks. Ondine, originally from South Africa and now in Montreal via Botswana plays a key role in a group of people trying to persuade businesses that their profit-minded interests – taken on a longer timeline – align closely with a package of principles focused on cultivating community, teaming up with their employees rather than against them, and caring for the earth as their place of business. As Deb and Ondine bonded over their global citizenship, Ondine invited us to visit Montreal. With my mother out of rehab and back home, we seized the opportunity to explore our northern neighbor.
During that first trip Ondine and Deb hatched the plan for the book project. Ondine explained that she had summered in Europe for several years while her husband, an airline pilot, worked on loan shuttling Brits to their Mediterranean holidays. She broached the idea then that we might solve a problem for her by replacing her patchwork of dogsitters with our steady presence during the summer of 2025. We promised to consider it.
And then so many things changed: My mother’s health declined, and we decided to give up our expensive Brookline apartment. We found a place in Providence to be near my mother, but before we could move in, she died. Trump’s unexpected White House win hurried our decision to live rotationally, a choice made clearer by the offer to stay for a month and a half in Montreal, an offer sealed by the book contract. Our July 10th trip, unfortunately extended from the normal 5 hours to almost 10, landed us back at Ondine’s sweet house in Notre Dame de Grace, an easy walk to both commercial Monkland Avenue and a Metro stop.
Saturday morning our hosts and their two daughters greeted us with scrambled eggs, bacon, and excellent croissants from the bakery across the street. They recommended opening the croissant with a knife and filled it with scrambled eggs for a true Montreal breakfast. Unlike in the United States, croissants qualify in Quebec as must-haves and are priced accordingly, at about $2 apiece, and meet quality standards most American croissants only dream of. The elaborate coffee machine kept pumping out espresso as we talked and ate. I became reacquainted with Tau, a powerful but peaceful black dog. Tau, whose name means lion in Sotho, an African language, sat joyfully with us while we breakfasted, celebrated the growth from mere idea to a book contract in under a year, and cemented a friendship. As Ondine said, “We are so happy to have friends caring for Tau.” Amen to that!
