montreal: leisure or work?

i've answered this question many times before but this time was different; still, i checked the box that said leisure and went with it. as we got through the customs line the agent looked at my sketchy and battered passport and asked why i was in montreal.

i didnt freeze but i will say that she caught me taking an extra second to answer, which then prompted her to send me to secondary questioning. i walked inside this office that kind of resembled a clean DMV - if there was ever one - and standing in front of the line there was this huge black guy. he didnt seem all that happy, which was cool because he caused a scene and began demanding an explanation of "why am i in this damn line for?!" the customs agent was having none of it and quickly put him in his place "sir, you can go back if you want." he changed his tone and then i was called.

the agent, a young dude, hipster looking, asked me why i was in montreal and i said primarily for work. he suspiciously looked at my customs form and asked for who and for how long. i answered and he flipped through my passport a few more times. i flipped my shit a few times being that i didnt have anymore room in my passport. he didnt seem to care though and stamped right on top of another country and said welcome to montreal.

michelle was waiting for me at the bottom of the escalator and she couldnt have looked more beautiful. maybe it was the possibility being detained or deported back to the states, but it felt so great to see a good friend on the other side. we quickly figured out how to get into the city and found our hostel in minutes. the next 2 days were crammed with walking, climbing, laughing and eating. we had a great time exploring montreal and its definitely a city worth coming back to.