Gabriel: A Guardian Angel

Surprising and thanking Gabriel, a true guardian angel.

Sometimes out of the blue a guardian angel arrives reminding you that there is essential kindness often in unexpected places. A whole new year stretching out before us with its excitement and mystery can sometimes cause us to wonder about safety nets. 

We don’t often tell our own stories, but it just seemed right to tell you about Gabriel Masciotte-Marquez, knowing that there’s a Gabriel out there for you, too, when you least expect it, and perhaps in 2024. Watch for small miracles, and the happiness and wonder they bring.

In August as I drove to the Quebec City airport to pick up my daughter Alice to return to beloved Murray Bay on the banks of the St. Lawrence River I noticed on the dashboard that I was rapidly losing air in a tire. The highway was just ending and I was able to get off the road and make it to airport arrivals.  My tire was flat when I arrived. I hadn’t changed a tire in decades.

As a college newspaper intern I wrote about changing a tire and felt confident about it for years. With new equipment, I wasn’t so sure.

It seemed like a small problem, that I had a spare tire and equipment, and there were rental car offices nearby where I could probably get help.  Unfortunately, even though I had a gold card with a company, no one was interested in helping and brushed me off.  The Canadian Triple A could not have been nicer but there would be a delay.

I entered the airport and asked a young Air Canada employee if he could direct me to someone that might help.  Explaining that he was on break, Gabriel Masciotte-Marquez came out to assess the situation and said immediately that he would be happy to put on the spare tire.  Afterwards, he called around to all the Canadian Tires—one of Canada’s most popular stores—to see if they had a tire I could purchase.  Because it was the start of Canada’s Construction Holiday when everyone in that industry seemed to be tuning up their car for a vacation, there were no Canadian Tires that could help with a new tire. Gabriel was very helpful in determining that since my spare tire was new and if I drove slowly, I could make it back to Murray Bay and then get a new tire.

Alice and I thanked Gabriel profusely and made our way back to Murray Bay.  I had asked for the name of his supervisor and I wrote to tell how thoughtful he had been.  And the golden summer continued. Locked in my mind wasn’t just the tire change itself but that someone would go out of their way for a stranger, that he had the instant reaction to do something kind for another person for no other reason except thoughtfulness.

But soon the magic began: a very novel way to pay a real thank you to Gabriel. 

Ted Ghanime

Maude Cadieux from Air Canada called to tell me about their Gratitude Gallery, the way that they honor a few employees who stand for the many who have shown caring in their jobs.  Ted Ghanime, a freelance digital video director and producer, recorded my story of my Good Samaritan. I learned I was to be flown from Quebec where I was again visiting in October to Toronto to surprise Gabriel as a part of the filming of 2023’s Gratitude Gallery, now in its third year.

The fun was to be that Gabriel would be totally surprised.  He was told that he would be participating in routine employee interviews and he was to have left the Quebec City airport earlier than I did that morning.  His flight was cancelled and I hid in my seat at my gate when I saw him across the room.  I learned later that he couldn’t get on a flight until late that night, and almost cancelled the trip.

Makeup chair at the Toronto studio.

Members of the Gallery of Gratitude team.

Early the following morning I arrived in Toronto’s film district to a studio I believe where they filmed “Suits” and recent horror movies. I was hidden away on the other side of the building from where Gabriel was to arrive. I learned that two other gratitude awardees would be honored. Receiving makeup and hair styling while learning from an artist who had worked with was several stars was a delight, I was already having a great time visiting with the several staff members on the project.  The best part was that the team was thrilled that people like Gabriel would be receiving recognition for doing something very thoughtful.

Setting up the set

From a monitor I watched Gabriel’s reaction as he walked onto the large soundstage past airplane models and old Air Canada photographs.  Through his headphones he received instructions to move in front of a pedestal painted silver with a flat tire on top, and then an abstract painting, done by a clever Air Canada employee, showing him changing a tire.  The last stop was a monitor where he heard me telling about his thoughtfulness.  Because of his self-effacing nature, he was wiping tears away.

Then he was told to turn around, and I came from behind a screen where I could thank Gabriel in person and have some time to visit before we both returned to our daily lives:  his to become Air Canada Concierge at the Quebec City airport, a promotion in part due to his thoughtfulness. I learned that he grew up in Trois-Rivieres, a town close to Quebec City, that his mother grew up in Peru and came to Canada to study to be a teacher. I hope if you are ever in the Quebec City airport that you will say hello to Gabriel—you will be meeting a very special person.

I plan never to lose touch with Gabriel, and with Ted who helped to tell his story.  When you meet a guardian angel, one whose reaction is to be thoughtful and selfless, you want to hold on to that and if you can, pass it forward. It is so easy to just turn away when people need you, but when a Gabriel steps forward that’s when you truly learn to be grateful.

Air Canada asked me to take a photo of the flat time culprit.

YouTube EN: https://youtu.be/BUz5G-FSqJg