’ ‘Oh John? You mean that nice young man with his soccer pals? Oh Kendra, he’s a good one. He cannot stop talking about you since he joined the ...thers last evening. Carl, Percy and Kevin are so jealous. Oh, here I go again. I’ll have your orders all ready in a jiff, plus a round of orange juice.’ It sounded very good. A few minutes of waiting, Charles brought out two plates of eggs and bacon to Becky and Jessica at the next booth. ‘Here ya are, loves. The lovebird special just for you.’ . 4. Terry had hit on the idea that he would make a homemade Christmas card for Ms Grandquist in the hope that it would please her. The last day of class before the Christmas break he waited until the other kids had left the classroom and came in with it. Sally looked at the piece of paper, it was a well drawn inked picture of Santa up in the sky with two people down below looking up and waving. ‘Well, this is just great Terry, I didn’t know you drew,’ Sally said. ‘Yeah, it’s a hobby,’ he replied. There was much I hadn’t told Steve. I’ve been estranged from my family for quite a while. No, it doesn’t have anything to do with Steve. My family and I stopped talking to each other long before I met Steve. Why is that, you may ask? I’ve always been the headstrong type, and when you’re a Muslim woman, that can be seriously hazardous to your health. The Somali community in Canada is facing an internal struggle over modernism and traditionalism. I straddle both sides of the fence when it comes. ‘Just don’t wear it then!’ I told her. Janice grinned at me and did exactly that, although that happened much later. +++ There was what I can best describe as a crazy few months. All I could think about after work was getting home to her. One evening I walked in and she was sitting in her chair. ‘Do you love me, David?’ She asked me point blank. ‘Yes, more than anything!’ I told her, and that was the truth. ‘Good, because I know that I love you, too. I guess I have for a long time.’ She smiled..