Around two weeks ago I had a very special weekend, brimming and bursting with friendship and places to go. Friday night I hastily cleaned my home and welcomed, ten, twenty, thirty(!) people friends into my apartment for a musical devotional. People came in late, left early, and at around 9 I went to open the door to Jacob, who was famished and as soft as ever. Guitars, piano, violin, clarinet, drums, voices upon voices. Later Jacob and I lay in exhaustion, together, sinking to sleep in bed. Saturday brought a visit to Le Central and a hike up up the mountain with Sana, Anvesh and Aniket (Atsushi left after dosas…) where Kimia joined us at the top, between coffee, hot chocolate and chins bundled in scarves. I said goodbye to Anvesh, who was saying goodbye to Montreal, and Jacob left me at home as I hunched over my homework for a couple hours. After a couple of hours, I left home too, towards Emma’s Asa’s and Caroline’s to catch the second season of Fleabag. Jacob and I and “Gnomy” got comfortable on a couch near the door with herbal berry tea steaming in mugs between our feet. Sunday came, and early evening (in the deep dark) we walked along St-Denis to arrive to Somaya’s AirBNB on Mont-Royal and enjoyed bites of sushi with Amanda, Tyler, Larissa, and of course, dear Somaya. It was a short catch-up and soon I was bundled back in my new wool pale blue coat, red wool scarf, red beret, red gloves hand in hand with Jacob, dreaming down St-Denis. Monday was sushi again, a small MM reunion in the lounge, at noon, cutting the early winter wind. It was lovely, it was at times awkward (AJ ignoring me…) and it was a breath I hadn’t inhaled in a long time. After small candid conversations with Fatima and Zeytouna, I went home and cooked napa cabbage and shitake mushrooms and carrots, baked zuchinni and sweet potato, and pan fried tofu and shrimp for Emma, Caroline and Asa. Jacob made an Israeli salad which went perfectly with the appetizer of bread and butter. Finally, we donned our coats and went to Cinema du Parc to watch “Anatomy of a Fall.” It was engrossing and brilliant. I couldn’t believe my luck, all my luck.