Page 25 - Faraway Frieds

FARAWAY FRIENDS 19
tened in the late-morning sun. Chin on his extended paws, he closed his eyes and slept.
“He didn’t even say namaste,” Daya observed.
Time slipped by as MaryCatherine fixed maca- roni and cheese in the tiny kitchenette in an alcove off the sitting room. “I’m serving a typical Ameri- can lunch for kids,” she explained. “It usually comes with chocolate milk. This evening, Dad will take us to the family-owned restaurant down the street, and you can help us pick out some yummy Nepali dish- es.”
All too quickly the hours passed. MaryCatherine was delighted to find that Daya knew how to cro- chet, a skill she was just beginning to master. They pored over the scrapbook full of pictures from back home in Colorado, which MaryCatherine kept nearby. They shared snippets of happenings in the government school Daya attended and how these compared to homeschooling experiences.
“Don’t you ever get homesick for America and your mom and sister?” Daya asked. “I can’t even imagine not being with my mom.”
MaryCatherine already knew that Daya’s dad had been killed in the recent earthquake. She now real- ized that Daya must still be dealing with the shock and loss she felt.
“But recently we’ve been talking with a Nepali family that attends a Christian service on Sundays.