Mandy, Mark, Steph, Charlie and Dorothy had gathered on a Saturday night to eat pizza, candies, popcorn and watch some comedy movies.They were at the movie theater in Mandy´s house and the cook had prepared this delicious food for them and a variety of natural juices.Steph was enjoying her watermelon juice and Dorothy had found a new delicious flavor in the kiwi juice.They got ice cubes from a huge bucket and filled the long glasses with them, before pouring the juices in.The teens had laughed a lot with a comic movie that told the story of a couple in love, that got lost in a mall and couldn´t find each other for hours. It was necessary for them to escape insisting salespeople and deal with the loss of cell phones and credit cards robbery. Everything was exaggerated, so the filmgoer could laugh his heart out.When the movie finished nobody was in a hurry to leave, then they kept chatting and eating the snacks.“I didn&

After the first two years of great success with her music career and the products linked to her name, Steph decides to rest for a while. The world tour was great, but also exhausting. So, she is at her parents´ house for a month, while her manager plans her future steps.She is happy to be near family and friends again. Some of her cousins drop by to see her, she goes shopping with old school friends, which is fun because she has to use wigs to avoid the fans from recognizing her. And of course there are Mandy´s visits, because she is her best friend. They take turns going to one another´s home as they always did. Then it is possible only to chat or see a movie together to enjoy each other´s company. Sometimes they enjoy the pool and listen to good music while sunbathing.Steph´s family and friends are her main source of inspiration, and since her manager was pushing her to deliver new lyrics for her next CD, she took the opportunity to wr

Brian had a degenerative disease that, in time would cause him to lose his vision. The treatments could postpone it but not avoid that he became blind.Some days he had to use eye drops and rest in his room even if it was day time. His mother would shut the window and put on some soft music to distract him during these long hours of waiting. Brian didn´t complain because he was afraid to become blind and did everything he could to follow the doctor´s recommendations.In these occasions he missed Steph and she made it clear that she missed him too.“Brian, why can´t I sit with you while you rest your eyes? I miss you bad, you know?”“Steph, I miss you too. But the drops make me so sleepy that you would get very bored.”And then they had to endure it. Brian was now ten years old and Steph was nine. The doctor told his mother that he has already lost twenty per cent of his capacity to see and he was wearing gl

Because it was so important to Mama Castle, Arthur took his family to France in the first occasion that arose. They all agreed that the visit shouldn´t be delayed anymore, because since they went to the farms so frequently, Mama Castle was starting to feel hurt and a little abandon. And going to France was no sacrifice at all. In fact, it was the first visit there for Carol and Mandy and they were very excited about it. Mark was travelling with them because onone of them, including Mama Castle, would have it otherwise.He was considered a family member and nobody even remembered or commented about the time of the breakup. What really mattered was that Mandy´s face had gained its light back and Mark was cheerful beside her, also fealing peaceful. When they were together it was as if the world was in the right track towards happiness.The castle was located to the south of France, but not too distant from Paris.The weather was good and the plane trip

While Arthur guided Mandy and Mark to see the castle´s library, Carol followed Mama Castle upstairs to choose the room that she most liked. The luggage would be sent there.“You know, Carol, one day you will be ‘the lady of the castle’ just like you are the ‘lady of the house’ back home.”“Oh, that´s just some nonsense that Sunsquasch came up with.”“Anyway, I want you to choose the room that you like most and I will keep it only for you and Arthur. No other visitor allowed there.”“That is sweet of you.”There was a beautiful room with preserved antique furniture, but the bedroom´s walls were all painted in pink and Carol didn´t think it would please Arthur. Then there was one room with dark brown furniture from the sixteenth century. Most valuable but not too much to her taste. And the third bedroom was perfect for her, since the walls were painted in

At breakfast the castle visitors found an abundant table of local bread, cheeses, and fresh produce found in the Village, at the best bakeries and markets Mama´s kitchen staff could foind. They used these goods freshly acquired to cook the most delicious meals that were served in the castle.“So, my dears, do you rather head to Paris or to the South for some shopping today?”“My tourism guide says that the South of France is stunning and beautiful. But itt is also considered an expensive destination.”This information prompts Arthur to say, “Well, then that is decided. We will go to the South because in my vocabulary, expensive means high quality.”“I agree with you, son. I have acquired some excellent pieces of art and exclusive clothes in some of those cities.”“Which is your favorite, Mama?”“Well, Carol, each one has its own attractions. Take Cannes, for example. The

On the way back home the four of them chose seats that faced each other on the plane. They wanted to chat about their trip.“So, how was your impressions of France?” Arthur already knew that they had enjoyed it, but he was asking for details.“I just loved it. The cities are charming with the beautiful well kept archtecture. It is like visiting another century.”“You are right, mom. It is all about buildings made of bricks with vases of flowers on the balconies. We can´t go to those cities expecting skyscrapers made of glass and steel. Although I like modernity, it was so nice to dive into the past like that. And the art? There is plenty to see for different tastes.”“Yes, I agree with both of you. And you still have to visit the capital. Paris is sinonimous of romance.” Arthur reminds them.“I still can´t believe that we have been to France and not visited Paris.” Mark is amaz

When Arthur decide to have a talk with his friend Jackson, he wanted to do it at the offices of the Foundation. He needed to see with his own eyes how his best friend had adjusted there. Maybe it was too much to handle and Jackson could be drained or even bored.But Arthur´s mind was soon to be put at ease because when he entered the president´s office of the Foundation, Jackson was very enthusiastic. There were panels on the walls, showing educational projects that they were sponsoring around the world.His eyes were shinning and he was more alive than ever. But he looked tired, even if it was not the look of a sick man, Arthur had to agree with Rebecca that Jackson would have to slow the rhitm a little.Then, after hearing about his friends ideas and seeing some pictures of the works that had already started, Arthur changed the subject.“Jackson, I need to talk to you. You faced a cancer, brother. And you don´t seem to grasp that

Jackson, Becca and the boys were invited for a nice dinner at Arthur´s house.After eating a variety of delicious salads, very well-prepared steaks and some superior pasta, they were served an ice cream cake for dessert.“I declare that I can´t move. I stuffed myself.” Louis had a smile on his face that didn´t disappear even when his mother corrected him.“Son, it is not a polite thing to say or do.”“On the contrary Rebecca. It is a compliment to our cooks that Louis enjoyed the food so much.”“I wish I could take some home.”“Louis.” Rebecca almost screamed now.“I a kidding, mom. I just wanted to see you blush.”“For a moment I thought you had erased all the things I said by raising you.”“Come on, boys. Mark and I have some new games that we want to challenge you. I haven´t broken the record yet. Neither

The week passed very quickly for Steph. She had a photoshoot for a company that was launching a shampoo with her name, but she couldn´t tell any details about it. Steph couldn´t concentrate because Mandy had made her hope to be with Brian again. That is why at her arrival, they went straight to Mandy´s bedroom to talk about her ideas about the situation. “Steph, do you know what is one of the things that I most like about math?” “No, Mandy. I must confess that I never understood your passion for math. Maybe because I really don´t understand math itself. Tell me what it is that makes you passionate about it.” “Well Steph, I love everything about math: the numbers, the symbols and the answers to the problems. Also the complexity of the equations…” “Mandy, I am already lost in your explanation.” “Oh, sorry. I got carried away. But back to my line of thought, what I most like is the process of finding solutions to problems.” “That I can un