Page 118

Friday went better than they thought.

There were two weeks before winter break started, and they had papers and projects due.

Walt was always amused at Hollis’s homework. He was better at history for predictable reasons, but math and science worked well for him too. English was his only sore point, but that was Hollis’s best subject, so it evened out.

They had to swing home and pick up the French bread and Hollis’s clothes and toothbrush before heading to Yulia’s. Technically, the slumber party didn’t start until 8:00 p.m., so they had time for dinner too, but Hollis liked food at Yulia’s house better than anything they ate at his.

Usually Yulia’s parents were home when they came over for dinner, but Yulia knew how to make stew and fufu and pounded yam and dodo herself. Nigerian food had a decent amount of ingredients that Yulia’s family had to get in the mail.

Early the year before, Hollis had managed to grow them some yams, but a decent amount of them had gotten too green in the Michigan spring sun. They only got them a single pound of flour.

The ordeal made him one of Yulia’s pa’s favorite people though, so Hollis still tried planting both yams and Scotch bonnet peppers for him every so often.