There is a new girl in town. Is she truly a girl? No matter. Let us call her that because it rhymes so well. Anyhow, this girl wears sneakers, thanks to a broken toe, and dashes about with her newly acquired friends. it is no wonder that her toe refuses to heal. Her new friends were formed by the desire to share meals they liked to eat. The friends were knowledgeable about good, inexpensive restaurants, which was great since the girl was on a budget. She loved them all—especially Bea, Father Goose, Susie-Q, Kat-the-mother-goose, Avocado, and Dee-Dee.

The temperature was almost a hundred degrees but she joined her friends for an early hike around a lake. She liked to sleep late on Sundays, but she was keen about joining them. The leader of the group, nicknamed Father Goose, guided them as they walked.

The girl said, “Daddy-O, do lead the way.” He had the right. He cared for his flock of goslings. Rarely did he lose any of his flock. Should his goslings veer off the beaten path, he would say with a sarcastic smile, “Stay away from the road! Don’t get run over … walk on the sidewalk.” Not exactly two-by-two, for the goslings had minds of their own, but they respected the Father Goose and walked on the sidewalk as he advised. Wherever they went, people looked. They wondered, “Who are they? Why are there so many of them? Are they the Crazy-Rich-Asians? Or are they the Crazy-Not So Rich-Asians?” It was understandable that the onlookers should wonder. How did this group become so close and attached? Who is to say? But friendships happen. One particular interest could bring people to come together—just as this group was formed.

Everyone was covered in sweat during the hike but no one complained. They were a one-minded group. They all sweated together and it did not bother them. One friend rolled his sleeve due to heat and Dee-Dee exclaimed, “Oh, you are trying to get a farmer’s tan!” They all chuckled. Dee-Dee was a vibrant soul. They dared not offer her coffee for they feared the consequence. She was hyper enough.

She was ahead of the group, and the girl dashed after her with a smile for she was playful and refused to have Dee-Dee become the sole winner of the hike while Father Goose was chatting with his goslings. No one quite knew if Father Goose was feigning to be sarcastic or clueless as to what people said. Susie-Q became especially frustrated at Father Goose and fisted him frequently when he made her lose her patience. Instead of explaining to him when he appeared not to comprehend what she said, it was simpler for her to whack him. She was such a patient person that everyone understood how infuriating he could be at times. The group sympathized with Susie-Q.

When Father Goose smiled and complained about being abused by Suzie-Q and asked, “Did you witness that? Did you see her hitting me?”

The girl replied with a smile, “What do you mean? I didn’t see anyone hit you.” Everyone smiled including Suzie-Q. She knew her friends loved her.

After the walk around the lake, the group went off to eat at Eden Center—it was their favorite hangout. Avocado commented, “Meals are good here while service is poor, ha, ha, ha, …” He was highly liked. Again, the group laughed. He added balance to the group—a great peacemaker.

They happily ate at Nhu Trang, and the girl asked for extra sauce. The Father Goose exclaimed, “Your noodle looks wet!”

“I don’t like bland noodles,” said the girl. She looked like a trouble-maker but it was Dee-Dee who normally caused a racket. The group had to gently inform her to restrain herself when Dee-Dee became too excited at the waiter. They told her, “We don’t want the waiter to spit in our food.” Of course, Dee-Dee being Dee-Dee did not care. They loved her anyway. She was very welcoming and caring. She was never boring.

After eating brunch/lunch, they went for bubble-tea. It was their routine. Everyone loved the bubble in their tea, but the girl asked for tea without them. She appreciated simpler flavors. However, the tea-shop was charming, and she smiled as her friends were all sipping their sugary tea. Many of them complained that it was too sweet, and the girl smiled again because she had been wiser by not requesting for sugar in her tea.

With their stomachs churning with food and tea, they went shopping at Eden Center. Dee-Dee was a pro when it came to shopping, and the girl was fascinated by her knowledge of exotic plants and foods. They feared that Father Goose would become bored, but he did not mind at all.

Eden Center was like a maze of curiosity shops. Dee-Dee was at her best as she negotiated with the vendors. She could explain all the plants and foods that were sold in Eden Center and bargained well to get a good price. She was a vital commodity for their group. The girl learned a lot from Dee-Dee and was grateful. They were amused as she excitedly ran into one store to another as the group watched her. She popped out of one store and shouted, “Guys! This store is so cool! There are a lot of Buddhas in there.” The gang all laughed. She made it sound as if the Buddha statue was something that everyone was dying to own. A Buddha statue was not on anyone’s grocery list that day.

Eventually, Dee-Dee purchased a flowering plant that would bloom with fragrant flowers, and Father Goose was asked to carry it to Dee-Dee’s car, which made the group to proclaim, “Ah—that is why Father Goose came along so that Dee-Dee could have him carry the plant for her!” They all laughed as Father Goose meekly followed Dee-Dee to her car. As Dee-Dee happily walked on ahead with Father Goose carrying the green plant, his goslings followed with smiles on their faces.

Dee-Dee happily complimented Father Goose that he needed some color and that the green plant was perfect on him. The goslings laughed again as they saw that Father Goose’s face was as stoic as usual. Surely he knew that his goslings were grateful. Now, where was the Mother Goose? To talk about her, we would need to tell another story.