Chapter 9: Learning New Things
One mild first Saturday of July 2021, I met up with my childhood friends Sarah, James, and Henri at the Pittsburgh's Perfect Parties office in Monroeville. "Hi, guys!" I greeted my friends. "Hi, Angel!" Sarah greeted back. We ate cobb salad for lunch. I began with a presentation on something that I am really passionate about, which was the Allegheny County Belt System. Then, Sarah gave her presentation on Carlos Santana, aka the artist behind our dance anthem "Into the Night". Henri gave his presentation on Dorito chips and James gave his presentation on the Swiss Alps. Not to mention, there were leftover slices of our cakes that we baked the other day. Mine was the Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich Cake, Sarah's was the Cereal Bowl Cake, James's was the Giant S'more Cake, and Henri's was the Sicilian Pizza Cake. "I was wondering how you each chose your topics," I told my friends. "For example, I chose the Allegheny County Belt System because I am very good at navigating routes, especially bus routes, and I play the game Boroughs vs. Townships on my computer on a regular basis," I explained to my friends. "I chose Carlos Santana because he is obviously the artist behind our dance anthem and I wanted to know more about his career," Sarah explained. "I chose the Swiss Alps because I wanted to learn more about my summer vacation destination back in 2004," James explained. "Doritos are one of my favorite snacks as I ate them the day that Sarah was baby-sitting us, and I wanted to learn more about the company," Henri explained. I took a bite of my Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich Cake. "Mmm, these cakes are really good," I pointed out. "I am glad that you like them," Sarah told me. "Your Cereal Bowl Cake is especially cute, Sarah." "Thanks!" "You're welcome." "Hey, James, why don't you choose the Swiss Alps for the day that we do our Travel Day?" I asked. "We should throw another party at the end of summer, like you did when you came home from your high school ski trip." "Yes, that was a lot of fun," Henri agreed. "Why wait until the end of summer to throw a party?" James asked. "We can do it sometime in the coming weeks." "Well, as we all know, it's back to work next Saturday," Sarah told us. "A young woman named Rebecca Chase from Springdale is throwing a Totally '80s Sleepover on July 24, and she is heading into her last year at Community College of Allegheny County Boyce Campus." "We already know that, Sarah," I pointed out. "So, I am just reminding you guys that if you want to do something like that, it would have to be on random days of the week or on Saturdays when we don't work," Sarah reminded us. "After all, we have to stay committed to our work!" Pretty soon, it was time for all of us to leave. "Thanks for a great day, everyone!" I thanked my friends. "You're welcome, Angel," Sarah replied. "Bye, guys!" "Bye!"