“This is a lot of work,” thought Penny. “I will be glad when everything is put away.”
She was washing and drying her crystal glasses, when Crystal showed up asking for a favor.
“Penny, do you think you and I could make some brownies?” Crystal asked Penny, “Today is my grandparent’s anniversary. I want to surprise them with something special. Please help me.”
“This young lady is so sweet,” Penny thought to herself. “It is wonderful to see a girl who is so considerate of her grandparents.”
“What a great idea!” she said to Crystal, with a smile. “It appears that a celebration is in order.”
Although Penny was still busy, she decided it was time to take a break and spend some quality time together.
“Making brownies with Crystal might be fun,” she thought to herself, carefully placing her crystal glasses in the china cabinet.
“We will have to check my cupboards and see if we have everything we need to make brownies.”
Penny soon realized they needed more dark chocolate, so the two of them walked to the store together. For Penny, it was wonderful to see the glow on Crystal’s face, as she skipped along beside her.
“Thank you so much,” said Crystal. “You are the best!”
“Maybe we can find an anniversary card for them,” replied Penny. “You can help me pick it out.”
“Super,” replied Crystal. “They will love that.”
“Why not do right by them, particularly if they are going to be my family too,” thought Penny.
While Penny was paying for the chocolate and anniversary card, Crystal was searching for something she could give her grandparents as a present, but not having any money, she knew that she would have to ask Penny to pay for it, or just take it.
“First nation, first portion,” she said to herself, as she tucked a small box of herbal tea in her backpack. “That is what my people taught me.”
Penny had no idea that Crystal was stealing, or that she felt it was her right to help herself to the first portion of anything that she wanted, wherever she was.
“Thank you,” they called out to the sales clerk who had assisted Penny, as they left the store.
When they reached Penny’s apartment, making brownies proved fun for both of them. While the brownies were baking, they drank lemonade and chatted about Crystal going back to school. They both signed the anniversary card and Penny put it back in the envelope.
Crystal helped Penny make chocolate icing, ice the brownies and cut them up. They carefully arranged them on a paper plate.
“Keep some for later,” suggested Crystal. “If you are going to be my mother, you will be a first nation person, too.”
Penny looked up at her, wondering what she meant by that.
Crystal gazed at Penny intensely.
“As my mother, you will be entitled to ‘first nation, first portion’, just like I am. My grandfather said that I am a princess, because he is the native chief in our community.”
“Your grandmother told me that. I think it is wonderful.”
“We will have brownies for dessert tonight. My grandparents will be so thrilled. Thank you for helping me with them.”
“You are welcome,” replied Penny. “Have a wonderful evening!”
“I need to do some research into native culture,” thought Penny. “Imagine hearing that expression for the first time from a twelve-year old native girl.”
Penny had no idea what the full implications would be for her, or for them.
“That reminds me of the Christian concept of the ‘first and last’.”
She wondered if Crystal and her family knew what that meant.
“Just one more thing we will have to talk about,” she decided.
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