What's She Like?

Leo is fourteen and his sister Mia is eleven. They live with their dad in Calgary. On Saturday, Dad's new girlfriend is coming to dinner for the first time. Her name is Helen, and Leo and Mia have a lot of questions.

"What does she look like?" Mia asked at breakfast. "She's tall, with short gray hair," said Dad. "Gray?" said Leo. "Is she old?" "No, she isn't. She's forty-five, like me." "And what does she do?" "She's a firefighter." The children didn't expect that.

"What's she like?" asked Mia. Dad thought for a moment. "She's kind and very calm. And she's quiet. She doesn't talk much." "Does she like video games?" asked Leo. "I don't know," said Dad. "Ask her on Saturday."

Later, in the living room, Leo said, "I don't want a new mom." "Neither do I," said Mia. "And I don't like quiet people. They're boring." "Neither do I." Mia imagined a serious woman in a uniform who never smiles. "I'm a bit nervous," said Mia. "So am I," said Leo.

On Saturday evening, the doorbell rang. Helen was tall, with short gray hair, and she was carrying a big box. "Hi, I'm Helen," she said. "I'm really nervous." Mia laughed. "So are we!" Inside the box, there were three board games and a chocolate cake.

Helen wasn't quiet at all. During dinner, she told funny stories about her job: a cat on a roof, a man with his head in a fence. After dinner, she played video games with Leo and won twice. "You're good," said Leo. "So are you," said Helen. "Almost."

When she left, Dad asked, "So, what's she like?" "She's OK," said Leo. Then he smiled. "Actually, she's great." "I think so too," said Mia. "But she isn't quiet!" Dad laughed. "She's only quiet when she's nervous." "So am I," said Leo.