Anne’s New Year Banquet: Spicing Up Fate
A Tale of Resilience, Laughter, and Sichuan Peppercorns
Back in the swirling mists of early May – when the maple leaves were barely awake and Anne’s neurons were staging an Olympic relay – she awoke from emergency brain surgery with a sense of place that was disconcertingly certain. When the concerned medical professionals asked her, “Anne, where are you?” she stared straight through their souls and declared, “China!” with such gusto that at least two orderlies briefly considered booking a flight to Beijing.
So, as New Year’s Eve 2025 rolled around, our younger son, who lives in Thailand and frequently travels to China, gifted us a sumptuous meal at the most authentic Sichuan Chinese restaurant this side of the Great Wall – or at least one that promised to wage war on blandness. The menu boasted dishes so spicy that the chef wore welding goggles, and Anne, undeterred, savoured to the hilt every dish marked “triple dragon” as the waitstaff retreated in awe, blanching with trepidation.
With each bite, Anne toasted her unknowable future – a future that looked about as friendly as a snowstorm in July but was met with the fiery warmth of Sichuan cuisine and Anne’s unstoppable laughter. Regardless of what is in store for 2026, Anne is sure to meet it with the essential spice of life.
My wife Anne has brain cancer/ Mon épouse Anne est atteinte d’un cancer du cerveau
Your friend,
Robert
https://robertmcbrydeauthor.com/
