24th

"Come on, what the hell are you talking about? Hey guys, can any of you translate their conversation into English?" Matthew looked anxiously at the Rollins College students next to him.

"Yes, I have a translation app here, wait a few more minutes." Another boy replied.

"Bah...!" Suddenly, there was a revolver-gun shot from Matthew's tablet.

"Gloria, I'm afraid." Katerina said softly in Russian, clutching the other's right hand tightly.

"Don't worry, I won't leave you." Gloria also spoke Russian.

Sitting across from them, a mixed-race girl of Puerto Rican descent turned to look at them both.Just as he was about to open his mouth to say something to the two of them, he saw two waiters of Chinese origin walking over with dinner plates.

"Ladies, is this what you ordered for Christmas dinner?" one of the Chinese asked.

"Yes, serve it," Gloria said.

"Okay. Here's your almond pudding, gingerbread, polenta, roast turkey, eggnog, and a bottle of Veuve Clicquot with pear flavor."

"Very good, thank you very much!"

"Er, did the turkey have celery, onions, and chestnuts?"

"Yes, ladies, Merry Christmas to you all!"

"Thank you, and Merry Christmas to you too!"

"Hey, guys, let's sit somewhere else so we don't disturb other people's Christmas dinner." The girl with Puerto Rican descent said to the other students.

After the young people at the same table left, Katerina smiled and said, "You know, Christmas in Russia is actually on January 1 every year."

Gloria pushed an almond pudding in front of her. "You mean Orthodox Christmas?"

"Yes, when I was very young, my parents often took my brother, me and my sister to participate in the prayer vigil that started on the night of the 6th."

"Prayer vigils, I've heard of them. So, have you ever been to the Cathedral of Jesus the Savior in Moscow?"

"Of course I have. It is the largest church in Russia."

Katerina took a bite of almond pudding, "Unexpectedly, this pudding tastes very sweet!"

Gloria smiled and put down the spoon in her hand, "Of course. In America, every family member eats almond pudding before Christmas dinner."

"Oh, so what's the point of eating almond pudding?"

"Well, the meaning...represents whoever can eat the only whole almond will be the one with the best luck in the coming year."

"Gloria, I'm sorry, but you can't spend Christmas with your family this year." Katerina looked a little sad.

"It doesn't matter. Did you know that every soldier or officer in the Marine Corps will donate Christmas toys every year. It is to donate all kinds of toys and gifts to children from poor families." Gloria recalled .

"Well, that sounds like an interesting thing to do."

"That's right. Before Emily and I got married, I used to be a volunteer and take the kids into the store and let them pick their favorite gifts."

At this time, Katerina happily spit a whole almond into the spoon, "Gloria, look, whole almond!"

Gloria also felt like she had an almond in her mouth and spit it into a spoon. "Me too."

"Merry Christmas to you! Good luck next year!"

"Merry Christmas to you too, and good luck!"

"But why can we both eat whole almonds?" Katerina asked.

"Everyone knows that this is a traditional item of American Christmas dinner. Well, I think the Chinese-American owner of the restaurant deliberately did this to make every guest who comes to the restaurant happy."

"Well, smart Asians know how to do business in America."

At this time, Emily Mayne and her three-year-old daughter Veronica, who were far away in their home in San Diego, California, were eagerly looking forward to Gloria's return to the embrace of her family and relatives.

"Mommy, when can Gloria go home?" the little girl Veronica asked her biological mother.

"I don't know. I called the CDC before Christmas, and they said it would take a while." Emily shook her head.

"Mummy, what's wrong with Gloria? Why can't we visit her?"

"Nika, she has a rare disease. There is a kind of bacteria in her body that has never appeared on earth."

"Oh, is it a bacterium like Ebola?"

"No, Ebola can spread to other people, but not Gloria."

Veroni picked up her biological mother's cell phone, "Mum, can I call her?"

Emily knew very well that even if she made a call, it would only go to voicemail.Smiling and nodding, "Of course, tell her everything you want to say."

Coincidentally, Katerina also had this idea.He took out his mobile phone and handed it to the other party, "Here, call your wife and children."

Why did Gloria not want to make this call? She has been wanting to make this call since she escaped from the CDC.He took the phone and shook his head, "Thank you. It's just...the person who hunted me must have monitored and intercepted the communication."

"What the hell! Don't you miss your family?"

"I really miss it. But, I don't want to involve you in my affairs."

The author has something to say: