The Shrimp People – Rex Shelley
As the drinks flowed, the noise and laughter became louder and louder. Female shrieks and uninhibited throaty guffaws. The band sensed the mood and began to play sing-along pieces. Bertha hugged Carl on the dance floor as he sang I’m in Love with Two Sweethearts, asking him who the other was, assuming that she was one. They sang Forever Blowing Bubbles , Girl of My Dreams and Bengawan Solo . Then suddenly it was over. The last dance … Singapore 1956.
Bertha was from a Portuguese Eurosian family. Pa (Father was what one called the priest) was in the force and, together with Ma, Eric, and Beryl, her life revolved around Sunday Masses, school, hockey, Christmases, weddings and family gatherings, where one danced, flirted with the boys or simply hung around the bar reminiscing the good old days. But the cold winds of change were blowing. Political violence and racial riots spilled onto the streets threatening to end forever the peaceful lifestyle of a fragile community. Against this backdrop of fear and uncertainty, Bertha is dragged into a deadly game of terrorism and espionage. Only she can prevent the impending bloodshed of war. But is she willing to pay the price of loyalty and betray the man she loves for her country … ?
Sunya Malhotra, a young American woman whose parents had migrated from India, is the head baker and owner of Pastries, a warm and cozy bakery in Seattle. Sunya loves baking and has transformed her fabulous cakes and tarts into delicious works of art. The success of her beloved bakery is put in jeopardy, however, when a chain bakery threatens to open up down the street from her. To add to her misery, Roger, her hip, Japanese boyfriend has left her for a “perfect” Japanese girlfriend and her mother has just become engaged to a man Sunya detests. Sunya hasn’t yet reconciled to the mystery of a father missing since her birth. Even a new relationship with a hot, young film director who is in town to cover the 1999 World Trade Conference, can’t help Sunya with her biggest worry – she has lost her touch for baking.
