After a long day at work, Silas Alemayehu finally heads home. The six-foot-tall, wiry and slender, dark-skinned Eritrean Canadian gentleman has grown tired of the tedious work of a Canadian Innovation Museum worker. Not a day goes by that one of his 'traditional' Canadian co-workers doesn't inquire about his origins. Born in the environs of Barentu, northwestern Eritrea, Silas has spent most of his life in the City of Toronto in Ontario, Canada. The GTA has been his home for over two decades, but he'll never be Canadian enough for some people. Such is the life of an immigrant in Canada...
"Home sweet home," Silas said to himself as he arrived at his house, located in the Kensington Market area of Toronto. The two-story, four-bedroom townhouse most definitely wasn't cheap, but it was lovely and worth every penny. Silas put himself through years of hard work at Humber College and the University of Toronto to get his MBA, and now he's a director with the Canadian Innovation Museum. All of his predecessors in that position have been old white dudes, with an old white lady thrown in the mix for good measure. Such was the price of the Canadian Dream.
Even in a racially diverse place like the Greater Toronto Area, some Canadians seem to have a problem with people of color achieving certain things. The City of Toronto has had a black Chief of Police, and plenty of black athletes, black journalists and black celebrities call it home. Toronto doesn't get compared to New York City for no reason. It is the business and cultural capital of Canada while paltry, distant Ottawa is the political capital. Nevertheless, when a black man becomes the boss at a major Canadian institution, some people got a problem with that. Silas ignores such fools, of course. Time to go home.
For over two decades, the Alemayehu family has lived at the white and brown townhouse located at the edge of Mayer Road and Harper Lane. At first, they were the only black family in the area. Lots of Somalis, Arabs, Ethiopians, Latinos, Asians and others live in Kensington Market but the minorities tend to be renters for the most part. True homeownership is something which many immigrants strive for, and Silas was glad to have achieved it a long time ago. There's no place like home, after all.
The Kensington Market neighborhood has diversified since Silas and his wife Tirunesh moved there. In the years since, an explosion of immigration has turned Kensington Market into the most racially diverse place in all of the Greater Toronto Area. People of all shades and religions call it home. Silas wouldn't have it any other way. As far as Silas is concerned, immigrants and so-called minorities form the backbone of Canadian society. As Canadian society grows and prospers, so should those who work the hardest. It's only fair, at the end of the day.
Silas walked in, and immediately sensed that something was amiss. When something is not right, one simply seems to know. There was noise coming from upstairs. Silas knew that his wife Tirunesh was supposed to be at work at the hospital, doing shift work as an RN. As for the couple's adult daughters Mariam and Tiana, they were both at the University of Calgary. They weren't due home until Christmas, which was six weeks away. Suspicious, Silas headed upstairs. Whatever was going on, the stoic Eritrean would have to deal with it.
"Hmm, go for it," said a masculine voice, emanating from the master bedroom. Silas heart skipped a beat. What the fuck was going on? Seconds later, a female voice chuckled and this was punctuated by unmistakable moans and groans. Silas hurried up the steps, and then paused at his bedroom door. The suspicious sounds got louder. Taking a deep breath, Silas shoved the door open and then burst into the bedroom. What he saw absolutely amazed him. It was unexpected, to say the least.
