The evening lights of Cape Town twinkled like scattered diamonds against the darkening sky as Blake, Laura, René, and Jacqueline settled into their corner booth at La Maison d'Or. The restaurant's warm amber lighting caught the crystal glasses on their table, creating miniature prisms that danced across the crisp white tablecloth. After months in Europe, the familiar buzz of Afrikaans and English conversations around them felt like a welcome embrace.
"I never thought I'd miss the sound of hadedas so much," Jacqueline said, smoothing her emerald silk dress. The corners of her eyes crinkled with amusement as she caught Laura's knowing smile. "Even their 6 AM wake-up calls."
Laura adjusted the sleeping Monique in her arms, the one-year-old's peaceful breathing a stark contrast to the chaos they'd left behind in Europe. "It's the little things, isn't it? Though I must admit, part of me already misses the streets of Milan."