Happy Birthday, Duckhein!

I could tell a million stories about Duck, like how he would hide in the back of the classroom during English class because he thought I wouldn't call on him, or how he got all confused when I made a reference to the waterfowl in the room and all the other kids laughed like crazy at his puzzled expression. How about playing soccer with him, having him insist that I take the penalty shot that would tie the game, ignoring my protests about how bad I am, and then congratulating me wildly when I actually scored? Or the time he ate 3 entire plates of rice and beans at one sitting? And I can't forget the hours we spent together on my computer, looking for videos of Luca Toni and the Italian national team. A very fond memory is when I used to joke with Duck that some days he liked me and other days he hated me. After a week or two of the running joke, he gave me a letter that read, "Keziah, please do not say that I hate you anymore. I don't hate you, you know that. I love you and you are like a dear friend and a good big sister to me. I could never hate you." What a cool kid.