TO ESTHER, AN ETERNAL FAVE: HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

I cannot definitively remember the exact spot, hour or date that we met. Of course, I know that it was circa 2012 and within the sprawling grounds of the University of Exeter’s Streatham campus. Now that I think about it, it must have been at one of the many student residences where you’d frequently find the minuscule population of African & Caribbean undergrads huddled together for one or all of these activities- to eat, gist and generally have a good time in all the ways that only we could. Or maybe it was at our weekly Christian fellowship- NOOMA, to be precise- that our paths first crossed. What I do remember, however, is feeling instantly at home with this flawlessly dark-skin toned, slightly talkative but incredibly gorgeous and spirited young woman. She would later be introduced to me by a mutual friend as “Esther.” Our budding friendship would involve several shared interests, the most paramount being an insatiable love of food. Never mind that we were both Law student...