Meet Steven Dubois, a young man of Haitian descent living in the City of Barrhaven, Ontario. He's a guy with a complicated life, to say the least. It's not easy making one's way into Canadian society as a Haitian immigrant, and Steven came to Canada at a complicated time. The twilight of the Age of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, a xenophobe who tweaked the immigration laws to make it super easy for foreigners to get deported from Canada.
This meant that Steven had to walk a tightrope as a big and tall young Black man living in Barrhaven, a rather moneyed and exclusive spot in the Canadian capital region. As friendly and diverse as Canada was thought of by people around the world, Steven knew from living among Canadians that they were just as complex as any nation or group of people. Lots of Canadians were friendly and easygoing, and lots of them also hated people different from themselves.
Steven saw the way that some people looked at him as he walked around the Rideau Shopping Center, and Carleton University, two of the busiest spots in the Ottawa region. Even though Ottawa was home to scores of Africans, Arabs, Indians, Chinese and Indigenous people, the sight of a tall, large young Black man walking around seemed to warrant stares, hostile ones at that, from a lot of people. Go figure...
Determined to integrate himself into Canadian society, Steven embraced his new town. He got himself a job at the local Walmart to make ends meet, since his studies at Carleton University were draining his already meager funds. While working at Walmart, Steven became fond of eating at the local Wendy's, where he met an unforgettable Indian woman named Navita Sharma, the restaurant manager.
Every time Steven came into the Wendy's restaurant, Navita greeted him with a bright smile. And she wasn't just being hospitable either. Steven became fond of Navita, the lovely Indian gal who always seemed to pay extra attention to him. Tall, curvy, with dark bronze skin, long black hair and lively brown eyes, Navita looked pretty and understated in her Wendy's uniform, and Steven found her mesmerizing...if out of his league.
At the time that Steven met Navita, he was already seeing a certain Indian cutie. One who was giving him problems. Friendly and insightful, Navita drew Steven like a moth to the flame, and he couldn't stay away from her. He even confided in her when he began having problems with Aneeja Vijayan, the young Keralite Indian woman whom he met in the Carleton University library. That's when everything turned really interesting between Steven and his charming lady friend Navita...
"Navita, I could use a woman's opinion on this, seriously, I just want to know what I'm doing wrong, I treat Aneeja well, I take her places, and cherish her, and value her, and she sometimes treats me like shit," Steven told Navita one afternoon, after a particularly nasty fight with Aneeja at Carleton University. Navita looked at the tall, handsome young man who sat opposite her, a forlorn look on his dark, handsome face.
"Steven, my friend, you are too nice to women, and that's a turn-off sometimes," Navita replied, and she licked her lips, and waited for Steven to answer. The young Haitian flashed her a wan smile, and remained silent. This one is handsome and has a nice body but he is so naïve, Navita thought, both amused and annoyed by Steven's unexpected candor.
"Well, Navita, there's a reason for that," Steven said, smiling sheepishly, and Navita cocked an eyebrow, puzzled by his words. When Steven remained silent, after those cryptic words, Navita laid her hand on top of his, then pressed down. Hard. Steven sighed deeply, and then looked into Navita's eyes in a way he never had before. And then he pulled something out of his backpack, and laid it on the table.
