Joe looks at Nelly with that glimmer in his eye, the kind that carries both gratitude and awe.
โPrime Minister Nelly Kim Furtado,โ he says softly, โno other girl gives me that butterflies-in-the-stomach love vibration high like you do.โ
Nelly smiles, her voice gentle but anchored in purpose. โJoe,โ she says, โbutterflies canโt feed a hungry nation.โ
He chuckles, a little embarrassed but still sincere. โMaybe not. But music can. You ever think about making a Fado record someday? You knowโfateโthe soul of Portugal in song?โ
Nelly gazes out the window at the golden fields of a rebuilding Canada. โMaybe,โ she says after a pause, โafter the Jubileeโwhen our people are no longer hungry. When every stomach is full and every soul can afford to feel againโฆ then Iโll sing Fado.โ
The wind hums softly through the open window, carrying the promise of both love and destiny.






