It was back to reality Monday for Simona Xhekaj.

Reality for the mother of the Canadiens’ Arber and Florian Xhekaj meant waking up at 6 a.m. to go to the gym, followed by a 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. shift changing tires in the garage of a Costco in Hamilton. Simona was promoted to a supervisor post last February, but she helps out in the garage during the busy snow tire season. On Monday, she changed 36 tires.

“I promised Jack (her husband) that I’m not going to go back to tires,” she said. “I know I’m 54 years old and I probably shouldn’t be doing these heavy things, but it is what it is.

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“Guys were laughing at me because I said, ‘I need pictures,'” she added. “‘For what?’ they said. I said: ‘For a newspaper.’”

Simona was kind eno

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