We're a Wonderful Wife Ch. 01

Finally, Tam, her oldest child came in the restaurant and whispered, "What's wrong with Lanh?"

"What do you mean what's wrong with Lanh?"

Tam shook her head as if she saw something unheralded. "She was smiling."

Mai sighed and threw a dish towel over her shoulder as she stacked dishware. "She met a boy."

"It's so weird, Lanh never smiles, and she doesn't like people, she only talks to her goldfish."

"Go look at her now! She's out there feeding him like a momma bird... he's going to pounce like a wolf!"

"I don't think so, má," said Kim-ly as she entered the kitchen, "He's not the pouncing type, he's just a scared kid who found someone he can talk to."

From the kitchen Mai continued watching Lanh feeding Don. "Do we have something to worry about?" asked her husband Duong.

Duong stepped away from the stove and looked out at the teenagers seated near the kitchen door. "No, not yet. Maybe in the future. I think our precious chick has finally found a friend." She and her husband Duong spoke softly in Vietnamese about this sudden change in their baby's life. The foot of authority must come down, but Mai insisted that with a dad who works out of town and a dead mother, he also needs to turn to someone. As the mention of a dead mother, Duong knew exactly who this lad was by reputation. They made their plan and waited for Don to finish his lunch.

Finally, when Don had eaten every drop of Pho, Mai went back out to the couple who now expected the full and legendary wrath of momma Nguyen, but she was accompanied by Lanh's father Duong. The slim, graying Asian patriarch demanded "No more skipping school!" his glare traveled from Lanh to Don and back, "either one of you!" He said going straight to the bone of contention without even introducing himself. "The next time will be the last time you see each other. And your grades mister?"

Don withered under his stare. "C, sir."

"Not good enough! If you wish to associate with my daughter, I expect straight A's." then he glared at Lanh, "And woe be to you if your grades slip one iota. We did not fight to come here to be stupid!"

Lanh trembled and stared at the table, "Yes ba."

"If you have to study at the table with this boy all night long to get his grades up, you will do it. Understand?" asked Mai.

Lanh trembled more and said, "Yes má."

Behind her Kim-ly turned to her older sister and said, "I don't think she gets it."

Tam grinned and shook her head in agreement, "She doesn't."

"And you!" Duong glared at Don. "If you want to eat here you must pay or earn your food!"

"Yes sir."

Mai stepped behind the couple and asked Lanh. "If I gave away a bowl of soup to every man who risked a beating to protect one of my daughters, do you realize how much soup I would have given away?" Mai demanded of Lanh as she walked around behind the teens.

"No má, how much?"

Mai leaned over the back of the booth bench and gently hugged Don. "Not enough." She whispered in his ear "Thank you for being brave."

~~~~~*~~~~~

Two nights later Ralph Campbell watched something he never dreamed possible; he watched his son Don teach a tiny Asian girl how to ice skate at the public rink. Sunday and Wednesday evenings are "open skate nights" at the town arena, a chance for ice crazy Minnesotans to stretch their legs, and it provided the arena a chance to train new organists and Zamboni drivers.

Don never mentioned why he wanted to come, he just insisted it was important. It had been over a year, maybe two since Don skated and Ralph was worried that he'd need a new pair of skates, and he did, but Don soon realized that with a few pairs of socks, Ralph's old hockey skates fit just fine. That left Ralph with one choice, his old speed skates. Ralph's figure skates were hung up eight years ago, along with his wife Emily's skates never to be touched again.

They hopped into the old "Three on the Tree GMC" pickup and headed for the arena, the darkness of the night made even darker by the rain and wet roads. "Meeting the gang there tonight?" asked Ralph trying to break the silence.

"No... I just wanna skate. Uh... warming up my legs for the swim team."

It was an obvious diversion thought Ralph, he's got a reason to want to skate tonight. Shouldn't be hard to figure out what that reason is. "Welp, it a good ting I brought my speed skate wit, eh? Uff-da, haf not skated in a cow's age!"

Don rolled his eyes in embarrassment at his father's "Norwegian Bachelor Farmer" accent. "Daaaad!" he groaned.

Ralph was a bit surprised at Don's reaction. Maybe he's going to meet a girl! "Ok, well -- the Legion is closed tonight for cleaning, me an' the boys are going to hang out and drink hot cocoa with a splash of peppermint." He patted his chest pocket indicating that he had a flask of peppermint schnapps to fortify the cocoa. Normally the response would be for Don to beg to drive the truck home afterwards.

Instead, Don said "Good idea, I hear they have new chairs and tables in the break room." Yep, thought Ralph behind a hidden smile, it's a girl. The truck hadn't rolled to a stop in a parking spot when Don bailed out and headed for the arena without a word. Definitely a girl.

Ralph went in, paid for ice time even though he probably wouldn't skate, purchased a cocoa and a cruller from the women's hockey boosters, then took a seat in the shadowy bleachers a couple of rows up at center ice. Several couples and a few teens began to step out on the hockey arena, and Ralph was sure that he couldn't be seen.

He saw Don come out on the ice and skate a little bit getting used to the skates, doing one slow circuit of the arena, then one fast one weaving in and out of the other skaters, then he went off the ice and disappeared behind the bleachers. After a long wait Ralph saw Don step one foot on the ice, then turn to help someone behind him on the ice. Ralph was right, it's a girl. He chuckled at his successful detective work. She was a full head shorter than Don, who like his dad is a bit on the short side. She had long flowing black hair and a tiny nervous grin on her mousy little face as she stepped out on the ice. She wore a long black coat, a scarf of neon colors, and a knit cap with kitten ears.

Don steadied her, then taking her hands he skated backwards slowly, pulling her along with him. Their first circuit of the rink was slow and cautious, and they stayed right at the edge of the ice next to the boards. The second circuit was marred by a couple of falls that were accompanied by laughter, but by midpoint of the third circuit they were skating side by side, slowly and cautiously. This time the little girl wasn't concentrating on her feet and was no longer looking down at the ice, so they were able to converse.

About that time an Asian couple stepped up next to Ralph to watch the skaters. Ralph looked up and recognized Duong, an acquaintance and fellow member of the local American Legion post. "I hear a rumor that your son Don is skating with our daughter," as they shook hands and sat down.

"That fellow with the purple Minnesota Vikings cap and the black eye to match? that's my son Don. Donovan Aloysius Campbell, named after his grandpa, and this whole thing was a secret to me." He handed his flask to Duong who took it and spiked his hot chocolate and Mai's cup also before handing it back.

"That's our daughter he's skating with, her name is Lanh..."

"Then am I safe to assume that the fellow in the sunglasses, the guy in the UND jacket, and the young couple skating behind them is her brothers and sister."

"You are correct Sergeant Campbell. That's Huy in the sunglasses our oldest son, the one in the UND jacket is Trung, and the couple is Bao and his twin sister Kim-ly."

"That's a good-looking family, wait... Trung Nguyen? Plays left wing for UND?"

Duong grinned "You know your hockey, this is my wife Mai, the brains of the outfit. The woman to your right is our eldest child, Tam, she engineered this..." Duong's had swept indicating the skating rink, "defensive strategy."

Ralph held out his hand and shook Mai's hand. "Ralph Campbell, ma'am. You'll have to get your hubby to bring you out to the legion on occasion."

"He'll have to take me anywhere on occasion," she said with a sideways glance at her husband. "Are you fellows legion buddies?"

Ralph and Duong shrugged. "We shoot pool on occasion," said Ralph. "I was just saying that I noticed that no one gets close to Don and Lanh. Your kids are good." And indeed, that's what they were doing. Huy, Bao, and Kim-ly followed Lanh and Don at a discrete distance and gently but firmly insured that other skaters avoided them. If anyone got too close, Trung swooped in like an avenging hawk to protect his charges.

Tam cleared her throat. "Mr. Campbell, do you realize that the bruises Donovan wears are from defending my sister?"

Ralph looked genuinely shocked. "He said that two guys that attacked him, but he didn't mention a girl, what happened?"

Quickly Tam explained what Lanh told her happened at the dance, and then what followed in the cafeteria on Monday and how they played hooky so Don could get some soup to eat. All the while she spoke Ralph watched Don and Lanh skating around the rink, both oblivious to the world around them. Their entire world was exclusively wrapped up in each other. Both were smiling so much you could see Lanh's braces from up in the stands.

"Are you ok Mr. Campbell?" Tam noticed that Ralph was no longer paying attention to her, his eyes had a misty, faraway look in them.

"It's just... I haven't seen Don smile in such a long time." He wiped his nose with a handkerchief. "His momma and I, every chance we'd get, we'd come down here on a Sunday night to skate. We even had a little sled we could put him on and pull him around the rink when he was just a tot."

Don and Lanh started laughing at something either one of them said and Kim-ly looked up into the bleachers as if to joyfully say, "Are you people seeing this?"

"My sad little bird has been like that since birth," said Duong, "she rarely laughed like other children do, and her smiles have grown further and further apart. To be honest, Lanh has been sullen and withdrawn since we moved here, I was afraid that Lanh would commit suicide. But now..." He held his hands up indicating the teens, "it appears that those worries are in the past. To be honest, new worries will arise, but none as horrible as losing a child."

"I'd be lying if I said that I didn't have the same concerns for Don since his mother died," said Ralph.

For a long time, the four of them watched the young couple skate around the rink, until finally the announcer called "Last skate" and he put on a "special request," it was Elton John's "Your Song." Don and Lanh looked at each other in surprise then skated toward the center of the rink. As they held each other the same way they did five nights ago, Don started to skate gently backwards pulling Lanh with him. They were so fixated on each other as they rocked and swayed in time with the music, neither of them noticed Tad Larson as he slid past them face down on the ice, nor did they notice Lanh's brother Trung as he skated past them with a grin of victory on his face.

Later Don climbed in his dad's old beaten-up pickup, a peaceful smile of sheer joy on his face. "Hey," said Ralph, "I've got a few extra coins, let's go to the truck stop and get some fries and a coke. Christmas break, eh? so there's no school tomorrow."

"Yeah, let's do that," smiled Don, not ready to let the night end. He leaned his head on the side window and watched the snowflakes swirl down in the night. The amber clearance lights on the cab roof further illuminated the flurry. For the first time in years, he didn't turn his face away from the window in anger when a house gaily decorated for the holidays slid past.

The truck stop stood on US 2 just outside of town and was one of the best 24/7 restaurants for miles. As far as Don knew, it may be the only 24/7 restaurant between the Canadian border and the Twin Cities. As they pulled up to the parking lot Don saw that the truck stop windows were decorated for Christmas with strings of lights, green tinsel garlands, and believe it or not, Glass Wax stencils. As they entered the truck stop the interior continued the 1950's themed Christmas decorations and music. Normally when Ralph and Don visited the truck stop, they ate at the lunch counter or one of the small booths up front, but tonight Ralph led Don to the big dining area in the back, past the professional driver's section, back where the tourists and large parties generally ate.

Ralph led Don to a group that pulled a couple of tables together. "Don, these are my friends Duong and Mai, their sons Huy, Trung, and Bao, and their daughters Tam, Kim-ly, and Lanh."

"Hey Ralph!" cried Duong, "Pull up a chair and join us!"

"Thanks, I believe we will!" and as Don and Lanh hid their faces in embarrassment Ralph seated Don next to Lanh and joined in with the laughter.

Mai leaned across the table, "Don, we're not here to embarrass you..."

"Speak for yourself," laughed Trung, "I'm loving this... ow!"

Mai laid down the spoon she rapped Trung's knuckles with and said "...we want you to know that although we don't fully understand what you're going through, we are all here for you."

"Hear, hear!" cried Ralph and raised his coffee cup in toast to his son and Lanh.

"Hear, hear!" joined the Nguyens raising their glasses or cups. Lanh for her part was so embarrassed she wanted to die, but instead of burying her face in her hands or scarf as she usually would, she buried her face in Don's shoulder, something that was picked up upon by Mai, Tam, and Kim-ly immediately.

As Don and Lanh shared a large order of crinkle cut French fries, Duong explained to Don that his life has inexorably changed. "If you wish to spend time with my youngest daughter, you need to get your grade point average up, and she has agreed to tutor you. Therefore, in order to get your average high enough to spend time with my daughter, you will need to spend time with my daughter so she can get your average high enough."

"Is that acceptable?" asked Ralph.

"Heck yeah!" grinned Don.

"Motion made and seconded, all in favor say aye!" called Kim-ly.

"Aye!" rang the voices.

"Anyone opposed?" asked Kim-ly.

"Nay!" cried Lanh, who hid her face again at the outbreak of laughter and confusion.

"Nay?" asked a shocked Don.

"Well, yeah," said Lanh, blushing in embarrassment. "You're a Grinch. I can't teach a Grinch."

When the laughter subsided, Don finally said "Ok, for you I'll give this Christmas thing another try."

~~~~~*~~~~~

Don was obviously frustrated with algebra and Lanh knew exactly why. She hated his algebra book with a passion because it left out a big portion of Algebra that was crucial to successfully negotiating the language of numbers. Whether it was left out because it was expected to be taught in a previous grade, or in a following grade she didn't know, all she knew was that Don didn't understand the math because this one crucial point was missing. She frowned then looked at Don and said, "Ok, just put the book aside, let's do it like this..." she drew out an equation on a blank piece of paper:

4 + 2 × 3 =

"No X's, no Y's, no fractions. Have at it"

Don tore into the straight arithmetic and came up with the answer 18.

"That is exactly why I hate this book," she said.

"Why? What's wrong?"

"You were doing good, but your mistake was here," said Lanh, "you worked left to right, four plus two is six, six times three is eighteen. But this is math, not reading. You read left to right, but there is a specific order to "read" equations. P.E.M.D.A.S. You perform the mathematical functions in this order; Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition, Subtraction. So, when you follow that order, there's nothing in parentheses, and no exponents. So, you move to multiplication, and you get two times three equals six. There's no division so you move to addition, so six plus four and you get ten, which is the correct order and the correct answer."

Don stared at the paper unblinking and moaned, "ok, it makes sense, but I'll never remember this."

Undeterred, Lanh pressed on, "Now if you write the equation like this and apply P.E.M.D.A.S..."

3 x (4 + 2) =

Don did the math and said "Eighteen?"

"Yes! All I really did was put parenthesis around 4 + 2, and that changed the order of operation which changed the answer." She used a few more equations and he got each one correct. She was smiling and praying that he got it, but she deflated when he said, "I really understand it, but I'll never remember that abbreviation."

Deflated, but not defeated. She ran into the living room and searched around for something that she wears every Christmas season. She found them, put them on, then dashed back to the kitchen table wearing a green Christmas elf hat and fake elf ears. "I'm an elf!"

"A pretty cute one too," said Don who was wondering where this was going.

Lanh grinned, how could he say that to a skinny little girl with a mouth full of braces and glasses thicker than a phone book? But she grinned none the less, God it felt good to have someone outside of your family that likes you! Pressing on with her math lesson she grabbed a Christmas cookie off the plate in front of Don. "P.E.M.D.A.S. also means Pudgy Elves May Demand A Snack!" she said and bit the head off the angel shaped Christmas cookie.

"P.E.M.D.A.S. that works for me," smiled Don. "But you're not even close to being considered Pudgy."

"What do you mean?" asked Lanh puffing her cheeks out. Quick as lightning he reached out and poked her ribs causing her to laugh spraying cookie crumbs on Don.

"You're just skin and bones," he said and started tickling her ribs. Lanh whooped in laughter and slipped off her chair to escape his tickling fingers. Not wanting to let her escape, Don followed her below the table where they rolled around under the table tickling each other until a pair of feet appeared at the doorway. They immediately stopped their tickle war and held their breaths.

"I know you're under there," said Lanh's older sister.

"It's Tam," whispered Lanh.

"I can hear you," said Tam.

Don quietly whispered into Lanh's ear, "she can't hear us."

"Yes, I can."

Lanh turned to Don, her eyes wide in surprise, but Don hadn't moved and suddenly they were nose to nose, eye to eye. Don never knew why he did it, but he leaned in a little bit and gave her a little kiss on the lips. Lanh's beautiful dark brown eyes flared open in surprise, and she gasped a tiny gasp in surprise and pleasure.

"I heard that too!"

Lanh popped up from below the table, "You did NOT hear us kiss!"

"I didn't say I did," grinned Tam, leaning against the doorway, "but now I know what was going on down there."

Lanh screamed in anguish and slumped back to the floor. "We're busted," she groaned.

For his part, Don climbed up into his seat then looked down at Lanh. "You can get up; I found my pencil. We can get back to work."

"It won't work," sighed Lanh, "we're already busted."

"Yeah, you're busted," said Tam, her arms crossed in a display of urgent impatience. "Now clean up your mess and get the table set, Mr. Campbell is joining us for dinner."

Slowly, knowing that they were going to die, the two young students put their books away, the joy of Don's learning breakthrough lost. He never had the chance to show her the A he got on his English test, an A that never would have happened without her help. And now, because of him, it was all over. "I'm sorry," he whispered as she handed him plates to set out on the table.

"What's done is done," she said softly, her eyes not meeting his. It's not fair! She finally meets someone who gets her! Someone she can talk to! And now her dad is going to freak and it will be all over. All the while Tam watched them with an evil smile on her pretty face.