We're a Wonderful Wife Ch. 01

Returning to Don, Lanh was all aglow, she looked at the tag on his box and gasped then showed it to Kim-ly and Bao. The three started chattering in Vietnamese and laughing. Lanh returned to Don smiling and blushing. "What's the big deal?" asked Don.

"See this symbol here in the From line?"

"Yeah," said Don, "the box with the lines through it."

"That symbol, we would say má, you would say mom. I think má likes you."

"That reminds me," Don picked up a long slim package and stood in front of Lanh who sat in his wingback chair. As he practiced last night with Bao over and over until he got it right. He said "Lanh à, em yêu chi, this was my mother's. She received it from her mother, and it now comes to you." He bowed deeply and held the package out to her with both hands.

For her part she gasped and started to shake, Bowing while holding out the gift with both hands was the deepest sign of respect one could make in the Vietnamese culture, so she couldn't refuse the gift, it wasn't done! But the words that Bao taught him, "Lanh à, em yêu chi" clearly did not mean what he thought he was saying... did he?

Don wanted Lanh to know that he was speaking with affection, so he turned to Bao for help and taught him to say "Lanh, I love you." She was stuck in a quandary, a young man just confessed his love for her, then hands her a gift in a way that she can't refuse.

With shaking hands, she took the package, bowed, and said "Cảm ơn bạn," Vietnamese for Thank You. She unwrapped the package and found it was a very old box and the words on it were in a Nordic language. Opening the box, she extracted what looked like a rolling pin, but it had deep narrow grooves cut into it very close together. It was an antique lefse roller, well used and well loved. She threw her arms around him and practically wept as she thanked him for the gift.

"The grill and flipper are in the kitchen, it's all part of the set," and he led her to the kitchen. As they passed under the mistletoe bell, they paused for a quick chaste kiss.

"You taught him that, didn't you?" Kim-ly asked her brother in Vietnamese.

"Yeah, he's a quick learner. We will probably have to start looking for a wedding gown for her now."

Kim-ly pondered what she just saw. Lanh clearly understood what he said, but she didn't freak out. But still, there's business here to take care of. "Thang ngoc!" (Idiot!)

Ralph didn't ask why Kim-ly started to hit her brother.

~~~~~*~~~~~

It was starting to get dark by 5:00 PM when Duong, Mai, Tam, Huy, and Trung pulled up. The roads were cleared and since Christmas was in an uproar due to the storm, Ralph invited the Nguyen's to dinner. As they entered the house and Mai and Tam were stunned at the decorations that covered almost every surface and added holiday cheer to a house that has been in mourning for years.

When they arrived they brought dishes from their own kitchen, Bao met them at the door before they could knock or ring the doorbell and ushered them in and with a finger on his lips, he urged them to be quiet. He then pointed to the couch and there was Lanh and Don, snuggled up tight together, both appeared to be sound asleep. Don was on the inside with his back against the back of the couch, and Lanh slept facing him, her face snuggled tight against his chest.

In the kitchen Mai asked Ralph how long the teens had been asleep. "Only about 30 minutes, they've been working pretty hard," and as he went to describe how Lanh made some of the best lefsa he's ever had, and at the same time put together tonight's feast, Don had been out in the barn splitting and stacking all that wood they cut yesterday, and then plowed the driveway and shoveled the walk, stairs, and porch and together Don and Lanh milked the cows.

In the living room Lanh was awake listening to the family talk about them. "Are you awake?" she asked Don.

"Yeah," he said, and pulled her tighter. "I'm sorry if I embarrassed you. Kim-ly told me what I said."

"Bao... he's such a jerk." She sniffed and her throat tightened up. "You can take it back if you want to."

"Is it ok if I don't want to?"

"Good, 'cause I'm going to keep it," she whispered. "It was my favorite Christmas present."

"I wrote it down last night, so I'll never forget it, Lanh à, em yêu chi."

"Donovan à, chi yêu em" she sighed. Then sadly added, "they're going to make me come home tonight,"

"I want to stay like this forever," Don responded. "That's what I really want for Christmas, to never have to say good-bye, just good night."

"Mmmm," Lanh agreed, snuggling closer if that were possible. The scent of the Christmas tree filled Lanh's senses, and she wished she could remain here in Don's arms forever. "My angels are watching, maybe they can help."

Not far away, thinking they were unseen, two spectral blond women stood in the living room and were shocked at what Lanh just said, they looked at each other in confusion. They were nearly identical, but one was a bit older, the other had tinted the tips of her hair purple and they were sure that Don and Lanh could not see them. "Angels?" they whispered before fading out of sight.