X-Ray Vision Ch. 02: Revealed

Only mistake I make is to miss something. You hear that, you call me on it?"

She nodded, following so far.

"Ok, next after the situation report I propose options. Then you decide. Something I came up with, your own idea, you're the boss."

"Ok, I get it. I use you as a resource for office operations. Monitor what's going on, hear you out, say Yay or Nay or change it up. You do the heavy lifting, I forget about phone banks most of the time."

We smiled, in sync. Now the hard part.

"Here's the options as I see them. I can continue to staff a desk. I can recruit, canvas to fill out the phone staff, upgrade the staff. I can learn the books, start doing bookwork under your supervision. I can interview law offices, lawyers, drum up business."

She nodded; that about summed up the activities.

Our food arrived. We set to, commenting on the food, the weather, the staff. Once we were down to sipping tea, I made my ask.

"What's it to be? How will I spend this afternoon?"

She had marinated on it, had decided. "Continue staffing the rest of the day. They get squirrely in the afternoons, public defenders, there's more to learn."

I nodded, made sense.

"Tomorrow a consultant is coming by - not our boss, not our client, lawyers are touchy about that. They see us as a resource, a business to refer their actual client to.

I want you to just listen, watch me deal with him. Afterward give me your impression. See if you can get a handle on who we're working with, how they think."

"Got it, boss! I'll hit the phone bank now. See you in the morning!"

I paid both checks, surprising the boss, went back to the office. Folks were drifting in; the incoming line wouldn't be active until the hour, seven minutes from now.

On the dot the amber light turned white, the first call already queued up. I let it go, watching.

Slacker-boy drifted in three minutes after the hour, slid into his seat, took his time settling in. Not critical, only three desks busy, lawyers ate lunch too.

But it rankled anyway.

Greg

I stopped by the Vietnamese market, got the most expensive bottle of sticky rice wine they had. The label said nearly a third alcohol by volume. Wine my ass! It's closer to vodka.

Inside the fluid looks thick, syrupy almost. But that could be something not completely in solution, the index of refraction between materials making ripples.

Not supposed to be drunk by the bottle I guess. The sisters were nuts. I suppose that happens when sisters get together? I had no experience. Well, I guess I have some now.

In a shirt and jacket today, some white linen pants, I wanted to look sharp for my tea invitation. All Khang's stuff, so brownie points there.

Approaching the side door in the ally, the household entrance not the store one, I 'saw' Phuong puttering at a small alcohol stove heating water. I was early.

A firm rap on the door, I'm not sure Phuong can hear that well. Some scarring around his right eardrum, and he actually has a deformed bone in the left. What effect that has on hearing I don't know.

He heard me, looked at the door, turned back to his stove. Making me wait. A power play, make me nervous, fidgety. No problem; not gonna work.

But he knew I knew, so what did that mean? Best to not overthink it. Now I was nervous. Settle down! He's a nice guy. Probably just wants to talk about my wild girlfriend, a bad influence on Khang.

Water heated, he carried it carefully to the tea table, set on a trivet. Arranged the cups fussily. Tea caddy ready, lid loosened.

Now he was ready. He approached the door, straightened his clothes, opened it.

"Mr. Nguyen! So glad to be invited today. It's been too long!"

He stayed somber, stepped back to admit me. Inside I offered the bottle; he took it, admired the label, raised an eyebrow, nodded his thanks.

I waited for him to sit first, as is polite for a younger man to an elder. Once he was settled, gestured to a seat, I took the liberty of sitting opposite.

He removed the caddy lid, spooned viciously black tea into the pot, two, three heaping spoonfuls, replaced the lid. This stuff was going to be deadly, a caffeine headache tomorrow.

The leaves soaked up the hot water, heaving and expanding in the pot like something come alive. The black stain spread like ink.

When he had judged the time was right, three or four minutes in silence, he picked up a strainer, poured two cups through it. Put one in front of himself, one in front of me.

He lifted his, paused, looked at me. I lifted mine, fingers on the raised rim on the bottom, thumb balancing it against the brim, waited for him to drink.

He blew, sipped. I looked into my cup. Oily, dangerous brew. Blow, take a sip, scald the tip of my tongue. I knew it would happen, but it had to be done.

The first cup of tea - explain the issue. Was this to be a traditional tea conversation? Yes; he was preparing to speak.

"Mr. Gregory, we have been neighbors, done business for some years as peers, as equals in the neighborhood. Me with my business, you with... yours." He didn't know what that was, being too polite to pry had never asked.

I nodded. "I have been happy to know you; honored to do business with you and your skilled granddaughter."

He nodded, acknowledging that as only right.

"But all that changes now. You know of my daughters' discovery? Khang's relationship to your Jillian?"

Out of left field! I had not played this scenario out in my head, had taken Jillian's story this morning as, well, a story. A charming fiction between two friends.

"I.. Jillian told me, she and Khang are sisters?" He nodded eagerly, glad I understood.

"But that can't be... we don't really think that they..."

Understanding, Phuong's face softened. "You think like an American. Yes, they are very different. But they are sisters. Khang has dreamed it; Jillian has accepted it. Sisters not in some tedious blood way. Sisters in spirit."

"What does that mean? How can that be? How can that matter?" I was baffled. Maybe Jillian was right; I can be dense.

"It is not something to be pondered about, just a fact. The women believe it to be so; Khang's dream has confirmed it, and Jillian recognized it as true."

He saw my continued consternation, took pity on me.

"Gregory, we are mere men, suited to the mundane world, the dangers of travel and business and labor for us. Men of clay and leather.

But for matters of family, of kinship and spirit, it is our women that dictate, that decide. They have decided. Would you tell them they are wrong?"

That floored me. No, I don't think I would have any luck there. I wouldn't dare take Jillian's sister away from her! That would be monstrous.

Phuong saw me become resigned to this, relaxed, took another longer pull on his tea. Savored it, pleased with the vile black tar.

I followed suit, my mind digesting this new learning as my gut struggled to digest the tea.

"How has that become important to us?" I ventured, in my dense Gregory way.

Phuong nodded, on the same page now.

"Don't you see? Yesterday Khang was a rival to you; someone who might take Jillian from you, form a family without you. Today she is no longer a rival for Jillian's affection. Heh. No more than any sister is."

"So what is she to me, now?"

Gently, as to a child, "She is your girlfriend's sister. You would woo Khang's sister?"

Understanding blossomed in my brain, shaking me. My cup rattled on the saucer, spilling a few drops.

"And so we are..."

Phuong finished. "I am your girlfriend's grandfather. You are wooing my granddaughter. You are my prospective son-in-law."

The second cup of tea: the negotiation.

My stomach roiled from the first cup, trying to reject the acid solution. Now another one was poured for me. This was gonna be an Alka Seltzer night.

Phuong blew, sipped. I followed suit.

"You are a very suitable age for a son-in-law. Jillian is perhaps young, but certainly capable of all the duties of a wife."

I nodded; he meant what, sex? Or house work. Not sure how to respond in either case.

"Khang's situation is an issue. She is unmarried. The usual way, the elder sister marries first."

I dared to speak. "Khang is perhaps not the usual case."

He agreed. "I am not sure Khang wishes to marry. The issue is not so much what we think, but whether Khang is opposed to being single while her sister marries."

He blew again, took a sizeable slurp. I followed suit.

"May I mention something that has a bearing on this?" He bowed his head graciously.

"Jillian revealed to me, that Khang is creating a dress for her, so Jillian can tempt me to... ask her out."

A smile wreathed Phuong's face. "Excellent! We may anticipate no objection from Khang, then."

He stopped, sorted things through in his head, continued.

"Family is the next important arrangement. Do you have family to support? Grandparents? Cousins? Which could distract you from providing for a wife in the manner she requires?"

Easy one. "I have no family." Phuong's face fell. Damage control! "My mother was an only child, dead these twenty years. My father followed soon after, of a broken heart."

Phuong understood that; his life had not been easy.

"My father's older brother raised me. He is now gone as well. No children. No cousins. Just me."

He looked sympathetic. His family was also devastated by circumstance.

He considered, sipped.

"A man has duties. Yours have been slight, and as your mother passed perhaps before should could instruct you, I must ask.

Are you prepared to keep Jillian well and comfortable? To provide for her, so she lacks for nothing? To support her family in time of need?"

I nodded enthusiastically. "She has a strong will, is of good character. Has a good family." Phuong approved; I was talking about him.

"I will endeavor to comply with her will, to support her in her own duties." Brownie points there. Duties were a magic word here.

"I celebrate her successes, respect her view of the world. Even though it may now be more limited than mine because of age, and, um."

Phuong understood, as a Spirit Medium I was privileged to 'see' more that most.

"Jillian sees some things better than me! About trust, about family. She knows me, accepts me as I.. am."

Phuong was delighted. "You understand! There is more to the world than what-is. There is also, what-means. Women are attuned to that; Jillian understands that."

I ran down, family duties being something I only heard of, having never had any. I was making it up as I went.

Phuong continued, "There is the matter of... support. A suitor should be able to provide a home, demonstrate employment, arrange the things that can ensure a harmonious life."

I cleared my throat. This could be tricky.

"You know I have the condo on the beach..."

He nodded, concerned. "It is small. When children arrive, a larger home would be advantageous. Room for all the things a woman desires for raising children."

I choked on my tea, coughed, recovered.

"Should Jillian desire children, she would surely have a plan for suitable arrangements. I am confident we could afford whatever expansion she desired, or even move to a more suitable neighborhood for raising a family."

Phuong nodded, still concerned.

"While you have always.. reliably discharged your debts, it has been opaque to me how you obtain the necessary money."

This was the sticky point. I couldn't say "I dumpster dive for a living". What then?

"I have, uh, certain investments. I possess all my family wealth as the sole heir. I have reinvested judiciously, to good effect. Those moneys have been fortified by my work in... private investigation!"

That last bit was inspired malarkey. Investigating trash and empty lots, privately, to be sure. I was misleading Phuong; he probably knew it.

But he accepted my answer, finished his cup of tea, satisfied for now.

The third cup of tea: the ask

I had the floor. Phuong had grilled me about my suitability, to his satisfaction. I had the final vile cup of black Vietnamese poison in front of me. Blowing on it, I took an exploratory sip, stalling.

Why was this hard? I like Jillian; she likes me. We're doing great; complement each other beautifully. No storm clouds on the horizon!

"Mr. Nguyen, I would like..."

He nodded, encouraging me. I took another deep breath, exhaled.

"Mr. Nguyen, may I have your permission to um, court your granddaughter Jillian? To take her out, buy her gifts, provide her with entertainments as a suitor? With the object of winning her over?"

There! I said it! And I found I meant it, finally understood once I'd spoken the words. No more confusion about what was going on here.

And it felt great! A rush I'd not anticipated. I felt giddy, lightheaded. Probably the caffeine has something to do with that.

He sipped his tea, savoring the moment. He may have thought this day would never come to pass, with Khang's predilections. No marriage, no great-grandchildren. The end of his family line!

And now he had a second flirty vivacious talented smart woman in his family, whom he could call granddaughter. Who might want to marry and raise a family. I could see his world had upended, resettled into a pattern that he had probably wished for all his life.

He spoke.

"Before I answer, I caution you. Jillian was raised in America, has funny ideas about family. I will have a talk with her, help her understand what duties accompany marriage in a Vietnamese family. Instruct her, as a grandfather should.

After that, and provided she is agreeable to being wooed by you, then I give you my qualified permission."

I had been holding my breath, let it out with a whooosh! Phuong raised his cup to hide his smile.

The rest of the visit passed in a daze. I finished the tea without awareness, said my thanks to Mr. Nguyen, found myself outside his home without really remembering how I got there.

I had to tell Jillian! I had passed! It was going to be a long afternoon, waiting for her work day to end.

"How did it go?" I was expressing appropriate interest in my girlfriend(!)'s activities, supporting her initiative.

Easy to fall into the pattern of the Vietnamese family, everything in response to a duty. Kind of satisfying, knowing what to do and why.

She launched her tale, of fear and excitement and growing confidence. Kelly and the boss and the slacker guy. Thai lunch and what would happen tomorrow.

I made appropriate noises, encouraging her, making mental notes so I could respond correctly in future.

She went into the bathroom, peed, pulled off her clothes, put on shorts and a top, continued talking but louder. Showed me the blister caused by her new shoes, knowing I was 'looking' and accepting that as completely normal!

I told her where to find moleskin, scissors to treat her blister. When she went for the wrong drawer, I said No! the other one.

She came out, hopping on one foot, struggling with the blunt useless first-aid scissors. I sat her down, took the supplies from her, sat cross-legged on the floor and dressed her foot as she ran down.

"I can do so much for the business, as soon as she lets me loose! She's got plans for expansion, but has hit a limit, only so many hours in the day, too much for her to keep juggling by herself!"

I fetched the cheap deck shoes left on the porch, tied them snugly on her feet, keep the moleskin secure. Looked inside to make sure it wasn't too tight, wasn't squeezing the blister.

She watched me, amused, not used to somebody serving her, tending to her needs in such a personal way.

"I could get used to this! You did a nice job!" She raised her foot, turned it this way and that, admired my work. Pulled me up off the floor between her knees, into a smooch.

Once I could breath again, she remembered to ask me about my day.

"Did you keep busy? Hey! How did it go with Phuong?"

My turn to recount the tale of the tea ceremony. How he had two granddaughters now. How I was now his prospective son-in-law, had to ask to date his granddaughter. His grilling, probing questions about my intentions, my resources. How he had given me his blessing.

She put her hands to her face, between laughing and panicky.

"You poor guy! I didn't think my having a sister would make things hard for you!"

"Not just me. You have to go talk to Phuong, so he can instruct you in Vietnamese marriage duties. He's got us hitched and having babies already!"

She colored prettily. A good thing? I think so. Meant she was embarrassed but taking it seriously too.

"What should I do!? Should I go tonight? What should I wear? How do I talk to him?"

I shushed her, put a finger to her lips, kissed her gently.

"You will know what to do. You are a natural granddaughter, with perfect instincts. Get in over your head, then get advice from your big sister, that's what she's for! Not my place to intervene in your family affairs."

That stunned her, eyes wide. Her family! She had a family!

She smiled hugely then, it had hit her, it was real now. Something I think she'd wanted all her life but pretended she didn't need.

Her cheeks were suddenly wet. I pulled her up, sat in the stuffed chair, arranged her across my lap, wrapped my arms around her, holding her, protecting her, let the tears fall.

I was getting soppy too.

"Sweetie, let me tell you something about me. I've been on my own so long, running from friendships, hiding from people. I think I was really hiding from me.

Now I have you, and Khang, and Phuong, people who simply accept me, respect me, no questions, no fear. It's the greatest thing in my life.

I promise I will help you be a sister to Khang. I will be a good son-in-law, a good big brother-in-law. Help keep you three safe. Do everything I can to make life easy for you, for them.

And you know I can do a lot, with my goofy skills. All for you, my sweetheart. Anything you want or need. As long as you will have me."

She was really going now, wet-faced, snot-nosed, smiling a quivery smile, breath coming in sobs, couldn't say anything but I understood her perfectly.