The Reeducation of Cherry Truong (11 page)

The tallest kid in the game, Lum easily led their side to the first victory. He stretched his long body to catch the highest throws, smoothly turning to swing them back to his slower, unprepared opponents.

“First game doesn't count,” Dat said, panting from chasing the last throw. “That was practice.”

Lum exchanged a smile with his friend Huy. “Fine.”

They won the second game with Cherry scoring the winning throw. It happened so fast, she instantly wanted to replay the moment.

“Go, Cherry!” Linh cried, giving her a high five, and Cherry felt a thrill far greater than any test score or report card could offer.

“Out of bounds,” Dat said, after retrieving the Frisbee. “That throw doesn't count.”

“No way,” Lum said.

“Past the rosebushes is out of bounds.”

“You never said that. And you didn't care when you threw it over the bushes.”

“Then let's do over. Rosebushes and the pickup truck are the boundaries.”

“Forget it,” Lum said. “We won that game. It counts.”

“Cheater,” Dat said.

“Will you quit it?” Huy said. “You're just a sore loser.”

“I'm not playing with cheaters,” Dat said. “I did not lose to some baby.”

“Hey!” Cherry said.

“She's not a baby,” Lum said.

Dat readjusted his glasses, squinting in the sunlight. Sweat trickled from his sideburns. No one on his team came to his defense, not even Duyen. He had to know he was wrong. But Dat didn't care. Though shorter than most boys his age, he could be as mean as any bully.

“Does your baby sister know what they call you at school?”

“Shut up,” Lum said.

“Dumb Lum,” Dat sang, smiling maliciously. “Dumb Lum, Dumb Lum is wrong again.”

“Shut up!” Lum stalked toward their cousin, seized him by his shirt collar, and threw him to the ground. Stunned, Dat stared at him, then looked around at the other gaping children. His face wrinkled.

“Daddy!” he screamed, bursting into tears. He pulled himself up and scrambled in the direction of the apartment. “Daddy!”

No one said anything. Cherry couldn't look at Lum, who she knew felt embarrassed. He always told his sister to ignore Dat, not to let him bother her because that was what he wanted. It was the first time Cherry ever saw her older brother push anyone down.

It didn't take long for Dat to return, skulking behind his father and Cherry and Lum's dad. The children backed away from Lum once they saw the expressions on the adults' faces.

“What happened here?” a red-faced Uncle Chinh asked. “What did you do to my son?”

“He pushed me!” Dat screamed. “Everyone saw it, he pushed me!”

“Cherry?” their father asked.

She turned to her brother.

“Don't look at Lum, look at me.”

He could have waited until they returned home. Tall, gangly Lum bending over their father's knee, his hands supporting himself on the concrete, punished with humiliation, which hurt more than the spanking itself. Cherry would have been mortified if it had happened to her. She could only guess how much worse it was for Lum because he was a boy and older.

Playtime was over. Since they were not responsible enough to play outside without adult supervision, they had to go back upstairs where their parents could watch them.

While the adults, Dat, and the little kids returned to the apartment, Huy and Johnny walked with Lum to find the Frisbee, which Dat had flung in the air during his tantrum. The girls fetched their shoes from under the stairwell.

“I hope that never happens to me,” Duyen said. “Everyone in school is going to be laughing at Lum on Monday.”

“Why?” Cherry asked, hopping on one foot to pull on her other Mary Jane. “Who's going to tell?”

“Dat will,” Duyen said. “He'll tell everyone in their class.”

“Lum should have known better,” Linh said.

“I would have pushed Dat, too,” Quynh said.

They all looked at her, the outsider to the family, as she laced up her sneakers.

“It's easy to say that now,” Duyen said.

“I'll say it to your brother's face,” Quynh said. “I'm not afraid of him.”

When Lum and the boys finally came back inside, Cherry tried to put her hand on his arm, but he pushed past. She followed him as he walked through the living room and into the kitchen where their mother and aunties were preparing the cake. Auntie Tri immediately cooed with sympathy as Lum approached them, his face ruddy and moist. Mom led Lum to the balcony and they sat on the plastic stools next to Auntie Tri's chili pepper plants. She stroked his curved back as he talked into his folded arms.

Cherry stood between the glass door and the refrigerator, wanting to hear what they said, but not wanting Lum to accuse her of spying.

“He called me that name! I thought you said he would never do that again. You promised!”

“He won't,” their mother said. “I'll talk to Auntie Hien. Why do you let it bother you so much?”

“It bothers me,” Lum said. “It does.”

Cherry pressed her forehead against the sliding glass door, waiting for them to see her. A hand tapped her shoulder and she tipped her head back. Auntie Tri knocked on the glass door. Her mother and brother looked over with their matching hooded eyes, those eyes, their father would say, that threatened to weep at any moment.

“It's time for cake,” Auntie Tri said.

While Auntie Tri and Lum left for the living room, their mother held Cherry back, her nails digging into her arm.

“How could you let this happen?” she furiously whispered. “Why weren't you watching your brother?”

“I was,” Cherry argued.

“You're supposed to protect each other,” she said. “He would never let this happen to you.”

Her mother left Cherry in the kitchen, where she rubbed her arm. Once she heard them beginning to sing “Happy Birthday,” Cherry patted her eyes with a dishrag hanging from the oven, and swung open the door.

*   *   *

After Grandmother Vo blew out the candles and the cake and punch were served, most of the guests departed, leaving behind only family and the old twins to help Grandmother open presents. Uncle Viet, Grandmother's youngest child, but the only boy, went first. He swaggered up to Grandmother Vo, a shiny silver box in his palm, and kissed her twice on each cheek, declaring her the best mother in the world.

Sitting on the armrest of the sofa behind Auntie Hien and Auntie Tri, Cherry could hear everything they said.

“Who gave him the money?” Auntie Hien whispered.

“Probably his bookie,” Auntie Tri said with a snicker.

“He couldn't have won anything.”

“It was a loan. Another loan Mother will end up paying for.”

While Cherry's father and uncles all had mustaches, only Uncle Viet grew his past his lip line. Cherry's dad once said if Uncle Viet ever took the time to look for a job the way he did to shop, he could afford all the clothes Grandmother bought for him. Today, Uncle Viet wore a peppermint gum–colored suit and sunflower yellow dress shirt. Lum said Uncle Viet dressed like a homo. But Cherry knew Uncle Viet had Khanh as well as other girlfriends, who Grandmother Vo disapproved of. She thought Uncle Viet was too young to be married.

Because Grandmother Vo liked to save wrapping paper, opening presents took longer than it should. Her fingers slipped under the Scotch tape, seeking a clean drag and peel, never ripping, not even wrinkling, the paper. With Uncle Viet's gift, though only the size of a deck of cards, she seemed to spend even more time caressing the wrapper, savoring the moment.

An emerald pendant necklace. Emerald was their grandmother's favorite stone. But if Cherry remembered correctly, Grandmother already had five necklaces just like this one.

“It's beautiful,” Grandmother Vo exclaimed, weeping. She put her tear-moistened hands upon Uncle Viet's face and kissed him again.

Auntie Hien's family gave Grandmother a new humidifier. Grandmother smiled blandly, unsure of its purpose, even after Uncle Chinh and Dat tried to explain its function several times.

“We'll set it up in our home for you,” Uncle Chinh said. “You'll see.”

Cherry immediately looked to her parents. They motioned for her and her brother to retrieve the gift from the table.

They walked over to Grandmother Vo's chair. While Cherry pinched the hem of her dress, Lum silently offered the family present. After the ritual unwrapping, Grandmother held the pale green and pink fabric in her hands and looked at their mother.

“It's for a new dress,” Cherry's mother said.

“I can see that,” Grandmother Vo said.

“We were in that store last week and you stopped to look at this fabric. You thought it was so pretty.”

“Yes, of course,” Grandmother Vo said. “Pretty for one of the children, perhaps, but not for an old woman like me. I would look ridiculous in these colors.” Her hands petted the fabric like it was a small puppy, if she liked puppies. “Duyen,” she called out, waving for their cousin to come over. She held the fabric under Duyen's chin and smiled. “Hien, what do you think?”

Auntie Hien reluctantly looked at Cherry's mother before smiling back at Grandmother Vo. “It's lovely.”

Grandmother nodded in satisfaction. “Maybe some new
ao dais
for the girls on their grandfather's death anniversary in March. It will be a gift from their grandmother. Ba Liem's daughter is an excellent seamstress, correct?”

Of course, Auntie Tri and her family were last. Auntie Tri was not only the youngest daughter, but also the child who had most recently aroused Grandmother's anger. But Auntie Tri had prepared. Linh presented their grandmother with mother of pearl earrings and a matching necklace. The twins cooed as Grandmother Vo tried them on. Linh held a small oval mirror for Grandmother to study her reflection. Auntie Tri and Uncle Bao must have put the purchase on a credit card.

“It's nice you can spend money on your mother's birthday,” Grandmother Vo said, tilting her chin at the mirror. “Too bad you can only do it on special occasions.”

“Mommy, we love you,” Auntie Tri said. “We will always spend money on you.”

“Dear, if that were true, then I wouldn't be moving out, would I? But that's all right. You're young. You have a daughter of your own who needs your attention.”

She placed the pearls back into their velvet box and set it next to her pile of presents.

“And since we are all together today as a family, this is a good time to talk about family matters.”

While Grandmother Vo took a long sip of tea, the relatives impatiently adjusted in their seats.

“As most of you know, the Nguyens have finally paid back their loan, and I've been debating what to do with the money. I certainly don't want to put it in a bank, but I don't want to let it go to waste, either. Money is not for hoarding, but investing. You've all been so helpful offering suggestions, thank you for that. I've discussed it with Ba Liem and Ba Nhanh, and since I want to help all my children, I've decided you should all share the money in the new business.”

Cherry's parents smiled, squeezing each other's palms. Cherry placed her hands on theirs, trying to still them.

“Mother, thank you,” Cherry's mother said. “We promise, we will work very hard to return your investment. And of course my sisters and brothers can work in the bookstore. We'd be happy—”

“I'm not talking about a bookstore, Tuyet. You didn't let me finish. I considered Sanh's idea, and while it seemed promising, I can't see how it would properly involve your brothers and sisters. That's your husband's dream, not the family's. Anyway, I can see from your children, that perhaps this isn't the best time to start such a time-consuming project.”

“What's wrong with the children?”

“I heard what happened outside to Dat,” Grandmother said. “Lum should be ashamed of himself. Ba Liem was right in her predictions about him. If he can hit his own cousin, that means he really is out of control and needs more discipline.”

“It was a misunderstanding between children,” their mother said, her arm wrapping around Lum's waist, who looked like he was going to throw up. “And Lum apologized—”

“It still happened,” Grandmother said. “These children have become too alienated from their own cousins. I cannot condone this, even if we are living in America, where they treat family like strangers. Now, I've enrolled your sisters in that cosmetology seminar.…”

Cherry stared at Duyen, who was still sitting next to Grandmother, but she wouldn't meet her gaze. Grandmother continued to talk. Auntie Hien and Auntie Tri would attend the same cosmetology program their mother graduated from, only they would specialize in hair. After they graduated from the eight-month course, they'd open a beauty salon in an open space at the Asian Palace Shopping Center. Grandmother thought the expensive real estate in the indoor mall was worth it. More customers would come there. Uncle Viet was taking a bookkeeping course at the community college and could manage the business. As for Cherry's mother, she could have a nail station in the salon.

“Being in business for yourselves will bring in a lot more income for the family,” Grandmother Vo said. “And you will have to work together to accomplish that.”

Cherry's mother turned to her sisters, her cheeks sucked in. “I didn't know you were even interested in beauty school.”

“Why not?” Auntie Hien asked. “You think you're the only one who can work?”

“We took care of Mommy for years while you were away,” Auntie Tri said. “Why should you get all her savings?”

“I sent you money every month after we came to America,” Cherry's mother said.

“Out of guilt!” Auntie Hien sneered. “You think a few dollars makes up for everything you put us through?”