Sophie was ready to kill Bee when we finally reached the house.
"What the hell were you guys doing? I'm gonna be late because of you two. You promised to take me, and instead you are 10 minutes late. We have to leave now! Otherwise all of my plans would have been for nothing and someone is going to have me in pieces. Don't talk, just drive."
I looked at her in shock. Sweet, giggling Sophie was gone. Even though she wasn't that much younger than me, she was always a little sister to me. And in matter of seconds I could see how grown up she was. This trip was really important to her. It wasn't to run away, it was meant to go and find out who she was. Being the youngest girl to all her siblings, she was spoiled but lost to expectations.
"I'm sorry," was all I could say.
Sophie stopped her outburst, staring at Bee and I. "Something happened between you guys. What wa.."
She was interrupted by Chia, who came up behind her.
"What are you guys doing, standing by the doorway. Let's get going. We don't want to keep Kaelyn waiting alone at the airport."
Sophie was still eyeing us down, and somehow her intense stare kept us in place. Her next words were carefully picked out, "Bee, I forgot, before we leave, mom and dad has something to tell you. Dad will kill me if I forgot to tell you, so go. They're in the kitchen. Luna you can stay."
Bee and I glanced at each other, and without seeing a way out of it, Bee slides past his sisters into the house. Sophie grabs hold of Chia and me and drags us to the car.
When she reaches the side door, she looks at me. "Tell us. What happened?"
"What are you talking about?" Chia asked her.
Sophie gestures to me, "Look at her. Don't you see it. Didn't you see it in Bee."
Chia looks at me, closing in as if she was inspecting something I couldn't see. She glances from feet to face and stops at my face. Chia turns sideways and shakes her head.
I sighed, "Come on. It's nothing serious. We should really be leaving right now if we want to make it."
"You guys finally had sex, didn't you?" Chia said to me. Sophie just nodded confirming what she thought.
"Why do you have to emphasize the "finally"?" I said to her, frowning.
"Because," Sophie said, "It finally happened. I'm happy for you, but now that we confirmed it, we really do have to move.
"She ushered us to our seats, and yelled back to the house for Bee to hurry, otherwise we would leave without him.
When we do arrive at the airport, Kaelyn was ready to stop the plane if necessary. With last minute hugs and assurance of contact after reaching their destination, the girls disappear beyond non-passenger reach.
We waited for another few minutes before going back to our car. And just like that, we had let the baby of the family out into the world. Two emotions rushed through me: jealousy and worry. Jealous that she had the courage to travel at such a young age, and worry of what could happen to her while she was traveling. But she had to step out and smell the air. Sophie was adventurous, and this was her calling.
After Sophie left, time moved pretty fast. In a blink, a month had past. And in a blink, there was good news for the family. Matt had come for Chia.
Bee and I were at his parents house in the morning, visiting. Since it was the weekend, and Gabe was on a trip with his friends. Chia was at home with us and she was fidgeting around the living room.
I could tell with her actions that this was not a normal day for her. Something was going to happen.
The doorbell rang quarter after ten, and Chia shot up out of her seat, rubbing her hands together. Bee's father gets up to answer. We all look on as Matt is standing in the doorway with his elders flanking either side of him.
Today Matt addresses him as father. Looking my father-in-law right in the eyes, with his determined eyes, Matt said, "Father, can we please come in?"
My father-in-law looks over at Chia, and back at Matt and his guest. "Come on in. Sit in the living room, and let's talk."
All the men made their way in, shaking hands with Bee's father as they pass him. Before sitting down, they shook hands with Bee as well. Bee and Matt had always fooled around, but today they did a formal shake, greeting each other.
Getting off the couch to make room, I call over to a nervous Chia. Pulling her out of the room, we go fill up cups of water enough for our guest and family. It wasn't just for formality, Chia looked like she needed to breathe otherwise she would have passed out.
The moment I was ready to go back out there was the moment I rethought bringing Chia along. She was over worried, and freaking out.
"Luna, what if dad doesn't let me go? What if I am a bad wife? What if I am a bad daughter-in-law? What if mom doesn't think I'm qualified to be a wife and she tells Matt that he is better off without me? I'm so scared."
In that moment my mind goes blank. What do I tell this terrified girl to assure her that everything would be okay, when all I wanted to do was run away when I was in her spot more than a year ago.
A lump forms in my throat, remembering the past. No matter how simple her engagement was going, I could feel the fear with her. Agreeing to be in a marriage was too simple and too huge. A tear slides down Chia's cheek.
The tray of cups I had in my hand is placed back on the table. Walking over to Chia, I hug the girl who had been my older sister for the last year.
"Are you crazy? Mom and Dad knows how much in love you guys are. They have been waiting for this moment. I'm sure they are worried, giving their first daughter away, but they only want you to be happy. They love Matt, I think even more than they do half of us. He spoils and treats them so good, they probably would have adopted him if you didn't marry him.
"And you would never be a bad wife or daughter-in-law. You and Matt know each other back and forth, both of you, together, are meant to be. Plus, look at me, I would never have made it this far unless I had you to help me. After me, I'm sure you can handle anything that happens. Have more faith in yourself. You are more amazing than you think."
Pulling away from each other, Chia sniffles a few times before she could get anything out. "Do you really think so?"
"Of course. You have parents out there who love you. A man who is willing to give his all to bring you home. And honestly, you are worth all that tension in that room."
Right as I finish, Bee pops into the room. "Is everything okay in here? Mom was giving me the stink eye and everybody is waiting for you guys."
Chia sniffled some more and wiped away her tears. She nodded and walked toward the door. I grab the tray of cups and follow after.
The events after go smoother. Matt takes Chia and leaves in the middle. Although there were tears in Chia's eyes, she smiled and laughed as she was walking away embraced in Matt's arms. Wiping away my own tears, I smiled for her happiness.
Bee and I stuck around longer, as we waited for those who would represent Chia's family in her wedding. A process I never got to witness as I was whisked away during my own wedding.
A few more hours go by before everyone is thanked and walking out the door. Tou had come over as well, to pick up the parents. As Gabe was gone, there was no one to occupy the emptiness of the house. For a house that never was quiet during the day, there was a stillness in every room.
Before Bee and I made our own departure, I took a quick visit to our old bed room. It too had an eerie stillness to it, and after a glimpse of my past I meet up with Bee at the front door.
"Are you ready?" Bee askes me.
"Yeah. I am."
Within the next few weeks, we were bombarded with wedding preparations. With the main part of the wedding happening at the parent's house, we were there almost everyday. Unlike our wedding, Chia and Matt's was to happen in the coming days.
Bee and I had to steal moments to ourselves whenever time permitted. Sophie, who was having the time of her life overseas, wanted a update daily. I joked around for her to just come back and experience the fun herself.
As stressful as it was for me, I knew it would have been more stressful for her to be around. She didn't need all the drama. Gossip of her sexuality was making a round, and having to deal with even that was too much. While I wanted to put people in their places, Bee stepped in and stopped me.
Gabe, who had been gone most of the time, was actually seen more often around the house. Even at his age, he would have rather been parting. But with everyone gone, he was starting to see the reality of the fact that he was the only one his parents still had in the house. With only a few more days till Chia's wedding, he was spending as much time as he could with them before everybody would be moving their separate ways.
In those days, I grew closer to him. We would go shopping with the parents, helping to make anything easier on them.
All the Thao boys in the family were confident, but the cockiest of them all would have to be Gabe. He walked around with full knowledge of what a big shot he was. I spent most days rolling my eyes at his comments.
With Gabe around, it was easier to ask his cousins and friends for help. Even after getting to know them throughout the year, I still had a hard time conversing with them.
The night before the wedding, Bee and I slept over to help out in the early morning. Although we were asked to stay the night, the house had been packed for three days prior the event as family out of state started to pour in. I wasn't the eldest son's wife, but I was still the newcomer in the family and I was stuck with the crazy hours. Since Tou had a family of his own, they would all be coming together, as early as possible.
I started off my morning washing a random huge pile of dishes. Parents had walked around advising their kids to sleep, but the words went unheard. Most of the family were meeting up after not seeing each other for a long time, and every second talking and laughing together was precious. They were a hungry bunch, and through the night, the sink piled up.
Silently, I started soaping up a few of the plates to try and make room. It was still super early, leaving me feeling like I had barely closed my eyes before opening them again. I was rudely knocked back into my senses after rinsing off a bowl.
Gabe popped up next to me and flicked my forehead, using more strength than necessary.
"Damn it Gabe. What is your problem," I clutched my head and whispered to him through my pain.
"Mom wants you in the basement, to help with vegetables. But don't worry, I recruited the mess makers to clean up after themselves," Gabe said. He turns to his cousins, and said to them, "How is it that you two contributed to more than half of this? We do plan on having breakfast."
The guys, standing next to him, shrugs and moves near the sink.
Leaving the kitchen, I go meet my mother-in-law and my next set of job.
For the next few hours, everything is one motion after another. Having to prepare a feast was hard work, with the many relatives as well, we were cooking to feed an army.
I knew my side of the family had a number of us too, when we all reunited. It was only a wonder what my mother and sisters had to go through when preparing for my own wedding. Thinking about it, I must have been more tired than I thought. I had helped prepare my own sisters weddings. The memories come flooding back.
The excitement each wedding had, but with the burden of pain they carried. And even through my hatred of their abandonment, I was happy for them. For understanding the word and meaning of love, and for being able to achieve it, I wished them well of gaining it for a life time.
I had to witness my younger sister go before me, and it only made me closer to the two left. After, I was sure of it that Tina and Va's time would double the pain and happiness. Getting to know Chia and Sophie the way I did made me feel just as strongly about them too. Through my tired eyes, I fought to keep the tears in, but a few of them found themselves escaping down my cheek.
I wished so badly to have Sophie here with me. She would have had me laughing, calling me silly for crying, telling me that I at least still had her. Chia wasn't supposed to contact anybody during this time, but through Matt, she had called to chat with Sophie.
Once Chia and Matt showed up with his family, there was no time to have personal thoughts. Everything was one event right after another. Emotions flew high and low, leaving many crying out of happiness.
And at the end of the day, Bee I leave tired from the full day of chores. We wouldn't get to rest that easily though. Some of his cousins had decided to sleep over as well, since two bathrooms weren't enough for everyone to share.
It was life. We did what had to.
When we did what we had to, it also meant allowing Gabe to live with us. After Chia's wedding, the house was emptied to be rented out. Bee's parents went to live with Tou. Gabe did follow his brothers suggestion and moved in with Chee. It must have been not working out though. He came to us, pleading us to let him live with us. After discussing it with his brothers, Bee agreed.
Our house had a new member. It was weird of course, for I was used to having the days to myself, and now there was someone else there as well during the day.
Something was wrong though. With each passing day, I started to feel unsafe in my own home. I was scared and worried with the thought that I had to tell someone of what was going on.