We're a Wonderful Wife Ch. 13

"Yeah, people had been asking about it, so Chau said, "let's try it." She bakes the baguette and Sophie makes the pickled veggies and then either one puts the sandwich together while Rosa watches them like a mother hawk. Trung is helping in the kitchen, now he's the one baking the baguettes."

"How are things with Mr. Coffee?" asked Lanh.

"Mr. Coffee?" Karole was confused, "we have Bunn coffee makers."

"Have one of the girls run into the kitchen and get you a can of Vietnamese coffee," said Kim-ly once she stopped laughing.

"Well... ok." They heard Karole ask Sophia, Bao and Rosa's youngest girl, to get the coffee, then heard Karole check out a customer, then she broke up in cheery laughter as Sophia returned with a can of Vietnamese coffee. The brand name on the can proudly said, Trung Nguyen, the top selling brand of Vietnamese coffee.

"Now you know why we called him Mister Coffee as kids," said Kim-ly.

"Things are going a lot better than I deserve," said Karole. "I told him flat out that the settlement money goes into a trust fund for Krissy and we live off the interest and what money we can make, so if he hooks up with me, he's not getting an heiress. He said "Fine, I don't know how to not work." So, we're happy."

"How happy are you?" asked Lanh slyly.

After a long pause they heard Karole whisper into the phone, "really, really happy."

"I think all three of us can say the same thing here," said Lanh. They spoke for a little bit longer about working in the restaurant during a blizzard, Duong and Mai refused to close like his uncle's restaurant in Minneapolis that closes whenever it snows.

"Kin ah talk to Don off speaker a moment?" Karole asked. When he heard her, Don snatched the phone up off the coffee table and headed into the kitchen. Don had a guess what she wanted to talk about, he was worried that his hunch was right. "Hey," said the southern belle, "Did you visit Grandpa Noah recently?"

That's exactly what he was afraid of. Might as well let her know the whole story. "Yeah, it was weird, it was winter when I got there, and he was Grandma Noah but after I gave him his bánh mì order he became Grandpa Noah and when I stepped out it was summer and he was living next to a stream."

"Down here we call that a river, sounds like he was in the Okefenokee Swamp where he belongs."

"How did you know?" Don asked.

"I saw you there, I was rowing up to his dock and you were standing on the porch talking to him."

"I didn't see you... at least I think I didn't see you."

"You only get to see what Grandma Noah wants you to see, I guess she figured that you needed winter to identify with. She changed from Grandpa Noah back to Grandma Noah while I was there, she said because the time of change was settled." Karole sounded excited about Grandma Noah returning for her, then she asked, "What did Grandma Noah say to you?"

"She said that Sophie made the bánh mì and she was going to eat it as soon as she found her teeth," said Don

"That sounds right, if there's no school Sophie insists on making the bánh mì. Is that all she said?"

Don didn't want to continue because it sounded stupid. However, she insisted that she wanted to hear... ok. "She said she wanted to give me a tip, so when she became Grandpa Noah, he handed me a toy boat and he said that the only thing better than owning a boat is having a friend that owns a boat. Then he said to never turn down the offer of a boat ride. I thought that he was talking about your rowboat, but I woke up."

"Ahh, ok. That explains a lot," said Karole.

"What does it explain?" Don asked.

"Grandma told me to tell you "Bon voyage!"

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When the storm had finally faded, Don went back to work on the farm. He and his dad spent the day in subzero weather with blinding sunshine, clearing snow drifts in the driveway and barn yard. The cows were happy the wind had dropped, and they could move apart and feed properly instead of huddling close together for warmth. Don was using a drag plow on the John Deere tractor and Ralph was digging away at the big drifts with the Bobcat frontend loader. There was a seven-foot-tall drift between the tractor shed and the barn that everybody had to pose in front of for photographs to impress future generations.

Don was refueling the John Deere with a handpump from a 55-gallon drum when Lanh and Kim-ly came up to him with Danh on Lanh's hip. He looked so cute in his little hunting parka thought Don, realizing that he's falling more and more in love with his child every day. "Hey lil' buddy," said Don, "I suppose you want to drive the tractor? I know momma Lanh does." Then to Lanh he asked, "what's up?"

"Lunch time! I made soup." Then to answer his unasked question, "tomato soup and grilled cheese."

"Is that why you bought all those tomatoes?" When the roads opened, Sandy, Lanh, and Danh made a dash to Elstad's Plen-T Good Grocery to re-stock all the staples and canned goods that were consumed during the storm and Lanh came back with a sack full of tomatoes.

Lanh just smiled and called, "Soup's on!" as she headed back to the house with Danh. Don checked the fuel level on the tractor, it was close enough, and followed Lanh into the house. Even Kim-ly emerged from her basement office where she's been hiding for the past few days. What a mess! Lanh's settlement started coming in, Karole just dumped a boat load of money on Don for the truck, money from the house sales coming in, Karole dumped a bunch on Don for all the work he did getting her house ready to sell and he tried to return it. Then there was the farm and the restaurant, Karole and Mai wanted to dump tons of money into that.

Kim-ly and Bao had to demand a stop to all of it. "You can't just swap money back and forth willy-nilly! Slow down! Go through us first!" Emerging from the basement Kim-ly plopped down at the table. "Ok, I just heard from that Tolbert guy..."

"Thorsen?"

"Yeah, him. The truck will be ready in a couple of weeks. He's having a hard time finding a radio."

"Just as long as it looks stock and works," said Don as Sandy placed a large bowl of soup in front of him.

"What happened to your truck?" asked Lanh as she set out sandwiches. She just realized that she didn't see that old "Three-On-The-Tree GMC" in the tractor shed where it gets parked when Don was not at the farm. Don reached for his sandwich and Lanh glared at him. "We're not all here yet."

Don sighed and looked at his grilled cheese sandwich. Perfectly toasted, and the hot, melty cheese was starting to ooze from the bread. "When we spent the night in Custer South Dakota and we discovered the money from my settlement I figured I needed a truck when we get home, so I called Gunnar Thorsen at Grant Valley Auto and asked him to tow my truck into the shop and go over it stem to stern, make it look brand new, and run like a modern truck."

Lanh was about to ask what work Gunnar was doing on the truck when Ralph and RJ finally came in from the mudroom and sat down, Ralph took his seat at the head of the table and Sandy and Lanh served them. "You haven't started eating yet?" asked Ralph.

"We were waiting for you," said Kim-ly.

Ralph looked at the family gathered around the table, wife, son, daughter (after all these years of living here he considered Kim-ly a daughter), daughter-in-law, grandson, reliable farmhand... it has taken decades to come about, but his family is finally complete. "Thank you," he whispered, too choked up to continue.

"Ohhh papa!" Kim-ly jumped up and started hugging Ralph with Lanh. "You're clearly not used to daughters."

"Not in the least," said Sandy with a wise smile.

The simple food was perfect, a great warm-up on a frigid winter day with a lot of work still to do. Ralph and RJ had a shipment of feed to stack, and Don had a long, slow, cold, tractor drive to the rendering plant in Alida to drop off the three unnamed frozen cows. Every drop of soup was eaten ravenously, no one in the group but Lanh and Kim-ly had ever eaten freshly made tomato soup, and it was incredible. Rich, creamy, bold, sweet, an incredible medley of flavors that cannot survive a can. "Wait until we make it fresh from the garden," said Lanh getting excited over her memories of her mom making it garden fresh.

"We need a green house," said Kim-ly.

"With a hot tub," grinned Don.

"YES!" said Lanh and Kim-ly at the same time.

"Before we get to satisfying our dreams, we have a ton of work to do," said Ralph. Somebody had to be the dad. With a chuckle he got up and he and RJ suited up in their brown one-piece cold weather suits and headed over to the barn. As Don helped clear the table Lanh's phone rang.

"Hello? Yes! Good to hear from you! Yes, he's right here, let me put you on speaker." Then Don heard a voice from the past that he sorely missed - his first pulmonologist, Dr. Adrianna Roberts.

"Don? How are you doing? It's Andi."

"Fine! I'm dealing with the Mayo now, we scheduled a pulmonary balloon angioplasty for May, but ever since I moved down from about 6,000 feet I feel great. What happened to you? You disappeared on us last year."

"Oh so much as happened! I can't wait to catch up," the doctor said. "I heard about everything, the baby, the accident, we're so sorry for you! My husband Paul and I was wondering if you guys would like to come down and unwind a little. We have a place in Jupiter Florida, and we have a boat we were planning to take out for a little ride. What do you say? It will just be us, another couple, and you guys. No babies, just you, Lanh, and Kim-ly."

"Wow, you really have heard everything." Don looked at Lanh and Kim-ly who anxiously anticipated his true Minnesota farm boy "well... I'm not sure," response. "Ma'am, a wise old gentleman once told me to never turn down a boat ride. When do you want us?"

As Don and Andi made plans, Lanh and Kim-ly hugged each other in excitement. "Maybe we can see Annie and Royce!" Lanh whispered and the plan was set, Andi would pick them up at the Beverly Beach Marina so they could reunite for a little while with their dear friends.

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It was a sad meeting with Annie Brown at the marina in Beverly Beach, Florida. Annie Nguyen-Brown, a long distance relative of Lanh and Kim-ly was devastated and her daughter had to speak for her. They didn't know it, but while Annie spoke to Lanh every day cheering her up as she lay in the hospital from her Christmas Eve horror, Annie's husband, Don's mentor, Chief Master Sergeant Royce Brown, was dying of cancer. He died the day they brought Karole out of her medically induced coma. "Maybe they passed each other on the way," Annie said wistfully, which broke gales of tears from Don and Lanh.

Don was shattered, Royce was like a second dad to him. Royce and Annie were always there for them, they saved Don and Lanh's marriage when she went into a deep, dark depression, they were there for them when Lanh was diagnosed as baren, they settled their anger when Don got sent to Kunsan instead of Osan, they were there when Don got injured, and again when Lanh was run over. Don still was eternally grateful to Royce and Annie for coming up to Grant Valley for his retirement ceremony, and their visit with them after.

Royce and Annie had two beautiful daughters, the eldest, Tiên, was a fighter pilot, now a lieutenant colonel commanding a fighter squadron of F-35s in the FANG - the Florida Air National Guard. Her younger sister Donna (Duyen) is an active-duty captain in the USAF working in the Personnel Office at Moody AFB in south Georgia. They met Tiên and found a girl a lot like Kim-ly, funny, cheerful, pretty, but Annie said that the minute she puts on her uniform she turns into Royce.

"I do not!" exclaimed Tiên with a snarl and the forceful delivery of her dad. "Well, maybe a little." She then recognized Don and Lanh, "You're the guys that went scalloping with us. But there was only one chick." She pointed at Lanh, "I think it was you." Then she turned to Kim-ly and said, "What's with you?"

"I'm here for your protection," Kim-ly said as she wrapped her arms tightly around Don's right arm. "This guy has such a case of yellow fever we're all going to end up walking bow-legged."

"Oh jeez," laughed Don. "I'm going to go for a walk and let you guys talk."

Chuckling at Kim-ly's cry of "It's cool, we're safe now girls. We can uncross our legs," he walked along the Marina dock enjoying the hot, humid Florida sunrise.

Annie caught up with him and as they walked, he grew sad. She put an arm around Don's waist. "You ok?" she asked.

Don took a deep breath then said, "you didn't have to make up a story, you could have told me about Royce." Don truly loved Royce as a friend and mentor and he was trying not to be angry, but in truth he was in shock over losing his mentor.

"That wasn't my idea. Lanh, her mom, and your friend Karole getting run over on Christmas Eve... you're in the hospital with your friends baby trying not to freak out, Royce knew it was too much, he told me "that boy has enough on his plate, tell him I'm stuck in a tree, he'll understand." When Don started laughing, she was shocked, "What's so funny?"

"It's a joke he told me when I informed him that Lanh freaked out when I told her I was going on a 90-day TDY to Turkey. Chief said, "You have to break it to her easily." Then he told me this parable, there was a fellow who was assigned to Germany, and he called home and asked his brother how his cat was doing, his brother said, "Your cat died." The soldier got very angry and said "You don't give people bad news like that right away, you give it to them piece by piece; I ask you how's my cat doing you should say he's stuck in a tree, and we can't get him down. When I call again you should say we had the fire department try to get him down, but halfway down he freaked out and jumped. When I call again you say we took him to the animal hospital, and we tried to save him but after fifteen hours of surgery he quietly passed away.

"Gee, I'm sorry said the brother. Then the soldier asked, "How's mom?" After a long pause the brother said, "She's stuck in a tree, and we can't get her down."

Annie stared at Don for a moment then after a long snort she started laughing. She leaned against Don, her laughter mixing with tears of her sorrow. "That is so like him... God, I miss him."

"I'm sure that everyone who knew him does."

"An AC-130 did a flyover at his funeral, the boys were so wonderful to us." She was lost in the memory of the Gunner's Funeral that "the boys" in Special Ops held for Royce.

Don smiled; he's heard about gunners funerals. He never understood those weapons guys, they spent their careers working with bombs and missiles, conventional and nukes, and when there's an opening on a gunship, they trip over themselves for the chance to get shot at in the lowest, slowest target in the sky. He put an arm around his boss's widow, "Look, take your time, if you need help and your girls are busy call us. We have the resources to come down and help now."

"I'll be ok, Bitsy is moving in, we're close enough to base for her..."

"Bitsy?" Don asked.

"Tiên," smiled Annie. "It's what Royce called her. She was tiny like Lanh when she was born, Royce wouldn't put her down. I had to fight him just to hold my own child. Anyhow, she's a momma's girl, she's moving in from St. Augustine, we'll figure out what to do... eventually."

"Ok, but there's something we need you to do for us," said Don. His voice was serious.

"Anything, what is it?"

We need you to come to Minnesota, June 17, it's our wedding anniversary, we're going to renew our vows. Stay as long as you want, you can stay in the farmhouse with us or at the restaurant with Lanh and Kim-ly's folks, but we desperately want you there."

"I don't know..."

"We can pay if that's an issue," said Don but Annie looked unconvinced. "Come on," he begged. "It'll mean the world to Lanh... we'll take you ice skating."

"Ice skating in June?" asked Annie as she leaned on her friend's shoulder.

Don shrugged. "It's Minnesota."

They returned to the table where Lanh, Kim-ly and Tiên waited at the Beverly Beach Marina diner. This is where Andi's said she would pick them up. The menu looked delectable and even though their bank accounts said they could easily afford it, years of living paycheck to paycheck gave Don and Lanh a dose of sticker shock. Kim-ly on the other hand was gregarious and generous and convinced Annie and Tiên to get something "decadent" for breakfast with the admonition "If you don't order, I'll order for you and you're going to end up staring at a bowl of frog legs and grits." Annie and Tiên wisely chose the Belgian waffles.

"I wonder what frog legs taste like," said Lanh. Both she and Don made a vow years ago to try everything they can, just so they don't miss an epicurean delight because "it didn't sound good."

Annie sipped her coffee. "When you come back from your cruise, we'll head inland to Marshport, there's a great little restaurant there with incredible frog legs."

"You're not going to eat with us this morning?" asked Tiên.

"Doctor Andi said breakfast would be served on board," said Don.

"Who is Doctor Andi?" asked Anni as the largest waffle she has ever seen was placed in front of her.

"She's the shortest doctor on earth," said Kim-ly who has met Andi. Kim-ly accompanied Don and Lanh to an appointment or two before Andi disappeared.

"She's taller than I am," said Lanh.

"Yeah, but Andi is a doctor-doctor, you're a..."

"Don't start!" ordered Don. There was wrought iron in his words, he knew how playful banter between Lanh and Kim-ly can easily get out of hand. He doesn't want them to turn their backs on each other like they did in their childhood.

Trying to change the subject Anni said, "So Kim-ly said you've been asked to run for school board, are you going to run?" Don's answer to her question was drowned out by a loud, surprisingly well tuned five chime boat horn. They looked and saw a yacht that appeared to be a full-size cruise ship to the land locked trio from Minnesota. The Australian built Riviera 72 Sports Motor Yacht eased into the marina almost silently.

"Nice!" said Tiên, "seventy feet easy, wow, that's a party barge!"

Two huge fishing outrigger poles extended up and swept back from the gunnels, and Anni said, "Looks like those folks are planning on some serious fishing."

"Fishing!" Lanh gasped. Ever since Don taught her how to bait a hook in a toasty warm ice-hut out on his pond in January of their sophomore year, she's been hooked on fishing. Don still has the picture she sent him while he was in Basic Training. It was a picture of her in a tiny bikini proudly holding up a large bass that she caught soon after he left for training. He kept it secured in his locker and his friends would gather to glimpse a picture of the sexy little elf during their slack time and many of Don's friends in Basic Training were shocked to discover later that there was a fish in the picture.

The yacht stopped in front of the marina's dock, and with a young woman at the bow and a young man at the stern, both wearing white polo shirt and shorts with blue trim, the boat began to rotate on its axis. As its stern swung past their view the name of the boat, Andi's Dream, could be seen. "I think that's our ride," said Kim-ly in awe.

Don was in shock, this was the boat that Grandpa/Grandma Noah told him about, this was the toy boat he held in that dream. He looked up at the flying bridge, three stories up and saw Andi smiling down on them. She was clearly driving. When the boat completed its 180-degree rotation using its thrusters, it started moving sideways and eased gently into the dock, bumping into the fenders that the young couple set out. The young guy hopped to the dock and he and the girl tied off the boat fore and aft then opened a door on the aft, port side of the boat. Andi rushed down from the bridge, appeared on what looked like the second story, zipped down a small flight of stairs onto the deck and out on the dock. The little dishwater blond was definitely Don's former pulmonologist who became very good friends with them in Colorado.