Chapter 31

I picked up Tai from Ms. Tran at close to four and we drove straight home. On the ride home, I explained to Tai my idea about maybe asking Lexie to join us at the movie. Tai gave a resounding yes and said that would be great. I voice commanded the phone in the vehicle to call Lexie Thomas and within several rings Lexie answered the phone.

“Lex, I am driving home from school and Tai wants to talk to you”, I stated.

“Miss Lexie, do you want to go see the princess movie with us?” Tai asked, very excited.

“I would love to see the movie with you Tai.” Lexie replied.

“Good, then Chwis and I will pick you up later.” Tai answered.

“Ok Lexie, see you about six forty-five or so.” I informed her, hanging up.

We went home and got cleaned up then dressed for the movie. Tai put on some jeans and a pullover shirt with white sneakers. I did much the same since it was going to be a very casual evening. We drove across town to Lexie’s parents’ home and parked in front. I followed Tai up the sidewalk until we got to the front door. I rang the bell and Jennifer Thomas opened the door almost immediately.

“Hey guys, it’s good to see you again.” she said, smiling.

“We are here to take Lexie to the movie with us. It’s a princess movie.” Tai stated.

“Oh my, well I’m sure Lexie is almost ready. Please come in.” Jennifer answered.

We went in and followed Jennifer to the family room and sat down on the sofa. Jim was out at the grocery store and had just left minutes before. Jennifer talked with Tai as we waited for Lexie to come down the stairs. When Lexie finally showed the wait was worth it. She had on a pair of tight jeans with a white silk sheer top. She had on black heeled boots and had put some curl in her hair. Lexie’s makeup was flawless.

“Miss Lexie, you look very pretty.” Tai commented.

“Well, so you do Miss Tai.” Lexie commented.

We left right away and drove straight over to the movie theatre complex. We were about an hour early so we went to make sure we got good seats. Once seated, I went and got a large popcorn and three Coke’s for us. I returned just before the trailers started playing. Tai’s eyes were glued to the screen for the entire movie. I did notice about halfway through the movie Tai was holding Lexie’s hand which made me feel good. It gave me a sense that perhaps Tai was beginning to trust people again. The movie finished and we got up and walked toward the car. Once I strapped her into her car seat and walked around the car, Lexie and Tai were talking about where to go for dinner. Tai suggested we go to Saigon Block which she loved. Her parents had made sure she still understood her Vietnamese heritage. So, we headed there since it was not that far away.

We were seated immediately, and I guess having a Vietnamese child with us caused a lot of attention. Tai ordered her favorite which was bun bo hue. It was a noodle and beef dish in a spicy broth. We also ordered beef satay, meatballs and bo la tot which was spicy ground beef wrapped in betel leaves. The waitress was impressed at Tai’s knowledge of the menu. I could tell Lexie was a little apprehensive admitting she had never eaten Vietnamese cuisine.

The meal was fabulous, and I could tell Lexie was very impressed. Lexie and Tai were getting along very well which was a good sign. It was a little after ten o’clock on the ride back when Tai suggested that Lexie come home with us. I explained that I had to bring Lexie home but Tai wanted Lexie to spend the night with her. I was in a pickle here and did not know how to address this situation.

“Ok, how about this. Lexie can come over for a while then when you go to bed then she can take an Uber ride home. Would that be ok, Tai?” I asked.

“Yessssss, that’s good.” she screamed.

We arrived back at my house and Tai immediately took Lexie to the theatre room to put on one of her DVD’s. I went in the back and put on shorts and a T-shirt then went to join them. Tai had put on the movie “Frozen” which I know I had watched a half a dozen times. About halfway through the movie Tai started to fade fast and I could see she was ready to go to bed.

“San sang di ngu?” I asked.

“Co’.” she replied.

I got up and picked her up in my arms and turned to go to her bedroom. She lifted her head off my shoulder and looked at Lexie.

“Anh yeu em”, Tai said softly to Lexie.

I took Tai to bed and tucked her in and kissed her cheek like I did every night. I turned on her night light and the monitor next to the bed. I walked out leaving her door ajar slightly like I always did. I walked back into the theatre room and sat down next to Lexie.

“You know how to speak Vietnamese?’, Lexie asked.

“Tai is teaching me. Ms. Tran insists she continue speaking in both languages. I asked her if she was ready for bed and she replied yes.” I answered.

“What did she say to me?” Lexie inquired.

“She said anh yeu em which means I love you.” I answered.

“Oh, how sweet. She is such a precious child. It’s hard to believe everything that she has been through hasn’t affected her.” Lexie commented.

“One of the psychologists at the hospital told me that young people bounce back a lot better than adults. He also told me to constantly remind her about her family and let her know that they love her. So, I try my best and we go to the cemetery every other week and put out flowers.” I stated.

“I can’t believe that I misjudged you as badly as I did Chris. I think that being with Cody all those years just made me believe that all men were the same. Then add to the fact that women are always throwing themselves at you, well I just really believe that you would never be just a one-woman man. God was I stupid.” she sighed.

“Lexie, if I have learned one thing about relationships are that people seem to always run back to what’s familiar to them. Everyone I ever dated always seems to run back to previous people they were involved with the exception of Cassie. Sometimes I believe life is predetermined and me being alone is what is meant to be.” I said.

“Chris, please don’t say that. You have everything to offer someone don’t give up on love.” Lexie pleaded.

“It’s not love Lexie, it’s me. Obviously, there is something about me that stops a woman from going all in with me. It can’t always be the woman’s fault. I must be doing something wrong.” I laughed.

“No Chris, I can tell you what it is. You come off as being too good to be true. I think that makes a woman suspicious that you’re hiding something.” Lexie commented.

“Lexie, I’m not hiding anything ... you of all people should know that.” I remarked.

“I did not know that until I saw the way you interacted with Tai. I know now you’re genuine and a rare find in today’s world.” she answered.

“The only good thing in my life now is that little girl sleeping in the other room. I know she is not going to leave me no matter what.” I replied.

“Maybe Tessa will come back. You never know.” Lexie replied.

“That will never happen because I won’t allow it to happen. She was the one who started me on this journey with Tai. It was her idea to foster Tai and I bought this house to be close to her parents. That way if we needed them, they would be close. And after all of that happening I find out she is sleeping with another guy. There is no coming back after that.” I responded.

Just about that time, my cell phone rang, and I noticed it was Tessa. Lexie saw it as well. I picked up the phone and answered it.

“Hey Chris, how are you?” Tessa asked.

“I’m fine Tessa, how are you?” I replied.

“I’m ok, look I’m over by my parents’ house and was wondering if we could stop in for a few seconds to say hi to Tai.” she asked.

“She’s already in bed for the night. We went to see the new princess movie and went to eat at one of her favorite places. She is sound asleep.” I answered.

“That’s fine, I will call you again sometime. Tell her hello for me.” Tessa asked.

“Will do.” I replied.

I hung up the phone and placed it down on the sofa. It dawned on me that it was getting late and that Lexie needed to get home.

“Lex, if you want you can take my car home and then come back in the morning, it’s not a problem. Or I can call an Uber for you.” I offered.

“I don’t want to inconvenience you. I can call Uber for a ride.” she offered.

“I don’t mind you taking my car if you feel more comfortable. Or, I do have a spare bedroom completely furnished. You could sleep there if you would like. I actually still have a small tote with some of your clothes in the bottom of the closet I believe. Never thought about the clothes until just now.” I said, getting up.

Lexie followed me down the hallway and into the door across from Tai’s bedroom. I switched on the light and walked over to the closet.

“This is an amazing guest room Chris. I love the furniture.” Lexie remarked.

I pulled the plastic tote bin from the closet and laid it on the bed. Lexie opened it and pulled a few things out, finding clean underwear and a white t-shirt. She placed the tote back in the bottom of the closet and I showed her where one of the guest bathrooms was. She went in to take a shower as I went into the kitchen and sat at the breakfast counter. About fifteen minutes later, Lexie walked into the kitchen wearing the white T-shirt and the pink panties underneath with her hair wrapped in a towel.

“Uh Thomas, don’t you think that’s a bit revealing?” I asked.

“Williams, you have had your dick, tongue, and hands inside me many times. Nothing here you haven’t touched.” she giggled.

“You have a point.” I laughed.

Lexie called her mother and explained the situation and told her that I would bring her home in the morning. We both turned in and I slept until about seven thirty in the morning when Tai came in and jumped on my bed.

“Wake up, Chwis ... I want breakfast.’, she stated.

“Ok Tai Lynn, let me get dressed.” I replied.

I dressed quickly and grabbed the bags for the gym. I informed Tai that Lexie was sleeping in the room across from her and to go wake her up. Tai ran down the hall and burst into Lexie’s room. Several minutes later, they both appeared in the kitchen fully dressed.

We left and went to a local diner to have breakfast then I dropped Lexie off at home. We then drove to the gym where I had my workout then got Tai ready for her Jiu Jitsu training. I had limited Tai’s training to a few things. Posturing with the closed guard and how to open and close the guard. We did three lower sweeps from the bottom and three basic submissions. I was also teaching escape from the low mount, side and back control.

I had already taught her the straight arm bar submission which she had gotten pretty good at. We were working on a straight ankle lock and a knee submission as well. The next step was a series of choke holds which were the most commonly used. There were a few Muy Tai strikes that could cross over for her. I had not yet begun to teach her Krav Maga because at her age it was too brutal.

The next year almost flew by with all the responsibilities with Tai and the gym. Tessa had become more and more distant and saw very little of Tai. Lexie did spend time with us, and Tai had grown to love her. Lexie even took Tai to the precinct and show her exactly what she did for a living.

Tai was now six years old and blossoming in school and at the gym. She completed kindergarten at the top of her class and made a smooth transition in the first grade. She had also made tremendous strides at the gym with her training. She had vastly increased her speed on the mat in all her guard positions and had worked hard on all her submission moves.

We were in the grocery store checking out where I saw a poster for a youth martial arts tournament. It stated that everyone ages seven and up would be eligible with several different disciplines being offered. Jiu Jitsu was one and it would be an open tournament. I took down the number and would call them later to see if Tai would be eligible. I was eager to see her spar with someone her own height and weight.

Several days later, I called the number and it belonged to a Jiu Jitsu Dojo across town called Tay Ryu. The owner was the tournament director and they told me I could drop by any time after four o’clock to talk to him about the event.

That evening after picking up Tai from Ms. Tran we drove over to the dojo. It was a large building with close to thirty students of all ages training with an instructor. The man seated at the desk pointed to an office where he said Mr. Tay would see me. Tai and I walked over to the office and knocked on the door. He summoned us in waving through the large window.

“How can I help you?” he asked.

“I was wondering about the upcoming tournament you’re having. I would like to enter a contestant if possible.” I asked.

“In what discipline?” he asked.

“Jiu Jitsu.” I replied.

“Who is your student?” he asked.

“Tai Lynn Nguyen, my foster child.” I replied.

“Sir, this is an open tournament for experienced students ranging from seven to eighteen years of age. I cannot allow someone so young to enter the tournament.” he stated.

“She’s six and she has been training for close to a year and a half. Unfortunately, she has no one to train with but me so the practice is severely skewed.” I replied.

“Perhaps if you enroll her here, I can evaluate her and perhaps down the road I could enter her in something.” he stated, sarcastically.

“No, I’m the only one who is going to train her ... That’s not an option.” I replied.

“So, you’re a competitor?” he asked.

“No sir, not really. I have trained in Brazil with Master Garcia and Leonel Chacon but didn’t compete in tournaments. I fought on the MMA circuit for about a year.” I answered.

“Are you Chris Williams?’, he asked.

“Yes sir, I am.” I answered.

“I am very hesitant to take her application but out of respect for you, I will consider it. Understand you must sign a medical release and understand that my students will not take it easy on her. She will have to compete in the seven-year-old division.” he offered.

“I understand, sir.” I replied.

He handed me the packet and Tai and I walked out and back to the car. We drove home and we both talked about stepping up her training in the next few weeks. We were getting out of the car when Tessa drove up in her car alone. She got out but for the first time Tai did not run up and jump in her arms which I found strange.

“Hello Tai how are you?” Tessa asked.

“I am great Dr. T, how are you?” Tai responded.

“I’m good Tai, I just wanted to stop by and say hello.” Tessa remarked.

I invited Tessa inside and she accepted, following us the to the large living area. Everyone sat down on the large sectional sofa and Tessa and Tai talked a lot trying to catch up on what was going on. Tessa was extremely pleased at how well Tai was doing in school when she was shown her recent progress report. Tai has straight A’s and a 4.01 GPA but of course it was only the first grade.

“Dr. T, I am going to fight in a tournament next month.” Tai exclaimed.

“Wait, you’re going to fight who?’, Tessa asked, surprised.

“Whatever boys I have to fight.” Tai remarked.

“Chris ... What is this about.?” Tessa asked.

“She is going to be entered in the “North Texas Regional Tournament” at the end of next month.” I stated.

“Chris, do you think that’s a good idea?” Tessa asked.

“Doctor Woods has seen her twice and everything is fine. In fact, he will consult with you in about a year on doing follow-up surgery which may be the only one needed. Tai wants to compete so I’m going to let her. The state has already cleared it and has no problems with it.” I answered.

“I don’t know about that but do what you think is best. Anyway Tai, what I wanted to know is would you like to spend the night with me tonight and I can bring you back in the morning.” Tessa asked.

“Can I go, Chwis?” Tai asked.

“Of course, you can go Tai.” I answered.

“And just so you know Chris, he’s out of town on a medical seminar until Wednesday. Regardless, things are not that great anyway.” she explained.

“I’m sorry to hear that, Tessa. Why don’t you go get your other backpack and get some jammies to take with you to Tessa’s. Bring your IPAD and take your phone if you need to call me.” I suggested.

“Ok.” she shouted running to the back.

“Should I go help her?” Tessa asked.

“That child is extremely organized and forgets nothing. Ms. Tran has been a god send and such a positive influence of her.” I answered.