Chapter 2

Craig Lewicki, one of Don’s very few friends from High School and his best man, arrived in time to help set up. He got out of his car just as Lanh stepped out of the barn; she was a mess covered with all forms of foul, wet, nasty ... mud, blood ... Craig didn’t want to speculate, but she wore an ear-to-ear grin. “The last calf of the spring was born! Just in time!” called Lanh as she recognized him.

Lanh had been up all night with momma cow and was happy to report that momma and baby were doing fine. They went in the house to find Kim-ly sitting in the kitchen, staring at the coffeepot as it slowly filled. Kim-ly was on “Lanh-duty” this day, and was exhausted. Just because Don and Lanh chose not to celebrate their graduation, it didn’t mean that Kim-ly couldn’t. “Go take a shower,” Kim-ly groaned, worried that her hangover was going to last past noon.

“Use my shower,” said Ralph as Lanh reached for the bunkhouse door. “That one is still broken.” Lanh shrugged and hurried off upstairs. The bunkhouse shower was ancient and gross, but it was convenient after the incidents that can occur on a dairy farm. Don said he was fixing it and he sealed off the bunkhouse, so Lanh didn’t step on a loose floorboard as he worked on the floors in there.

There was talk about selling off the cows. The return was no longer exceeding the effort it took to maintain the herd. Ralph and Don were talking about growing feed crops for the local dairy farmers with larger herds instead of raising their own. Lanh sighed sadly. She would miss the herd, but then, corn doesn’t poop on you. A few minutes later, after Lanh headed up the stairs to use “the only working shower,” Don stepped out of the bunkhouse in clean clothes, drying his hair.

Mai and Duong arrived not long later and the boys, Huy, Trung, and Bao, arrived shortly after that. Several of Don’s cousins arrived as a truck full of folding chairs from the Lutheran church arrived, followed by a pickup load of folding tables from the Catholic church, and the setup began. It was an all-day affair to set up the tables and chairs, the wedding gazebo, and the dance floor.

As the venue for the ceremony neared completion, Mai and Lanh halted the chair set up. “The gazebo needs to move back,” called out Lanh.

“What?” asked Craig Lewicki, who was Chair Chairman. He and his crew had been working hard and had done a great job setting up the marriage venue.

“We just got another big batch of RSVPs, we have to add a few more rows of chairs, we need about three more rows,” said Mai as she reviewed the diagram of the layout on her clipboard. “About fifteen feet.”

“How much more power do we have?” asked Craig, referring to the extension cords for the sound system.

Bruce Campbell, Ralph’s brother, who is an electrician, thought for a moment, then said, “Fifty feet, that’s the max.”

“Ok boys let’s break it down,” said Craig pointing to the lacy white gazebo, “We’re going back fifty feet.” There was good nature groaning that evaporated when Huy and Trung walked up with a cooler full of beer, and in less than 20 minutes, the gazebo was moved. The guys were getting good at it. This was the third time they had had to move it.

With the marriage venue set up, now they concentrated on the reception area. A local tent company had set up an enormous tent, and the crew set up the head table and other tables and chairs with practiced precision. Tomorrow was the decorating, which Lanh promised would be even more intensive.

As the sun set on the farm, a beautiful black Lexus pulled up and stopped in the middle of the activities to the taunts and catcalls from everyone. To everyone’s surprise, it was Tam that got out of the car wearing a nervous smile. Gone was the ancient Toyota. The new luxury cruiser was purchased in honor of her new job at the University of Bemidji. “Just in time for the party, that’s my big sister,” called Kim-ly.

Tam walked around to the passenger side, opened the door, and let out her passenger, a tall, handsome, black-haired man with a neatly trimmed beard, who was completely blind. He was wearing dark glasses and as he stepped out of the car, he unfolded a cane which he used to probe the ground ahead of him. “Everyone,” called Tam as she took his arm and led him toward the group, “this is Jake Johnson.”

“Welcome Jake,” said Don as he held out his hand to shake. “It’s time to party, come join us.”

Tam nudged Jake and whispered to him, and Jake held out his hand. “You must be the groom; I’ve heard so much about you.”

“Well, we’ve heard nothing about you, but I read a book with your name on the cover,” said Don. “Literary Patriots, is that your book?”

“Yes that is mine, did Tam give it to you?”

“In a way. I read it after she left it in my bedroom,” which was close to true. She left it in a spare bedroom when she was on “Lanh Duty” at the farm.

“Jake,” said Tam, desperately trying to re-route the conversation. “This is the bride, my kid sister Lanh.”

“Ah, Lanh, I’ve heard a tremendous amount about you. Can I get a good look at you?”

“No, you may not,” insisted Tam firmly, leaving Lanh a bit confused.

“Let’s go people! Party time!” called Craig and the wedding party loaded lawn chairs and coolers onto Ralph’s hay wagon, and with Lanh at the wheel of the old Ford tractor, they headed back to the pond where an enormous bonfire was set up waiting for them. Cold beer, soda, hotdogs, bratwurst, chips, macaroni salad, a boom box, good friends and family. That’s all that Don and Lanh ever wanted from a bachelor/bachelorette party. Heck, this was all they wanted for a wedding. Bring on the preacher, let’s get it done!

It was a beautiful night, one of the first really warm nights of spring. Rosa danced with one of Lanh’s cousins by the fire to some rock music blaring from the boom box. Sydney took advantage of Cindy Reece’s absence and sat next to Craig, sipping an illicit beer as they grew closer. “Let me get this straight,” Syd said to Craig. “you were in on a nasty trick to embarrass Don and Lanh in front of the entire school, and now you’re the best man at their wedding.”

Craig put on a good show of concentrating. “Mmmm ... yeah, that about sums it up.”

“How does that make any sense?” she asked as Craig handed her another beer.

“I was Don’s swimming mentor when he joined the JV team right after that dance, and the next year, when he got all fucked up by Joshua Grimes, I helped with rehab, I got him in the pool, put a kick board in his hands and we started out kicking and splashing like a kid learning to swim for the first time.”

“Oh wow,” Sydney raised her beer in a toast. “So, you’re like a hero!”

Craig clinked his beer can against hers. “It wasn’t just me, Lanh was there, in the pool, every session, helping out and urging him on. The only sessions they’d miss were when he was at the debate team with her.”

Bao and Trung set off fireworks for the entertainment of the crowd. The skyrockets were reflected in the mirror like pond, but that was lost on Lanh and Don, who wandered off in the darkness. They found a spot hidden by the reeds; they were wrapped in each other’s arms, their lips engaged in kisses that grew hotter by the minute.

Jake’s arrival took the attention away from Don and Lanh, so they were able to remain at the edge of the circle of light from the bonfire and kiss, while everyone else tried to unravel the mystery of Jake Johnson. Tam wasn’t offering an explanation, and she wasn’t answering direct questions, but she was having fun fielding guesses, but all guesses so far were answered with “Nope, that’s not what happened. Anyone else?” Jake was obviously under orders to play along.

Finally, Jake said “We haven’t heard from the bride yet, I haven’t even met the bride.” Tam and Kim-ly looked around and they couldn’t locate her.

“Lanh!” called Tam, but there was no answer. The chatter of the party died down as she called again, “LANH!” but there was no answer.

“Where are you tôm?” called out Kim-ly.

“I’m not saying,” called Lanh from the darkness, “and don’t call me shrimp!”

Once the laughter died down, Tam called out, “come meet my date.”

Don and Lanh walked into the firelight, straightening their clothes, and stepped up to Jake, who was sitting in a chaise lounge, Tam lounging between his legs. “Way to steal the spotlight sis,” grinned Don as he opened a root beer for Lanh.

“Hey,” shrugged Tam, “I’m a diva, right?”

“I knew there had to be a reason behind that smile,” said Don as he leaned over and hugged Tam. For the past few months, Tam has been a different woman. Ever since Don met her, Tam was a serious and somewhat cold person, her professional bearing being front and center during her waking hours. But now she’s different. Her beauty magnified one hundred percent by a smile on her lips and in her coal-black eyes. Her icy demeanor was gone, and she became a warmer, a more caring and funnier person. “I didn’t think getting rid of Lanh amused you that much. If you two are serious, there’s room at the altar for you.”

“Shush! This is your weekend, kiddo,” and she actually gave Don a little kiss. “Tell you what, if it don’t work out between you two, I’ll swing by, and we can work on that case of yellow fever of yours.”

“Stop!” warned Lanh with a growl, and she latched on to Don’s arm. “Damn, she’s back for sure.” This was the Tam that Lanh remembered from her childhood: cheerful, funny, sexy.

“Jake honey, this is Lanh, the star of the show,” said Tam.

Jake and Tam untangled from each other, and he stood, and, with Lanh’s permission, he touched her to get a good idea what she “looks like.” Lanh thought it was just an excuse to tickle her. Finally, Jake said, “I need to ask you to stand up so I can tell how tall you are.”

“I AM standing!” insisted Lanh, then seeing Jake’s grin, she turned to Tam and said, “He’s as bad as you are!”

“So, what do you think? How did your sister and I meet?” Jake asked as he sat back down.

Lanh didn’t even hesitate. “I’m not quite sure HOW it happened, but I know WHY it happened.”

“It’s not a why question,” said Jake as he sat back down. “The challenge is HOW, but if you know why, I want to hear your guess.”

“I want to whisper it in your ear,” said Lanh, so she crouched down a little and whispered in his ear, “She’s attracted to you because you can’t see the way she looks.”

“Why? Why would she do that?” asked Jake.

“She’s very pretty, and she probably gets hit on by a lot of jerks. She told me that she didn’t date so I’m guessing she got sick of it.”

“Is your little sister right dear?” asked Jake.

Tam was clearly uncomfortable, but she said, “That’s pretty close, she’s inside the ten ring.”

Jake then asked Lanh, “Go on, guess how.”

“Ok, someone walked up to you, out of the blue, introduced themself and asked you if you’d like to join Tam for lunch or coffee or something like that. Someone who knows her got tired of her drooling over you and walked over to you and said “Hey, can you take Tam off my hands for me?”

“You’re pretty close. Your sister clearly confided in you,” said Jake.

“She did, but not about you,” replied Lanh. “Tam’s courageous when it comes to defending me, but she’s not so good with herself.”

“So, what’s wrong with her looks? She let me think she was disfigured,” said Jake.

“I never said disfigured,” said Tam.

“She probably said cursed,” said Lanh.

Tam nodded and Jake said, “Yeah, I believe that’s what she said. So, who is the most beautiful of the three?” he asked with a grin that showed he knew he may have started a ruckus.

“Lanh,” said Tam and Kim-ly, without a moment’s hesitation.

“Má,” said Lanh, who often calls Tam her mother unconsciously.

The gang ate and drank as the stars came out and the fire crackled. However, it had been a long, long day, so when the beer ran out, there were no calls for more. There was so much more work to do tomorrow, so the party broke up early. Don led Lanh to her bedroom in the big farmhouse and they kissed tenderly with increasing passion outside of the bedroom door, ignoring the glaring looks from Kim-ly and Bao, who were their “escorts” for the night. “Only one more night and we’ll never have to say goodbye again,” Don whispered in Lanh’s ear. The thrill of that idea coursed through Lanh’s body and heart, and after a very long, painful goodnight, Don and Bao went downstairs to the bunkhouse. They still had a lot of work to do.

Friday was more of the same, non-stop crazy “It’ll never get done!” setup. This time, they were dealing with decorations and tablecloths and rearranging almost everything that was set up on Thursday. Luckily, several girls from the debate team and the swim team showed up to help. Cousins of Don’s from Red Lake, Minnesota, have a party catering service on the weekends, and they donated their time and equipment as a wedding gift. They came early in the morning and set up a huge fire pit and a large grill. The fire pit was for tomorrow’s pig roast, and the grill was for steaks tonight, chicken tomorrow.

RSVPs had poured in, hotel rooms were reserved throughout Bemidji, relatives started arriving in town and many pitched in to help set up the festivities. Campbells, Odegaards, Phams, Trans, and Nguyens poured into the area from all over the state. For the Campbells, the wedding became a family reunion, and it had been years, maybe a decade, since that happened. Relatives of Don’s mother were well represented, and Don was nervous. The Odegaard family was a large, cantankerous Norwegian family. Don was told long stories of the dislike they had for his Irish dad when he married Emily, Don’s mom.

At the busiest point of the setup, Grandpa Odie and Grandma Hilde arrived; they swept into the proceedings like royalty. Their relationship with Ralph was friendly but never warm, and their relationship with Don was warmer but they were never the “fun” grandparents that young Don always wanted, and desperately needed when his mom died, but they were there for him in their own way. Grandpa Odie was a typical grumpy old Norwegian farmer, and Grandma Hilde was a shy prairie “Loo-trin,” which was often considered as haughty and cold by people who didn’t know her.

“Oh shit,” muttered Don, “they’re here.”

“Who?” asked Lanh. They were in the kitchen making coffee when the Odegaards arrived.

“My mom’s folks, Grandma and Grandpa Odegaard.” This was that part that worried Don the most. When he told Grandpa Odie that his future wife was Asian, Grandpa Odie went completely silent and didn’t talk to him for several weeks. When they spoke again, neither Odie nor Hilde spoke about Lanh. Don didn’t want to call his own grandfather a racist, but he is what he is.

“Where’s this new granddaughter of mine?” rumbled Odie from the front yard. There was no warmth or humor in his voice, but then that’s normal for Odie.

Lanh grabbed a wrapped piece of lefse from the refrigerator and they headed out onto the front porch to meet the Odegaards. “There they are,” said Don as he pointed out the tall, rail thin couple. “Don’t let them scare you.” He led her down the porch steps and under the shade of the beautiful old maple tree, he introduced his grandparents to his bride. “Grandpa Odie, Grandma Hilde, this is my fiancée, Lanh Nguyen.”

Lanh smiled nervously and shook their hands, but they didn’t speak. Grandpa Odie leaned on his cane and studied the young couple, while Hilde looked over their heads toward the activity out by the barn. After an uncomfortable silence, Lanh bowed and held out the lefse to Hilde. “I made this for you with your roller and grille,” she said. The lefse was wrapped in red cling wrap left over from Christmas and a label said, “Don and Lanh Campbell, thank you for celebrating with us.”

“Why is it wrapped in red?” asked Hilde as she slowly opened the lefse. “it’s not Christmas.”

“Red is the traditional wedding color of the Vietnamese,” said Odie, without taking his eyes off of Lanh.

“Yes,” said Lanh, “but I’m wearing white tomorrow. Not an easy accomplishment with your grandson constantly tempting me.”

Now Odie smiled a little, the first smile Don could ever remember seeing from his stoic grandfather. Both Odie and Hilde took a piece of the lefse and inspected it, Hilde glaring at her piece like a judge at the county fair reviewing the stitches on a hand sewn quilt. Then they tasted it, and as they chewed, Lanh said, “Don’s dad taught me how to make it, he said he learned from Emily. My mom and sister make it now too, we sell it at our restaurant.”

“What kind of potatoes do you use?” asked Hilde.

“Russets mostly, I like to add a few reds, Don and I grow them here. We just planted a full acre,” she said nervously.

Odie finally broke into a genuine smile. “Vietnamese lefse, if that don’t beat all, and it’s just as good as yours, Hilde.”

“Maybe even better,” said Hilde, but her stern face remained icy. “Donovan,” she said in that schoolteacher voice of hers, “you didn’t tell us that this young girl is so pretty.”

“Ja sure,” said Odie, “it’s a sin not to share such beauty, look at that blush!”

Don looked at Lanh and, sure enough, she was beet red. Her shoulders scrunched up to hide her head as if she were a little box turtle. Her face was painted in a darling embarrassed smile.

“Come introduce me to your people, girl,” said Odie, “I want to meet them, it’s been a while since I’ve been to your family’s homeland.” He put his hand around her shoulder and Lanh led Odie and Hilde to the epicenter of activity where Mai and Duong directed the arrangement of tables, chairs, and the DJ’s stage, which was the hay wagon. Ralph came up next to Don, and both were shocked. Neither had seen Odie or Hilde so much as smile for nearly a decade. “Did Grandpa say anything to you about Lanh?” asked Don.