A Banh Mi for Two by Trinity Nguyen

Author:Trinity Nguyen [Nguyen, Trinity]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Young Adult
ISBN: 9781250910837
Amazon: 1250910838
Goodreads: 200982333
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Published: 2024-08-19T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eighteen

VIVI

Lan and I continue wandering through Chợ Bến Thành, my mind preoccupied with Mom and the women in the photograph. Somehow and somewhere along the way, Sài Gòn stopped being a study abroad fluke, a secret I’d pocket forever once I boarded my return flight. I’m really on my way to unfolding Mom’s history. My history.

While I’m lost in thought, my hand accidentally brushes against Lan’s, causing my stomach to do its silly little flip for the umpteenth time today. My heart, as always, runs miles whenever I’m near her. Whenever the lightest touch of her skin meets mine. Everything she says makes my thoughts blurry.

Vivi’s really pretty.

“Are you okay?” Lan asks, concerns dripping from her voice. Her eyes scan my body, and as a response, I stiffen immediately. I bite my cheek, and my ears heat up again as I remember what just happened. How her fingers felt on my exposed back.

I nod, eyes covered by the hair falling on my face.

She reaches to tuck them away, her lips parting. The scent of orchids overwhelms me. “Here, Cô Ngân wanted to give you this.”

My jaw drops at the perfectly packaged áo dài I just tried on. “The purple dress? You’re kidding. I can’t take this.”

Lan only rolls her eyes and presses the bundle into my arms again. “It’s not your choice. If you return the áo dài, you’ll offend her.” Seeing my shocked face, she bursts out laughing. “I’m kidding. But don’t return it. Or else she’ll think that you find it ugly.”

“I would never! After what she’s just done for me—”

My phone vibrates, and of course, it’s a call from Mom. I can’t ignore it, or else she’d freak and call me twenty more times before trying the fake number of my Singapore study abroad program and finding out … I’ve been lying.

“Hey, Mom! How are you?”

“Vivi? What are you doing right now?”

Beside me, Lan lingers, eyes looking past me. My stomach recoils. Today was supposed to be just me and her, and I was looking forward to it all this time. Why do I feel like every time I think of Mom, I summon her?

“I’m—um—having lunch. It’s really loud. Can I call you back?” I manage to say back.

“What are you eating?”

A woman screams to my right, causing Lan to whip her head around. “Chết Cha!”

“What was that?”

“Nothing! Cindy just loves watching Vietnamese dramas. She’s doing it again!” I mentally apologize to Cindy and thank her for being the only person I can throw under the bus for almost anything.

The lines on Lan’s forehead deepen. She must think I’m going off the rails. I’ve already told Lan about why I’m not letting Mom know, but it still doesn’t help the fact that I look … ungrateful, and just straight up stupid for lying to my mom on the phone with Lan next to me.

“Well, Mommy just wants to check in on you. Con eating okay? Sleeping okay? Are you sick?” Mom calls me every day and asks the same questions, even though she knows I can fend for myself.

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