Chapter 15
Yun acquired her visa and flew into Houston a few days before Thanksgiving. Chris and Chanda flew the Cessna to pick her up there. Chanda’s heart pounded the entire flight as she babbled happily about her many childhood memories with her best friend. “I have missed her so much,” she said. Flying in Chris’s plane no longer exhilarated her as much since she was used to it, but she still loved watching the patchwork quilt pattern of green fields and trees like dots passing under them.
Chris smiled, as he tried to pay attention to his instruments. “You were right. Family is key.”
When Yun emerged from the terminal, Chanda shrieked and ran toward her. Yun shrieked back and propelled herself into Chanda’s arms. Both girls glowed in the sun streaming through the windows, and with pure joy. Chris hung back, smiling, proud to have made this possible for his beloved.
Then they boarded Chris’s plane on a private landing strip and flew back to the ranch. The whole time, Yun yakked about how excited she was to be here and how different it all was.
Once they got to the ranch, Chanda took Yun on a tour of the house and the grounds outside. “Be sure to take her by John’s cabin,” Chris whispered in Chanda’s ear.
Chanda blushed, then beamed. “You should meet the hands. They are like in the movies. You’ll love them.”
“OK!” Yun linked her arm in Chanda’s and they set out.
Chanda was so proud to show her place to Yun. She felt as if she lived in a palace, and indeed she did, compared to her modest, threadbare place in Cambodia. Yun had grown up in a slightly nicer place, and they had both gone to a nice girls’ school on her uncle’s dime, but even Yun was not prepared for the gorgeous ranch and the huge ranch house.
“This is your closet,” she cried when Chanda opened the closet door, revealing the rotating rows of clothes.
“And this is your TV?” she cried again, when she saw the elaborate entertainment center.
When they stepped outside, Yun shivered in the yarn shawl that Chanda pulled around her shoulders. “That’s John,” Chanda said, catching sight of the awkward young man heading into the barn.
“Is this the man that you wanted me to meet?”
Chanda offered a mysterious smile. “He’s very cute. And Chris pays him very well. He lives in a cabin on the ranch, so you would be close. If you two liked each other, of course.”
“Take me to meet him,” Yun insisted, clutching Chanda’s arm with frantic excitement.
Chanda led Yun into the barn. Yun didn’t even notice the horses. Her eyes were fixed on the young man who was straightening out the tack room, putting up supplies. “John,” she said softly. Only recently had John started to be able to look her in the eye.
John froze when he looked up and saw the beautiful young woman on Chanda’s arm. Then he stammered, “Is this your sister?”
“The sister of my heart,” Chanda laughed.
Yun, always full of life and confidence, sauntered toward John. “I’m Yun. And you are John?” When he only stared, she giggled and took his hand in hers firmly. “It is nice to meet you.”
“Are you joining us for Thanksgiving tomorrow? Rita is making us a nice spread. She’s starting on the ham today,” Chanda asked, keeping her usual polite reserve with the hands.
John nodded slowly. “Will she – will you be here?” he addressed Yun.
Yun nodded. “I came just for Thanksgiving. Chris’s family is coming too.”
“Chris’s family?” John seemed shocked.
“Yes! We wanted all the family together,” Yun said happily. “My parents meant to come, but my father could not get away from his work and my mother doesn’t like to leave my father for long.”
John nodded, surprised by the chatty boldness of Yun, who was very different from Chanda. “Well…I’ll be there,” he nodded, as he slowly walked away.
“He is cute,” Yun agreed with Chanda.
Family started trickling in the next day. First came Uncle Jerry and Aunt Linda from Dallas, bearing green bean casserole and pie. Then there was Aunt Carol, with Chris’s paternal grandfather in tow. She brought a questionable-looking sweet potato dish. Chanda stood by the door, greeting everyone and directing them where to put the food. She felt like an important wife and she loved how Chris’s family eagerly greeted her and even hugged her. They clearly all accepted her. Aunt Carol even told her that she looked too pretty in her little black and white polka dot dress and with a red bow fixed in her hair. Yun stood timidly by her side, also stunning in a new dress. Neither of them had ever partaken in Thanksgiving, so the day was exciting for them. They were seeing all sorts of dishes that they had never sampled before.
Rita stood by the counter where the food was being placed, fussing and making sure that everything had its place. She had made succulent ham with pineapple as well as turkey with stuffing. There was at least a week’s worth of food, which she already planned to make into all sorts of delectable sandwiches and casseroles in the following days. Chris had asked Rita to invite her family along to join everyone, so she brought her grandkids and her daughter who lived with her. They stood around the room, looking out of place and awkwardly greeting Chris’s family members.
John also joined the gathering at the last minute. He offered Yun a nervous glance before stammering hello to her and offering her a single red rose. He set a store-bought pie on the counter with the rest of the spread.
After half an hour of pleasantries and introductions, everyone assembled in a line to get food. Rita treated it like a buffet, handing each person a plate and urging them to help themselves to whatever they wanted. Yun and Chanda stood at the end of the line, uncertain of themselves. “What should I get?” Yun whispered to Chanda in Khmer.
“A little bit of everything, I suppose,” Chanda answered as she spooned some stuffing onto her plate. She took a tiny bit of everything, afraid of the food being too rich. Since coming to America, she had gained a few pounds and found that the food was always so filling and calorie-laden. Yun followed suit. She was still carrying her rose in her free hand, which made it cumbersome for her to ladle food onto her plate.
They gathered around the huge dining room table. Chris never used the dining room. Chanda could tell that he was overcome with emotion to have so many people present for Thanksgiving. Since Jake had died, he had spent every holiday alone, including a Thanksgiving in jail shortly after Jake’s death. She sat beside him at the head of the table and squeezed his hand.
“So when we used to meet here for Thanksgiving, we had a tradition of each stating what we are grateful for. I would like to continue that tradition. So I just want to say that I am thankful for everyone coming,” Chris began.
“We are thankful to be here with our mom,” said Rita’s daughter next.
“I’m thankful that the whole family is back together, and that Chris has found his soul mate,” Aunt Carol said happily. Her cheeks were especially red at the moment.
“I’m thankful for that too,” Chris’s grandfather said gruffly.
“I’m thankful for my husband, and our kids, who unfortunately couldn’t make it out,” said Aunt Linda. “I’m also thankful to be here today. This family reunion has been long overdue.”
“I’m thankful to be here in America with my sister of the heart,” Yun chirped merrily. She then looked to Chanda.
Chanda was bursting with the news. Thus far she had been patient, but now that it was her turn to speak, she couldn’t get the words out fast enough. “I am thankful to be in America, to be with Chris, and to have all of you here. But I am also thankful for something else.” She stood up, her chair scraping back. Everyone looked at her expectantly. “I am thankful to announce that I am expecting.” She exhaled sharply with relief and joy now that the news was out, as she placed her hands over her stomach.
“Oh, my!” gasped Aunt Carol.
“What?” Chris cried, standing up as well. “Are you really?”
She beamed at him and nodded.
He clasped her in a tight hug. “Oh my God. I’m so happy to hear this. I never thought I would have a child. Oh, Chanda, I love you.” He kissed her deeply.
Yun also jumped up and grabbed her in a tight hug. “I love you, cousin! I can’t wait to be an aunty!”
Everyone around the table took turns congratulating Chanda. Chanda was so happy that tears spilled down her face. “You better eat all of that,” Aunt Linda chided her, “because now you’re eating for two!”
“Yes, you need seconds,” Rita volunteered.
As the family began to eat, Chanda noticed that Yun and John were holding hands under the table. She reached over and squeezed Chris’s hand and he gave her an enormous smile. She looked around the table, unable to believe that her life had changed so much in the past year. But she was overjoyed. This was family. This was love. She wished that her uncle and aunt could be there, and her deceased parents as well, but she felt content and complete.
She had gotten the life that she had always dreamed of.