Take Charge (13 page)

“Hey, squirt,” said her brother, Tu’. “You ready to head out to the salt mines?”

She nodded. “Yeah, can’t wait.”

“Thanks for filling in for me tonight,” called An. “I owe you one, Amy.”

“Are you going to drop by the restaurant later on tonight and introduce the parents to your new beau?” asked Tu’.

An laughed. “Yeah, right.”

“Let’s go,” said Tu’, opening the door for her. “Ly will probably yell at us if we’re late.”

Amy nodded. Ly was the slave driver among her three siblings. Maybe it was because she was the oldest, but Amy
couldn’t help but think it was because Ly was unhappy. Ly was short and stocky and not very pretty. But An was taller and willowy and pretty. Amy hoped that she would grow up to look like An, not only in appearance — although that was important enough to Amy — but also in disposition. Between the two sisters, An was by far the most kindhearted. If Amy ever needed anything, she always went to An first.

Amy told Tu’ a little about the research she’d done on McPhearson Park for their Save the Park campaign.

He laughed. “Well, the parents are not going to like that, Amy.”

She smiled. “I know. But I’m an independent person, Tu’. I can think for myself.”

He laughed even harder now. “Well, it’s about time. But don’t forget that we’ve helped to pave that road for you. Even today,” he continued. “An is really pushing it to go out with this guy.”

“Are you against it too?” asked Amy.

He shook his head. “Not at all. I met him the other night, and he seems really nice. Did An tell you that he finished med school last spring and recently started interning at a hospital in Newport?”

“No,” said Amy. “You’d think
that
would impress Mom and Dad.”

He sighed. “You’d think.”

“How about you, Tu’?” she asked. “Don’t you ever want to date?”

He gave her a sideways glance. “You don’t know everything about me, Amy Ngo.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning, if I could trust you, I’d answer that.”

“You can trust me
,
Tu’.”

He grinned. “Well, did it ever occur to you that maybe I do date?”

“You do?”

He nodded. “I just don’t go around telling the parents about it.”

“Oh … ”

“Not that I’m saying we should be sneaky. But I am twenty-six and old enough to make my own decisions. I just don’t like telling the parents because I know it’ll only cause trouble.”

“So I’m guessing you’re not dating nice Asian girls then?”

He chuckled. “They’re nice girls. Just not Asian.” He glanced nervously at her. “But you won’t tell, will you?”

“My lips are sealed.”

“Thanks.”

They were at the restaurant now, parking in the small gravel lot out back. Tu’ locked the car, and they went in through the back door.

“It’s about time,” said Ly, tossing a towel at Amy. “Get to work on those pans, will you?” She glared at Tu’. “You were supposed to be here an hour ago.”

He shrugged as he glanced out the little window to the dining room. “It’s okay, Ly. There’s hardly anyone out there anyway.”

She muttered something to him in Vietnamese and returned to washing cabbage. Amy started drying pans and placing them on the shelves, listening as her parents talked to Ly and Tu’ in Vietnamese and wishing they’d work harder on their English skills. Her father’s English was a whole lot better than her mother’s, but it could use some serious work. Amy had offered to help them — lots of times — but they were either too busy or too tired or just not interested. She had just about given up on them entirely.

She had just returned the last pot to its shelf when she heard her mother telling Ly that she had found a new kitchen helper — part-time only — and that Ly would be helping Amy wait tables tonight if it got busy.

“Why can’t your new helper wait tables?” asked Ly in English. Ly didn’t like being out in the public. She preferred the kitchen, and no one could argue that anyone was better than her — especially when it came to the knives. Then her mother explained — in Vietnamese — that the new helper didn’t speak very good English.
Amy tried not to laugh.

“Who is this person anyway?” demanded Ly.

Her mother explained that the girl was the daughter of a friend, that they had recently emigrated here from Thailand, but that they were originally from Vietnam. And then, in a hushed tone, she told Ly that this girl would be a perfect match for Tu’.

Ly laughed loudly, and Amy glanced over to where Tu’ was helping Dad with something on the computer in the little office just off of the kitchen. He obviously hadn’t heard their mother’s comment. Not that it would matter. Sure, her mother could bring in a Vietnamese girl, but that didn’t mean Tu’ had to like her. Not for the first time, Amy thought about how strange her life must seem to her friends.

It was about five o’clock when the new employee arrived. Amy took a quick peek at her as she filled out some paperwork in the office. She seemed a nice enough person, and despite what her mother had said, she seemed to have a better grasp on English than either of Amy’s parents.

“Hello?” With her head lowered, the girl spoke directly to Tu’ when she came back into the kitchen. “Your mother say you will show me around, please?”

“Amy!” called Tu’ as he removed a large, bulky cut of pork from the cooler. “Can you help her, please? I’m busy here.”

“Sorry,” said the girl, stepping back.

“Hi,” said Amy with a smile. “I’m Amy. I can show you around.”

“Thank you.” The girl smiled. “I’m Cara.”

So Amy gave her a quick tour of the kitchen and restaurant, finally putting her to work prepping the vegetables. Not Amy’s favorite task. Especially the onions, which were next. Then Amy removed her apron and went out to the restaurant to take her place acting as hostess and waitress.

For the most part, it looked as if the tables were set and ready. Amy checked on the water pitchers and straightened a few things, and before long, people began to trickle in for dinner.

As usual, Amy was polite and helpful as she seated people and filled their water glasses and took their orders. She smiled as she brought them tea and eventually fortune cookies when they were finished with their meals. But she was a little bored with the work and wondered how all her siblings had managed to stick around so long, patiently working in the restaurant while attending college at a snail’s pace. She had a feeling that she would be the first one to break the tradition.

Finally, it was after eight o’clock and the restaurant was empty. Amy wished she could go home. If An were here, she knew the two of them would sneak out on the pretext
that Amy had homework. But Tu’ had to stay and help clean up. So Amy went to the kitchen to see how their new worker had fared.

“Want some help?” asked Amy when she found Cara rinsing pots to go into the dishwasher.

“Thank you,” said Cara.

“How did it go tonight?” asked Amy as she sprayed a saucepan.

“Good, I think.”

“How long have you been in town?” asked Amy. “About a year.”

“A year?” Amy was surprised. For some reason, she thought Cara had just arrived. “Where do you live?”

“On Amelia Lane,” said Cara carefully, as if she was practicing her English. “Two mile from here.”

“With your family?” asked Amy.

“No. My family stay in California. I come here to work. I care for a woman. I cook and clean.”

“Oh.” Amy nodded.

“And now sometime I come here to help in restaurant too.” She smiled.

Amy figured that must have more to do with her brother, Tu’, than anything else. Not that it was Amy’s business, but as far as she could tell, Tu’ didn’t seem the least bit interested in poor Cara.

“So you live with the woman you care for?” said Amy, just trying to make small talk until they finished up the pans.

“Yes. She is strange woman. She can do things … but she must have someone at night. She is scary.”

“Scary?”

“Afraid.”

“Oh, you mean she’s scared.”

“Yes. Scared. She say ghosts come to her house. But she is scary too. I call her Dragon Lady. Not so she can hear.”

Amy chuckled. “Sounds interesting.”

Cara smiled. “Some people say Miss McPhearson is crazy.”

“Miss McPhearson?”
said Amy eagerly. “You mean Viola McPhearson?”

Cara clapped her hand over her mouth. “Oh, dear! Do you know her? Sorry, I do not mean she is real Dragon Lady; I just —”

“No, that’s okay. I mean, I don’t really know her,” said Amy quickly. “But I know who she is. And I would really like to meet her.”

Cara frowned. “She does not like people much.”

“You don’t think it would be possible for me to meet her then?”

She firmly shook her head. “No.”

“Maybe I could send a message to her,” suggested Amy.

Cara nodded now. “Yes. I could take her a message.”

So Amy ran into the office and quickly wrote a note. Using her best handwriting, she told Miss McPhearson
that she had an urgent need to meet her and to discuss something of great importance because McPhearson Park was in danger of being bulldozed for a parking lot. Sure, she knew it was a long shot, but it was worth a try. She put the note into an envelope and took it back to Cara.

“I am not sure …” said Cara as she tucked the note into her purse, “that she will read it.”

“That’s okay,” said Amy as she crossed both fingers behind her back. “But I can hope she will.”

Amy knew that her friends would pray right now. But Amy had never really prayed before. And although Amy knew a lot about a lot of things, she knew next to nothing about prayer. Maybe she should ask An about it. She knew that An had become a Christian and that she went to a church in town. An had invited Amy to come with her, but her parents had made it clear that one daughter being tied up with church on Sunday morning was more than enough for their family!

“Did you see the newspaper this morning?” Amy asked her friends as they met to walk to school together on Tuesday.

“Were our letters in it?” asked Emily hopefully.

“Yes!” exclaimed Amy.

“Both of them?” asked Morgan.

“Yes, both of them!”

“That’s so cool,” said Morgan. “I’ve got my letter all ready to go now.”

“Okay, Emily,” said Carlie. “You better help me get mine done too.”

“Have you heard anything back from Miss McPhearson yet?” asked Morgan.

Amy shook her head. “Not a word.”

“How about the girl who works for her?”

“Cara hasn’t called either. And unless someone in my family gets sick or has a date, I don’t think she’ll be working at the restaurant much.” Amy laughed. “Unless I can somehow convince my brother that he’s really in love with her after all.”

“Your parents actually hired her because they thought Tu’ would fall for her?” said Emily.

“Like I told you,” said Amy, not wanting to go into the whole story again, “they are very old-fashioned.”

“Hey, don’t feel bad,” said Carlie. “My family is like that about some things too. According to my mom, it hasn’t been that long since the people in her family arranged marriages for their children. Can you believe it?”

“Who knows?” said Emily. “Maybe it would be better for some people than letting them arrange their own marriages.” She frowned. “My parents sure didn’t do too well.”

“And my parents never even got married,” said Morgan.

“What?” Amy turned and looked at Morgan. “Are you serious?”

Suddenly Morgan seemed embarrassed. But she nodded.

“It’s not that big of a deal,” said Emily quickly. “Lots of people have kids without getting married.”

“Not in my family,” said Amy.

“Or mine,” added Carlie.

“Well, I’m not saying it was a good thing,” admitted Morgan. “And there are lots of times when I really wish my dad was around … but I know my mom had her reasons. And she’s not perfect, but I love her.”

Amy considered this. “Whose parents
are
perfect?”

“Not mine,” said Carlie.

“Not mine either,” added Morgan.

“For sure not mine,” said Emily.

“I used to think that Chelsea had perfect parents,” said Carlie. “But after I got to know them a little better … well, I know they’re not.”

They turned down the street to Washington Middle School and Amy began to walk a little faster.

“Hey, what’s the hurry?” asked Morgan.

“Sorry,” said Amy. “Just an old habit.” Amy used to take pride in being the first one at school each day. She liked helping their teacher and getting herself ready for the day. Now that they had lots of teachers and lots of classes, it didn’t seem to matter so much whether she was early or not. Still, she didn’t want to be late for English.

“We’ve got plenty of time,” Carlie assured her.

“So what are we going to do about McPhearson Park?” asked Morgan. “I mean, if we can’t contact Viola McPhearson — what’s our next plan of action?”

“You mean besides writing letters to the editor?” said Emily.

“Yeah,” said Morgan. “That’s a good start and it might get some attention, but we need to do more.”

“Especially if the city only gives Miss McPhearson a month to respond to their letter,” added Carlie.

“That means the park could be turned into a parking lot by the middle of October,” said Amy.

“Should we make a plan to start raising money?” asked Carlie.

“I think we should have a meeting after school today,” said Morgan as they started up the steps to the school. “To discuss this further.”

“Hey, you guys!” called Chelsea as she popped out of a white Mercedes and waved. “Wait up!”

So the four of them waited as Chelsea jogged on over.

“I saw your letters in the paper,” said Chelsea breathlessly as she joined them at the top of the stairs.

“Cool, huh?” said Amy.

“Yeah.” Then Chelsea frowned. “But my dad didn’t like it.”

“What did he say?”

“He wanted to know if I knew you guys.” She giggled. “That’s like my dad, you know … so checked out. Well, Mom set him straight and then he got really grumpy. He said we should mind our own business.”

“Like the park’s
not
our business?” demanded Amy.