We're a Wonderful Wife

Chapter 9

Lanh's Angels

Lanh blossomed in her position of Speech Pathologist at the Northern Colorado Children's Hospital, and she absolutely loved teaching at the University of Northern Colorado. For his part, Don wasn't wild about the place, but he could make do, and after a full year it was starting to feel like a home. But he missed his barn, he missed the tractor shed where he could putter and fix things. He missed the pond and the woods, and just getting on the tractor and tilling the land. He even missed those smelly old cows. They travelled back to Minnesota whenever possible, and the house here in Greeley was always full of visitors from home, Kim-ly practically lived with them, but it just wasn't the same.

But there was a smile on Lanh's face when she came home from work, a smile Don hadn't seen for a very long time. It was the smile she wore when his high school GPA rose, and he made the honor roll because of her help. It was the same smile she wore when she saw him in his dress blues for the first time. It was the same smile she wore when she drove the tractor, or milked the cows, or took Marissa (the goat) for a walk on a leash. It was Don's job to keep that smile coming and now he knows exactly how she felt as he dragged her around the world while he was in the USAF.

To keep that smile coming he became Mr. Handyman and learned to fix and upgrade things around the house. He replaced the broken garbage disposal. He removed a cracked toilet in a small bathroom off the kitchen, retiled the bathroom floor, painted the room then installed a new toilet, and he did it all in the week she was down in Colorado Springs for a conference. When she got back and saw his work, that smile shown brighter than daylight, he was just as overjoyed that he found a hardware store that understood his inability to drive and delivered anything he needed.

It's summer, so he's concentrating on the outside of the house, things like installing hooks to make putting up Christmas lights easier and trying to simulate the Victorian charm of his dad's farmhouse without having a porch. To that end he put a patio out front and installed hanging flowerpots full of flowers and colorful dangling vines.

Today it's the rose garden that borders the front lawns between their house and the house next door that is his focus. As he was weeding, he noticed a car pull up to the house next door and a tall blond woman stepped out; for some reason the woman looked familiar to Don. "Probably another realtor," he thought. She was tall, well over six feet tall, and her shoulder length hair was a brilliant platinum blond, and the most striking thing was her large breasts. Don never considered himself a "breast man," but he did feel the urge to get a closer look. As she unlocked the house door a brand-new pickup truck pulled up, it was jacked up with chrome wheels and it radiated loud thumping music. Don went back to weeding and trimming and had the garden looking like he wanted it to look when a big truck arrived and began off-loading furniture and boxes. "Might as well see what's going on," he said to himself, and he brushed off his hands and strolled over to the new neighbor's house.

That night Don made taco salad for dinner, as he and Lanh munched she talked about work, in the summer she worked full time at the hospital and was loving it. There's something about working with children that have similar speech impediments to hers that made her feel like she was part of a community. "What did you do today?" she finally asked.

"Weeded the roses, trimmed back that hedge next to the garage..."

"You're moving a bit slow today, did you overdo?"

"A bit, we have new neighbors next door and I helped them unload a few boxes."

Lanh looked at him completly stunned. In her world that's the lead story, not weeding the garden. "Did you meet them? What are they like?"

"I met him," Don didn't look happy about it. "Kind of a greasy character, his name is Jayce. His wife or girlfriend or whatever was working."

"Did you get her name?" said Lanh as she left her salad half-finished and dashed to the kitchen.

"Carol, I think. Yeah, Carol, because he said to never call her Christmas Carol, she hates that..." Don heard the clattering of pans and mixing bowls in the kitchen. He leaned over to see what the clatter was all about. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm making brownies," said Lanh as she started to craft her treat. She had the batter mixed and in the pan by the time the oven was up to temperature. She slid the pan into the oven and returned to the dining room and returned to eating. "Hopefully she'll be home tonight."

A few hours later they went over to the house and found that Carole wasn't home, she was working a double, but tomorrow is Saturday and she'll be home all day. They made small talk on the porch with Jayce, and learned nothing about their new neighbors, but Lanh did get a chance to crane her neck in and look around a little. Jayce made it clear that he wasn't feeling sociable, so they said their goodbyes and Jayce disappeared into the house with the brownies. As Don and Lanh walked back to their house Lanh agreed, "When you said he was greasy, I thought you were exaggerating. All he's done is set up the recliner and the TV."

"I set up the recliner and the TV," growled Don.

"All he's opened is a case of beer!" she said, her hands flailing about.

"Didn't even offer me one," muttered Don.

"That poor woman..."

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The next morning Don slept in a little bit, when he finally got up, Lanh was nowhere to be found; she usually sleeps in on Saturdays. He looked around the house and she was nowhere in the house. He found Lanh out front, kneeling on the lawn, her face glowing in joy. "What is going on?" he asked.

"I saw my angel... right over there," said Lanh, pointing at the new neighbor's house with a shaking hand. For years Lanh mentioned seeing an angel and sometimes two angels. She's never got a clear view of their faces, but she knew they were tall, platinum blond, and had breasts to die for. They were her angels and she couldn't be dissuaded that they didn't exist.

"You sure? The purple one?" Don asked. Lanh had told Don several times that one of her angels had purple hair tips. Don was sure he saw a platinum blond in Saudi Arabia through the cloud of Purple K fire extinguishing agent, but everything was purple (and red as his left eye filled with blood)... there were those two blonds on the morning of their wedding, he saw them far off in the distance... he was standing next to the pond, they were on the other side near their camp site...

"No, this is the other one," she said, out of breath, as Don helped her to her feet.

"What are you doing sitting out here?"

Lanh looked embarrassed. "I was going to go over to say hi and I saw the angel on the porch, and I started to get all dizzy and..." Lanh looks so cute when she gets embarrassed... "I almost fainted."

"Hmmm, you never faint when you see me," said Don as they headed across the lawn to the new neighbor's house.

"'Course not," she smiled, "I get horny."

"Good save," grinned Don.

"Gotta keep my hubby happy!" By that time, they had reached the neighbor's house and were on the porch standing at the front door when Don leaned in and rang the doorbell. They heard movement behind the door and finally it opened.

There stood a tall, curvaceous woman with platinum blond hair dressed all in white. "How y'all doin'?" she asked.

Lanh was eye level with those large, round, heavy breasts, hard nipples were pointed right at Lanh. Lanh's head tilted back, and she saw those waves of platinum blond hair and Lanh's eyes shot open, wide as dinner plates. "It's her!" she squeaked then her eyes rolled back in her head, and she slumped to the ground.

"What the fuck....?" The tall blond was shocked and quickly tried to help Don with his collapsed wife. While Don tried to ease Lanh down to the porch, the blond just said, "Let me," and scooped Lanh up like she was a little doll and carried her into the house. She laid Lanh on the couch then knelt beside her and started to take Lanh's pulse. At the same time she said to Don, "Ha, I'm Karole, Karole Krigbaum," and held out her free hand.

Don shook her hand, "Don... Don and Lanh Campbell, we live next door and came over to say hi."

"Does this happen often?" asked Karole, her southern accent as thick as the gravy on your biscuit.

"Not that I've ever seen, but this is the second time it's happened today."

"Is she pregnant?" Karole searched through a couple of boxes and came up with couch pillows that she put under Lanh's feet.

"No," said Don sadly. "There's no chance for that." It still hurts after all these years.

"Shame, we coulda been prego buddies," the blond patted her flat tummy.

"You're expecting?" Don asked.

"Just found out this morning. I should have told Jayce first, but he disappeared last night..."

Lanh's eyes fluttered open. "Angels can't have babies." She looked up at Karole confused.

"Heya little buddy," said Karole, she put her hand on Lanh's cheek. "Ya kinda scared us."

Lanh became apologetic, "I'm sorry, you look like someone I met a long time ago, it took me by surprise." It was the first thing that came to mind and the only thing that would sound plausible.

"Who? Who did you meet honey?" Karole helped Lanh sit up slowly. "Ain't no one look like me, 'cept me, Ah wanna send 'em a sympathy card."

Finally, shaking off the shock of meeting who she thought was her angel, "I'm sorry, I thought you were someone I met years ago," Lanh came to life and suddenly she was a little fangirl and buried Karole under a barrage of machine gun fast questions. "Welcome to the neighborhood, where did you come from? Where did you get such a cool accent? When are you due? Do you like making lefsa? Did you like the brownies? I made one side with nuts and one side without just in case, some people don't like nuts, OH NO I hope you're not allergic!" Then she squealed and threw her arms around Karole. Her sudden rush of questions and display of affection shocked both Karole and Don. He had never seen Lanh so animated in his life. She was gazing at Karole like she had just met her favorite Hollywood star.

"Hold on! Slow down honey child," said Karole, overwhelmed at Lanh's sudden outburst. As she untangled from Lanh's embrace, she started handling the questions she remembered, "Mah name is Karole Krigbaum, ah'm from Folkston Georgia, ah was born jest outside the Okefenokee Swamp. Ah may come from gator country but I'm a bulldawg through and through..." Karole paused for a reaction then tried again, "get it? Gators? Bulldawgs?" Both Lanh and Don shook their heads and Karole thought how someone could not know about the legendary rivalry between University of Florida Gators and the University of Georgia Bulldogs? Are these people even educated?

"Is that like a team?" Lanh finally asked.

"God dawg! Only the best team in the S.E.C.!" Karole was still facing blank stares. "Don'ch y'all watch college football?"

"Air Force," said Don.

Lanh nodded, still starstruck. "Falcons."

"Y'all silly. Where you from girl?"

"Minnesota," said Don filling in for Lanh who was stunned and marveled because her angel sat down on the couch next to her.

"Goll Dang, it's cold up there! How y'all stand it?"

"It gets cold here too, it was twenty below for a week in January," said Don.

"Twenty below! Awww fuck..." and she looked like she was going to start to cry.

"What's the matter?" Lanh put her arms around the weeping blond.

"Ah can't take th' cold..." she sniffed, "When ah first moved here, I didn't even have me a coat!"

"It's Denver," said Lanh, "Everybody knows..."

Karole shook her head, "Ah know, ah know, but they promised me! They said it didn't get cold 'cept up in the mountains!" She turned to Lanh and said, "Don't never trust hospital recruiters." She then looked around the house and her shoulders slumped, "Ah had a nice lil' apartment in Fort Collins for about a year, it was a long commute, but then I met Jayce an' he said, "Let's get a house!" She leaned on Lanh as they sat on the couch. "An' Jayce ain't been no help, he packed but hasn't even helped unpack; ah don't know where he's gone to." It appears that her fiancé Jayce is just as worthless as Don suspected.

Don looked on sadly as Lanh tried to comfort their new neighbor. For a guy the way to fix emotional issues like this is to do something, anything. Just get the hands moving, the mind will follow. "Let's start getting this house organized, you guys do the kitchen, I'll try to deal with these boxes out here, ok?"

"Let's do it," said Lanh and she coaxed Karole up off the couch. "Come on, let's get the kitchen set up before he decides to do it," she said as if Don wasn't in the room with them.

"Why, will he mess it up?" asked Karole.

"No, he'll do a great job... it will be perfect... FOR HIM," said Lanh as she looked over at Don, "and he won't let you forget it." They got up and headed for the kitchen, Lanh following her idol like a puppy, her eyes wide with admiration.

Don snickered and started going through the boxes, since becoming more mobile he's taken to cooking the same way he works on an airplane. Every recipe is followed to the letter, every tool has its location, and these locations are set logically according to HIS needs. Worst of all (for Lanh) Don has no problem using the upper shelves of the cabinets which put a lot of things out of Lanh's reach.

Chuckling to himself he started sorting the boxes in the living room as they were marked. With the admonition of "Don't overdo it!" from Lanh, Don began to move the boxes to their marked destinations: bedroom, living room, kitchen, garage, etc. He started with the ones marked garage, they were heavy, and they smelled bad, it was a scent he recognized. He assumed they were packed and marked by Jayce, the writing on most boxes was curly and precise, that was clearly Karole. The boxes marked garage looked like they were written by a seven-year-old with his left hand. He stacked the boxes neatly in a corner of the garage and using a blue plastic tarp he covered the boxes giving the garage a neat look. After catching his breath and straightening up the few yard tools, he returned to the house.

In the kitchen Lanh and Karole arranged, then rearranged, then rearranged all over again, and it's not like Karole has much to put in her kitchen. To Lanh's thinking she barely had enough to make a proper meal; she had two pots, two pans, one baking dish, one cookie sheet, and that was it for cookware. A place setting for four, mismatched silverware for four, and a cheap knife set. There were also some mismatched drinking glasses, coffee cups, and mixing bowls and that was it. It reminded her of the dozens of newly wed kitchens she saw in the Air Force as she helped young wives get settled into their new lives. "Ok girl, this afternoon we go to AmVets and fill out this kitchen."

"Shoot, ah can't afford no fancy kitchen store..." started Karole, but Lanh just shushed her.

"AmVets is a secondhand store, and the proceeds help veterans, we can get this kitchen up and running and get you cooking for real for under thirty bucks." Karole looked skeptical; she really didn't have much experience at cooking to begin with. Right now, her pantry is nearly empty except for some random canned goods, a few boxes of macaroni and cheese, a sack of grits and some flour and she's not quite sure what to do with the flour. Her freezer contained pizza rolls, frozen pizza, and fish sticks. "Let's get a couple of lists going..." sighed Lanh and she started three lists: Needs, Wants, and Groceries and started to fill the list with items that Karole's kitchen was lacking.

Then taking a break Lanh finally caught up with Don who was making the bed in the guest bedroom. It was really a cot but made up properly, it looked like a child's bed. "How are you doing?" she asked. He looked worn out.

"I'm fine," he said but he was lying, and she knew it. She gave him That Look, and he held out his hand. From the depths of her skirt pocket, she dug out a small device which clipped on his finger, a Pulse Oxy Meter. After a moment she looked at the numbers.

"Eighty-eight." She gave him That Look again. "Go home, put your feet up, turn on the oxygen and watch a game or something."

"Yes doctor," he said sheepishly. Good thing she didn't check him after hauling those boxes to the garage, his O2 level had to be down in the seventies, at that point he was gulping and gasping for air like a landed fish.

"Awww, ain't that cute," said Karole. She just caught the last few words of their conversation. "You got him calling you doctor. How'd you train him to do that?"

"She did it the hard way," said Don, "she got her degree."

"You're a doctor?" Karole was shocked. The vast majority of doctors that she knew seemed to be aloof to her. Lanh was anything but aloof.

"SPLD," shrugged Lanh. "Speech pathology, I teach at NCU, and I have a clinic at Children's."

"Wow, I ain't never had a doctor in my house, and here ah was thinkin' you weren't educated because you didn't know the Georgia Bulldogs."

"UNM is our recent alma mater," said Don as he made his way toward the front door. "But we never went to a game, for us it's the Falcons!" he called out as he struck a manly pose. Even though there's college and pro ball in Denver, their heart was still with the USAF Falcons. They never miss a game at the academy which is south of Denver.

"Yes sir, sergeant!" called out Karole as she gave him a left-handed salute.

"That's Doctor Sergeant to you," he said with a wink as he left his wife and Karole up to their own devices and headed back home to soak his aching back in their hot tub.

Karole looked quizzically at Lanh who nodded "He earned an Ed.D. from New Mexico..." She suddenly looked very sad. "We had counted on filling our lives with children and when that didn't happen, we kind of went overboard on college." Lanh shrugged with a nervous grin that faded, "I guess we over compensated..." She knew that was true, but this was the first time she had said it aloud, and it hurt.

"Oh honey!" gushed Karole and she wrapped her arms around Lanh. Lanh wanted to push her away but instead she found herself clinging tightly to the amazon. After Lanh sniffed back the tears, she pulled herself together and said, "Let's get back to work."

With Keith's mystery boxes out of the way it was easier to set up the house, and the mountain of boxes soon dwindled down to a select few that were going to end up at the local thrift store or landfill. Karole filled the time with chatter about her upbringing in South Georgia, moving from place to place as her mother found "benefactor" after "benefactor" to support them. "Ah was probably fourteen before I had a bed and a room to mahself," said Karole. "Before that ah was sleepin' on one couch after another." She stopped and thought for a moment, "Ah'm surprised ah stayed a virgin as long as ah did."

"I always had a sister or two in my bedroom, mostly it was Tam who raised me," said Lanh. "When she when off to college and it was Kim-ly and me." She paused and thought for a moment, "I never had a room to myself, and when Don went off to basic training I went out of my mind. Kim-ly had to move in with me."

"Ah spent mah whole lahf in Georgia until Jayce moved us here, talk about a culture shock! Folk's don' know how to say hello proper," said Karole as she loaded towels into the washing machine. "They don' say 'how ya doin' they say 'Howdy' like everyone's a cowboy. It's takin' me forever to get used to that."

Lanh shrugged, "First place I moved to was Grant Valley from Minneapolis, and I thought that was a culture shock. But after we got married, we moved to Texas, then Germany, then North Dakota, then Korea, then New Mexico. We were planning to go to either Okinawa or England but Don got hurt and had to retire." She looked at the girl from Georgia who thought culture shock meant meeting someone who said "Howdy." Karole was clearly stunned, so Lanh brought it home. "When I ended up in Germany, we lived in a town called Dudeldorf, that was a real culture shock, until I learned to drink the wine... German wine can fix anything." She looked around and said, "Speaking of which, where's your wine glasses?"

"Ah ain't got none."

Lanh grabbed the Needs list and added wine glasses and a corkscrew. "Do you have a bathing suit?"

"Do ah need one?"

"If you want to get in the hot tub with guys around, but if it's just you and me and Kim-ly then no," said Lanh as she added bathing suit to the Want list.

"Who is Kim-ly?"

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When Don got back to the house his back was aching worse than it has in ages. It felt like someone had punched him in both kidneys and it was hard to stand up straight. It had to be those boxes he hauled out to the garage, whatever was in them was quite heavy. He had been tempted to open one up to see what he hauled out there, but he let it go and just moved them out of the way and covered them up. Whatever was in them stank, it smelled like skunk piss, a chemical they use to mask human odor when setting squirrel traps in the woods and he didn't want to get any of that on him.

He noticed the time and swore to himself, one of his medications is time sensitive and he was late for a dose. As he walked past the office, a spare bedroom that was set up for Lanh's work, he heard a keyboard furiously clattering. "Afternoon Kim-ly," he said as he walked past the door. "Glad to see you're up today."

"Take a pain pill," was her response, "you're groaning again." Normally he'd give his sexy sister-in-law some kind of wiseass remark in response, but instead he just grunted in agreement. "And hit the hot tub!" she shouted without looking up from her work. Kim-ly was part of the Campbell household: part time in Colorado, part time in Minnesota. She helped Don and Lanh move to Colorado and stayed with them to help unpack when their hold baggage arrived and ended up staying a month. Her routine became a month or two in Colorado followed by a month or two in Minnesota.

"Doesn't Tom miss you?" he said over his shoulder as he headed to the bathroom.

"His name is TIM!" shouted Kim-ly. She knew he got her boyfriend's name wrong just to get under her skin, and she was sure that Don could see though her smoke screen.

After taking his pills and inhaler Don headed to the kitchen. "We will probably have company for dinner tonight," he said as he walked past the office again.

"So?" she asked as she swiveled in the office chair.

"You may want to wear clothes."

"Pajamas are clothes," she called as she heard Don rattling around in the kitchen. When she finished up her work and emailed her report to her business partner (her brother Bao) she headed over to her room (the other spare bedroom) and changed into her bathing suit and headed out to the hot tub. Their spa on a large, covered patio on the back of the house, the sides of the patio had roll up screens to block the intense sun or provide privacy. As she stepped on to the covered back patio, she saw smoke oozing out of the smoker and smiled, BBQ for dinner! When that Speech Pathology position at Bemidji state opens up and Don and Lanh move back, her parent's restaurant is going to gain a great cook in Don.

She found the hot tub open and gurgling away, country music playing on the stereo and Don, who appeared to be snoozing, was in the hot tub. Kim-ly slipped in as quietly as she could and sat down in the corner opposite Don. The café lights hanging from the patio roof were changing colors in sequence and the water was so hot and relaxing on this early summer afternoon. Don's garden was coming up nicely and the lawn in the back yard was cut to perfection. The smells of the smoker, the flowers in the garden, and the weed & feed on the lawn were intoxicating.

She eased into the soothing bubbles, it was amazing how tense you can get when preparing a client for an audit, a soak in the hot tub will be perfect to unwind these knotted muscles. She glanced at Don, and it didn't appear that he even noticed that she got in the tub with him. She slid down deep into the water until her chin touched the water and she reached behind her back with both hands to release the top of her bikini. It was then he revealed he was aware she was there. "Please leave your top on," he said.

"How did you know I was taking my top off?"

"Seriously? I've been married to your sister how long? I'm pretty sure I know how to tell if a woman is taking her top off." Don never opened his eyes.

Kim-ly covered her delightful breasts with her hands and rose up out of the water. "You're not afraid of my boobies, are you?"

"Yes I am."

Kim-ly was actually shocked. She expected an answer like "No, that's just silly," or some manly way to laugh off her question, but "Yes?" That's insane! She sat up holding her breasts in a handbra, her small hands barely containing her breasts. "How could you be afraid of these cute little things?" she taunted.

"I'm not afraid of your breasts, I'm afraid of me." He sat up and leaned toward Kim-ly. "I love Lanh, I love her so much it hurts, I don't deserve her, and it breaks my heart that she's saddled herself to a loser like me..." He stopped and shook his head. "For a short time, I was deluded into believing it wasn't true but here I am... And here you are... so sexy, so beautiful, practically inviting me to reach out and..." He couldn't finish so he started to get up and get out of the hot tub.

Kim-ly always knew she was sexy, but the word beautiful never crossed her radar, she's heard the word cute quite often, but never beautiful. "You think I'm beautiful?"

Don stopped and stared off into the distance. "When we first met, when Lanh and I skipped school and you brought me that bowl of pho and sat next to me, I thought you were the most beautiful woman I've ever seen," he suddenly looked sad, "Nothing has changed my opinion."

"Wait!" She slipped back under the churning water and put her top back on, cursing herself for being so stupid. "Sit, please? I'm sorry for being stupid... I don't know what I was thinking." Don sat at the edge of his seat, ready to vault out. "Look, I'm sorry... I just like the feeling of the water..." What she DIDN'T say was "Ever since I saw you and Lanh fucking, and I saw that cock of yours, I've wanted it." As Don sat back down, she sat up showing that she had her top back on. "Why didn't you say something back then?"

Don gave her a look like she just sprouted a second head. "You were a super-hot college junior two years older than me. To me you were and are a playboy perfect super genius and I was a high school sophomore and a failure at everything, I even failed at dropping out and I just got my ass kicked by a couple of bullies." Then he mumbled something that she didn't catch over the sound of the jets.

"What did you say?"

"It's not important."

"Tell me."

"It will sound stupid."

She shut off the hot tub jets. "What. Did. You. Say." She used a forceful tone that sounded just like her mother. Don could never deny Mai anything, especially when she spoke like that.

"I said that back then I didn't talk to females." He looked as if he was in agony.

To Kim-ly he looked as pained as he looked that horrible day when she saw him lying in that hospital bed in Germany, and as sad as that day he arrived back in New Mexico when they carried Cynthia's coffin off the plane, and he fought so hard to hold back the tears. "You didn't talk to females? What do you mean?"

"I was the last person my mother ever spoke to; she died right after she spoke to me. It kind of fucks up an eight-year-old boy," said Don, his eyes focused on the middle distance...

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After a full day of setting up the house and shopping Karole and Lanh found that Jayce hadn't returned so they retired to Don and Lanh's house and found the house empty. Lanh showed Karole the bathroom and said, "Put your suit on, we deserve to relax after everything we did today."

When Karole emerged, she was wearing a modest hunter safety orange bikini while Lanh was wearing a mismatched bikini. When Lanh saw Karole, her mouth went dry. The bikini accentuated Karole's impressive figure, it could barely contain her large, round breasts and if possible, it exaggerated her beautiful cleavage, her narrow waist, her rounded hips, and her perfectly formed butt. When Lanh finished admiring Karole's body, she showed off their house and Don's perfect kitchen which uncharacteristically was a bit messy.

"Looks lahk he made 'tater salad," said Karole as she inspected the dishes and utensils in the sink.

Lanh grabbed a bottle of wine from her stash and Karole stood at the screen door and sniffed the fragrant smoke that the smoker was lofting into the Colorado atmosphere. To her left was the hot tub to her right was the smoker, decisions, decisions. Karole stepped on to the patio and sneaked a peek into the smoker and grinned. "I hope you like ribs," Lanh said.

"Honey chil', ah'm from the south, I was born gnawin' on a rib," grinned Karole.

"I'll go get the hot tub ready," and Lanh as she stepped toward the privacy screen where the hot tub jets could be heard. "I'll just be a moment!" she called back to Karole who was sneaking a pinch off of the ribs in the smoker. The jets suddenly stopped, and she heard Kim-ly demand "What. Did. You. Say."

"Don no!" muttered Lanh as she ran to the hot tub. So much of Don's life really is none of Kim-ly's business, if she dredges up the pain of his past it could be days before he's comfortable enough to talk again. She's using their má's voice again which means she's probing and demanding. Lanh around the screen just in time to hear Don's reply.

"I said Colonel, I don't give a rat's ass about those silver chickadees on your shoulder, I have a sortie to generate and if you do not un-ass this airplane, I will have security escort you to the main gate."

Kim-ly whooped with laughter, "Un-ass? Is that a medical term Doctor Campbell?"

"Don't be silly, it's a military term. It's the polite way of saying get the fuck out of here."

Lanh looked around the hot tub side of the patio. Don and Kim-ly were drinking out of insulated wine cups and there were wine bottles standing on the side table. "Hey tôm," grinned Kim-ly, "Your hubby was just telling me about the dumbest officers he ever met."

"Colonel Watts," said Don as he sipped his wine.

"So what happened with that guy?" asked Kim-ly as she looked forlornly into her empty cup.

"He would not get out of the plane, so I went up to the guard and declared a security breach and the security police dragged him out at gunpoint. Kind of a career ender for a full bird."

"Oh God, I remember that night," said Lanh. "You came back from work all worn out and upset and said, 'I think I got a colonel fired.'"

"Hey y'all," said Karole as she stepped around the screen. "Ah was jest inspectin' them ribs and they're going to be awesome!" She climbed into the hot tub and sat next to Don which nearly raised a growl of anger from Kim-ly.

Kim-ly took one look at Karole and instantly hated her. Tall, curvaceous, and oozing sex appeal, Karole was everything Kim-ly wanted to be, a tall, slim, sexual magnet to men and women alike with a cute smile, natural blond hair and big natural tits that attract rich men like flies to honey. And she plunked herself down next to her Don... I mean Lanh's Don!

"Em, this is Karole, Karole Krenshaw, she and Jayce just moved in next door," said Lanh. "Karole, this is my big sister Kim-ly, she comes down from Minnesota quite often and stays with us."

"It's Karole Krigbaum, both with a K," said Karole as she got settled in the tub.

As they leaned forward to shake hands Kim-ly was transfixed by the sight of Karole's large, heavy breasts barely constrained by her bikini. "What's your middle name? Please tell me it's Kathleen," said Kim-ly with a grin. She had no idea why she said that, what she wanted to say was, "Stay away from Don you bitch."

"Ah ain't got a middle name, hell, ah ain't got a pappy neither, ma left both of those spaces blank on the birth certificate."

"Darn, I coulda called you the KKK, guess I'll call you Special K," said Kim-ly. Don worried that Kim-ly was trying to insult Karole, maybe even draw her into a fight. Or maybe accuse her of being a racist?

"Ah wouldn'a put up with Triple K, ah come from small town Georgia, people jes grow up with the skin they was born in an' no one faults 'em for that." She leaned forward as if to share a secret. "It weren't till ah got to the big city, Athens Georgia, where I learned that people will hate you just because of your skin, or your hair or sumpin stupid like that."

"I think you're right," said Lanh as she came up behind Kim-ly and hugged her. "We got a lot of grief in Minneapolis, but it evened out in Grant Valley, didn't it."

"That's because they were amazed by the world's only Asian garden gnome," which earned Kim-ly a splash of water in the face from Lanh. "You're the lucky one, you found a boy with yellow fever."

"I think I cured him of that," said Lanh as she walked around to Don and gave him a hug.

"I never had yellow fever, I HAVE Lanh fever," said Don as he turned around in his seat for a kiss.

Since Don and Lanh were occupied, Karole asked Kim-ly, "What do you think of Colorado?"

"Too dry, it's hell on my skin, but I like being the only Asian snow bunny in the state," grinned Kim-ly and she waggled her eyebrows.

"You're prolly cuter 'n all git out," smiled Karole without a hint of malice. "Ah can picher you in a pink parka with white fir trim all aroun' that purty face of yours. Or maybe a knit cap with kitty ears!"

"I got both," said Kim-ly with an exaggerated sweet smile. Maybe I misjudged her, thought Kim-ly who surrendered to her love of all things cute years ago.

"I need to get back to cooking," said Don and he got up as Lanh stepped into the tub. They kissed gently and muttered a few things to each other, then Lanh sat down where Don had been sitting and he got out and toweled off.

Karole saw the surgery scars on his arms, legs, back, and abdomen and after a hissing intake of breath said "Them scars! What all happen to him?"

"He got run over by an exploding fire extinguisher," said Kim-ly.

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Jayce didn't return that night, which was a shame because he missed a great BBQ dinner. He didn't return the next night either, but he did come back on Monday night. Don and Lanh could hear the shouting over at their house as they sat out on the patio enjoying the cool of the evening. "It sounds pretty bad over there," said Lanh.

"Give her a call," said Don. "It will give her a chance to ask for help if she needs it."

Lanh took out her cell phone and called Karole, she had it on speaker so Don could hear. "Hey sweetie, are you ok? We can hear you down here."

"Dinner?" asked Karole. "We already ate but thanks for the offer, maybe desert later?" She sounded like she was scared. Very scared.

Lanh couldn't breathe, her new friend was clearly in trouble. She looked at Don in a panic, but he was already in the house opening his gun locker. But as he did that Kim-ly called out loud enough to be heard on the speakerphone, "Don't worry Special K, I'll be right over with desert," and strode out across the lawn.

Lanh heard Karole shout "Don't..." then the phone went dead.

Don headed out the door, but he was far behind Kim-ly who was standing at the edge of the rose garden that divided the property. Karole came running out of her house as fast as her long legs could carry her, a look of sheer terror on her face. She was followed by Jayce who was screaming incoherent babble and carrying a butcher knife. Karole flew past Kim-ly who suddenly assumed a fighting stance. Karole raced into Don's arms, seeking shelter in the arms of the only man she ever met that didn't leer at her with lustful intent.

At the same time that Karole reached Don, Jayce bared down on Kim-ly with that huge knife. "Dừng lại!" shouted Kim-ly, but he took a swing at her. In movements almost too fast to see, Kim-ly crouched, she blocked his swing knocking the butcher knife out of his hand, then punched him in the balls so hard he landed on the ground and vomited from the excruciating pain.

"He was going to cut my baby out of me!" wailed Karole.

"You what?" shrieked Kim-ly at Jayce when she heard Karole's accusation. Her next hit was square in the kidney.

"Did he hit you?" Don asked Karole.

She nodded and started to cry.

Don gently pulled away from a trembling Karole and led her over to Lanh, then he walked over to where Kim-ly stood ready to drive Jayce's solar plexus into his spine. "What is wrong with you?" he said in his sternest Master Sergeant Campbell voice.

"It's that bitch!" shrieked Jayce, "She stole my..."

"SHUT UP!" boomed Don's voice. His voice had a threatening edge that sounded like an impending doom. Jayce cowered in silence. "I wasn't talking to you dumbshit, I was talking to her!" He turned to Kim-ly and in a disappointed voice he said, "Look at this, you've had control of your opponent for almost a full minute and not a single bone broken, both knees are still intact, both elbows fully functional, what happened? You were my best student." Actually, Don had no idea what Kim-ly's fighting skills were, he just knew that Tam dragged her and Bao to a martial arts studio several nights a week for years.

"I'm sorry sensei, it won't happen again."

"I need my shit back," squealed Jayce.

"LISTEN DUMBSHIT!" boomed Don, "If you interrupt me one more time, she's going to kick you in the balls so hard you're going to have to stick your tongue out to take a piss, do you copy me?"

Jayce was too terrified and in pain to answer but Kim-ly said "Yes sensei, can I kick him now?"

"In a moment little one," Don glared at Jayce, terrified that Jayce was going to see through his bluster, but he continued to play the game. "What shit are you missing, moron?"

"S-s-some moving boxes." Jayce continued to look at Kim-ly in fear.

"About eight boxes? One cubic foot size boxes? All heavier than hell?"

"Y-y-yeah," Jayce still looked at Kim-ly in terror.

"The boxes marked Garage?" demanded Don.

"Y-yes...," said Jayce.

Don took a deep breath and shook his head sadly. "They're in the garage, dumbshit." Jayce just gave him a blank stare. "Oh, and by the way," continued Don, "Skunk piss may fool a deer or a squirrel, but it won't fool a trained drug dog."

Jayce just growled, "Fuck you!"

"That's a funny thing to say to someone who just saved your life." He took two steps back from Jayce and shouted something to Kim-ly in Vietnamese. Jayce had no idea what he said but it sounded evil, and dangerous.

"Ý tưởng hay!" was Kim-ly's response and with a wicked grin she quickly shifted into a threatening looking stance.

Jayce screamed in fear, scrambled to his feet and ran back to Karole's house. Don gave a grinning Kim-ly a hug then he walked over and picked up the knife that Kim-ly slapped out of Jayce's hand and turned to Lanh. She and Karole were still by the front door of the house holding each other in fear, their eyes wide in shock at what they had just seen happen. "What did they say to him?" Karole gasped. She heard Don shout in an Asian language, it sounded mean and evil, and Kim-ly's enthusiastic response! It scared her and she wasn't there on the ground with Kim-ly ready to strike.

Lanh gave her a reassuring hug, "He said, 'It's getting late, let's go out to dinner,' and Kim-ly said 'Good idea.'"

"It was all an act?"

"Act?" asked Kim-ly with a grim look on her face as she walked up to Karole and Lanh. "He was chasing you with a butcher's knife. If Don hadn't stepped up I was going to shove it up his ass, then break off the handle."

Don walked up to Lanh and hugged her, Kim-ly, and Karole, "If I knew that was her plan, I wouldn't have stopped her." He tried to hand Karole her kitchen knife, but she just shook her head and backed away.

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Independence Day! God but it was good to be back home among friends and family! Don, Lanh, and Kim-ly traveled back to Grant Valley MN for a family celebration. The first thing Lanh did was hop on the Ford tractor and start cutting the weeds out of the ditches with the side cutter as Don recorded her work with his phone to show Karole. When Lanh heard that Karole had refused to believe anyone living north of Washington DC could be considered Country, that in her mind it was all asphalt and city up in the North, Lanh had to prove her wrong. So Kim-ly and Don made sure that Karole was inundated with pictures of Lanh driving the tractor, Don tending the acres of vegetables, both of them milking cows, and Don playing with his nieces and nephews back at the pond.

When not sending pictures of country life to Karole, Don tried desperately to drive the ancient GMC pickup. He changed the oil, cleaned the plugs, fired it up, it was ready to go, but he wasn't. That old fear, the ghost of the sheet metal step-van crushing him in Saudi Arabia haunted him, and the echo of the excruciating pain resounded through his entire body.

"How do I fix this?" he said as he sat next to Jake on the front porch enjoying a beautiful Minnesota summer morning. That beautiful scent of cut grass filled his senses, meanwhile Arlo and Liam played trucks at his feet while Chip was fishing back at the pond with Grandpas Ralph and Duong.

Jake thought for a moment and finally said, "You don't. You overcome it. You're stronger than your fear, don't give it any recognition, just do it. You're strong enough to do that. Just walk out to the truck, hop in, and go."

Don thought about it long and hard, then finally said, "You know what? You're right." And with that Don got up and walked straight to the tractor shed. Moments later the dusty old GMC pickup emerged and headed out to the road. Tam stepped out on the porch and sat next to Jake and watched as the truck stopped next to where Lanh was cutting back the weeds. She squealed and hopped off the tractor and into the pickup, which then headed off down the county road.

"Who's driving Don's truck?" she asked, not really expecting a reply.

"Don."

"Son of a gun!" said Tam softly.

"We were talking about his fear, and I told him the same thing you've been telling him, but I didn't use all the mushy scientific jargon. He decided to suck it up and just go. I guess it worked?" asked Jake.

"Yeah, it sure did," she laughed.

For his part Don was still feeling the fear, haunted by the memories of being catapulted off the ramp and smashing into the rocks, of being crushed when another truck and the huge fire extinguisher slammed into his truck, of slowly suffocating in the purple clouds of the potassium fire extinguishing agent... but it felt so good to be behind the wheel of an old friend again at the same time. He pulled up alongside Lanh on the tractor and beeped the horn and her eyes shot open and she screamed in delight.

"What's wrong?" cried Karole, "are you ok?" She had visions of Lanh falling off the tractor and being mauled by the old side cutter.

Lanh shut off the tractor and practically vaulted into the cab of the truck. "He's driving! He's really driving the old pickup!" She was still talking with Karole on her ear buds as she snuggled up against Don and gave her the play by play. "I'm snuggled up and he's got his arm around me... shift? I shift and he works the clutch... WHAT? Dirty girl!" Lanh looked up and Don and said, "I should have a hand on each lever," and with that she grabbed onto his crotch. "Got it!" she announced to Karole.

They drove along the backroads that they loved as teens, but the backroads weren't as back as they used to be. Grant Valley was growing and with true heartfelt disappointment they noticed that some of the woods they used to love to park in and explore each other's body was now a housing development, the pasture they would stop in and neck after school was now a strip mall. The town is getting closer and closer to the farm and Don actually started to worry about their future there. This concern took his mind off of the terror that has kept him from behind the wheel for years.

Lanh sighed happily; they were going to be ok! As Lanh texted Kim-ly about Don's victory, she suddenly had an idea... it was something she and Kim-ly had talked about in length. "Let's go shopping!" she announced aloud after a bout of texts between her and her sister.

They ended up at the Adult Super Store, a place that Don had never visited, but secretly wanted to, if just to see what was offered in the A. S. S. as it called itself. "Come on," insisted Lanh as she led Don by the hand and practically dragged him into the store. "This is where I got Stanley Jr," referring to her first dildo.

"I don't know..."

"This is all your fault," she insisted. "If you hadn't done such a good job getting me hooked on sex, I wouldn't have had to come here and stock up while you were TDY all the time."

Don stifled a laugh; Lanh had told him that she practically fucked herself senseless with Stanley Jr. while they were in Germany, and he was away on his first TDY to Spain. He eventually added her modest but growing collection of toys to their love making finding that he enjoyed being penetrated and she enjoyed both being tied up as well as being the one who does the tying.

"Ok, why are we here?" Don asked.

"Positive reinforcement," she said. "You're getting a reward for driving so good!"

"I got my reward," he said as he snuggled her close and squeezed her bra encased breast.

"Let's reward your kinky side," she said as they pulled up to the handicapped parking spot and Don hung his blue tag on the mirror.

They went inside and looked at the variety of lingerie, most of them were designed for women with fuller figures than the slim little Asian angel he married, but he did find a beautiful sky-blue teddy and a black baby doll that was little more than a patch of fog that a woman could wear. He couldn't wait to see Lanh in either one. They selected a few more things but when they got to the counter Lanh asked the manager, "Is there anyone back in the video booths?"

"Hey Lanh! It's been a while! Nope, you're the only folks here except for..."

"Thanks Davie!" Lanh interrupted, and she began to tug Don toward the back of the store leaving their selections on the front counter. He hasn't seen her this excited about something in ages, especially about sex. Lately their sex life has been improving, the hot tub had a lot to do with it because a jolt of pain in his back at the wrong moment will end everything for days and the hot tub did wonders for his back pain. But today he's feeling good and she's up to something, and he loves it when his little lovebug is mischievous. "This is going to be fun," she grinned.

They went to the back of the store and down a secluded hallway with three doors on each side. Lanh turned and gave Don a warm kiss, her lithe little body molding against his, her crotch pressing against his growing cock. When they broke from the mind-altering kiss she whispered, "You're going to love this!" and shoved him into the center door on the left side of the hall. "Just follow the instructions," she whispered and closed the door. His head spinning from that kiss, Don found himself shoved into a small booth with a couple of folding chairs and an old flat screen TV mounted on the wall. He would have been nervous about being seen in such a place, but he was no longer associated with anyone in the area because he's been gone for over a decade and besides, it was early on a Wednesday morning, and everyone was at work or getting ready for the holiday.

There in the dim booth Don searched for instructions, the TV advertised the movies available and insisted on putting tokens into the control box, but he didn't have any tokens or any desire to watch anything that was being advertised. Then he heard a knock and he noticed movement. There, on the wall, a round hole waist high, a hand sticking through the hole beckoning him closer. The fingernails were perfectly manicured; all the Nguyen sisters got together yesterday and did their nails and chattered the day away because it was their first gathering in ages. While Angela, Rosa, and Ahnjong selected differing colors, Lanh, Kim-ly, and Tam selected a turquoise color that was beautiful, and Don could recognize those nails on Lanh's tiny hand even in the gloom.

He walked up to the hole and touched her hand and said, "Hi pretty lady." But she held up a finger and shook it side to side. Ok, no talking. He stroked the palm of her hand, but she wanted more; she held her hand out palm up and wagged her fingers wordlessly asking for more.

He leaned over and took one delicate finger in his mouth and suckled on it gently eliciting a soft whimper from the other side of the wall. He took a second finger in his mouth and ran his tongue over it gently, teasing the two fingers with his tongue like he would her nipple. Again, a whimper from the other side of the wall and suddenly the hand withdrew.

Don was about to put his hand through the hole to see what Lanh was up to when her hand reappeared, this time she cupped her hand, her thumb about two inches away from her fingertips, then she started moving her hand in a perfect pantomime of stroking a cock. Don grinned, sexy girl! she wants my dick in that hand. He stepped up to the hole and dropped his pants and shorts then placed his cock in her hand. Immediately she began exploring his cock, gently touching every part of his growing manhood, urging him to full erection, at the same time pulling him closer and closer to the hole.

He was a little leery, but he knew it was Lanh, he had seen her, Tam, and Kim-ly put on that exact same color of nail polish and carefully sculpt their nails... but maybe she was up to something more. She gently tugged him closer and as he got the head of his cock through the thin wall, he felt a tongue tip repeatedly flicker across the head of his cock, like a butterfly on a flower the tongue sampled his first drops of precum. Shivers of pure lust traveled down his back, and he pushed forward for more.

Suddenly her hand cradled his balls and holding them firmly she pulled him until his groin was flush against the wall and he was trapped in her velvet grip. While a mouth closed over the engorged head of his cock, he felt a hand gently kneed his balls and another hand stroke his swollen cock shaft. He groaned, his favorite part of the blowjob was denied to him, that is watching the woman he loves making love to him with her lips and tongue, but being physically denied that vision made the excitement more fantastic, it may not even be Lanh!

The pleasure was incredible, so much more intense than previous blowjobs, denied of sight and the ability to reach out and caress his beloved he was forced to concentrate on the sensation. This was more intense than the times she blindfolded him in the past, the sensations she elicited with her lips, her tongue and her hands were marvelous, and now her hand had pulled away from his cock. She slowly swallowed his cock all the way to the root, he felt the tight restriction of her throat around the head and shaft of his cock, then slowly she pulled back, his cock sliding back out of her throat. The wet, warm friction on every nerve ending on his cock was overwhelming.

Now her tongue started slathering over the underside of his cock as she pulled back, the sensation was mind bending! "Mmmm! Mmmm! Mmmm!" Her little moans of passion every time she swallowed his length were music to his ears, and he desperately wanted to start thrusting his hips, but his balls were still held firmly in her little hand preventing any movement on his part. He could only stand at attention and savor the sweet torture his wife was subjecting him to. "Oh god! I'm going to cum!" he gasped.

Suddenly her mouth and hands withdrew and a moment later his cock was engulphed in her hot, wet pussy. Her silky inner flesh caressed his cock and in unison they began thrusting at each other. Don could feel her fingertips occasionally brushing his balls or cock as she franticly strummed her clit to catch up with Don in his delirium of pleasure. Not only caught up but she was soon cumming, her little strangled squeaks of blessed release were music to his ears and suddenly Don was cumming, his sperm erupted from his cock in gush after gush of pure bliss as her pussy reflexively clenched his cock. It went on and on and on, he flooded her in an orgasm that far exceeded anything in recent memory. Finally spent he stumbled backwards and sat completely satiated on one of the folding chairs.

How long he sat there was a mystery to him. Finally collecting himself he cleaned himself up with a wetnap that Lanh had pushed through the glory hole and was buckling himself up when he heard a gentle tap at the door. Outside Lanh was waiting for him and he scooped her up in his arms and kissed her, his mind still swimming in ecstatic bliss.

"Did you like it?" he asked later in their apartment.

She nodded her head vigorously, "so fun!"

Her English was falling apart so he knew something was up. "What is it? Something has you bothered."

"No! I like! It..." she looked around surreptitiously, "the chance of getting caught!"

"You're turned on by the chance of getting caught?" She nodded her head with a sly grin. It's been a long time since Don had to play twenty questions with Lanh, almost every discussion about sex when they were in high school was like this.

For the rest of the week Don and Lanh looked for opportunities to have a little sex in a public place, Lanh's favorite was the changing room at a Target store, Don enjoyed a nearly empty theater at the Bemidji 7. Both times they were a blowjob, but Lanh ended it with a handjob that crossed his eyes. Both times she caught his sperm in a condom that was only rolled over the head of his cock. Don couldn't reciprocate in Target, but at the theater they had raised the armrest between their seats and she leaned against him and he gently explored her damp folds with his finger. She tried to make him stop but he wouldn't stop so she bit down on his arm to keep herself from crying out. He proudly carried the teeth marks on his arm for days and blamed it on his nephew Liam who denied biting him but offered to do it again.

It brought back the "good old days" when they were 18 and sex was a wide-open world of wonder and they were doing whatever they could to burn off all that sexual energy in a way that preserved Lanh's virginity.

꙳~~꙳~~꙳~~꙳~~꙳~~꙳~~꙳~~꙳~~꙳~~꙳~~꙳

Where the hell is that place? thought Kim-ly as she navigated the rural roads outside of Greeley Colorado. So many things coursed through her mind as she finally saw the lights of the American Legion in the distance. For one thing, she will need to find a permanent place to live soon, she loves bouncing back and forth between Colorado and Minnesota, it satisfies a wanderlust she didn't realize she had before she flew to Germany. She also loves living at the farm with Ralph and Sandy, but Tim hates farms, but screw him, this is her decision and she's tired of being his... Her train of thought was interrupted as she pulled into the parking lot of the legion post.

There were maybe a dozen cars and pickups in the parking lot as she found her spot and shut off the rental SUV. She grabbed a small box off the passenger seat and walked into the American Legion Post. Inside there was the usual collection of good ol' boys at the bar, swapping stories and drinking beer from long neck bottles. There were a few women here too, several were veterans, and the rest were wives or guests of the members. A couple of guys were shooting pool, and as a slow country love song played on the juke box, she saw Don and Lanh off to the side dancing slowly, holding each other close. Near them was Karole, sipping on a bottle of water and talking to one of the pool players. Kim-ly signed the visitor's book then did something she always wanted to do, she took a deep breath and in a loud voice called out: "Is there a doctor in the house?"

Everything stopped and all eyes were on the shapely Asian woman at the door. All eyes except Don and Lanh who wordlessly agreed to ignore her and continued dancing.

Ricky, a tall man with a red face and thick shoulder length white hair leaned on his pool stick and in a southern drawl thicker than Karole's said "I ain't a doctor, but I play one at this here legion post. What can I do for you lil' missy?"

She winked at Ricky, "No, I need a real doctor, any kind of a doctor. Is there a Doctor of Education here? Or maybe a speech pathologist?"

"If we ignore her maybe she'll go away," said Don into Lanh's ear.

"That won't happen," whispered Lanh.

"Ain't no one here but us chickens!" called out a barfly with a long gray beard. Very few people there knew that Don had a doctorate, but they all knew Lanh for sure was a doctor. They pointed to where Don and Lanh were dancing.

"Doctor Campbell! Are you here?"

"I think we can get out the back door," started Don.

"No," said Lanh sadly, "she sees us... she's just playing with us..."

"She's not supposed to be here until next week," Don said as he realized that everyone in the bar was chuckling at them.

"Doctor Campbell! There you are!" squealed Kim-ly and she scurried across the room as fast as her impossibly high heels and incredibly tight dress would let her travel. The wolf whistles and cat calls from the guys only encouraged Kim-ly who added a lot of hip action to her stroll. Finally, she came up to the couple, but she ignored Lanh and threw her arms around Don. "Doctor Campbell, I found you!"

"Ok Kim-ly, why are you here early? You're supposed to be flying in with má and ba next week," Lanh demanded.

"Oh! They're in your basement, I showed ba how to work the remote control and they found re-runs of Matlock in five minutes." Kim-ly threw her arms around Don's neck and said, "We came to give Doctor Don his birthday present!"

"My birthday was last month."

"It's the thought that counts, come buy me a drink," she started leading Don to the bar and as she did, she handed the box to Lanh. "No peeking! You can open it when we get back."

"Challenge accepted!" smiled Lanh as she set the securely wrapped box down on Karole's table it was covered in wrapping paper and sealed with unbroken layers of clear packaging tape.

"Hey Donnie, who's the hot chick?" asked a clearly drunk woman at the bar.

"Linda, this is my sister-in-law Kim-ly Nguyen. Kim-ly, this is Linda Cooper, she was sitting out on the prairie, and they came along and built a legion post around her."

"Oh come on Donnie," purred Kim-ly as she looked at Linda from over Don's shoulder. "We have a much deeper, much closer relationship than just in-laws." Her hands began to roam over Don's chest.

"She's also my accountant," said Don. All the barflies agreed, that was a much closer relationship than mere in-laws. Once Kim-ly was fortified with a Bombay Sapphire gin and tonic with extra lime Don said, "Ok lady, what's the deal, why did you rush down here early?"

She took a tiny sip from her drink, her beautiful eyes rolling with pleasure. "Mmmmm, this is perfect! Tip the bartender generously, will you?" and she refused to say more until Don placed a few bills in the tip jar.

"Ok, what is up?" he demanded. He has reached the end of his patience with her.

"I need a coach."

He was going to make a wise ass comment of some nature, but he's never seen such sincerity in her eyes before. She wasn't talking about swimming, softball, or debate prep, he realized she was looking for a labor coach. "Why me?"

She shrugged her shoulder. "I guess I'm old fashioned, I want a guy to hold my hand. And besides, you were nice enough to buy me my last drink for a year." She raised her glass in a toast then took another sip and handed it to him.

"Why not the father?" Don finished his beer and took her glass. He was sure the father wasn't her boyfriend Tim, he always had suspicions about her relationship with Tim.

"He doesn't know." Kim-ly's face suddenly became serious, accountant serious. "Please?

"You know I will," said Don softly. "I could never deny you anything." Suddenly squeals of surprise and joy came from Lanh and Karole. "They got your box open," said Don. "It was your pregnancy test, wasn't it."

"Yeah, I thought I taped it up better than that," she said as she put on a happy face and turned to join Lanh and Karole but before she could head over to "her girls" Don stopped her.

"You didn't get a look at Karole," said Don.

"No, I didn't, why?"

"Shithead paid her a visit last week, she uh... she got hurt."

Kim-ly went ice cold. "How bad?"

"She's been living with us ever since bad."

"I'll kill the cocksucker," she snarled as Lanh arrived behind her and dragged her away. "Hitting a pregnant woman? I'll beat the fuck outta him!" she shouted across the bar.

"Is she talking about the shithead that hit Karole?" asked Linda who heard every word of the conversation between Don and Kim-ly. Nothing inside the Legion post escapes Linda's scrutiny.

"Yep," said Don as the bar tender handed him another cold beer.

"It would serve him right to get the crap beat out of him by a pregnant woman for hitting a pregnant woman."

"Yes, it would," agreed Don as he prepared to head over to the girls. He ceased to be amazed at the things Linda knew, she was up on all the news almost before it happened.

"Before you go," said Linda as she grabbed his arm, "tell me why she called you Doctor Campbell."

"Something you didn't know?" With a chuckle, Don pulled up a barstool next to Linda. He would get no peace until she got the story so he might as well get this done with while the girls were talking babies.

꙳~~꙳~~꙳~~꙳~~꙳~~꙳~~꙳~~꙳~~꙳~~꙳~~꙳

Lanh, Karole, and Don pulled into the Campbell's farm in Grant Valley MN for Christmas vacation last night, they were planning to arrive earlier, but they stopped off at Grand Forks AFB just to show Karole where they used to live and they ended up pulling in to the farm late. Karole was overwhelmed with the cold temperatures and the warm reception.

Kim-ly appeared from the back, her own baby bump preceding her. She saw Karole and her eyes lit up and with a squeal of joy she rushed into Karole's arms, "Little sister!" she called, and as their bellies touched Kim-ly's eyes flew wide open. "He kicked!" she gasped, holding her belly.

"He never kicked before?" asked Karole.

"Not like this!" gasped Kim-ly, "he's turning summersaults!"

Karole took Kim-ly's hand and put it on her stomach, "Krissy wants to play too," and Kim-ly smiled as she felt Karole's baby churning away. The two first time mothers separated by a decade in age and by two months in delivery dates were united in the miracles growing in their wombs.

Finally Kim-ly broke the spell and said, "Come see Sandy's house," and she led Karole around the house that's been her residence since Don left for basic training.

"This house is beautiful!" gasped Karole as they gave her a tour of the house. Sandy had outdone herself with the Christmas decorations knowing that Lanh and Don would be home for the holidays this year and how important the Christmas holiday was to them. Karole actually gasped when she saw the table setting in the big dining room. "It's like a magazine cover!" The table had been set in its holiday finest gayly displaying the dishware, the silver, the glasses all holiday themed, the garlands and decorations were tasteful and luxurious. Electric candles expertly mimicked their open flame cousins, adding beauty and elegance to the table setting.

"I want to show you what Don gave me for a wedding present," said Lanh as she moved over to the French doors. "When I first saw this house, this room was an old bunkhouse for the farm hands a hundred years ago when the house was built, these guys were just using it for a storeroom."

"Well yeah," said Don, "the attic and basement stairs are steep. It's hard to carry boxes up and down stairs."

"These doors were just painted plywood when I first saw this house," said Lanh as she started to open the doors, "it's where Don and I would hide and smooch, it was an empty room with a nasty shower and a broken toilet back in the corner. But Don made a home for us..." and she threw the doors wide open. Karole was impressed by the sitting room before her, a cheery fire in the fireplace, a gayly decorated artificial Christmas tree, candles and garland, pine boughs on the mantle, stockings hung by the fire. The smell of a sweet birch fire and the scent of evergreen boughs filled the room, it was like being in a cozy country cabin for Christmas.

"Oh, there they were! I didn't see them in the living room, I was afraid that dad threw them out!" Don happily ran his hands over the matched pair of wingback reading chairs sitting before the fire. Such stern looking chairs were in reality so warm and comfortable, a perfect foil to a Minnesota winter. Don eased down into a chair and pulled Lanh into his lap.

"Hey, you guys, we have company," warned Kim-ly.

"We're just being nostalgic," said Don with a dismissive wave. Lanh lay her head on his shoulder and snuggled up close as Don tapped a remote control, and the sound of a well-played acoustic guitar filled the room with holiday cheer.

"This is so cute!" gushed Karole. "And look at that floor... it ain't laminate, is this real hardwood?"

"Yes, it's the original floor. Don sanded it down, stained it, then gave it several good coats of sealer," said Kim-ly proudly. "This place was a wreck, and he did it all in five months."

"All by himself?"

"At first, then his dad started helping, then my brothers Bao and Huy pitched in, then Tam and I started helping," smiled Kim-ly remembering the last night fighting those French Doors into place, then coving them with paper and ribbon to make them look like a gift for Lanh to open on her wedding day. "This was the bridal suite," said Kim-ly and she opened up a photo album of Don and Lanh's wedding. "We had a whole seamstress station here with racks of Ao Dai's and gowns, a chocolate fountain there, espresso machine there, mom and Sandy on their sewing machines over there where my desk is..."

"Wow, a professional production!" said Karole.

"No, it was a bunch of friends who got together and decided to help our friends realize a dream." Kim-ly put her hand on her stomach and felt her little boy snuggle in for the night. "I just wish their biggest dream had come true..." she said wistfully. Then cheering she said, "Come on, you have to see this bathroom..."

She led Karole into the bedroom, "Where they really virgins when they married?" asked Karole.

"Yeah, I mean, they fooled around quite a bit, má and ba even had a maternity gown ready for her the way those two carried on, but they were virgins at the altar."

Karole laughed at Kim-ly's distress. "You don't look happy about it."

"I lost fifty bucks to my brother on that bet... and he got laid that night too." All those years and two nieces later yet Kim-ly was still angry with Bao over that.

Karole sat down on the bed, "so this is where you lost half a c-note, eh?"

"They waited until they got married, but they didn't wait long after saying I do," grinned Kim-ly. "They put their photographer and everyone else on hold and disappeared into the woods for an hour."

"Lawd love a cow!" laughed Karole.

"What?" whooped Kim-ly. "What did you say?"

"Lawd love a cow, it's so much more polite that saying sonofabitch."

"That's silly, come see this bathroom." Kim-ly showed Karole the beautiful bathroom that Ralph and Don made for Lanh. "This soaking tub is new, they put it in when he came home all busted up, it helps with his back. Other than that, this is exactly the same as how he built it."

Karole nodded, "he's constantly in the hot tub in Greeley."

Kim-ly opened the door to the large walk-in shower. "Party size!" she grinned. "We're staying upstairs but if you're smart, you'll come down here and shower. This bathroom has its own water heater, so you have hot water the moment you turn on the faucet. There are bathtubs with showers upstairs, stepping over the side of a tub when you're off balance is tricky," said Kim-ly as they stepped back into the bedroom and into the sitting room. She looked at Don and Lanh who were cuddling and kissing passionately. Don now had his shirt open and Lanh's blouse was half unbuttoned. "Aaaaaaand... we lost them. Come on, grab your things, I'll show you to your room."

"Wait... what?" said Karole as she followed Kim-ly.

"Every year it's the same thing. She didn't tell you about Christmas?" Kim-ly closed the French doors and turned off the dining room lights but left the electric candles on the gayly set table burning.

"She said they met at a Christmas school dance," said Karole as she lugged her suitcase up the stairs behind Kim-ly.

"Don's mom died on Christmas day, they met at a Christmas Dance, they first said 'I love you' on Christmas eve right there on that couch, their first real kiss was on a Christmas eve in that doorway, he proposed on a Christmas eve right there in front of dad, she found out she couldn't conceive on Christmas Eve, they lost their chance to adopt a baby on Christmas eve..." Kim-ly turned and saw the look of disbelief on Karole's face. "Didn't she tell you?"

Karole shook her head.

"There's no middle of the road for those two when it comes to Christmas, it's either great, or it's a horror story. When it's bad, they make up for it next year; when it's good, they try to top it. Here we are..." Kim-ly opened up a door that led to a bedroom decorated in pink with two lacy canopy beds. "This is the granddaughter room; I'll be in the grandson room right over there."

"Three bedrooms not counting their suite? Nice." Where Karole comes from, two bedrooms is the norm, three is luxury.

"Five bedrooms," corrected Kim-ly, "there's another pair right across the hall. These Minnesota farm families used to be huge!"

"I thought you live downstairs..." Karole said as she eased her aching back by sitting on the bed.

"I do, but that is their house, he made it for Lanh, so I evacuate when they're in town." Kim-ly leaned on a door that Karole thought was a closet. "This is a jack and jill bathroom, and I'm right on the other side." With a mischievous grin she continued, "If you get lonely or want to get lucky, just sneak through," and she winked a playful wink.

Karole was shocked, she found out her secret? She and Norma swore each other to secrecy, that it was fun and nothing more, a way to relieve sexual tension and not get pregnant. "How... how did you know?" she gasped.

"I didn't," she sat down next to Karole. "I took a chance. If I'm wrong, I'm sorry, if I stirred up something bad, I'm very sorry, if I stirred up something good..." and she gave her a saucy wink. "All I know about you for sure is that Lanh loves you."

"Sh... she loves me?"

"Oh yeah, she's crazy about you. Look, even though I'm the black sheep of the family, I will not mess anything up for her." Kim-ly took Karole's hand in hers. "I was pretty rotten to her when we were young, I think I'm the reason why she wanted to kill herself..." And then Karole saw Kim-ly do something that very, very few people on earth have ever seen her do: cry.

"Ah'm sorry, ah didn't wanna stir up bad memories..."

"It's not you," sniffed Kim-ly. "I was pretty shitty to Lanh when we were kids, I didn't pull my head out of my ass until she brought Don to the restaurant... she actually had to play hooky for me to realize that she was a real person..."

Kim-ly and Karole sat up for hours telling stories, comparing baby kicks, and sharing dreams, two single moms scared to the core yet excited for the future. They talked long into the night and fell asleep in Kim-ly's bed.

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For the first time in her adult life, Karole woke up in the arms of someone she did not have sex with. They sat up for a long time talking about their childhoods and their plans for their kids until they drifted off to sleep. When Karole woke it was pitch black in the room, she felt well rested, but it was so dark and she couldn't find her watch to check the time. Her movements woke Kim-ly who won the race to the bathroom.

They crept down the stairs in their bathrobes, trying to keep quiet, letting Ralph and Sandy sleep but when they got to the bottom of the stairs, they found the kitchen flooded with light. "Good morning sleepyheads!" called Sandy. Karole and Kim-ly found Sandy, Ralph, Don and Lanh gathered around the kitchen table finishing up breakfast. Don got up and started preparing breakfast for the two late risers.

"You guys must have been pretty tired to sleep in so long," said a smiling Lanh as she brought Kim-ly and Karole glasses of fresh milk.

"Wha? It's pitch black out! It can't be..." Karole looked up and the kitchen clock which showed a time of 7:45. "Ah coulda swore it were four thirty," she said, blushing with embarrassment.

"Welcome to the great white north," said Don as he set another pot of coffee to brew.

"And you didn't say anything?" Sandy scolded Kim-ly.

"I thought she wanted to sleep late," Kim-ly shrugged as she sipped her milk.

Ralph leaned over and patted Karole's hand, "Up north here the sun rises late and sets early in the winter."

"The sun sets at four thirty tonight," nodded Sandy.

"Oh my Gawd!" gasped Karole. "Y'all jus like Eskimos! The night is six months long!"

"Pretty close. We make up for it in the summer," added Ralph. "The sun is up before six and doesn't set till nearly eleven. Makes it difficult to take the kids to the outdoor."

"The Outdoor?"

"Drive in theater," Lanh translated.

"Y'all still have drive-ins?" Karole hasn't seen a drive-in theater since she became old enough to enjoy one properly. "Ah wanna go to one!"

Lanh nodded happily, "The Moonlighter! We saw a few movies there, didn't we honey?"

"Yes, we did, but I can't remember a single one," said Don as he leaned over from behind Lanh and gave her a kiss. He then set out plates of scrambled eggs with venison sausage and bowls of white mush in front of Kim-ly and Karole.

Karole watched as Kim-ly seasoned her eggs with multiple kinds of Asian hot sauces, mostly Siracha, then she tried the mush. Her face showed that she thought it was disgusting. "What's the matter?" asked Don as he set cups of decaf in front of the expectant mothers.

"Ah'll have to tell ya, ah've had all kinda your cookin' and loved every bite, but grits just ain't your thang."

"I've never made grits," said Don. "That's cream of wheat."

"Whut?"

"It's like grits but made from wheat instead of corn," said Lanh. "I put brown sugar on mine, Don puts maple syrup on his."

"I use both," said Kim-ly around a spoonful.

Karole reached past Lanh with her spoon and dipped a little out of Kim-ly's bowl and tried it. "Too maple," she said as she added brown sugar to her dish.

Ralph looked at Don a bit confused, but Don and Lanh knew exactly what Karole's complaint was about. "They don't do actual maple syrup down south Dad."

Lanh nodded. "I've seen them put corn syrup on pancakes... where were we... Texas?"

"Yeah, we were in Muleshoe Texas," agreed Don. "Home of Leeeeee Horsely!" he added in unison with Lanh.

"They all crazy in Texas," said Karole. "If y'all want maple, you go to Cracker Barrel, everyone knows that." She put katsup on her eggs, but she looked longingly at the bottle of tobacco. She wanted to spice up her eggs like Kim-ly did, but Krissy will just kick it back out. That little booger doesn't like spicy food.

"So what is everybody doing today?" asked Sandy.

"I have papers to grade," said Lanh.

"I have to go over the books for the restaurant and close out the quarter, then start on the farm's books," said Kim-ly.

"I promised ma that I'd help with the lunch shift," said Don, "so I'll be heading to the restaurant at ten thirty."

Karole just shrugged. It was the very first day she could ever remember when she didn't have something to do and she didn't have a book to read. "I think I'm going to take a tour of the farm then tag along with Don." She took a long drink of milk, her eyes rolling back with pleasure. It's been ages since she had fresh whole milk. "I want to thank the girls for their part in breakfast."

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When they finally got Karole to Nguyen Pho, Don gave her a tour of the restaurant. "Ah don' think I'll ever learn this menu," said Karole as she waived the lunch menu around.

"Don't worry about it," said Don as he prepared his station, Don was getting ready to cook for the lunch rush. "Our lunch crowd knows what they like so most won't even look at the menu. You'll pick it up as you go and I'll be giving you little tastes as I make something."

As he pointed everything out Karole constantly rubbed her tummy, it was almost as if Krissy was excited to be at the restaurant. Rosa watched from a distance then finally said to Mai, "She's going to wear a hole in that apron petting that baby like that."

"First baby," said Mai with a grin, "You remember how it was, everything was new and exciting."

"I remember your grandchildren dancing on my bladder for eighteen months. The only excitement I had was making sure I wasn't more than ten steps from a bathroom... so who's the blond?"

"That's your new kid sister," said Duong as he set out silverware and napkins on a table.

"That's the stray that Don and Lanh adopted?"

Mai gave Rosa, the manager of her restaurant, a close friend of her youngest daughter, wife of her youngest son, and mother of her first grandchild a withering look. "Hush!" Mai scolded. "You of anyone in this family should know what being passed from house to house is like for a child. Where would you be right now if Lanh and Bao hadn't adopted my favorite stray?"

Rosa's childhood was a nightmare of being shipped from one foster home to another, she was a wild child with no direction and little guidance, she had no idea if Mendez was her real last name or a name she picked up along the way. Her life changed the day that Coach Mach challenged Lanh to coach her individually for the swim team and suddenly her life had focus, and some true friends. Her life changed again when on a whim she found herself swept up in the emotions of Don and Lanh's wedding and tried to seduce Bao, who gladly let her seduce him and just as gladly became her husband of over a dozen years. "I'm sorry má..." said Rosa, "I guess I'm just jealous..."

"Jealous of what? She's pregnant, her fiancé left her, now she has all those bills, she's all alone..."

"Because she gets to see Lanh every day! I miss her!" Rosa blurted out. Then she cupped her hands in front of her chest, "And..." indicating Karole's big breasts.

"Oh stop!" Mai took Rosa's hand and patted it. "I know em yêu, but she'll be home soon. Now go welcome your new sister just like I welcomed you. Go!"

Karole had sat down to study the menu before opening and was about to get a sip of her water when a pretty Hispanic woman appeared at her side. "Hi, I'm Rosa..." She never got her introduction out. Karole leapt to her feet and wrapped her arms around the restaurant manager.

"Lanh has told me so much about you, I'm so happy to meet you!" gushed Karole.

"She did?" asked Rosa in a tiny voice.

"Oh lawd yes! She said she wouldn't a made it through high school if it weren't for you, she said that watching you receive your gold medal was one of the proudest moments of her life!" Karole held Rosa out at arm's length, "I can see why she misses you so much."

"She does?" Rosa collected herself and held a folded cloth out to Karole. "This is for you, never lose it." Karole unfolded the cloth to reveal a white waitress's apron. "If you ever need anything, you put that apron on and come in here. You'll have a job, food to eat, and if you need one, a roof over your head. Believe me, with a little one on the way, it's a huge relief to know that you have a safety net."

"Ah... ah don't know what to say," said Karole as she looked at the simple apron.

"You say 'thanks sis' because you're a Nguyen now," Rosa pulled her new sister close, "We're all here for each other."

"Thank you, ah've never had a family before, jess my momma and she's gone."

"Don't thank me, thank Mai and Duong. They've been collecting us strays since Lanh brought Don home."

Just then, Tam stepped into the dining area, she was heading off to work when she saw Karole hugging Rosa. Seeing the apron in Karole's hand told Tam everything she needed to know - she's got a new sister. With a sigh she made it official with the words, "What's with all the white people in this family now?"

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Karole fell right into the swing of things at Nguyen Pho. Like Don said, the lunch crowd generally knew what they wanted. If Karole had a problem, it was getting used to the people. Down south the folks would just chatter away with their waitress, up north they're sweet, but reserved. There was one time when she was waiting for a pair of ladies to make up their minds when she noticed the snow falling outside of the main window.

Like all other businesses on Main Street, Nguyen's Pho was decorated in its holiday finest. The main window was decorated with sparkling garland and sprigs of holly, shining ornaments, flickering lights, and someone used spray snow to simulate frost at the edges of the window. Outside the snow was drifting straight down, the flakes spinning lazily to land on the heads and shoulders of shoppers as they walked past the window. Over the speakers Karole could hear some of Duong's Christmas music from the 40's and 50's. Right now it was Bob Hope and Marilyn Maxwell singing the original version of Silver Bells and Karole was transported to a beautiful but alien world covered in a layer of snow and Christmas cheer. It was a world she only saw on Hallmark Channel holiday movies, something they tried to replicate in the deep south, but they could never come close to the sheer beauty of the season that she's seeing right now.

"Oh miss!" one of the matrons called breaking Karole's revere.

"Ah'm so sorry ma'am, have we decided?"

The lady chuckled then looked over her shoulder at whatever it was that Karole was looking at. "My goodness, you act like you've never seen snow before!"

"Ah ain't!" said Karole. "Today is the first-time ah ever seen it!" Both ladies started laughing heartily until Karole insisted "It's true! Ah'm from the DEEP south and ah haven't seen no snow before this mornin'. We didn' git any snow in Denver las year an I don' go up in the mountains..."

"Good grief, how did you land in Grant Valley Minnesota?" asked one of the laughing women.

"Lanh and I brought her with us," said Don as he appeared from behind Karole. "In Greeley she's our next-door neighbor. Hi Mrs. Grady, Mrs. Farstad."

"Donnie!" they both cried and rose to hug him. "I didn't know you were back," said Mrs. Grady.

"We're just here for Christmas," said Don as he reached for his hug from Mrs. Farstad. "Lanh's contract has two more years then we come home for good."

"It'll be so good to have you back home," gushed Mrs. Farstad as she sat back down.

"Duong is good, but we like your cooking better," whispered Mrs. Grady.

"Do you ladies need more time deciding?" Karole asked.

Don waved her off, "It's ok, I already know what they want," and he headed back to the kitchen. 'The Girls' nodded in agreement so Karole went back to her duties waiting on other customers until Don set two plates for Karole to take out to the two ladies. One was a fried noodle plate, the other was a rice bowl with beef. "Here you go, I'll bring out the drinks."

"Who gets which plate?" asked Karole. She wanted to have Mrs. Farstad's plate in her right hand so she could set the plates properly.

"It doesn't matter," said Don as he picked up two gayly decorated cocktails. "They both like both meals, they'll pick off of each other's plate." He then raised one of the drinks, the drinks were red in color in holiday decorated highball glasses. They were garnished with a wedge of lime and a cherry. "These are just tonic water with some of the maraschino cherry juice mixed in. Neither one drinks but they like the way these drinks look, so I make them virgin tonics in the winter and virgin margaritas in the summer."

"What's a virgin margarita?"

"Limeade with crushed ice in a salted margarita glass."

"Yankees! Y'all are just as weird as us crackers," laughed Karole as she carried the plates out to the table. "Here you go dearies."

"Are you ready for the storm tomorrow?" asked Mrs. Grady.

"She's got more to worry about than a little snow," laughed Don as he set the glasses down. Then to answer Karole's questioning look he grinned and patted her tummy. "Little Krissy's cousins are coming to decorate the tree and make lefse tomorrow." And with that he returned to the kitchen leaving Karole to face a myriad of questions she had no answers to.

That evening Karole was exhausted, it's been over a year since she put in a shift like that. She wanted so desperately to close her eyes and nap in Don's big, rattling old truck but the snow was falling again and the Christmas lights on each house and farm they passed were so beautiful. Her favorite was a small tree out in the middle of an open field, not a building in the area, but it was lit up and glowing in its solitary glory. "How is that thang lit up?" she asked Don.

"We've seen an RV parked out there during hunting season, so I think there's an outlet there that they can use for that little tree," Don said.

"So pretty," sighed Karole as the big white farmhouse appeared around the corner, so inviting, so warm, so much like the home she always dreamed about while sleeping on couches that stank of hound dog, stale beer, ass, and cigarette smoke. Tonight, every window in the Campbell farmhouse showed a flickering candle, an old fashion symbol of showing an invitation to wandering travelers and lost children promising warmth and comfort inside. "Are we really going to have a storm tomorrow?"

"Weather report says one to two feet starting after sunset," nodded Don.

"Feet?" The thought of snow up to her knees was terrifying and exhilarating at the same time. "We'll be trapped!"

"Maybe," grinned Don. "Cool, eh? And we're going to have some company tomorrow."

"Uggh," groaned Karole, aching from being on her feet all day. She got out of the truck slowly, gradually putting weight on her sore feet and definitely not in the mood for company. Next time she's going to listen to Rosa - three hours max, then rest and put her feet up, but the tips were so good! The customers of Minnesota fell in love with their knocked-up waitress that talked like a trucker. And she met so many sweet people, even some teachers of Lanh and Don. Before she realized it, Don had come around the truck to her side and draped her arm across his shoulders.

"Here, lean on me," and together they made their way through the snowy gloom into the beckoning warmth of the farmhouse. He took her coat and scarf then led her into the living room and he helped the exhausted waitress onto the couch before sinking slowly and painfully next to her.

"Your feet too?" asked Karole.

"Feet, knees, and back," he groaned. "Mostly my back. It's really fucked up and standing bent over a wok is the worst." A stab of pain shot through his back so intense it resulted in a wave of nausea.

It must be bad, Karole thought, he rarely swears that she's noticed. Just as Karole was about to remind Don that he needs to relax and sit down every 15 minutes, a tiny black-haired lightning bolt raced down the stairs and straight to Don.

"UNKA DOOOOONNNNNN!" shrieked Arlo as he vaulted onto Don's lap.

"ARLO!" shouted Don as he began tickling the squirming child. "Did you come out to see me?"

Through fits of squealing and giggling Arlo finally gasped "Grandma Sandy said I can sleep over."

"Are you going to sleep with me and Auntie Lanh? Or are you going to sleep upstairs with Aunty Kim-ly and Aunty Karole?"

"Who?" Arlo clearly hasn't met Karole yet.

"This lady is your Aunty Karole. She's staying with Aunty Kim-ly upstairs... you know, where you take your bath?"

"I sleep with you!" cried Arlo pointing at Don.

"You don't want to sleep upstairs with Kim-ly and Karole. They got that nice big bathtub with all the toys."

Arlo thought about it, his little face scrunched up in concentration. "Bath!" he decided as he patted Karole's stomach. Then he felt something moving. He grew closer to investigate this mystery.

"What are you doing Arlo?" Don asked.

"He felt Krissy move," said Karole.

"Krissy?" Arlo looked confused.

"That's my baby," she placed Arlo's hand on her tummy and soon he felt the baby move again, his face a mask of surprise. Just then Tam, Lanh, Kim-ly, and Sandy started down the stairs, each carrying a storage box or two.

"Is he bothering you guys?" called Tam.

"MOM!" yelled Arlo and he flew off of Don's lap and raced across the living room. He raced up the stairs and grabbed on to the edge of Tam's skirt and chattering in a mix of Vietnamese, English, and "Arlo-babble" at the top of his lungs led her down the stairs, across the living room, and stopped in front of Karole where he pointed at her proudly.

"He says you ate a baby," said Tam with the most deadpan expression Don has ever seen her use. Karole didn't look up to see Tam because Arlo had run up to Karole and patted her tummy.

"I did not eat a baby!" teased Karole.

"Uh-huh!" disagreed Arlo. When he did that Don scooped him up in his arms and held him while Karole started tickling the little boy.

"Did Aunty Kim-ly eat a baby too?" asked Karole as she tickled his bare ribs.

"Kimmy eat a baby!" grinned Arlo as he pointed at Kim-ly's belly.

"What?" Shrieked Kim-ly. "You silly boy! You can't spend the night with me anymore!" and she joined the ticklefest until the toddler nearly wet his pants in laughter. Finally, he settled down and snuggled between Don and Lanh while Don read a Christmas themed children's book to him. Karole found herself drifting off as Ralph lit a fire in the fireplace and Sandy and Tam prepared dinner. It was so warm and comfortable here, and watching Don caring for, teasing, and loving Arlo, Karole wondered if Krissy would have a man in her life to protect and guide her. Lanh told her that she and Don would help. It was so warm there with her two friends, the snap and pop of the fire, Johnny Mathis singing softly in the background, Karole wondered what a roasted chestnut tasted like. For the first time in her life a profound sense of belonging and security washed over her as she fell asleep.

Karole woke from her nap with Arlo sitting on her lap facing her and gently patting her belly. "What are you doing little guy?" she asked.

"Feed the baby." he said with a concerned look on his face.

"The baby is sleeping. Shhhhh! You'll wake her."

Arlo put his ear to Karole's stomach trying to hear the baby snore but was disappointed. "Baby not sleeping," he whispered.

"Arlo honey," called Tam from the dining room, "Did you tell them dinner's ready?"

"Oh!" Arlo looked at Karole and whispered, "Supper time," then he hopped off her lap and started to shake Don's knee. With the unerring skill of a child Arlo selected Don's bad knee

The pain shot through Don like a bullet from a rifle. "I'm up," groaned Don and he struggled to his feet. Then fully standing he extended a hand and helped Karole to her feet from the depths of the comfy couch while Arlo looked on with crossed arms and the determined look of a supervisor watching his employees tackle a complicated task. When they were standing Arlo pinched the fabric of Don's jeans and guided him to the dining room where the family gathered at the grand table dining off the fine Christmas china. The candles added a festive note and Don opened a bottle of wine to go with dinner.

The dinner itself was good but surprisingly simple: meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and green beans. "This is Nadine's last meal," said Ralph as he put a plate before Karole.

"Nadine?" Karole looked around for a hint of Nadine.

"That's Nadineloaf you're eating," whispered Lanh out the side of her mouth.

"Thanks to Lanh we name the cows," said Don. "We eat a lot of beef here, and somehow we always end up having meatloaf when the meat runs out of last year's cow. Who's next?" Don asked Ralph.

"One of the cows Kim-ly named," said Sandy, "Cone Keep." There was a pause for a moment then Lanh, Don, and Tam broke out laughing and Kim-ly rolled her eyes and tried to look innocent. "What's so funny?" Sandy asked.

Lanh tried to answer but every time she started to talk the giggles came back. Laughing, Tam would just shake her head and pointed at Kim-ly who continued to act innocent. "Cone Keep is how you pronounce the Vietnamese words for 'damn it'," Don finally answered causing a renewal of the laughter.

"That's a fine and fitting name for most of the cows ah ever had the misfortune to meet before they get wrapped in cellophane," nodded Karole. "Ornery don't work well in the pasture, but it sure works out just fine on the plate."

"Amen to that," agreed Ralph. "Cone Keep will grace this table tomorrow night."

"Liam says we shouldn't eat animals," said Arlo sadly. His older brother has a vegan first grade teacher.

"Awww little guy, there's a place for all of God's creatures," said Don, "right next to the mashed potatoes."

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"That was a mean thing to say to a little kid," said Lanh as their lips parted.

"So is telling him he's eating Nadineloaf. That's why we shouldn't name our cows." The gentle warm water cascaded over them as Don sat on the shower chair and Lanh sat on his lap. They kissed gently and sweetly, enjoying the warmth of each other's closeness. It's like this every time they return to the farm, the pains and worries of life outside of the farm's barb wire borders are forgotten and their love blossoms anew.

Lanh considered his thought and nodded. "Ok, no more names. That way there will be no named suppers by the time Krissy moves in and is eating solid food."

"You're sure about this? You really think that Karole will move up here when we do?"

Lanh stopped nibbling on his earlobe and said "Oh I know she will, she and I talked about it. That's why she's here, scouting the area, and why she'll be here for our anniversary and the fourth of July and our autumn birthday bash." She just named off the quarterly visits Don and Lanh make home to Minnesota. In return many of their family members consider Don and Lanh's house in Colorado a vacation spot within easy reach of Estes Park, the gateway to the Rocky Mountains, or in the case of Mai, Duong, Ralph, and Sandy, a place to relax away from the bustle of a life they're preparing to retire from.

Their lips met and their tongues reached out to each other's when the sound of a small hand patting on the bathroom door reached their ears. "I gotta go potty!"

Don sighed and chuckled. Lanh rested her head on his shoulder and laughed. "I knew this was going to happen," she sighed and sadly got up from Don's lap then helped him to his feet.

"We'll be right there little buddy!" called Don as they quickly dried off and pulled on their robes.

"I suppose if we had kids this would have happened by now," Lanh smiled as she put on her glasses and opened the bathroom door. Arlo dashed in and climbed up on the little stool in front of the toilet and dropped his pajama pants.

"If we had kids they probably would have just barged in while we were in the shower," said Don as he hoisted Arlo off of the step stool when he was done. Don then helped the little boy with flushing and cleaning up and Lanh watched wistfully. He would have been such a good daddy to kids of their own, maybe their meeting with Karole was pre-ordained, maybe they were meant to help her with Krissy instead of their own children.

"All done!" cried Arlo cheerfully as he held his hands out for inspection.

"Good job!" replied Don as he inspected Arlo's tiny hands. "Let's get back in your bed, bug-a-boo." And with that Arlo dashed back into their sitting room and crawled into his little cot. Tam and Jake made sure that all grandparents were equipped with kid-cots for sleepovers. Arlo climbed into his cot that featured an attached sleeping bag adorned with dinosaurs while Don put on a couple pieces of wood on the fire. "Are you asleep yet?"

"Yes."

"Ok, see you in the morning. Auntie Lanh and I are right there if you need us," said Don pointing to the bedroom door.

"Story," said Arlo with a mischievous grin.

Don sighed. His doctorate was in education, he couldn't deny a child a chance to read no more than he could cut off his arm. His main philosophy in child education was to read a story to a child, every night and whenever else they ask, never let the TV do it for you, and to have the child read along with you. Don selected Arlo's current favorite "The Caterpillars Christmas," and sat down next to Arlo holding the book for Arlo to see. "Here's your words, Wiggle Wiggle Wiggle."

"Wigg-o wigg-o wigg-o!" Arlo repeated. And off they started into the magical story of a Caterpillar that wanted to see Santa Claus. As the story progressed the caterpillar moved about his milkweed plant and every time, he moved Don would point to the words on the page and Arlo would 'read' the words "Wigg-o wigg-o wigg-o" with a huge grin of accomplishment.

Lanh watched from the doorway and soon the hissing and snapping of the fire, the flickering lights from the little tree, and the story of the caterpillar that somehow survived to December put Arlo to sleep. Tears for a life that could have been trickled down her cheeks as she fell in love with Donovan again and cursed herself for her failure to provide him with their own baby.

Don barely made it to the part where the sleepy caterpillar decided what he would want for Christmas when Arlo was fully asleep. Don got up, tucked the tyke in, then went to his wife who stood by the door to the bedroom sniffing and pretending not to cry. Their playtime was over for tonight, it was just time to cuddle now. Finally, under the covers he held her close. "It's snowing," he whispered. She snuggled closer and tried to hide the shuddering brought on by her tears. "We can try to write your name in the snow... we always seem to get sidetracked when we try..."

"Stop," she whispered, "stop trying to make me feel good." It's been nearly a decade since they found out she couldn't bear children and although they've learned to live with it, it still hurts. She rolled over with her back to him, and when he pulled her close, she wiggled back against him to get closer until her tiny butt was flush against him. Soon her shuddering settled down and feeling secure, forgiven, and loved she drifted off to sleep. They were both asleep when Arlo crawled in bed with them.

꙳~~꙳~~꙳~~꙳~~꙳~~꙳~~꙳~~꙳~~꙳~~꙳~~꙳

"What are you doing?" hissed Kim-ly in the dark as Karole tried to dress using her cell phone as a light.

"Ah wanna see the cows! Ah ain't milked a cow in a forever or two," said Karole as she pulled her sweatpants over her baby belly.

"You're insane, it's freezing out there," Kim-ly pulled the quilt up over her nose and shivered thinking about the early dawn.

"Wuss," sneered Karole as she pulled a second pair of heavy wool socks over the heavy socks she was already wearing. Lanh has taught her how to dress for a Minnesota winter - layers covered by layers. "You sure you ain't coming?"

"I've been helping with milking for the past ten years, I have an exemption now and I'm going to be milking that," said Kim-ly as she pulled the blankets up.

Karole chuckled as she pulled on a sweater "You're exempt now?"

"The smell of cow shit makes me puke," the look on her face left no doubt in Karole's mind that Kim-ly left a few meals on the floor of Ralph's milking parlor.

"Ah sure hope ah don't upchuck on one of the girls," said Karole then looking at Kim-ly she asked, "what chu gonna name that little feller of yours anyhow?"

"I'm going to name him after his father," said Kim-ly then paused making Karole wait for it. "Handsome Stranger." Handsome Stranger was a roll played by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1979 movie "The Villian," he was named after his father.

Karole snerked a laugh then asked again, "So what are you really going to name him?"

"Danh," Kim-ly smiled.

"DON?" Karole almost shrieked the name out loud. After all, Kim-ly just said she was going to name her son after his father, and Kim-ly is just the kind of woman to hide the truth behind a joke.

"No, no, no. D-A-H-N, the name is 100% Vietnamese and so is the baby. Dahn means 'famous,' ok? No, I'm not going to tell you who his father is, but it's certainly not Don." Then she added with a wicked grin, "but close though."

"What do you mean?" Karole asked.

"Lanh tells it better than I do, you'll have to ask her," then she pulled her cover over her head and the only thing that she'd say after that was, "be sure to turn off the light."

Karole eased her way through the big old farmhouse, making her way to the kitchen she cut through the parlor, a room only used by Sandy when she practices her piano. The entire room harkened back to the 1930's with vintage furniture, a spinet piano, shelves of classic books, and a beautiful iron parlor stove. Even this room was decorated for Christmas with boughs of evergreen and holly. The walls were covered with photographs of Campbells past, proudly standing on the porch of this beautiful house or in front of farm equipment from yesteryear. "Ah wonder if my great grandma had a house like this," Karole murmured. "Nah, she prolly bedhopped from shack to shack an' taught my granny and momma how to live like that."

Karole's anger at her probable white trash ancestry descended into despair as Krissy started turning in her womb. "Oh damn," she groaned, "ah'm heading down the same damn path." She hadn't heard from Jayce since the day he came home with his girlfriend, a skank doper. Karole demanded that the skank wait out in the car and Jace punched Karole in the face. Now here she was, right where she didn't want to be, pregnant and alone in someone else's house. She continued to scan the walls and noticed a section of the wall dedicated to wedding photos. She found what looked to be a young Ralph marrying a beautiful young woman which had to be Don's mom. Then a picture of Ralph and Sandy, the joy just radiated off their faces.

Then there was a picture of Don and Lanh, so beautiful in her white ao dai, then another in her traditional white wedding gown, then another in a red ao dai. Don was with her in his black tux, and one in his dress blues... they were such kids! They were children playing dress up. There was one picture of the wedding that she loved, it showed the head table at the reception, the wedding party is split into pairs and they're smiling naturally so this wasn't a staged photo. She recognized Rosa and Bao, Tam and Jake, and of course Don and Lanh in the center, glowing with joy and Kim-ly was behind them, hugging them both, grinning into the camera. Just over her shoulder was a face shaped blob, kind of like a double exposure and someone was there from another shot. It's strange how Lanh kept that photo with that blob, it must be the smiles that everybody was wearing.

"Ah ain't never gonna be on a wall like that," said Karole sadly. She gently stroked her tummy and said "We're shore gonna git you a pretty weddin' dress and put your happy wedding picture on the wall little girl. The Krigbaum curse ends now!"

Still feeling sorry for herself she walked into the dark kitchen, only a small nightlight shown from under the cabinets to guide her. She heard a gurgle and realized the coffee machine was starting up and preparing the black elixir she craved. Somewhere in the house she could hear Ralph and Sandy getting out of bed. The phone rang, scaring the wits out of her, but Ralph picked it up upstairs. She wandered into Lanh's addition and found the fire cold, the artificial tree still glowing brightly, and Arlo's cot empty. She peeked through the open bedroom door and in the dim light of the Christmas lights around the window she spotted Arlo snuggled between Don and Lanh.

"Good morning beautiful," said Don quietly.

Karole started to withdraw from the doorway when she realized that Don was talking to her! She froze to her spot, terrified of retribution especially when Lanh said, "Who's there?"

"Karole's here," said Don as he leaned forward and kissed his bride of over a decade.

Lanh rolled and looked over her shoulder and saw Karole standing in the doorway and suddenly broke into a huge smile that radiated warmth and welcoming. The perfect antidote to the depression she had been working herself into. "Good morning gorgeous!" she whispered.

"Hey guys," Karole whispered, stunned. Beautiful? Gorgeous? At 4:00 AM?

"Hang on a second," Lanh disappeared into the bathroom and came out wearing her 'Blue Polys,' skintight navy-blue polyester thermal underwear. In the predawn gloom all that could be seen of Lanh was her head, hands and feet. The dark blue skintight underwear made her body and limbs disappear in the darkness. Don eased out of bed making sure not to wake Arlo and came up behind Lanh and began running his hands over her body. "Mmmmm, Dragon Lady, my favorite ninja. We meet again." He cupped her breasts and squeezed tight.

Lanh twisted in his grasp to face him and grabbed his crotch, in a bad accent she said "Sooo, agent Double Oh Seven and Five Eighths, you are here, so it begins." Karole was about to laugh but suddenly Don pulled Lanh tight against him, his fingers coiling in her raven hair, possessing her. He held her tight and pulled her hair, tipping her head back and their lips met with a hunger and passion that had Karole gasping. She's seen kisses like that in movies, but never in real life and definitely not with her lips in the starring role. Her mouth went dry with envy as Lanh writhed in her lover's arms, so she stepped out of the bedroom doorway and returned to the kitchen.

When Don and Lanh joined Karole she was standing over the coffee machine with a cup in her hand, waiting anxiously for the last drip to complete its fall. Lanh came up behind her and gave her a tight hug. "Feels like the baby's awake."

"I guess..." muttered Karole, "I know I am."

"I'm sorry," whispered Lanh, "did we embarrass you?"

"No," said Karole softly while staring at the coffee maker, her words were just barely audible. "It's just... your kiss... Lawd... it was so fucking hot."

"Did it disturb you?"

"In... in a way ah haven't been disturbed in ages." Karole sadly rubbed her growing stomach.

"Oh darling," said Lanh sadly as she hugged Karole from behind. "He didn't kiss me like that to make you feel bad," she snuggled as close to her statuesque friend as she could, "he did it to make me horny."

Karole's reaction was drowned out by the sound of Don spraying his mouthful of orange juice over the kitchen counter. Lanh and Karole glared at Don, then went back to their conversation. "Men just don't think sometimes..."

"You can say that again," said Sandy who just stepped into the kitchen. "What did he do this time?" she stood cross armed and used her Mom Voice, the voice that children of any age cannot deny.

"Why is it always my fault?"

"Because you're a man," said Sandy.

"Oh... nothin'," sighed Karole. "They wuz gettin' all mushy and I got... lonely."

"They weren't doing the Dragon Lady and the Secret Agent game, were they?" asked Ralph as he dug out two insulated mugs out of the clean dishes in the dishwasher.

"Yeah they wuz."

Ralph chuckled, "They started that game back in high school, and they thought we didn't catch on to what they were up to." He knew full well that the Dragon Lady and Agent Double Oh Seven and Five Eighths was foreplay. He and Lanh's parents were worried that they were having sex, but the two kids were eighteen and there was nothing they could do about it. Just as long as they graduated...

"Ah didn't mean nothin' by it..." Karole started to apologize.

"Shush you," said Lanh putting a fingertip on Karole's lips. "We were getting frisky, and you were embarrassed, and we apologize, don't we Don."

Don wanted to say, 'I have nothing to apologize for,' but Lanh's glare and commanding tone of voice made that a bad choice. He merely said "Yes we do. Now if you people don't mind, I have breakfast to create. Git outta my kitchen... please?"

"Are you coming with Karole?" asked Ralph as he, Sandy and Lanh put their jackets on, "we may have to put you to work. Gary our foreman can't make it this morning."

"Ah ain't afraid o' no work," she said as she zipped up her parka. "Ah hope he's feelin' better soon."

"Oh no, he's feeling fine," said Sandy as she opened the kitchen door revealing a white wall of snow, "he just couldn't get out of his driveway."

Karole's face was a study in astonishment, she's never seen a flake of snow in her life before yesterday, her expression caused Don to start laughing. "Don't make fun," warned Lanh and she gave Don a kiss.

"Put the rope up," he said sternly and handed her a coiled length of clothesline rope.

"Yes daddy," and with a final kiss she stepped out connected a snap swivel on one end of the rope to a loop on the house, then headed out into the snow.

Karole found herself in a world she didn't realize existed. The snow flowed softly down from the sky and piled up in waves and drifts throughout the farmyard. Already knee deep it looked like the snow would never stop. She stopped to scoop up a handful and packed it into a snowball, but the ball fell apart. "Ah think this isn't snow," she said as she tried another snowball.

"It's too cold to make a snowball," Lanh informed her.

"Then what's the good in havin' it?" sighed Karole as she watched her snowball fall apart.

"Come on, we have cows to feed!" Karole followed Lanh to the barn where Lanh connected the other end of the rope to a loop on the barn then they went to the milking parlor and got the parlor ready for the cows. It didn't take long to prepare the milking parlor, but Lanh's priority was getting feed for the cows and Karole was helping. They hauled down several bales of hay but set them aside, those are for later. They spent the morning feeding the girls in the milking stalls silage while they were being milked, then they cleaned out the stalls with scalding hot water, flushed out the sewage (why do cows always poop in the barn?) and then when Ralph and Sandy were finished with the last cows, they sterilized the milking equipment. Their last chore was to set the bales of hay out for the cows to munch on between milkings.

Finally, Ralph indicated a return to the farmhouse was in order and they headed back to the house guided by the Clothesline rope that Lanh had set out. By now the snow volume had increased and if the rope wasn't set, they could have missed the house. Ralph's rule of thumb: if you can't see the house and the rope isn't up, you stay in the barn until you can see the house. Many a Minnesota farmer has died in that 100-yard walk from the barn to the house. The wind comes up and the farmer gets turned around in the blizzard and freezes to death.

"Mah footsteps have filled in with snow," gasped Karole as she trudged through the ever-deepening snow. She had hoped to follow her footsteps that led out to the barn, but they were all filled with snow and were now just dimples in the powdery surface.

"Follow behind me," said Lanh whose legs were much shorter than Karole's, "and just pray the wind doesn't come up in the next few minutes." Lanh has had years of practice fighting Minnesota winters, so she led a wobbly Karole and a chuckling Ralph and Sandy back to the house into the warmth of the mudroom where they drop their winter gear and Lanh put the coiled up rope back under the bench. Even the mudroom was decorated with lights and garland providing a festive and warm welcome into the house. Karole sat on a bench and Lanh helped Karole off with the USAF issued mukluks that she borrowed from Don.

"Them canvas boots are toasty warm!" said Karole as Lanh pulled them off.

"They're much better than my snowmobile boots," said Lanh. Then she turned to Ralph, "can we take out the Ski Doo later?"

"If that husband of yours can get it started," smiled Ralph who was already heading for the coffee pot.

The mudroom has two benches facing each other, Sandy sat across from Karole and patted the tall blond's knee. "You did incredible out there this morning, and believe me, I know how tough it is carrying a little one."

"Ah'll admit, ah'm a touch outta practice," said Karole. "It's been a few years since I had ta scrape cow shit off mah boots."

"You're a farm girl?" asked Sandy, her elegant eyebrows shot up.

"This lil' ol' country accent ain't just for show," said Karole as she squirmed out of the parka. "The best part of mah questionable upbringin' was spent scrapin' up after incontinent cows."

"Hurry up you two," called Lanh as she hung her parka and disappeared into the kitchen.

"I need to ask you a question," said Sandy, a look of dark concern passed over her face. "I've been watching the way that Don dotes over you and looks at you when Lanh isn't around, and you don't have to answer, and if you want to hit me, go ahead..."

"Ah ain't gonna hit ya," said Karole. She knew what the question was going to be.

Sandy was blunt. "Is Don the father of your baby?"

That wasn't the question Karole was expecting. She was expecting Sandy to ask why shithead left her or something like that. She was stunned to silence at first, but she answered, "Lawd no. But sometimes ah wish he was!" Karole smiled, but her smile quickly faded. "Krissy was conceived in Denver jus' before ah moved to Greeley. Ah guess you kin say she's my housewarming present... Krissy's father runned off on us the day ah tol' him he's a daddy, and that position is open... ah think he and Lanh are going to take the job..." She scoffed and shook her head sadly. "Or they're going to try..." She sniffed back a growing tear, "... for a while anyhow. In the end everyone leaves..." and that fuzzy, mind warping depression that accompanies her in the dark of the night descended.

"Hey!" Sandy nearly shouted; her call woke Karole out of her gloom, then she softened, "I just wanted to make sure." She put a concerned hand on Karole's knee. "I'm sorry if I offended you."

"Naw, it's ok, it's what happens when you're like me..." she gestured to her belly where Krissy rested, "all alone 'n stuff... Mah momma would answer those questions with just one finger, and a puff of her Marlboro."

"Do not think you're alone. I know Mai and Duong made you an offer, and I'm going to repeat it. If you want a big, goofy Irish-Norwegian-Vietnamese family, you're more than welcome here, we WANT you here. Ok? You can be a Nguyen or a Campbell or a Krigbaum or Jane Doe. You can have a life here where you can start over. There's a big hospital in town and with your credentials you can get a job there. Besides, Kim-ly is going to need some help with her little one, her baby's father left her too."

"That's so tempting, ah'm tied to a house now but it feels so good knowing ah have a safety net."

"You're going to have some dark days ahead, and sometimes just talking it out with someone helps more than you know. I want you to call me every week, OK?"

"Are you sure? When ah git on a roll ah kin talk your ear off," Karole said, now fighting back some tears, but these were tears of relief. She's not used to someone giving a damn about her.

"I raised four girls by myself, I know how bad it can be, and how wonderful it is." Sandy rose then held her hands out to help Karole up. "Promise me, or I will call you every day until you remember."

"Ah promise," sighed Karole.

"Ok, let's go get some breakfast."

Sandy led Karole into the kitchen where they found Don hugging a shivering Lanh. When Don saw Karole, he held out a hand inviting her to join their hug. She reached out to him and both he and Lanh pulled Karole into the hug near the heat of the oven. The group hug went on for a long time until Karole finally said, "What are we doing here?"

"Waiting for the stove timer," answered Don.

Lanh thumped him on the chest with an open hand. "Way to ruin a moment, darling."

"Y'all just crazy," laughed Karole as she broke free and headed to the coffee pots. Don had set up two pump pots, one with "Unleaded" (defcaf) for Karole, Kim-ly, and Sandy, and "Premium" (Caffinated) for Lanh, Don, and Ralph).

"I thought you didn't like cream and sugar," remarked Don as he watched Karole prepare her coffee.

"Ah don't, but Krissy sure do. She's gonna be one milk drinkin' little booger." Karole eased into a chair at the kitchen table and considered the sugar bowl. It was crystal and filled with Christmas sugar, large crystal sugar, the kind you would use on a cookie, a mix of clear, red, and green crystals. "Y'all even decorate the sugar here, y'all tryin' to convert a Grinch like me?"

Sandy sipped her decaf and smiled, "I have the same cross to bear as Lanh, I married a Grinch, but I think I have him converted. He had all the exterior lights up before we went down to Colorado for Thanksgiving with you."

"Ah ain't never done a Christmas with all the fixin's. Ah suppose y'all have a who-beast dinner with razzleberry dressing, and everybody holds hands and sings Wah-hoo Doraze?"

"This isn't Whoville," said Lanh as she hugged Karole from behind and sat next to her. "We sing Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer."

"Razzleberry dressing?" said Don as he brought the breakfast casserole to the table. Then he remembered the reference to Mr. Magoo's Christmas cartoon and smiled, "I'm sure we can arrange something." As soon as Don started dishing up breakfast Kim-ly breezed into the kitchen. "Well! Look who shows up now that the work is all done."

"Is all the work done?" she asked innocently as she pushed the button on top of the pot for her coffee, "I missed it again?" She eased into her seat at the table. "I am so, so sorry." Her voice dripped of insincerity.

Don set a plate in front of Kim-ly and loaded it up with the casserole made from scrambled eggs, cheese, hashbrowns and sausage, and accompanied it with a pair of biscuits. "As always, your timing is impeccable, can I get you anything else?"

"Got any S.O.S?"

"Here you go," and placed a saucepan full of sausage gravy in front of her. Eyes wide with delight, Kim-ly proceeded to drown her casserole with the gravy.

"That's quite a bit, young lady," warned Sandy. Grandma Sandy was always on her daughters' collective case about proper nutrition and portion control, especially when pregnant. And this advice was extended to her Nguyen "daughters" also.

"I can't stand the stuff," Kim-ly lied, "But Danh loves it. I'm bribing him so maybe he won't raise a fuss over dinner tonight."

"Ah hear ya," chimed Karole, she's had several meals ruined by waves of nausea out of nowhere, and cravings for foods she's always hated. She blamed these occurrences on Krissy. "Ah can't wait until this one is born, as soon as ah kin stand ah'm walkin to the nearest pizza joint an gittin' me a dozen Buffalo Wings with bleu cheese an eatin' em all in front of her."

"Speaking of kids," said Lanh, "I'm being paged." She had heard Arlo fussing in the bedroom. "Be right back..." and she headed off to her suite to check on Arlo. While she was gone there was good natured discussion of Lanh's "Mom Ears." When Don had nearly finished breakfast she returned and said "Uncle Don? You're being paged."

"Why? What did I do?"

"Someone hates to take a bath alone." That was something Lanh could relate to, when she was a child, she was tiny, and she wasn't allowed to bathe alone. When they lived in Minneapolis Tam was always there for her because Bao and Kim-ly played with her like she was a toy and was way too rough with her. When she was able to bathe alone it was both a luxury and very, very lonely.

Behind her a naked two-year-old appeared and pleaded "Unka Dawn! You need bath."

"Tell him why," prodded Lanh with an innocent smile.

"You sinky from cows!" causing roars of laughter from those gathered around the table. Arlo grinned and basked in the laughter; a comedian was born. With a sigh, Don rose and allowed a naked little Arlo to lead him by the finger to the big bathtub that awaited, all the while Don tried to explain to Arlo that he didn't go milking, it was Aunty Lanh that was stinky from cows. "No, YOU stinky from cows!"

"I think Aunty Lanh should help us, what do you think?"

"Yeah!" Arlo was clearly happy with that idea.

Once Lanh and Don led Arlo to the bathtub, Sandy looked at Karole with a very serious expression, "I don't know how much you know about Don and Lanh, but this Christmas is their anniversary."

"Ah thought they got married in May," said a confused Karole.

Sandy shook her head. "How do I say this... Christmas is when they met, it's when they realized their feelings for each other... it's also when they lost their daughter..." She started to tear up then composed herself.

As she was collecting herself Ralph said, "Fifteen years ago we had a storm," looking at Karole he added, "a real storm, not flurries like today. Lanh, Kim-ly and Bao had come out to decorate the tree and were trapped here until Christmas evening when their family came out and joined us for dinner."

"My brother played a trick on Don," Kim-ly smiled. "Don asked Bao to teach him how to say 'I give you this gift with great affection' in Vietnamese. Being a wiseass Bao taught him how to say, 'I love you,' and the rest is history."

"What... what happened?" Karole was confused over the situation.

"Ok, picture this, you're sixteen and a guy you've only known for a couple of weeks, your study buddy, your first real friend outside of your family, very, very politely hands you a gift and says Karole I love you."

"And you did nothing to stop him, did you?" Karole demanded. Kim-ly responded with an innocent shrug. "What did Lanh do?" Karole's face was a mask of deep concern for her friend mixed with a bit of enjoyment of a good story.

"She looked scared as hell, and to make matters worse, thanks to Bao he was offering her a gift in a way that refusing the gift would be a grave insult. Of course, Don didn't know about that part either."

"No!" gasped Karole.

Kim-ly smiled, "Inside she's freaking out, she's 'OHMYGOD OHMYGOD OHMYGOD what do I do? What do I do? What Do I Do?' She's all 'YAAAAYYYY!' and 'I need to run away!' at the same time." Kim-ly provided her narration with appropriately energetic expressions and gestures. "But on the outside she accepted the gift calmly and ignored the I love you part, and they went into the kitchen and made a ton of lefsa." Kim-ly was now feeling shock realizing that it's been a decade and a half since that day. How could it be so long ago?

"I've known Don since he was Krissy's age," Sandy pointed at Karole's belly, "I was friends with his mother, and I met Lanh right after her family moved here. I love those two like they were my own, that's why I demand there will be no accidents or incidents while they're here." She glared at Kim-ly.

For her part Kim-ly looked guilty. She filled her mouth with the last bite of her breakfast and her eyes rolled side to side between Karole and Sandy. "Yes, I'm talking to you Miss Walking Down The Stairs in Heels, you could have lost the baby with a fall!"

"Sorry," she said softly around her mouthful of sausage gravy.

"And You!" she locked Ralph in her stare, "No cutting down a tree this year! This is not going to be the Christmas that someone cuts off a leg or an arm with a chainsaw! Go buy a tree at the hardware store from the boy scouts"

"Don isn't going to like that; it's traditional to head back to the woods on the tractor..." Ralph said. It was a weak argument, but it was all that he had.

Sandy sighed, "Tell him it's a new tradition."

By the time the children began arriving for "Aunt Lanh's Tree" the snow had slowed, and Lanh had plowed the driveway and plenty of parking on the front lawn with the old Ford tractor and the drag plow. The John Deere had been moved up into the hay loft, the wheel ruts in the snow that it left on the earthen ramp to the hay loft would eventually become parallel sled runs for the Nguyen grandkids and several of Sandy's grandchildren when they visited from Mankato.

For her part Karole was overwhelmed by the kids. The only child in her life was still curled up in her womb, so when a sea of little Asian faces studied her wordlessly, she felt overwhelmed. So far, the only Nguyen kiddos she has met were Arlo, the youngest, and Chau the oldest. Rosa's daughter Chau, a twelve-year-old that taught Karole how to run the cash register at the restaurant.

Now they gathered in a group and stared at Karole as the blond relaxed in "Grandpa Ralph's Recliner." If they spoke it was in hushed voices as they spoke in Vietnamese to each other. Finally, Kim-ly looked up from her magazine and addressed Karole's audience. Sophia (Rose's youngest daughter) and Chip (Tam's oldest son) were speaking in hushed voices, they said something that caused giggles and Kim-ly put her foot down. "Ok, that's just rude you guys! If you're going to talk about someone you could at least speak in a language she can understand!"

"But then she'll know what we're saying!" complained Chip.

"That's the point wise guy. If you're going to talk about someone, they need to know what you're saying so they can slap your sassy mouth when it needs a slap." This caused the seven kids to start giggling. Kim-ly continued, "If you're such a tough guy, then go ahead and ask her... go on!"

Chip stepped forward and after summoning up a lot of seven-year-old courage finally said, "Are you Aunty Angela's sister?" This caused a wave of giggles among his brothers and cousins.

"Well, ah don't rightly know. Ah don't think Aunty Angela and ah have been properly introduced. Is she from down south too?"

"Un huh!" nodded Sophia causing her ebony locks to wave. "She's from Fargo!"

"Fargo?" This produced laughter from Karole.

"Up here, Fargo is considered down south," said Aunt Kim-ly.

"Ah'm from 'way down south, 'way down where Mickey Mouse lives about a three-hour drive from my hometown." Karole was referring to Disney World, a reference that was not lost on the kids. From their expressions the kids now clearly believe that she grew up in the Promised Land of childhood.

"Do you know Minnie Mouse?" asked an astonished four-year-old Ahn, who is Bao and Ahnjong's daughter. Her twin brother Him-Chan was speechless with envy, this blond clone of their Aunt Angela had Been There! She's seen the Promised Land!

"Ah met Mickey and Minnie, and Goofy, and Pluto, and even Buzz Lightyear, but that was a long time ago, ah doubt they remember me."

"Ask her about snow," grinned Kim-ly who loved to stir the pot.

After much thought Liam asked, "Did you go sledding when you were little?"

"No, we didn't have no hills, an' we didn't have no snow," said Karole. "We prolly don't have a winter like you're used to down in Dixie."

"No snow?" gasped the children. This woman was obviously crazy, she might as well have said they have no water or no air. Snow is a fact of life to Minnesota children and to deny its existence is heresy of the highest order. "What do you do for Christmas?" gasped Sophia.

"We do what you people do in the summer, we have a barbeque, we play softball, and if it's warm we'll go down to the river an go fishin'. Before today, ah ain't never seen snow in my life."

The children gasped in horror and shock.

In the kitchen, Tam, Angela, Anhjong, and Rosa chatted with Don and Lanh while Ralph and Sandy fussed with sandwiches for the kid's lunch. Soon they had the big dining room table set for the youngsters who led their new friend "Aunty Karole" to the table. "Momma!" called Chau, "Aunt Karole says she never saw snow before!"

The rest of the children laughed. "She so funny!" chimed Arlo.

"She probably hasn't," said Rosa who was working hard to make sure that each child got the right sandwich. For small creatures that will gnaw through anything made with sugar like a chainsaw going through cardboard, they're surprisingly picky eaters.

"She talks funny," announced Liam.

"She probably thinks you talk funny too," he was gently chided by an older version of Lanh that appeared from the kitchen. Karole looked at the woman and wondered why she wasn't in the movies.

"You and me, let's talk later," smiled Tam. Her smile radiated a wisdom that was far too deep for a woman of her meager years. Karole's mouth went dry, she had an audience with the true matriarch of this gathering! She could barely nod her head in agreement.

Two more people entered, a striking large, busted blond and a tall Asian male, Kim-ly tugged Karole's shoulder. "Ok, everyone's here, time for introductions, stand up," said Kim-ly and coaxed Karole up out of her chair. She stood next to Karole and announced, "Everyone, this is my baby-buddy Karole!" and for emphasis she rubbed Karole's swelling tummy. "Let me introduce you to everyone," Then as quickly as a country auctioneer she said, "Karole, this is Tam and Jake with Chip, Liam and Arlo, Huy and Ahnjong with Ahn and Him-chan, Bao and Rosa with Chau and Sophia, and showing up dead-ass last is Trung and Angela. There'll be a quiz later, you're on your own," and she plopped down and started to eat half of a sandwich she took off of Liam's plate leaving Karole standing in stunned silence.

"Wait, what?" Karole looked confused but amused at the same time.

"Ohhhh sister!" squealed Angela. She ran with tiny steps around the table and threw her arms around Karole. "Finally! Another blond in this family! I've been so alone!" Like Karole, Trung's wife Angela had long flowing blond hair, although a couple shades darker, and also like Karole she was large busted, but unlike Karole she was five-foot five standing five inches shorter than her husband and eight inches shorter than Karole.

"Wait! Ah didn' marry nobody!" Karole exclaimed. "How did ah suddenly become a... a..."

"Go on, say it," grinned Don. "I dare ya."

"A... a..." Karole saw the glare that the matriarch, Tam, gave her which also said, "I dare ya" but not in a good way. She looked around the room in terror.

"Say it," said Angela who was still holding Karole, "we're all family here."

"A YANKEE!" she wailed in anguish causing the adults to roar with laughter.

"Just you wait, eh?" said Huy mimicking a Norwegian accent. "Ya sure, we soon haf you makin' lefsa and drinking Folgers in a Lootrin church, eh? Uff da!"

"Yankee?" shouted a shocked Chau, at twelve she was as big if not a bigger a sports fan than both of her sports crazy parents Rosa and Bao combined. In anger she exclaimed, "We're all Twins fans here!"

꙳~~꙳~~꙳~~꙳~~꙳~~꙳~~꙳~~꙳~~꙳~~꙳~~꙳

Karole rode with Lanh and Don to the hardware store for the tree, and soon they were at the tree lot, a large tent was set up in the hardware store parking lot, live trees were sorted by type and height and the scent of the trees was nearly overwhelming to Karole. Lanh hung on her arm, and they wandered through the tent taking in the essence of the season. Chestnuts were being roasted, the choir from the Lutheran church was singing "Ding Dong Merrily on High" and kids lined up to see Santa who had a real reindeer in a paddock behind his throne.

Christmas in small town America, it was as real as you wanted it to be. Karole was sure they had things like this in Georgia when she was a child, she heard her friends talking about them, but her mother was too drunk and too broke to indulge Karole so for her Christmas was a poorly wrapped pair of socks and maybe a doll or two from the dollar store and something on TV while her mom and her current "paramour" nursed their hangovers.

Damn them.

The children were seriously played out when Don, Lanh, and Karole returned to Campbell's farm with a 71/2 Balsam fir in the back of the pickup truck. The kids had been sledding down the tractor ramp on the back of the barn so Don and Bao were able set up the tree in relative peace while the kids watched Rudolph and Frosty the Snowman on TV. Karole and Kim-ly were snuggled up on the couch with Lanh between them, they were wrapped in handmade quilts, and Karole's quilt weighed a ton! Sandy explained that instead of normal batting, this quilt was filled with old sheets. That made it so much heavier but considerably warmer too. Mai and Duong snuggled together in the love seat, Sandy and Ralph rested in their recliners after the evening milking that Trung and Huy helped with, and Karole watched them watching their children and grandchildren prepare the house for Christmas.

To Karole the whole day was a scene from a movie she could watch, but it reflected a completely alien experience for her. It was something she always hungered for - a huge loving family brought together in love and mutual respect, celebrating traditions that began organically because it felt good to do it, and no other reason. Traditions like the girls making lefse while the guys arrange the furniture and set up the tree, like hoisting the smallest grandchild up to put the angel on top of the tree, like adding one more piece to the train every year (this year was people for the station platform), like building Kim-ly's tunnel for Don's train, like watching Rudolph and Frosty the Snowman while eating popcorn with the kids.

As the darkness outside deepened and the tree became a work of art while Don and Bao carefully placed the old school tinsel on each branch of the tree, Karole realized Lanh was nudging her. "You ok?" Lanh asked.

Karole suddenly realized she was crying, again. "Um, yeah... I'm fine." She wiped her eyes with the tissue that Lanh gave her. "I guess it's just hormones," she lied.

"You're an awful liar. What's really wrong?" Karole just looked away but with surprising firmness Lanh put a soft little hand on Karole's chin and turned Karole's head, so they were eye to eye again. "Let's go," and she urged Karole up and led her to the parlor followed by most of the women in the family. They seated Karole in a comfortable chair and Sandy offered her a cup of tea, and Lanh continued, "This is a no judgement zone, anything you say is fair game and I won't think anything less of you. This is Vagas, what's said here stays her, now what's wrong?"

Karole looked like she was going to burst into a storm of tears. "This," she whispered. "All of this."

Lanh thought that Karole was either evading the question or that the Nguyen/Campbell mob felt like a threat to her. "Explain."

"All of this, the smiles, the kids, the... the... the love! Ah ain't never had nuttin' like this. Y'all so nice and considerate, sweet and lovin' to each other." Lanh had asked her to explain, now Karole couldn't hold back. Once the dam is breeched, you can't put the water back in the pond. The torrent started and she couldn't stop and soon Sandy and Mai were there handing her tissues and the tears flowed. Lanh, Sandy, Mai, and now Kim-Ly simply clustered around knowing that letting it out was the best thing she could do.

"An' ah seen some of the gifts you git each other, and it's not the gift, it's jes you talk to each other and find out what each other or each other's kids likes and does and wants to do... you care! Know what ah got for Christmas when ah was ten? Ignored. Mah momma and her new beau drove down to St. Augustine for three days and left me in a mobile home with a pantry full of canned soup and a box of pop-tarts."

She thought of the Norman Rockwell-esque scene she saw, the kids laying on the floor playing Candy Land, Jake sitting by the fire reading a Christmas story from a braille book to Arlo and Him-chan, Don, Bao and Huy decorating the tree, Ralph and Trung playing cribbage in the adjacent dining room, and Angela appeared behind Karole to gently rub her shoulders just because she looked stressed. "Ah ain't used to this!" Karole almost shouted. "Ain't no one threatened to punch no one, they ain't no stack a' empty Bud Lite cans nowhere, no hound peeing on the couch, ain't no kids with black eyes and bloody noses. I ain't sayin' that's the south, ah'm sayin that's the trash I grew up with, ah know fer sure you got the same kinda folk up here 'cause I almost married one."

Mai patted Karole's hand and said, "So what is the problem? Six words, boil it down to that."

Karole's tears had stopped as she vented, but now as she paused her eyes welled up with tears again. "Ah don't deserve none of this."

The women paused; how do you answer that? Sandy knew the answer. "It's ok to feel that way honey," she said as she gently stroked Karole's hand, "because you're absolutely right. None of us deserve this, and sometimes we forget that and think we're entitled to it."

"What... what do you mean?" Karole sniffed.

"Oh, without getting all 'churchy' on you, think of your life, how many times have you done or said something wrong, all those little somethings add up in our soul - or in the back of our mind, and we realize 'by gosh I'm awful!' that's just being honest with ourselves."

Karole shrugged and nodded while Lanh wiped the tears off of her cheeks.

Sandy continued, "so every now and then we have these occasions to get together and celebrate. Christmas, Independence Day, Halloween... and we do it to purge those nasty old feelings, but we also do it to make up for the reasons behind those feelings. It's a way to say 'I'm sorry for being a jerk to you' without actually having to say it. Does this make any sense to you?"

Karole nodded sadly then said, "ah guess ah'm jealous of all y'all having these perfect, sweet relationships, growin' up normal..."

Tam and Kim-ly looked at each other over the saddened Karole. "Should I tell her?" asked Kim-ly.

"This room is kind of like Vegas, or maybe a confessional. Heart to heart talks happen here, rule of the parlor is that anything can be said, no harm no foul, but what is said here stays here," said Tam with a serious scowl. Even though she was wearing the Santa beard and hat, there was an air about her that radiated her serious mood.

"You've said that," nodded Karole. "So am I in trouble?"

"No," said Tam leaning over and patted Lanh on her knee, "we just want you to know that you're not alone."

"When Tam was fifteen, she was gorgeous," started Kim-ly.

"She is now," interrupted Karole. She found Tam to be beautiful, her slim figure was perfectly proportioned, and her skin was without blemish. She's woman in her 30's who has three boys and a disabled husband, holds a position of power at the local university and there's not even a wrinkle on her forehead. From the floor up she was perfect, tiny feet, her legs were slim and beautiful, not a hint of cellulose on her thighs, small round bubble butt, slim waist and flat tummy, B-cup breasts to die for, and thick black hair without a gray in sight. If Karole were still interested in women, she'd be asking Tam for her phone number right now.

"You should have seen her before she let herself go," grinned Kim-ly. Seeing disinterested stares from Karole and Tam she shrugged and continued. "When she was a kid, she was gorgeous and cute, and awesome. You'd never know that she raised Lanh for seven years, graduated high school at 12 with a 4.0, and had her BA at 15 'cause she was always smiling..."

Normally Tam doesn't smile, she's got a bit of a resting bitch face, but Karole knows that when Tam smiles, her smile can light up a room. "Wait," said Karole, "Tam raised Lanh?"

"I don't know, ma had issues that we won't get into," Kim-ly shrugged trying desperately to change the subject. "Anyhow..."

"I took care of Lanh for her because she had her hands full with Kim-ly and Bao terrorizing the house," said Tam. "Those two were more trouble than a dozen drunk bikers."

Undaunted Kim-ly continued on. "So here's gorgeous, cute, awesome fifteen year old university student Tam Nguyen, tearing up her classwork and becoming the darling of the applied sciences division. She's got so many textbooks and notebooks that it wasn't unusual to see her trucking around the campus pulling a little wagon filled with all her books 'n shit..."

As Kim-ly spoke, Tam was transported back to a time she consciously suppressed. Although she loved caring for Lanh, her little sister/daughter was eventually strong enough to enter public school as long as "Momma Tam" was home for her at the end of their school day. Quite often, when Lanh's tiny body was exhausted from her day of learning her ABC's and she went to bed, Tam would sneak out to a study group which met in her uncle's restaurant.

There was a 20-year-old man in the study group that took a liking to fifteen-year-old Tam, Dante Pederson always complimented her and treated her nicely, and while she didn't need help with her studies, he was always there to assist. Best of all he gave her rides in his car. It was a beautiful black '72 Camaro with wide gray racing stripes on the hood and trunk, five spoke mag wheels, and when he hit the gas, the roar sounded like it rose from the depths of hell. It was the finest example of American Iron that daddy's money could buy. It was so cool.

Dante took his insanely beautiful partner anywhere she wanted to go, and she couldn't wait until she was eighteen so she could legitimately date this boy, she was sure Duong and Mai would love him, but Dante had no desire to wait so, like he did with all the other young girls in his life, he dumped her. But first, like all the other young girls in his life, he raped her.

She awoke from the nightmare standing on a street corner in downtown Minneapolis, shivering, weeping, freezing. An older couple tried to help but Tam was so distraught that only Vietnamese would come out of her mouth when she spoke, and when they tried to zip up her jacket she panicked and ran blindly and after what seemed like miles, she somehow ended up at the place she always ran for solace: Grandma Tri's house.

Neither Tam nor Grandma Tri ever told anyone about that day and overnight she became fearful and mirthless. Everyone that knew her saw the change, but Tam's silence was absolute, she only spoke in class when called on and she spoke with Lanh who had her own problems as she navigated the horrors of second grade. Many thought the reason Tam became cold and silent was because her parents wanted to strike out on their own and were moving to a small town out in the woods. Tam delt with that issue by burying herself in her studies and taking lessons in Vovinam, the Vietnamese art of self-defense, and Muay Thai, the art of offense. She changed her major to psychology to figure out her own inner turmoil without having to speak to someone. With these studies she soon became an expert at analyzing a person's psychological make-up, and at turning them into a quivering heap of bruises and broken bones if they dare touch her.

Tam became even more sullen, unwilling to break out of her self-imposed shell of self-loathing and self-pity. She didn't actually hate men, however she feared them, and she had no liking for women either. How many wonderful suitors did she scare away because of her fear of what happened to her? The only man she truly hated was Dante Pederson, who in a fit of drunken bravado raped her one day. One day on the anniversary of her rape she tracked down Dante Pederson and beat him until he stopped trying to get away. She confessed to the police and EMTs that she was the one who crippled him for life, and they laughed. A tiny seventeen-year-old girl did this? She was obviously covering for someone. For her part Tam assumed that causing him pain like the pain that he caused her would be cathartic, but it only made matters worse. The only people she could talk to were her mother and Lanh, Kim-ly and her brothers were too busy to care, and her poor father was heartbroken that his baby girl drew away from him with every touch and he blamed himself.

People avoided the silent, brooding beauty who roared through her undergraduate studies and into grad school earning numerous academic awards along with black belts. Her self-imposed emotional isolation ended when her younger sister Kim-ly came to her in tears and said, "Please don't beat me up, but I've got to talk to somebody!" Had she become a threat to her own family? That thought was as shocking as what Kim-ly revealed to her. Like Tam five years earlier, Kim-ly was a young teen in college, much younger than her classmates but acting like a seasoned veteran, and she too had been raped by an older classmate.

Together the sisters worked at mutual healing and getting Kim-ly a black belt, unfortunately the family had moved to Grant Valley and Tam and Kim-ly were separated by a two-hour drive. Women react to the horrors of rape differently, where Tam had become sullen and silent after her trauma, Kim-ly became more outgoing and sexual, almost daring someone to touch her so she could either fuck them senseless or break their arm. Kim-ly was always outgoing but now she was more so. The only man that was worried about the change was her twin brother Bao.

Bao and Kim-ly did everything together, from schoolwork to social interactions; they went out on double dates together and when there were no hot prospects to entertain them, they dated each other. Tam was sure they gave their virginity to each other.

When ma and ba moved the family to Grant Valley, Tam and Huy remained in Minneapolis to finish their post grad studies thus separating her from her "daughter" Lanh. Tam did everything she could to help Lanh and Kim-ly long distance because helping her sisters aided in her own healing, but it wasn't the same. Kim-ly became more outgoing, and Lanh retreated into an emotional shell that nearly cost her life. Tam saw her beauty as a curse and was looking for a man who wouldn't notice her beauty and see her for what is inside, and she screwed up by telling Kim-ly...

"So, I figure I'd hook Tam up with her very own Prince Charming," Kim-ly cheerfully told Karole as she brought the story of Lanh, Tam and Kim-ly to a close. "There was this fellow on the faculty right there in her own little schoolhouse..."

"That schoolhouse covers fifteen acres and has a faculty of over four hundred," growled Tam.

Kim-ly continued as if Tam hadn't spoken, "The point is, Mr. Perfect was right there! They actually knew each other for a couple of years but NEITHER of them had the guts to ask the other out." Kim-ly smiled in a self-congratulatory manner and said, "Lucky for the both of them, I had the guts to ask. I set them up and the rest, as they say, is history." She stood and took a deep sweeping bow.

"You set us up for dinner at the Rain Forest Café!" growled Tam. "I had to describe a million things going on and he could barely hear what I was saying because of the damn waterfalls."

"Just part of a well-engineered plan," said Kim-ly smugly. "There is so much noise, so much going on that you'd have to spend the evening describing everything to him and you had to be close so he could hear you. All just part of a brilliant plan," she emphasized this by making a circle with her thumb and index finger with her left hand, and repeatedly drew her right index finger in and out of the hole while giving Karole a broad wink.

"And that was your idea all along?" demanded Tam.

"Well... I had a coupon," Kim-ly shrugged.

"Honey," Tam said to Karole with uncharacteristic warmth, "the point is, there's someone out there for you..."

"Stop!" Karole shook her head and held up a hand. "Y'all kin save that little speech for when ah'm not feeling like a bloated whale, ah'll need it an' appreciate it then, right now ah'm just overwhelmed with all this... Christmas! Ah ain't never seen such a thang!"

Tam and Kim-ly looked at each other in shock, what could possibly be wrong with Christmas? Finally, Kim-ly asked "How do you normally celebrate Christmas?"

Karole shrugged. "Ah dunno, have a barbeque fer one, someone in the neighborhood would rent a bouncy house so all the kids go an' jump up an' down till we puke, oh! an' Christmas kicks off softball season for the kids so there's always games..."

Kim-ly and Tam looked at her dumbfounded. "Girl, you just described the fourth of July but without the fire works!"

"Wall, there's fireworks too, ah remember one Christmas where momma's beau Cletus... or was it Darryl Joe? No wait! It were Uncle Shivers, he got t' drankin and he darn near blew his whole hand off 'cause he were so dern drunk he fergot t' throw the cherry bomb! He an' momma were soooo fuckered up..." Like Lanh, Tam, and Kim-ly when excited Karole's accent came back with a vengeance.

"Uncle Shivers?" asked Kim-ly, her mouth hanging open in shock.

"Yeah, I think his real name was Cuthbert... yeah Cuthbert Hawkins, which is prolly why he didn' mind bein' called Uncle Shivers by everone. He got that name 'cause when he got t' drankin he started shakin' real bad. Momma said that there's a time an' place where that could be real useful to a woman, ah didn' know what she meant 'till ah went to college and my roommate Norma showed me exactly what momma meant." Karole smiled at the memories. "Ol' Norma... the things she had in that underwear drawer of hers! Why ah could..."

"SO! Softball on Christmas huh?" said Tam desperate to change the subject.

"Wall acourse! It's too dern hot any other time a year!"

"Of course!" agreed Kim-ly with a slap on Tam's back. "Everyone knows that!" To a Minnesotan the idea of softball in January was just as alien as ice fishing to a South Georgia native. "Now about Norma's underwear drawer, what exactly..."

Tam was saved by her middle boy Liam who ran into the parlor out of breath. "Momma!" he gasped. He's been all over the huge house looking for his mother and no one ever thinks of going into the parlor, that's Grandma Sandy and Grandpa Ralphs special room.

"What is it dear?" asked Tam hugging her savior.

"Unka Don said to tell Aunty Karole that there a roara!" His eyes were wide with wonder.

"Well, tell her!"

Liam spun and stood in front of the tallest woman he's ever seen in his young life. "Unka Don says to go out front, there's a roara!" Then he dashed off away from all these old people.

"A roara?" Karole asked.

"AN Aurora," Tam corrected.

"Come on," said Kim-ly, "This is what living up north is all about."

"It's ten below zero!" whined Karole.

"Yeah," responded Kim-ly, "Good thing it's not very cold out!"

Soon Karole found herself standing on the front porch of the Campbell farmhouse dressed like a Minnesota farm wife, a quilt over her shoulders and a scalding hot cup of Folgers in her hands as she gazed at the most wonderous sight she's ever seen in her life. Suspended in the air above her and stretching off to the north was a glowing, shimmering curtain of luminance. The curtain gracefully waved back and forth like a very slow-motion flag in a breeze, a flag that stretched for ten thousand miles. It was made up of millions of vertical spears of light all lined up next to each other to appear like a curtain. And as it majestically waved in the sky, sections changed colors. The majority was a luminescent green, but sections appeared to change to a pastel pink, and others appeared to be a light baby blue. As she watched another curtain appeared, and then another, and soon there were four curtains floating roughly parallel in the sky. And all the time, just at the edge of audibility there was a ringing, Karole could hear the Northern Lights singing to her.

The children had taken a good long minute, maybe two minutes to watch this surreal marvel, then went inside to play Duck Duck Gray Duck, and their parents followed. They've seen this their whole lives, nothing special here, just a miracle of celestial beauty only shared with those strong enough to live up north. And soon Karole was alone with Aurora Borealis and Krissy and the night.

She let her mind wander as she stood in the light of the heavens and the Christmas lights lining the porch, her ears filled with that gentle ringing from the sky and the soft sound of Bao's acoustic guitar leading the children in Silent Night. Who would have thought that a skank ho from the sweltering Okefenokee would end up alone and pregnant and finding peace near the Arctic Circle? Her reverie ended when she heard a step on the wooden porch and the now familiar squeak of snow being compressed under foot, and she heard Lanh and Don talking in gentle whispers somewhere behind her.

"I miss this so much."

"So do I," came Don's sad agreement. "I should have gotten out; I never should have reenlisted..."

"Shoulda, coulda, woulda... they never solved anything." Lanh hugged Don, "we'll be back soon, there's only two more years left on my contract. We can start packing when we get back to Colorado if you want."

Don chuckled and held Lanh close, but Karole felt sick as her self-doubt came roaring back. They were planning to leave her! That's what she gets for thinking this all was a done deal. Oh well, she'll have Krissy... Then as she wallowed in her morose self-pity she felt a pair of arms hold her from behind. Don had come up from behind her and wrapped his arms around her, crossing just under her heavy breasts. Lanh came up next to her and joined the hug from the side. "What do you think?" she asked. "Could you live in this big old drafty nut house with us?"

"What?" Karole was shocked.

"There's five bedrooms in this house, six if you count Kim-ly's room," said Don, "And Dad and Sandy are starting to consider retirement maybe even pulling out and heading to Arizona, so there will be plenty of room for you and Krissy."

"Ahnjong says she knows the head of HR at the hospital," said Lanh. "She will know the moment a position opens in your department..."

"Free daycare," added Don.

"Free milk too," smiled Lanh as she laid her head on Karole's arm.

"How long have y'all been practicin' this sales pitch?" said Karole with the broadest smile of the evening starting to appear on her lips.

"Since the day I met dumbshit," said Don using his "pet name" for Karole's ex-fiancé Jayce, and he had met Jayce a day before he met Karole.

"You get to see that as often as you want," Lanh gestured to the celestial light show which now covered over half of the visible sky.

"Does it always ring like this?" Karole asked.

"You can hear it?" asked Don. Working around high-performance jet aircraft has ruined Don's hearing and he can no longer hear the high-pitched singing of the Northern Lights over the ringing of his own tinnitus.

"That means it's welcoming you home," sighed Lanh.

Home! That short, wholesome, yet evasive word that never really had much of a meaning to Karole. For years Home meant a couch in an ancient trailer where she had to watch black and white re-runs while her mom and some guy drunkenly guffawed at hackneyed lines of dialog or drunkenly roared in lust in the next room as momma "paid the rent."

"Ah'll ponder on it a bit," she said softly as she looked up into the shimmering skies.

"Ok, take as long as you want..."

"Sold," said Karole. "Can I pick my room now?"

Just then Mai stepped outside and joined in. "Look, it's a big change from what you're used to, to a houseful of crazy people, I bet you never met an Asian before you met us, am I right?"

Karole shrugged then nodded.

"You take it one step at a time," Mai said. "You come in and snuggle on the couch and just watch. We'll bring you your snacks and hot chocolate, and next year you'll have a baby, and you can join in the craziness a little more, and a little more every year and soon you'll be crazy like the rest of us. Fair enough? I don't want to lose one of the best waitresses I've ever had."

Karole nodded and smiled while Lanh hugged her. They returned indoors and when the frigid air from outside hit the warm humid air inside there was a plume of white fog causing all the kids to yell "CLOSE THE DOOR!"

"They learn from their grandfathers," said Lanh as they settled on the couch.

Relieved of any duty to participate in the holiday festivities Karole wrapped up in a heavy terrycloth bathrobe and the sheet filled quilt and was waited on hand and foot by ten-year-old Sophia and five-year-old Anh. The two girls kept their new aunt supplied with punch and cups of a potato dumpling soup called knoephla that their grandpa Ralph makes every year. The tree was up and now was the moment Lanh had been waiting for all year, she patted Karole's hand and rose from the couch. "I'll leave you with your angels here, I've got tradition to uphold."

Kim-ly sighed, "I guess that means me too," and she got up acting as if the act of getting to her feet was the most difficult thing she could humanly do. Lanh carried a heavy box up from the basement and she, Kim-ly, and Don opened it and went about their traditional Setting Up of the Railroad ceremony. The young children watched in envy as the grownups got to play with toys, but the older ones, Chau, Sophia, Chip and Liam knew to stay back until the train is up. This is Uncle Don and Aunt Lanh's toy train. Bao brought out his guitar and started to play festive songs and Sandy soon brought out her Casio keyboard and joined in. Tam brought Karole a fresh egg nog and sat down next to her. "What do you think so far?" she asked.

Karole paused to consider her words. "Ah could get used to this."

"You're smiling!" taunted Tam, her own smile was even more beautiful than Lanh and Kim-ly's descriptions. "I think you really are getting used to this."

"A little bit," said Karole with a slight scoff.

"Well, Christmas day is a day of rest, we spend it with our families, but Boxing Day, that's the crazy day."

"What's boxing day?"

"That's the day after Christmas, we ALL gather at the restaurant for dinner, family, friends... we sing, we laugh, you're going to love it," said Tam

"Is it too late for me to move back to Georgia?"

"WAY too late. I'm going to get some lefse, would you like some?" Tam asked

"Vun!"

Karole had heard about the tradition of the train from Lanh but didn't believe that grown adults would put that much emotional value on setting up a toy train, but there they were on their hands and knees underneath the Christmas tree linking pieces of track together. There was Kim-ly, playing with boxes and an old sheet making a mountain with a tunnel for the train to go through in the back corner. The little ones, Arlo, Anh, and Him-chan were "helping" mostly with the little 1:48 scale people, and quite often an employee of the Lionel railroad needed rescuing from the mouth of one of Lanh and Don's little helpers.

The hard part was making sure the track was connected properly and electricity was flowing down the rails. Don had a little hand car with two little guys working the hand pump that skittered around the layout testing the track, if the track isn't connected perfectly that little toy will stall or jump the track. It jumped quite often indicating issues with the track, but this isn't the hard part of setting up the train, the hard part was keeping Arlo and Him-chan from grabbing the hand car and running off with it. Happy that her tunnel was constructed properly and not snagging the handcar as it ducked through the tunnel portals, Kim-ly joined Karole and Tam on the couch and watched Don and Lanh finish up their annual labor of love. Tam was still wearing a Santa hat and a fake white beard, courtesy of Sarah and Chip. She sat deadpan, pretending not to notice her adornment to the amusement of anyone that noticed. After Kim-ly sat down Tam turned to Karole and said, "What would you like for Christmas little girl?"

Karole thought for a while, then gazing at the activities in front of her wistfully she pointed at Don and Lanh as they crouched over their train set and set up their passenger train and said softly "I want that."

"You want Don or Lanh?" asked Kim-ly, then she laughed. "You can't have both, Santa Tam can only haul one down your chimney."

Karole didn't realize that she said that aloud and now she felt stupid. "No... I just want someone who will love me for me, someone who isn't just wanting these boobs or this ass or..." her gaze shifted to the floor, and she fell silent.

Over at the tree, Trung hoisted Arlo up, the little fellow was finally old enough to put the angel on the top of the tree. Karole never noticed that someone took a purple sharpie and tinted the ends of the angel's blond hair purple.

꙳~~꙳~~꙳~~꙳~~꙳~~꙳~~꙳~~꙳~~꙳~~꙳~~꙳

Christmas morning was everything that Karole had never had. While she and Kim-ly slept, Santa delivered mounds of gifts which hid Don's train layout. Stockings that were hung by the chimney with care were filled to overflowing, treats that Karole had never dreamed of appeared around the house. Karole was awakened by Kim-ly's pre-dawn rush to the bathroom which seemed to signal her own urge to go. She was certain that Krissy knew exactly where her bladder was and had her foot on it at all times, her daughter was using it as a gas pedal. If mommy was too comfortable for too long, a stomp on the gas pedal was needed. Instead of climbing back in bed and going back to sleep until she was sure that breakfast was ready, Kim-ly came and shook Karole's shoulder. "Come on, get up."

"Lea'me alone, Krissy's asleep."

"Come on! Santa's been here."

"Air ain' no sech thaing as santa," mumbled Karole.

Kim-ly resorted to cheating to get Karole out of bed. "Coffee's ready."

Drawn by the scent of fresh brewed coffee, Kim-ly and Karole crept down the stairs to find Don, Lanh, Ralph, and Sandy sitting in the living room, sipping coffee and waiting for them to join them downstairs. A toasty warm fire crackled in the fireplace, mounds of gifts were piled under the tree, and best of all, among the snacks and treats on the coffee table, the two air pots full of coffee sat waiting for them. "Merry Christmas sleepyheads!" called Sandy. "We thought you were going to sleep in all morning!"

Karole glanced at the German Cuoco clock on the wall and it was 5:45, the latest she's slept in since they left Colorado. As she began to sit down Don said, "Wait a minute, tradition must be observed."

Karole looked around with a guilty look on her face. "What? What did I do?"

"It is the job of the youngest person in attendance who can read to distribute the gifts," quoted Don.

Karole looked at the mountains of brightly wrapped packages, where were they hidden? "Ah suppose..." she started to move toward the imposing piles when Sandy said, "Ahhh, wait a minute. I remember the tradition being changed not too long ago to read "the youngest ABLE-BODIED person in attendance who can read. Wasn't there a young man here in bandages who couldn't move very well for a couple of years?"

"YEAH!" called Lanh as she smacked Don's arm.

"I'm still 100% disabled, unless you've been bribing the VA," whined Don, but even though Karole was the youngest he had no choice and he got up and began distributing the gifts. He made sure that the first gifts were the traditional "Ugly" Christmas sweater. Never having had a Christmas sweater (or a need for one) Karole pulled on her big, floppy, red and green creation of wool right away.

"Ah love it! It's so warm! Thank y'all!" and she settled back, sure that being the new member of this gathering that this was it, but she was shocked when Don kept stacking up package after package in front of her, it was quickly apparent that she and Kim-ly got the majority of the haul. "What is all this?" she gasped.

"Most of it isn't for you," pointed out Kim-ly. Sure enough, most of the tags said To Krissy, from Santa.

"Ah... ah don' know whut t' say!" gasped Karole, she's never seen largess of this nature in her life. For her part Kim-ly was shocked too, she was positive that her decision to have a baby was going to be met with scorn and sneers, but she's been bathed in love and support and suddenly she allowed Karole's tears to set off her own.

Lanh crouched between the overwhelmed expectant mothers and said, "it's ok, we just want our little angels to have a nice Christmas too."

In the corner two blond apparitions watched, the ghost with her hair tips dyed purple turned to the older one and said softly, "Let's go. You know how the rest of this plays out." And they faded from the room.