Chapter Thirty-Seven: Bảo

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN BẢO

In the next two weeks, my mom makes herself scarce. She talks to me, but pretends that she didn’t drop a bomb on me about Linh’s family being possible murderers. We don’t even discuss my friendship with Linh, and I don’t know if she really thinks I’ll follow her request to not see Linh. At this point, I can’t. I won’t.

I don’t tell Linh, either, secure in the knowledge that Mẹ wouldn’t want to tell anyone. Even her gossip group. They still come in, and when they see me, they still treat me with the same level of disinterest. Their laughter is the same as I retreat to the back.

When I’m not at work or at home, conscious of this weird shift in my relationship with my mom, I find refuge at Chef Lê’s. I watch as Linh’s mural blooms to life. At her request, we’re not letting Chef Lê past the curtains anymore; she wants to surprise him with a reveal. Saffron’s gotten a peek at it, though.

She’d carried her ten-month-old son Philippe against her hip. He was yanking at the handkerchief wrapped snug around her neck, but she paid him no mind, taking in Linh’s work of art. Beaming. “He’ll love it. He’ll absolutely love it.”

In exchange, Chef Lê said he wants to invite a few friends over for the reveal and close down the restaurant for the night. It’ll be small, he said, and it’ll be a chance to “debut Miss Mai” and “share her talents with the world.” Well, Fountain Valley, at least. Linh tried to protest but she was up against four people—Chef Lê counts as two. She really had no choice.