26th March
10:41 GMT -5
I press the doorbell and then step back from the door.
Jade gives me a slightly nervous glance. "What are they like, exactly?"
"Your grandfather's a less malevolent grey-haired version of your father. Your gran's just really nice."
"You did tell them what I was in prison for, didn't you?"
"I didn't-."
Missus Nguyen taps her lightly on the arm. "Jade, they are family. If they have invited you here, they do not care."
"Grandma, I don't think it works like that."
"I was once put in prison by the American government. Did you know that?"
"Why? What did they think you'd done?"
"They thought that I was a communist sympathiser because they found me in the wrong village." Missus Nguyen appears to consider this sufficient, returning her attention to the door.
"I'll get it, Grandma!"
"What was that like?"
"I mostly remember it being boring. Plus, it made it very hard to kill them."
Jade gives her gran a look of surprise. "Kill them?"
"I was a soldier in the Vietnamese Army. I killed Japanese,-" For a moment I think she's going to spit. "-then I killed the French and then I killed-"
The door opens and a young man smiles at us. Well muscled chap, though given the sorts of people I usually hang around with I'm getting a bit jaded about that sort of thing. He has a crew cut and an open and honest face, though if you squint a bit you can still see the family resemblance.
Missus Nguyen nods, a bright smile on her face as she looks at him. "-Americans."
"Hey. You must be Jade." He steps out into the front step and holds out his right hand. "I'm Matthew Crock, your.. cousin. Good to meet you."
"Ah. Hi." Jade steps forwards and takes his hand, giving it a brief shake.
"Hey, nice coat. I didn't realise that crazy cake guy was doing merchandising." I didn't meet Matthew Crock during my last visit. As far as he knows I'm just a family friend. This should be amusing. "Did you have far to travel?"
"One fifty seven."
"Yeah, but the traffic was really light. It didn't take long at all."
"Glad to hear it. And you must be Jade and Artemis' grandma on their Mom's side. Oh." He catches himself and then looks at Jade and me. "Can she understand English?"
Missus Nguyen nods. "Yes, I can speak English." She holds up her hands and brings the palms close together. "A little bit."
"I'm sure it's better than my Vietnamese. And you're Paul, right?"
"That's me. Pleased to meet you, Matthew."
"One fifty eight."
We shake hands and then he steps back to lead us into the house. "Everyone's sorta gathered in the living room. My brother Jon couldn't make it but my folks are here." Jade follows him in, followed by Missus Nguyen and with myself bringing up the rear, closing the door behind me. Over the hall table there's a framed piece of embroidery with the words 'God Bless This House' along the top and 'Non Classiarius Fascis Heic' along the bottom. I frown. No.. bundles of wood-?
Oh. Heh.
"Come on, Dad! Nearly there!"
"You must be Jade!"
I turn back in the direction of the living room as Cynthia Crock embraces her elder granddaughter. Jade appears to be a little off-put, but she keeps it under control.
"Mom!" Next to them Paula hugs her own mother.
"Tuyet, it is wonderful to see you in person."
Next to me, Matthew smiles. "Hey, I'm feeling kinda left out over here."
"I can hug you if you want."
"Ah... I'll pass."
Paula gives Jade a hug as well, this one a rib-crusher.
"One fifty nine!"
The huddle around the doorway breaks up a little, allowing me to catch a glimpse of Warren Crock giving encouragement to his red-faced octogenarian father as the older man holds himself off the ground, having completed another push up. Artemis is in a similar pose next to him.
"Is he alright?"
Cynthia notices me watching them and rolls her eyes. "Lawrence can't turn down a challenge. I've tried telling him to act his age, but he won't listen."
"Soon have the girl licked, Cynthia." He turns his head towards Artemis. "Getting tired yet, Arty?"
"As if. Hey Paul, hey Jade."
"Can we place bets..?" Artemis shoots me a look as the two of them lower themselves to the floor. "No, forget I asked."
Matthew turn to me. "I'll bet you dishwasher loading duty."
I hold out my right hand. "Done." He shakes it again. "They let you load the dishwasher? Because my dad was always a bit particular about that."
Warren looks up for a moment. "If he can handle OCS, he can handle a dishwasher. Come on Dad, you can do it."
"If that's the best you can do to motivate me then it's no wonder you never made Sergeant, boy."
"You know Mom would never let me cuss like that inside the house."
"And just you remember it." Cynthia shakes her head. "Honestly."
Jade looks her new relatives over. "Are you all military?"
Cynthia nods. "Army nurse." She gestures to her husband. "Enlisted soldier." To Warren. "Warren served for a while to pay for college, he's a gym teacher now. Jonathan -that's Matthew's brother- he's deployed in Saudi Arabia at the moment. Have you considered a career in the army?"
"Not.. seriously." I suppose she could, though her skills lend themselves more to special forces units rather than normal infantry or officer duty. "I'm not sure they'd take me."
"One Sixty!"
"Still alive over there, Grandpa?"
"Army can…" Mister Crock Senior pants for a moment. "Take anyone. Straighten you out."
Cynthia nods. "You should hear about some of the things Lawrence got up to before the judge signed him up."
"So do the Crock men just escalate the competitiveness throughout the day..?"
Matthew shakes his head. "Not if we want dinner. Why, you wanna join in?"
"I'm not really one for physical combat. But if your ego can take it I'm sure Jade will be happy to kick your arse in a spar later."
Jade gives me a look of pure irritation.
"Oh yeah?" Matthew raises his eyebrows at her. "You think you're that good? Army doesn't go easy on officer cadets, you know."
"One sixty one! Going great, Dad."
"Six years, mixed martial arts. And that's in addition to what Mom and… Taught me."
Matthew nods. "Alright, I'm up for that."
"Yeah, just don't let her kiss you."
Jade strikes me in the stomach with the back of her right hand. Matthew looks puzzled. "Why not?"
His grandfather looks around from the top of his most recent push up. "Because you're not some g-." His wife gives him an interrogative glare. "-osh darn hillbilly from deepest darkest Kentucky, that's why."
"What? No, no, Grandpa, I wasn't-."
"Drugged lipstick. She tried that on me once."
Jade rolls her eyes. "I'm not wearing drugged lipstick, Paul. For some reason they didn't let me take that in prison."
"Next you'll be telling me you don't have any concealed weapons!"
"I don't."
I reach over to her left ear with my right hand before pulling it slowly away, revealing the sai I just took out of subspace. "Really?"
In one smooth motion she plucks it out of my hand and conceals it within her coat. "Oh that's where I put it."
