The Time Keepers

Chapter 59

CHAPTER 59

A S THEIR E NGLISH LESSON CAME TO AN END, A NH TOOK HER marbleized composition book and neatly tucked it into her bag. Dinh studied her movements like a bird-watcher, every gesture of her hand, every quiet glance gave him pleasure.

He had always believed one had to harvest life’s little joys where you could find them. A perfect noodle broth, or a smile from a stranger. When he came to this new country, not knowing a single soul, his mind still haunted by nightmares of his journey and the year and half spent in the refugee camp, the small piece of joy here had always been Anh.

On the days he could coax a smile from her, he felt as if he had won a mountain of gold. And on those few afternoons he managed to make her laugh, he felt like he had been crowned an emperor.

And now, after living under the same roof with her for three months at the motherhouse, he wished every day for one more brick of joy, so that eventually he could build her a house with all those blocks of happiness.

He imagined the three of them, Anh, B?o and himself, underneath this imagined shelter, forging ahead to begin a new life in America.

A comfortable ease fell between them as they waited outside the library for Sister Mary Alice to pick them up. Dinh lifted his head and felt the warm caress of sunshine on his skin.

“How is B?o enjoying his new bicycle?” Dinh asked, sinking his hands into his pockets.

Anh had told him days earlier how Grace had offered B?o a spare bicycle that had once been Molly’s.

“I’m concerned the color might bother him,” Grace said, elaborating that the bike was a deep violet shade with a white leather seat embossed with flowers. “But it’s in our garage for him if he’d like it.”

When Grace rolled the bike out for B?o to examine, he wasn’t at all disappointed by the color, rather it delighted him. She had no idea that back in Vietnam he had learned to ride a bicycle on only wire frames.

B?o ran his hand over the shiny metallic finish. A huge grin appeared on his face.

“Like Wonder Twins,” he beamed, noticing the color was the exact same shade as the twins’ uniform.

B?o hopped on the bike and gripped its handles, paying no attention to the circle of embossed flowers beneath his seat.

“He loves it,” Anh informed Dinh. An enormous smile now emerged on her face. The sight of her lips made Dinh forget all the mistakes he had made with their English tutor. It felt like another brick of happiness had been offered to him. And he accepted it greedily.