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Phuong’s perceptions as if before this they corners, the veiled brides in Western wedding
5
had amounted to no more than a dull pencil, gowns and the grooms in white tuxedos, red
allowing her to write in her mind with ever- roses pinned to their lapels. Mrs. Ly cooed over
increasing precision the outline of her desires the spectacle, but Hanh and Phuc rolled their
and the characters in her life, none more vivid eyes and asked Vivien if the next destination
than her father, whom she pitied and, even could be the Ferris wheel, rotating slowly above
worse, did not respect. If he were only an the waterslides. It was Mrs. Ly who clambered
adulterer and a playboy, then there would be into one cabin of the Ferris wheel with the boys,
Redefining America
cause for resentment, but he was in decline, a while Mr. Ly declined to join his daughters in
failure without even the glamour of decadence another cabin, claiming acrophobia. As they
and bad behavior. This was a matter of sufficient ascended, Vivien studied the scenery from the
sadness and embarrassment that when her barred window on her side, Phuong peeking
father’s shadow appeared in the doorway, over her shoulder, her breath tickling a hair
Phuong turned on her side as well. There, on Vivien’s ear. Vivien tucked away the hair
pressed into her sister’s back under the weight and pointed toward the roller coaster climbing
of a humid night, she discovered that even lying slowly into view, an upside-down caterpillar
down Vivien had broken into a sweat. with dozens of human arms wiggling in the air.
“I worked on a ride like that,” Vivien said. “All
• • •
my friends found jobs at the park so we could
At the amusement park the next morning, meet boys.”
Mr. Ly photographed his children at the entry “Did you find a boyfriend?” Phuong leaned
gates using a disposable camera, a gift from his a shoulder against her sister’s arm. She hadn’t
ex-wife delivered by Vivien. After Vivien paid told Vivien that she was still wearing her gift,
the family’s fares, Hanh and Phuc seized the delighting in it like a child with a new and
lead, the former tugging on his mother’s hand. magical toy. “Was he handsome?”
They picked their way through raucous troops “Rod was cute. He’d give me rides home, 85
of elementary school boys and girls, a battalion and we’d go on one of the side streets around my
in red shirts and caps. A monorail traversed the house, park, and . . . kiss. I don’t suppose you’ve
park above the keen crowds, and in the distance done that?”
a roller coaster rumbled. One exhibition hall “Not yet.”
soon caught Phuong’s attention, its curious “You haven’t found any boys you like?”
English name being the Ice Lantern. On a “I don’t want any attachments,” Phuong said
billboard outside were brightly colored photos firmly. “I don’t want anyone holding me back.”
depicting glacial facsimiles of the Eiffel Tower, “From what?”
the Taj Mahal, and other manmade wonders of At the center of the park was a lake the size 90
the world, lit in a rainbow of neon. “Let’s save of a saucer, paddleboats floating like crumbs
this for later,” she said, “when we’ll need to cool on its surface. Jutting into the lake was their
down.” noon destination, a restaurant in the shape of
“Good plan,” said Vivien, fanning herself a dragon’s head, dividing the water as Vivien’s
with the park brochure. departure tomorrow would divide the world
After driving the bumper cars at Hanh and once more into those who stayed and those
Phuc’s request, Mrs. Ly insisted on visiting the who left.
Japanese orchid garden. Several young couples “Can I tell you a secret now?”
posed for wedding photographs in different Vivien smiled. “Sure.”
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Copyright © 2021 by Bedford, Freeman & Worth High School Publishers. Uncorrected proofs have been used in this sample chapter.
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