Page 59 of Crash
The thought of a man like Griffin trusting her enough to take control was exhilarating. By the time they pulled up to the mansion, Quynh was squirming in her seat.
Thank god.
Another minute alone with Griffin and her wandering thoughts would have ended with them on the side of the road as she acted on her impulse. She didn’t think Griffin would mind, really.
Griffin’s hands reached around her waist and brought her body close to him. He held her against his hard body as he slowly let her feet touch the ground. Quynh held on to his biceps, a small smile curving her lips. He wasn’t one for public displays of affection, but these small gestures were more meaningful to her than any PDA was.
She stretched onto her tiptoes, lips puckering in a quiet demand for a kiss. Griffin met her halfway, hands tightening around her. This kiss was different. It was gentle. A quiet appreciation between two people. It soothed her frayed nerves and bolstered her confidence. They broke apart when Cindy cleared her throat.
“Hello, dears. He’s waiting for you in the garden.”
Griffin took a step back, and Quynh moved to follow him until she remembered the small journal she brought with her. She reached inside the truck to grab herprecious cargo and turned to follow Cindy. Griffin’s hand took hers in his large paw. She glanced up at him, eyes gleaming with her appreciation.
Cindy led the way around the home. The lawn was well-manicured, with perfectly trimmed hedges and rose bushes along the path. The smooth stones led them to the back of the mansion with an expanse of green grass before leading into a dense tree line. Off in the distance, Quynh could make out a pool area.
When they rounded the bend, the trio stepped onto the stone patio with a covered pergola. Her father sat in a wheelchair at the table in the shade. He wore a nice shirt and slacks. Gone was his usual robe. He looked healthier for the first time in days. Almost as if a burden was lifted since their last visit.
“Hi.” Quynh bowed her head in greeting, hands gripping the journal tightly in front of her. She fidgeted on her feet for a moment.
“Sir, it’s nice to meet you. Griffin Kennedy.” Quynh watched as Griffin shook her father’s hand in a firm grip. A warm sensation flooded her chest, making it hard for her to breathe.
Her father offered a tight smile and gestured for the pair to have a seat. As they settled onto the cushioned seats, Cindy came out with a tray piled high with finger sandwiches and snacks. Quynh thanked Cindy beforeshe left.
Her hands were damp as she nervously tugged at the journal in her hands.
“I…um…I wanted to read you something today. It’s…It’s my mother’s journal.” At the mention of her mother, her father’s demeanor changed. His eyes seemed brighter, more attentive. His breathing was shallow, the quiet hum of the oxygen tank a reminder of his precarious condition.
“It took me a while to get it translated properly…I thought you’d like to know about her life after…” Her voice trailed off. It didn’t need to be said.
Her father rolled his lips between his teeth, giving her a curt nod to continue.
Quynh glanced at Griffin nervously, his reassuring nod giving her the confidence she was lacking. She squared her shoulders, cleared her throat, and fumbled to open the journal. It took her years after her mother passed to even open the journal, and it took months before she could translate it to the best of her ability. She learned her native language when she was younger, but it was a different thing entirely to translate it into another language.
Tucked inside the journal were her translated notes. She probably should have had it properly translated, but the thought of having a complete stranger comb through her mother’s private thoughts made her sick. So, she took on the painstaking task herself.
Side by side, she read her translated version, glancingup once in a while to see the look of adoration on her father’s face. Quynh’s mother wrote about having to leave her elderly parents behind to pursue the American dream. The promise of a better life for her family kept her from giving up when she reached hardship after hardship. It was difficult to read about how much her mother and aunt went through to get to America.
Quynh couldn’t even imagine leaving the only home she ever knew for a different country, having to learn a completely different language, and navigating an entirely different world. She wasn’t sure she would have made it as far as her mother and aunt did. At least they had each other. Until they didn’t.
Her mother wrote about how the sisters separated in pursuit of different opportunities.
After what seemed like an hour, she finally came to the part where her parents met.
Her mother had just moved to town and was staying with a local sponsoring family. They helped her get a job working at the local nail salon. She was just leaving work when she bumped into her father as she was leaving the shop. She apologized profusely, though her English was broken. Instead of being angered, her mother mentioned how kind he had been to her.
It was not the first time they bumped into each other. At first, they seemed like happy coincidences, but it became clear after a few run-ins that he was waiting forher to leave to approach her. Eventually, their run-ins became more intentional. They would meet once a week at the park. She would listen to him talk, barely understanding a word he said, but “he had kind eyes and a warm heart.”
For the first time in her adult life, her mother felt like a woman. Not just a woman, but a desirable one. Though she knew it was inappropriate, they ended up having an affair. They planned to get married, but she became pregnant first. Her father put them up in their own apartment in town so they had privacy. Unfortunately, he was forced into the family business and traveled a lot.
Quynh stopped as the pages thinned. She reached the end of the journal. Tucking the pages back into the journal carefully, she placed it on the table. Her hands were shaking from reliving her mother’s life. She wasn’t prepared to see the tears gathering in her father’s eyes. She hadn’t realized how emotional the last hour would be for him.
“I’m sorry…” Her hand reached out to grasp her father’s aged one.
“Thank you.” His voice cracked on the words. Quynh watched helplessly as tears streamed down her father’s face. He pinched his lips together with a curt nod. “Thank you.”
Quynh wasn’t sure what he was thanking her for.
Griffin reached over and clasped her hands in his, lending her his strength at this moment.
