The Trouble Begins by Linda Himelblau Read Free Book Online

hard yolk we drop whole into the cake batter. We're making moon cake. The egg yolk looks like a moon when you slice it and you're lucky if you get it. They're probably having storebought moon cake up in Orange. Those cakes aren't as good and they're not as lucky either.
    We're waiting for the cake to cook so we make the lanterns. My grandma says that the lanterns show how bright the children are. For me, she says, we better make two extrabright ones. We don't have any bamboo but I find some sticks outside. We fold brown paper bags from the market in half and cut the slits for the light to shine through. My grandma shows me how to paste the sticks inside along the edges to make the lanterns strong. I use Lin's markers to make star and diamond designs on them while my grandma makes gold and green tissue paper strips from paper that came wrapped around fruit. We hang a candle holder from the sticks at the top. The candle has to be short or the lantern will burn up. They probably use flashlights up in Orange so they're safe, only one per kid.
    My grandma tells me the story of the carp swimming in the muddy river who wanted to be a dragon ruling the earth so he worked and he worked and he studied and after a long time he was a dragon. I know why they tell this story. So kids'll work hard. It sounds so easy. I tell my grandma I'm already a dragon. She laughs and nods. “You are, you are,” she says. We always talk in Vietnamese. The lanterns are finished. We eat the moon cake still warm. My grandma goes to take a nap.
    Later in the dark we take the lanterns outside. We light both of them at once. I start leaping around with them so the shadows dance all around me. My grandma watches from the steps. I bet that old man's watching from his window. He thinks I'm crazy. He thinks I'm going to burn theyard up, and both our houses. I jump higher. I act crazier just for him.

    I'm sitting on the front steps. I see two guys from my school ride by on bikes. I yell but they don't stop. I don't think they heard me. I wonder where they go. I see my dad's car down the street coming back from Orange. He stops in the street. My mom and Thuy and Lin and Vuong get out. My dad drives off. The others come up the walk and into the house with their bags. They walk slowly like me when I go to my dumb kids' reading group. Vuong sits down at the worktable with his books. He's the best one to ask about things.
    “Where'd Ba go?” I ask. My dad didn't even wave, he was in such a hurry to go.
    Vuong shrugs. “He's all worried about missing work. Ma had to give lots of money to her sister for her uncle's medicine. We all sat around and did a bunch of corny stuff with lanterns. I had to sleep in the car because it was too crowded in the house. It took hours to get back and the car started to smoke.” Vuong looks at me like he is daring me to laugh. I want to tell him how we made delicious sweet cake and I got the lucky moon and how I danced like a crazy guy until the lanterns burned up and I had to jump up and down on them to keep the weeds from burning. I don't because I feel bad about the money again.
    My mom comes to the doorway. “Vuong, you come with me,” she orders. She's yanking a comb through her hair with one hand and buttoning her coat with the other. “They've got extra work tonight.”
    “I'm not sewing!” Vuong almost shouts at her. “Sewing's for girls. Make Thuy and Lin go.”
    “They've got too much studying,” answers my mom. She gives up easier than my dad. She looks sad now.
    “Me too,” says Vuong.
    Money! I think. I could make money to pay for Veronica's stuff. “I'll go!” I jump up.
    “You can't do it. You're too young.” A car honks outside. It's her ride. She turns to leave.
    “I can, I can. Ask grandma.” I run after her.
    “Oh, come,” she says as she opens the door. She stops to look right into my eyes. “You be good, Du. No tricks or you'll be sorry.” I nod because I know I'll be good. I'll make enough