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Dinner with Leo’s grandparents was stressful enough for Guang Hong. He’d learned a bit of Spanish and they knew some English, but there would probably still be some language issues. More importantly, though, every single member of Leo’s family had warned them that Abuela was superstitious and very, very weird about her house.
“Don’t touch anything without permission, and make sure to compliment something in the house as quickly as you can once you’re inside,” Espy advised. “Stuff in the garden doesn’t count, but you can say something about the outside.”
“Take your shoes off,” Alicia warned. “She hates it when shoes come inside.”
“If Abuela says something about her house, just agree with her,” Mayra suggested. “It’s a lot easier than trying to deal with her explaining what she thinks is going on.”
Even Ryan had some advice: “Abuela may sound crazy, but she’s not. If she says something about her house, take her seriously.”
Leo’s parents had simply encouraged Guang Hong to be respectful to Leo’s grandparents, and that Abuela was very proud of her house. “We don’t know how she does it, but the house is very well-kept and in great shape for its age. I don’t think you’ll have a problem, as long as you’re yourself.”
Leo reached for Guang Hong’s hand. “You ready for this? Abuelo and Abuela are eager to meet you.”
“I’ll do my best, but I’m nervous.” Guang Hong squeezed Leo’s hand and got out of the car, retaking Leo’s hand as soon as he could once they were walking up the front walk.
The house was quite pretty – yellow brick with lots of windows, a glass front door, and black tile roof. Guang Hong was more interested in the flower gardens out front, but he remembered Espy’s words and focused on the house itself. “How do you knock on a glass front door?” he whispered to Leo.
Leo grinned. “We don’t. For people who aren’t family, that’s what doorbells are for.” He walked up to the door and pulled it open. “Abuela! Abuelo! We’re here!”
“¡In la cocina!” a woman’s voice shouted back. “Sorry, English, for Guang Hong. In the kitchen! Manuel is out back.”
“Abuela isn’t a big fan of people getting in her way in the kitchen, so we should probably go out back to say hello to Abuelo,” Leo said. “Change your shoes first, though.” He pointed to where there were several pairs of shoes lined up by the door, and several other pairs of house shoes next to them. One pair was green with the logo of the Shanghai Blade, which turned out to be the correct size for Guang Hong. It made him smile.
On the way to the patio, Leo poked his head into the kitchen. “Hello Abuela. I’m not staying, but I had to see you and say your windows are looking great. It’s so light in here!”
“Come in, come in!” Abuela waved to them both, and Leo raised an eyebrow but stepped inside to get a kiss from his grandmother. “Guang Hong, it’s good to meet you. Neiba tells me she enjoys cooking for you, so here, take a taste and tell me if the soup is too spicy for you.”
“I’m usually pretty good with spicy, ma’am,” Guang Hong said, but he took the spoon she was holding out and took a taste of the soup. He could understand why she would worry, but it seemed perfect to him. “It’s delicious! Perfect. Don’t change a thing.”
“Okay, okay, Alice, you were right,” Abuela said, reaching out to pat the counter beside the stove. “Thank you, Guang Hong.”
“You’re welcome.” Guang Hong looked around the kitchen. “It’s weird, but this kitchen is basically what I want in my dream house. It’s so well-organized!” Leo shot him a look like he was laying it on a bit thick, but Guang Hong was serious. Of course, when he noticed something odd, he couldn’t help staring.
A kitchen where a floating knife chopped an onion for him was even better than he’d ever dreamed of.
Abuela followed his eyes. “Alice? What are you doing?” There was a rattle from the refrigerator as a bell pepper came flying out. “I see. Guang Hong, Alice has taken quite a liking to you. She’s usually incredibly shy around guests.”
Leo squeezed Guang Hong’s hand to remind him about what the others had said – just go along with anything Abuela said about the house. The thing was, Guang Hong couldn’t help himself. “Is Alice the house, or a ghost?”
“You know, I’m not quite sure if it’s the house or a ghost that’s haunting the house,” Abuela said. “It doesn’t really matter. Alice does so much for us. There’s no way Manuel and I could manage this big a house without her, and then we wouldn’t have as much space to host our children and grandchildren!” She grinned and stuck her tongue out at Leo. “Most of my grandchildren don’t believe me about her.”
“So… Alicia isn’t named for Alice?” Guang Hong said, earning a laugh from Abuela and a choking noise from Leo.
“I’ve no idea how Isaac and Neiba came up with their kids names, but as neither of them really get Alice, I wouldn’t think so.” Abuela waved them to the door. “Now, Alice is very helpful, but she can’t do all the cooking herself and I need to get this done. Go say hello to Manuel.”