TRIHN STOOD OUTSIDE of her parents’ townhouse in Brooklyn, contemplating whether or not she wanted to walk inside. She had promised her dad that she would stop by for dinner one night while she was in town. And since she had finally completed everything she needed for the fashion show, as listed on her itinerary, and she would be flying back to Las Vegas tomorrow, she figured tonight was the night.
She was actually excited to see her dad. And while she wanted to see her mom, she wasn’t looking forward to the inevitable wedding conversation.
So far, Trihn had avoided talking about it. She wouldn’t mind avoiding it altogether—or at least waiting to have Damon’s support.
But she pushed her shoulders back and entered the house anyway. “Mom! Dad!” she called, nudging the door closed behind her.
“Trihn!” her mother said. She rushed from the kitchen into the foyer and tightly hugged her daughter. “It’s so good to see you. I have missed you so much.” She held Trihn at arm’s length and examined her. “Did you get taller? Skinnier? Are you eating?”
Trihn laughed. “Yes, Mom, I’m eating. And God forbid, I get any taller.”
“It feels as if I haven’t seen you in ages. I don’t think I could go another six months. You have to come back before Christmas.”
“Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll be back when Damon is in town for his show and for the fashion show.”
“Maybe you should just stay here until the fashion show.”
Trihn blanched. “I can’t. I have a lot of work left to do for it.”
“Of course you do.” Her mother, Linh, walked them into the living room. “You’re a Hamilton. We’re all strong and independent. Now, tell me more about everything. Your boyfriend, Damon, is a musician, right? And the fashion show—well, I know all about that since Glitz is a sponsor this year. Let me get you a drink.”
Trihn was about to tell her not to worry about it, but it seemed like she was excited to do things for her daughter. Instead, Trihn just took a seat in the living room and drank in the familiarity of it all. She’d missed this, being home. It felt right here, like this.
Linh returned a minute later with a glass of lemonade.
Trihn took it from her hand and sipped it before answering the deluge of questions, “Yes, Damon is a musician. He’s on tour right now with Chloe Avana.”
“Your father mentioned that. It must be hard.”
“It is,” she admitted. “He’s in Orlando right now. He’ll be in Atlanta tomorrow.”
“And will you get to see him anytime while he’s on this tour?”
“Well, when he’s in New York City.”
“Yes, but from the details Gabriel gave me, that’s a month away.”
“I don’t know,” she admitted. “It all happened so fast.”
“We make time for the ones we love. I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”
Trihn couldn’t decide if that was a backhanded comment about her not coming home enough or not. So, she just chose to ignore it.
“And you won the fashion show at school. You’re up against some stiff competition. Your father showed me the images he had taken of your designs.”
“He did?” Trihn asked, surprised. She hadn’t really discussed this with her mother, but it made sense that she would keep up with her daughter’s life even if she weren’t as involved as she used to be.
“Yes.”
“What did you think?” Suddenly, Trihn felt as if she were holding her breath.
After all, her mother, the fashion magazine senior executive, judged these things for a living. Normally, Trihn wouldn’t have even asked for her opinion. Her mother was a critic. That was her job. But Trihn couldn’t help herself this time.
“They remind me of you, but besides your final piece, they weren’t expressly original,” Linh said.
“Oh.”
“They are excellent for a second-year student though, Trihn. You should be proud of your accomplishments. Just because I don’t think your line is boutique wear doesn’t mean that it wouldn’t sell exceptionally well to the masses. There is a huge difference.” Linh shrugged her dainty shoulders. “You’ll find your place. Now, come on. Dinner is almost ready. We should go into the dining room.”
“The dining room?” Trihn asked.
With only three of them, it always made more sense to eat in the breakfast nook for most of their meals.
“You’re here for one night. I’m doing a bigger meal!”
Then, Linh traipsed into the kitchen, leaving Trihn feeling uneasy.