Under Her Skin

Chapter 2

Police Officer: What is your name?

Me: Jacob, sir.

Police Officer: When did you meet Sunny?

Me: Chinese Valentine's day— the Qixi dinner. They had just moved into town.

Police Officer: Who?

Me: The Wong family.

Police Officer: The Asians?

Me: Yes, sir.

Police Officer (scribbling in a note pad): What is your relationship with Sunny like?

Me: Well, I would consider us to be best friends. We're always together, literally.

Police Officer: Why is that?

Me: Um, I guess I'm obedient, sir. People like that about me.

Police Officer: Tell me more about the Qixi dinner. Was there any sign of aggression in the family?

***

Two years ago on Qixi Festival.

"McFlurry?"

"No, Sunny. It's McMurray," she said, with a tint of aggression, patting white flour off of her apron. Lyssa had spent all day standing with a little pointer, making a red dot of light scurry about on the PowerPoint presentation she had prepared for her resignation. She was the type to turn everything into a story with a beginning, middle, and end. It made the impression that she was thoughtful, but it sure did eat away at her patience.

"Not everything is about food. Fort McMurray. Fort McMurray Fort McMurray. Repeat it twenty times and get it right." She rolled out the dough hard and fast.

"Mom is right. You're going to get laughed at if you can't even pronounce your own town's name," said a man in a thick Chinese accent. Eyes on the screen, he was typing frantically while Sunny and Lyssa remained by the kitchen counter. They were on the quest for the perfect dumpling.

"That's not my town," said Sunny.

"It will be in a week," replied Lyssa. Sunny filled a dumpling with meat to the brim.

"Don't make it so fat. It's going to burst." Though small, Lyssa had a sharp, down-to-the-point voice that could cut a billion trees. She had no tolerance for anything but excellence, even when it came to making dumplings.

"Shoot. It just burst," said Sunny. Lyssa chuckled. She was never wrong.

"It was won-ton destruction," she said. "Why can't you be more like Kelly? She never misbehaves and always follows the rules."

"Well because she has great parents," said Sunny. Lyssa rolled her eyes.

"Okay but seriously. You're going to high school now. The math papers won't be easy... you have to make sure that you don't make any careless mistakes. Always check your exams always twice through." She gave Sunny a long look with raised eyebrows. Not again.

"I know, Mom, I know."

"Straight A's, only 95's and above in this family," She paused. "and no. 94.5 does not count. We round down."

"Seriously?"

"It's not like you haven't done it before. No drugs, no alcohol, no mischief. You got it?"

"Okay. What kind of math do they test anyway?"

"You wanna know?"

"Yeah."