“Just taking these into Jess for her camp,” said Vân Ước the next morning as she walked past her mother, holding up a pair of hiking boots and a rain jacket.
“Come back for some breakfast. I’m making bánh ăn sáng.”
“Is there one for Jess?”
“Yes. Okay.”
Her stomach rumbled at the thought of her mother’s egg bánh ăn sáng—yeasty buns from Liên Luu, filled with scrambled eggs with crispy shallots, chili, and heaps of fresh coriander.
Vân Ước knocked and walked in just as Jess’s mother was leaving for work.
“Thanks, Vân Ước,” she said, looking at the gear. “She’s still asleep. Go in and get her to wake up!”
She walked into Jess’s bedroom. “Hey, wake up—it’s camp day.”
Jess groaned. She was never a morning person at the best of times, and on a day that her class was heading off for a two-day camp for bonding and hiking in the bush, she was even less enthusiastic than usual.
“I need a favor,” Vân Ước said.
“What?”
“Come to see a film with me, so my parents feel okay about me going?”
“What movie?”
“It’s a filmed National Theatre production of King Lear, screening at the Nova.”
Jess was properly awake now. She got up and headed for the kitchen as she processed the request.
“I guess.”
“Only, I won’t be there for the actual film.”
“Too early for mysterious talk.”
“Because I’ll be with Billy. Pleeease say yes.”
Jess thought about it. “I could really do with seeing a production of Lear—sure, I’ll go.”
“I love you.”
“I know it. Do you want coffee?”
“Come back with me, we’ve got eggy bánh ăn sáng.”
That woke Jess up properly. She went back to her room, grabbed a robe, slippers, and keys, and followed Vân Ước back to her place for breakfast.