Gabe observed the silence for a moment, nodded his head.

– OK. So Ill pick you up tonight.

He turned to leave, turned back.

– Wear gloves.

And leave he did.

Po Sin walked through the door into the shop.

– Time to get your hands dirty, Web.

– Got a hug for Daddy?

Po Sin stuck out his index finger.

– Just a little one?

The twelve-year-old boy looked out from under his long bangs, raised a hand, extended his pinkie, and touched it to the tip of his fathers finger.

Po Sin smiled.

– I love you.

The boy withdrew his finger and walked to a corner of the room and sat on the floor and wedged himself tight into the angle of the walls and put his backpack in his lap and squeezed it to his chest.

Po Sin pushed himself from his squat and looked at his wife in the doorway.

– Whats the matter?

Lei came into the office, ruffling her spiky black hair.

– He lost a piece from his Bat Cave.

– Oh, Christ. At school? Please tell me it was at school.

She shook her head.

– Nope.

– Aw, shit.

She raised her hands.

– And Ive already done what I can do about it.

– OK.

– You can take your best shot.

– OK.

– Im just praying I can find some kind of mellow in yoga class and not fall asleep on my mat as soon as I get there.

– OK. OK.

She took a deep breath, exhaled.

– Sorry. Long one.

She looked at him and smiled.

– How about you, everything OK?

Po Sin scratched his moustache, waved a hand in the air over his head.

– Nothings blowing up.

She pointed out the open door.

– Wheres the van?

He glanced through the shop door at me where I was bleaching the slop sink, looked back at his wife.

– Gabes out doing some pickups.

She looked where he had glanced, saw me, raised her eyebrows at Po Sin.

He pointed at me.

– Sorry. Thats Web. Remember?

Her forehead creased, uncreased.

– Web. Yes, of course, Im sorry.

She came through the door into the shop, hand held out.

– Nice to finally meet you.

I dropped my sponge in the sink and started to reach for her hand with one of mine, pulled up and stripped the thick rubber glove off.

– Hi. Nice to. Po Sins said a lot about. Hi.

She took my sweaty hand; hers tiny and strong and cool.

– So he finally got you in here.

– Uh, yeah.

She kept my hand firmly in hers, looking up at me, smiling.

– Hes been talking about it forever. Saying how he thinks you should be working.

Po Sin came to the door.

– Lei.

She waved her free hand over her shoulder.

– Shut up, Grandfather Elephant.

She touched the jade necklace that hung down over a loose orange cotton blouse.

– Hed just as soon no one knew he cares about anything, but he does. Of course.

– Lei!

– Ignore his bluster. He thinks Im not minding my own business. How have you been? Are you feeling better? Youre working here, you must be feeling better. Not spending all your time slacking at your friends tattoo shop. Good, thats good for you.

– Jesus, Lei.

She tugged on my hand, pulled me a step closer, put a hand to her mouth for a stage whisper.

– Im embarrassing him. Being overly personal with someone Ive just met. He hates it.

– He has work to do, Lei.

Still holding my hand, she turned.

– You have work to do.

She tilted her head toward their son tucked in the corner, clutching his bag.

He slapped the back of his neck.

– I know, I know. Where is she?

– Shes out in the car.

He started for the door.

– Ill get her. Just let Web do his work, OK? I dont pay him enough to get grilled by you.

He stepped out the door.

– Xing. Xing, over here. Now. Now. No, I will not carry you. Now, I said. No, you are perfectly capable of walking on your own two feet. Now. Now! Damn it.

He walked out of sight.

Lei turned back to me.

– Im not a Hindu, Web, but I swear I must have done something in a previous life to deserve my daughter.

She nodded her head.

– I know, I know, its my own fault, our own fault. Shes ours after all. She didnt just appear out of thin air. We made love, we made a baby. One baby wasnt enough. We had to go back to the well for more. So we got what we deserved. And with all Yongs problems, beautiful boy that he is, she doesnt get all the attention she maybe deserves.

She leaned close.

– What she deserves is a good whack on the ass from time to time, but Po Sin wont allow it.

She leaned back.

– Of course, Id be terrified to try it myself. Have you ever seen Demon Seed}

I nodded.

– Sure.

She tapped the tip of her nose.

– Thats our Xing.

– But I didnt take it.

We both looked as Po Sin ducked through the door, Xing on his shoulders.

– Honey, dont lie.

– But Im not lying.

He took her from his shoulders and stood her on his desk and looked her in the eyes.

– Xing, my little lovely apricot, no one likes a liar.

She stomped.

– But Im not lying.

He put a finger to his lips.

– Shh.

– But Im noootl

He shook the finger at her.

– Nu-uh. No more. Listen to me. Listen.

– Buuut.

He snapped his fingers, a meaty slap of flesh.

– Shht. Now!

She stopped talking and looked down at her feet in their pink and white sneakers.

Po Sin pointed at her brother.

– Does Yong ever lose his Legos, Xing?

She bit her lip, not looking up.

Po Sin put a finger under her chin and tilted her face to his.

– I asked a question.

She blew out her cheeks.

– You told me to be quiet and listen.

– And now I want you to answer. Does he ever lose his Legos?

– I dont know.

– Yes you do. You know he doesnt. Sometimes people take them at school. But he never loses them. Because after your mom and me and his loving sister, the most important thing in the world for Yong is his Legos. Isnt that right?

– I dont know.

Po Sin straightened, folded his arms, shook his head.

– Xing, I will never take you to the American Girl store ever again if you dont stop lying.

Her eyes went big. She looked at him, found him unyielding; looked at her mom, found her utterly fed the fuck up. Her eyes darted from side to side, surveying the room, found no escape. She made little fists, pounded them against her thighs twice.

– But I didnt steal it! I just borrowed it!

Po Sin held out his hand.

She frowned, squatted, unlaced her left shoe, dug a finger inside and came out with a little knobbed bit of black plastic.

She put it in her fathers hand.

– Its just a little piece. He has hundreds of them.

Po Sin folded the piece in his hand.

– And theyre all equally precious to him. Just like the two of you are equally precious to us. We wouldnt want to lose either of you, no matter how much we love the other one.

– But he has so many.

– That doesnt matter, honey.

He turned and walked to his son.

– That doesnt matter at all.

He squatted and opened his hand in front of Yongs face. Yong looked at the piece, started to reach for it, stopped. Po Sin nodded, set the piece on the floor. Yong snatched it up, opened a zipper on the side of his backpack, dropped the piece inside, and zipped it back up.

Po Sin held out his index finger again.

– Now can I have a real hug?

Yong nodded, wrapped his little hand around Po Sins finger, squeezed, and let go.

Po Sin looked over his shoulder at us.

– There, all better.

– Today was a bad day.

I walked with Lei to her car.

– Usually hes more interactive. But when something gets out of sequence, or lost, he gets untracked, his mind, and he cant focus on anything else. Emotions dont make much sense to him, so he has to concentrate very hard to read signs hes been taught to recognize. When he cant, he gets confused and scared. He withdraws. And touch is difficult. He doesnt like too much contact. Random contact. Its hard to explain. He loves being sandwiched. We have these pads at home we can put him between and apply pressure over his whole body and somehow that comforts him, makes it easier to think. But generally, he needs a task to focus. The Legos.