"Hey! Linda! Tan!" I heard someone yell our names as we slowly walked out the gate of the Hanoi International Airport.

"Tung!" I yelled too, because I saw who it was.

Tung is one of my cousins (I have so many) that was closer to me than the rest. We didn't keep contact very well, but at least I do know that he's in university now. The surprising thing is, he should be in Australia, why is he here?

I ran towards him as fast as I could with my luggage, unable to wipe the grin off my face. I probably look insane right now, but I don't really care anymore.
"Why are you here? I thought you're in Australia studying," I said between my pants and breaths when I got to where he stood.

Tung looked so different than how I remember him. He has a better fashion style now, thank goodness. Not that I didn't love him, but all he was wearing was t-shirts and jeans, in really weird colour combinations. Now, he is wearing ripped jeans, and a cute plaid shirt. He's smiling, which was rare back then, and his hair looked really nice. Tung definitely had a glow-up, unlike some of us out there. His time in Australia had done him good, and I'm glad that he's feeling better. Tung had a pretty rough childhood.

"I came home for the summer break," he answered my question, "how have you been doing?"
"Here and there, not anything special to say," I grinned.

He took my luggage, and walked us to the car. As Tung talk to his aunt - my mom, I took in the appearance of the airport. I was here multiple times to go to different parts of Vietnam to visit my relatives, and to go to England to visit my uncle. The last time I was here, I said goodbye to the larger part of my family. I shed little tears, but my grandparents, well, they cried a river. It was a painful departure, but they came to visit us once in a while, and we video call them everyday. I can't wait to see their reaction when we get home.

When we finally got to the car, we were all panting and sweating. The hot and damp air of Hanoi in summer never really changed, and according to my mom, it got worse over time. Damn humanity and our destruction to the environment. But then we got into the air-conditioned car, and life seemed perfect again.

"So are we going back to your place now?" - Tung asked my mother and I since he sat in the driver seat.

"Yeah, we better give the grandparents a surprise." - I heard my mother say.

I think they spoke some more about our families, the really big one, but to be honest, I wasn't paying attention. Tung had started the car and we were driving away from the airport, heading towards the heart of Hanoi, and I was mesmerized with how much it has changed.

Because we were in the suburban area, I expected to see dirt roads and some farms, and endless rice fields, so I was surprised to see so many houses in close proximity. No rice fields were in sight, and not too many trees like 5 years ago. Granted, we were on the highway, but back then, there weren't as many apartment buildings, nor was there proper-made roads. I don't know if that's better, or worse. The scenery pretty much went on all the same, until we got out of the highway into the city. Tall apartment buildings were every where, with department stores underneath. They're honestly just little shopping areas though, nothing too special. Glass panes of these buildings reflected the sky, with white floating clouds, and frankly, even more buildings.

Not too long after, we arrived at my grandparents' place. They live in an apartment that my family bought for them before we left. Just to be clear, we're at my grandparents on my mother's side right now, and we plan on seeing my father's side in a few more days. They all didn't know that we came back to Hanoi.

We went into the elevator, and my mom pressed the 21 button while I was fidgeting with then ends of my shorts.

"Hey, don't be nervous," Tung said, I knew he noticed my hands, "It's gonna be okay, they've been missing you all this time."

"But what if..." I started to mumble, but he cut me off.
"No what ifs for you."

Ding

The elevator doors slid open, like my fears finally opening their mouth to devour me. Oh I'm gonna die. Ok, that's a little dramatic, but I think you get it.

We pulled our bags and walked to the door of my grandparents' apartment. I felt like my insides were jumping up and down in fear and excitement. But I pulled it together - barely - and pressed the doorbell with my shaky fingers.

My grandpa was first to open the doors. His name is Trong, but I never call him that anyway. It breaks my heart when I saw he is so much sicker that he used to be before. Of course, I basically see him everyday on the phone, but phone cameras have a way of making people look better than they actually are. His hair are mostly gone, and the ones that are still hanging from his head are a beautiful shade of silver. My grandpa doesn't have a great figure, and it's not because he's spoiled or anything like that. My grandfather was a little boy in 1945, when crops weren't growing in farms, and the whole food supply was very scarce. He was quite traumatized after that, I think, and he began to eat and appreciate food more.

My grandpa has a way of showing love that's a little different. He has a huge ego, and he would never say "I love you", but I always have a way of knowing when he is genuinely happy, and is saying "I love you" through his eyes, like right now. His eyes widened the moment he saw the people standing at his door, and I've never seen my grandpa smile so big. I swear his eyes were even a little wet, but any person who didn't know him would think that he wasn't that happy because 2 seconds later, he scowled.

"Nice to see that you know you still have parents here", he said to my mom.

But that didn't hide the little tug on the corners of his eyes and lips, nor did that hide the fact that he opened the door so wide in order for him to usher us in as quickly as possible.

"Lanh!" He turned to yell into the apartment.

Lanh is my grandmother. She is tall and beautiful, even in her later years. As she came into the living room to see us, I knew she was annoyed that my grandpa was so loud. But the moment she laid eyes on us, she gasped, and clutched her hands to her face. She was shaking with joy, no doubt crying, too, and my mother and I couldn't help but run towards for a big family hug.

"Oh Linda, you've grown so tall!" Grandma smiled as she held my face in her hands.
"And so pretty, too," Grandpa chimed in, holding my hands in his.

The moment was so sentimental, my eyes started to sting, too. But I'm not a cry baby.... not really.
"I love you guys so much," I told them with the widest smile ever.

"I'm just your daughter, nothing special," My mom mocked, rolling her eyes playfully.

My grandmother scowled at her, but her smile was way too big for her to be serious, "Oh, shut it. Just come here." And then we hugged, again. And again, and again. I think they just missed us so much they needed to make sure we're real.

So we ate lunch, after grandma was so mad we didn't tell her so she could make a great feast, and she threw some stuff together. Tung had already left after we got settled in, he exchanged a glance with my mom, which I was still wondering about, but quickly brushed it aside. Then I felt so sleepy from the jet lag that I took a nap all the way to dinner. By the time I woke up, my mom had already been rushing in the kitchen, and juggling my grandma, who won't sit down and just rest. She thinks she has to make dinner, because apparently, we were the guests.

"Grandma, how about we watch a TV show together, you know, like we used to," I asked her.
Grandma immediately threw the idea of boil a chicken to the back of her head and agreed happily, "Oh of course, honey. Just like we used to."

It kinda surprised me that my mom let me watch a whole movie with grandma. I mean, in Canada, I cook dinner most of the time, while mom just gets me the ingredients. Since we're finally home, I figured she would want me cooking dinner for my grandparents, show them that I can take care of myself. But I guess I'm getting a day off. Not complainin'.

After dinner, my mom and I stayed in the living room to talk to grandma and grandpa, about everything in the past few years that we forgot to mention on the phone, and ask them about their years without us.

Things have always been tense between my grandparents. They were put into an arranged marriage, though neither of them were forced or anything like that. Still, there's no love between them, and they stay with each other just because of their parents, and then the responsibility to give their children a happy home. Of course, my grandparents' relationship is civil, but because my uncle's family is in the UK, and my family now lives in Canada, there's not much to hold them to each other. We weren't very surprised when they said they were considering getting a divorce and we didn't really support nor did we discourage their decision. My mom knew that they had to come to the decision on their own, because as my grandparents' children and grandchildren can affect their agreement.

After sorting things out with them, I go for a shower, brushed my teeth and wished everyone a goodnight sleep before I decided to go to bed. Before slipping away, I think I overheard my mom speaking on the phone with someone.

"We just landed today, everything is great. She doesn't suspect a thing. I think we are ready for next week!"