I was in the living room doing some reading while Mom was tending the plants. What can I say? I love me some juicy lore. All of a sudden, Molly stopped in with a question I've been wondering about as well. "Hey, Mom. You know how Grandma Nin is always saying she wants to visit?" Molly asked. "I was wondering about that myself." I added. "Did she say that?" Mom asked. "Okay, so she may have dropped some hints." "Mom, the plant is getting too much water." I warned. "Well, good news, I picked up on each and every one of those hints and... get excited... I invited Grandma Nin for a visit!" Molly exclaimed, causing Mom to drop her watering can. "You did wha..." Mom trailed off as the doorbell rang. "She's here!" Molly gasped. "Nin-coming!" Darryl, Scratch, and I shouted, running towards the door, causing Dad to lose his balance. "Sorry, Dad!" I apologized. "Nin's coming?" Dad asked. "She's here." Mom muttered. Molly answered the door. "Sawadee ka, Grandma Nin." Molly, Darryl, and I greeted. "Molly! Amber! Darryl! I have presents!" Grandma Nin announced, handing us each a gift. "Ooh, my favorite." Molly said. "You're here! You and your snacks are finally here!" Scratch exclaimed, pushing us out of the way. "Khanom Buang for my favorite ghost!" Grandma Nin explains, showing Scratch a plate of her snacks, which he ate immediately. "She's my favorite family member." Scratch admitted. "Sorry, Molly, but it's time you knew." "Kinda figured that already, Scratch." I said. "Nin! So good to see you." Dad bowed to her. "Peter, for you, I have a very special Thai fruit." Grandma Nin offered, giving Dad a huge spiky durian. "Oh, it's a durian." I said. "Oh. Wow. A durian, you say?" Dad wondered. "Thank you so much. I'll just..." Dad tried to eat the durian without cracking it open. "You have to open it first." Grandma Nin reminded him. "I know!" Dad replied with his mouth full, taking the durian out. "I was just... showing Darryl how not to eat it." "Seemed obvious, but okay." Darryl commented. "Come on, son, let's go crack this bad boy open." Dad said, taking Darryl into the kitchen. "Now." Mom glared at Grandma Nin. "What? He'll love it!" Grandma Nin defended herself. "Sawadee ka, Khun Mae." Mom greeted. "I have no present for you, Sharon." Grandma Nin said. "I spent enough money on your art degree." "Didn't take long for that to come up." Mom mumbled. "Do you guys need professional help?" I asked. "Look at this! My Mom! My Mom's Mom! My sister! All under the same roof!" Molly exclaimed, bringing me, Mom, and Grandma Nin into a hug. "Breathing the same air!" "Eating the same snacks." Scratch added. "Aren't you excited?" Molly asked. "So excited! I'm very, very, very excited!" Mom exclaimed in a high pitched voice. I could tell something was up between her and Grandma Nin. "Amber, Scratch, do you sense something wrong between Mom and Grandma Nin?" Molly asked. "Yup." I replied. "Nope!" Scratch said at the same time while eating. "When do you have to go sell pork?" Grandma Nin asked, walking upstairs with Mom, who carried her luggage. "I've explained this before Mom." Mom grunted. "I'm a Gig-Pig. Pork is not involved. Usually." "Ah, you're both overreacting." Scratch replied to Molly. "You know, not everything has to be fluffy ponies and rainbows all the time." "One, hard disagree." Molly said. "And two, if Mom and Grandma Nin are distant now, they might grow even further apart. Then Grandma Nin may never come visit again!" "I mean, I guess I could see your point there." I commented. "And I'll never taste her Nin-credible snacks again!" Scratch gasped, shaking both of us. "Molly! Amber! We have to get to the bottom of this problem! For Mom, for Grandma Nin, most of all, for me!" "Let go of me, Scratch!" I demanded.

Walking into the kitchen, there was a peculiar smell coming from the durian that Dad and Darryl cracked open. "Ugh! It smells like rotten eggs and burnt rubber!" Dad exclaimed in disgust. "Hey, Dad. What's going on with..." Molly wondered, smelling the durian. "Whoa! Sweet baby corn, what died in here?!" "Hey, that's offensive." Scratch explains before smelling the same thing. "But not as offensive as that! Ugh!" "It's the durian brought me to... eat." Dad replied, gagging. "Ooh, you got the durian open? Save me some, will ya?" I asked. "Oh. Well, anyway, what's going on with Mom and Grandma Nin?" Molly asked. "I'm sensing... tension." All of a sudden, we could hear thunder in the house for some reason. "Molly, we do not speak of..." Dad explained as thunder was heard again. "The Tensions!" Then, the lights began flickering and the dishes were shaking. "That's... odd." Scratch commented. "Trust me, Molly." Dad continues. "Just pretend everything is normal, and happy and cozy. Then pray you don't get burned in the inevitable scorched Earth brouhaha between Mom and Nin! Such is the way with... The Tensions!" "Cool, good talk... Dad." Molly said, looking concerned. "We're gonna... go now." "Yeah, we got something to do back here." Scratch added. "Later, Dad." I waved.

Molly and I followed Scratch back into our room. "We gotta fix this situation because I am not losing Grandma Nin!" Scratch shouted. "You mean her snacks?" I corrected. "Or her snacks!" Scratch cried. "Of course, her snacks are delicious! So what's the plan? We put them through a terrifying ordeal that'll bind them for life!" "Or, we could gently remind them that they love each other." Molly suggested. "I mean, if you want to do the least fun way to do that, then, yeah, let's give it a whirl." Scratch said. "Amber! I need you to help me with something!" Dad called from downstairs. "I'm coming, Dad!" I shouted. "Good luck, you guys."

I came down to the kitchen where Dad and Darryl were standing around the durian that Grandma Nin brought. "10 dollars." Dad offered Darryl a 10 dollar bill. "You can do better than 10 dollars." Darryl said. "Okay, ten dollars and I do your chores for a week." Dad continued. "Ten dollars, two weeks and when my report card comes in, you say to Mom, quote, "I think we place too much emphasis on good grades."" Darryl considered. "Deal?" "Deal, now eat this durian." "You wanted to see me, Dad?" I asked. "Yes, sweetie. I need you to eat this durian with your brother." Dad explained. "I figured." I chuckled. "How much you got for me?" "As much as you want." Dad replied. "20 dollars." I bribed him. "I don't have 20 dollars on me." Dad explains. "I just have another 10." "Good enough for me." I said, just as Molly and Scratch came into the kitchen. "I would've eaten that durian anyway." "Hey, Dad, I... ugh!" Molly gagged. "That thing's not getting any better, is it? Um, remember how you told us to not get in between Mom and Nin?" "I told you not to mess with... The Tensions." Dad replied, just as thunder clapped inside of the house again. It kinda felt like an earthquake. "Where is all this thunder coming from?!" I asked. "We're indoors." "Gotta say, as a supernatural entity, I am telling you that is odd!" Scratch exclaimed. "We were thinking you could ask Mom about her beef with Grandma Nin?" Molly wondered. "I'd rather eat the durian." Dad laughed. "Speaking of, get chewing there, kiddos." "Don't mind if I do." I said, grabbing a piece of durian. "Dad, if me and Mom didn't get along, wouldn't you do everything you could to fix us?" Molly asked. "I don't get along with Mom all the time, Moll." I replied with my mouth full. "But no matter how bad the situation is, we still make up with each other." Dad thought about what me and Molly had said for a moment.

Dad came upstairs to his and Mom's room to try to convince her to make up with Grandma Nin. While Dad went inside, Molly, Scratch, and I waited by the door. Scratch was still snacking on his food. We all heard Mom sneeze under the bed, where she must've been hiding from Grandma Nin. Dad lifted the blanket to find Mom's hiding spot. "Sharon, you can't hide under the bed until your mom leaves." Dad explains. "Hiding? What?" Mom lied. "I'm just clearing out all these dust bunnies." "Honey, we need to talk about... The Tensions." Dad whispered as thunder strikes once again. "So, so odd." Scratch comments. "We have to get to the bottom of this." Dad said. "It's affecting the family... and the weather. Could she still be mad that we eloped? Is that it? Because we never had a proper wedding?" "Stay out of it, Pete!" Mom snapped, going back into hiding. "That's it, guys!" Molly gasped. "Grandma Nin never got to see her daughter get married! Oh, she must've been so hurt. We gotta throw a wedding for Mom and Grandma Nin!" "You mean Mom and Dad?" Scratch asked. "Uh, Scratch, everyone knows that weddings are all about the parents." Molly replied. "Not true whatsoever." I rolled my eyes.

While Molly was setting up the wedding, I went back into the kitchen to split the durian with Darryl. Molly dashed into the kitchen once she was finished decorating. "Guys! There's a two-headed bird in the backyard and it's fighting with itself!" Molly lied as Dad spit out his coffee. We all headed to the backyard to see her wedding setup. "Ah, surprise! Happy Wedding Day! Also, I made up the bird thing." "Wedding?" Grandma Nin wondered. "Aw, I wanted a two-headed bird fight." Darryl sighed. "Molly, who's getting married?" Mom asked. "You and Dad." Molly replied. "This is the wedding that Grandma Nin has always wanted for you!" "I don't think Grandma Nin has ever pictured Mom and Dad getting married in their own backyard." I said. "Ooh, exciting!" Grandma Nin exclaimed. "If this is what will finally make you happy, then, Pete, we're getting hitched!" Mom shouted. "Ah, that takes me back." Dad said. Darryl hit a spoon on a pan in place of traditional wedding bells. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join this Mom and this Dad with this Mong Kol, as a symbol of their undying love times infinity." Molly began. "If there's anyone who objects, keep it to yourselves. Dad, please present the Sin Sod." "I ask for your daughter's hand in marriage by presenting you with this gift." Dad said, handing Grandma Nin a bowl of junk. "There are a lot of pennies in here." Grandma Nin pointed out. "Yeah, I only found out about this five minutes ago." Dad confessed. "Is that what you're wearing to your wedding?" Grandma Nin asked Mom. "It was a surprise wedding!" Mom complained. "And you don't have much room to talk." "Speed it up, Moll!" Scratch shouted. "Moving on super-super quickly to the Sang Rot Naam!" Molly exclaimed, handing Grandma Nin a small pitcher of water, pouring it over Mom and Dad's hands. "Be still! And sit up straight! You're only half-blessed." Grandma Nin said. Mom was fed up with her. "This is why Pete and I eloped!" Mom snapped, sending the pitcher flying and the arch coming down. "Ah! Nin! I'm coming for you!" Scratch shouted as we were all trying to get out from under the cloth. "Ow! Someone's stepping on my shoulder!" I complained. "By the smell of the shoe, I can only assume it's Darryl!" "Mom! Stop stepping on me!" Mom shouted. "You stop stepping on me!" Grandma Nin argued. "Oh, right! Because everything I do is wrong!" Mom screamed. "Ah! I thought I lost you and your sweet treats forever." Scratch sighed, hugging Grandma Nin. "You have. I'm going home." She said. "This visit was a mistake!" "Finally! Something we can agree on!" Mom shouted. "Oh, corn. I can't breathe!" I gasped for air. "Oh, no! Molly! Amber! This family is falling apart!" Scratch panicked. "And it's all happening so fast!" "That's it!" Molly snapped, tying up Mom and Grandma Nin. "No one is leaving this wedding until you two hash it out!" "What?!" They both asked. "I know, deep down, you two still love each other." Molly explains. "We threw this whole wedding so Grandma would get over the fact that you and Dad eloped!" "Eloped?" Mom asked. "No, Molly, you got it all wrong. Grandma Nin doesn't care about that. She's upset that I didn't finish my law degree and studied art instead." "Ohh!" We all realized. "No, you've got it wrong, Sharon." Grandma Nin said. "I'm upset because you gave up on your art." "Ohh!" We repeated. "I worked hard so you could follow your dream." Grandma Nin confessed, handing Mom a piece of paper. "You are talented, tii rák. You always have been. So, stop selling pork and get back to your art." "Oh, Mom. There is no pork." Mom began crying a bit. "But I get what you're saying. And thank you." "Now hug it out and seal the deal." Scratch said. "I'm not leaving anything to chance." Mom and Grandma Nin finally hugged each other as Molly and Scratch gave each other a high five.

Before we knew it, the time had come for Grandma Nin to return home. Before Grandma Nin could hug Mom again, Scratch grabbed onto her leg. "Alright! Come again soon!" Scratch begged. "And, you know, if you can't, just send snacks!" "Thank you, Nin, for the durian." Dad thanked her. "It was fantastic. I enjoyed every last bite." "Then here!" Grandma Nin said, tossing him another durian. "Enjoy." Darryl and I looked at Dad as he shuddered. "How many of those can she fit in her purse?" I wondered. "Also, jackpot!" "Almost forgot! A gift for you, Sharon." Grandma Nin handed Mom her gift as her cab left the front of the house. "Bye, Mom!" Mom shouted, bowing with respect. "Bye, Grandma Nin!" Molly, Darryl, and I exclaimed. Mom looked down at her gift and smiled. "What is it, Mom?" I asked. Mom opened her gift to reveal a new set of paintbrushes. "A reminder." Mom replied. "The post office has flat rate boxes!" Scratch shouted at the cab. "You can ship anything..."