In rising excitement and volume, Alma says, "Roger Dumont was key in establishing order in this region, but his wife, Marion, was a very accomplished linguist in her time. Latin, German, et cetera, all the great languages, and then of course she had to come here with her husband. She became quite good at Vietnamese too. It's a bit unusual for spouses to come along, but she was an absolute asset to her husband. She was known as the Lady of Many Tongues."

Here's my treasure trove of highly specific and obscure information. Ba's fist closes tightly around his chopsticks, ready to snap. Right, Roger and Marion employed our family. We were here first, and yet where are we in history books?

Alma can't be stopped now, judging by the animated look in her eyes. "Marion held many parties and meetings in this house," she says. "Entertaining officers on leave, translating documents where needed, of course. Geniuses hardly have their equals, so she never had any reason or want to actually associate outside of this house. Unfortunate though. She could've been a great teacher to the locals."

Because I need to know for myself how no one cared for the way my family tended the hydrangeas that live until this day, I ask, "Did someone else live here?"

"No, not really," she says slowly. "Roger and Marion had children, and personal attendants—a house as big as this needs care—but they were very much distinguished pioneers and masters of their hearth."

The woman has her PhD in colonization, but that doesn't mean I'm happy she knows more than me—however fractured that knowledge.

— She Is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran (Page 120 - 121)