At the dinner table, Mary kept sneaking glances at Dan, like she was trying to size up Sheldon's new friend from head to toe.
When she saw Dan whispering with little Sheldon, this super-sensitive mom immediately got a serious look on her face.
She pinched her husband, who was just focused on chugging his beer, and whispered, "George~"
Then she nodded toward Sheldon and his friend.
George thought Mary was worried that Sheldon's buddy was feeling left out. So he jumped in all casual and loud: "Dan, that's a name from what country?"
Dan looked up at George's friendly face and explained, "It's a Vietnamese name, sir."
You could tell he was still a bit nervous.
When George heard Dan was Vietnamese, he perked right up. Back when he was young and in the service, he'd fought in Vietnam. He had his own opinions about that backwards little country.
But of course, being on opposite sides meant they felt totally different about the war. George had no clue what that war had really done to Dan and his family—the trauma it caused.
Before long, George was obliviously chatting away with Dan about the old war days.
Out of nowhere, Connie spoke up: "George~"
George stopped mid-sentence and turned, confused: "What?"
"Your old lady wants an ice-cold beer. Go grab me one," Connie ordered like she owned the place.
"Fine, you really know how to boss people around," George grumbled, but he caved under her stare and headed to the fridge.
Mike quietly gave Connie a thumbs-up. The others at the table might not get it, but Mike knew: Connie was pretending to bully George, but really she was looking out for Dan's feelings.
Mary, on the other hand, seemed even more uneasy after learning Dan was Vietnamese.
While she was figuring out how to "grill" him, Mike jumped in first: "Dan, what grade are you in? What kinda hobbies you got?"
To Dan, Mike was this handsome, all-around impressive guy—someone you kinda looked up to.
When Mike actually talked to him first, Dan was caught off guard and flattered.
With Mike being so friendly, Dan got excited and just spilled everything about himself.
Then, with Mike gently steering the conversation, this innocent kid ended up sharing all about his family too.
Finally, in the warm vibe, Dan even opened up about the tough stuff he'd been through as a little kid.
"I'm really sorry about what you went through," Mike said after hearing his story.
"Thanks~" Dan felt Mike's genuine kindness, and after getting it all out, he seemed a lot more relaxed and comfortable.
Little Sheldon, whose emotional radar surprisingly kicked in right then, chimed in with his own concern for Dan.
As soon as those caring words came out, the bond between these two pure-hearted kids got even stronger.
By the time George came back with the ice-cold beer, the table was all warm and happy vibes.
George: Finally, I don't have to be the one keeping things lively!
After setting the beer in front of Connie, George happily settled in with his own drink, enjoying the peace.
As for Mary, once she knew all about Dan's situation, she slowly started warming up to Sheldon's new friend.
...
Meanwhile, over at Katie's house, a similar conversation was happening at their dinner table.
Ever since getting home, Katie had been acting kinda weird. She rummaged through her closet—which she never cared about before—and was even humming little tunes in her room.
This bubbly energy was a total 180 from the last couple weeks.
At the table, Katie's mom carefully asked, "Katie, how was school today?"
"Pretty good~" Katie said with a big smile.
Seeing their daughter light up like that, her parents exchanged a quick look, and Mom kept going: "Did something nice happen at school?"
"I made my first friend! His name's Mike, and he's a really, really great guy." As Katie said it, thinking about Mike's handsome face made her cheeks get a little hot.
Mike was obviously a boy's name, and seeing how shy she looked, Katie's dad immediately went on alert.
He played it cool: "So what grade's this Mike in? Any bad habits? His family..."
"Dad!" Katie cut him off when he started getting carried away, then huffed, "We just met!!"
To avoid pushing her buttons, Dad looked helplessly at Mom for backup.
Mom got the hint and said gently, "Katie, tell us how you met Mike, okay?"
Katie thought the whole thing felt like a dream anyway, so she happily shared the story with her mom.
Dad watched from the side as his little girl couldn't stop smiling every time she mentioned this Mike kid.
The old man was practically radiating sour vibes.
Before, he'd been worried because she couldn't make friends at school. Now she'd made one—and seemed totally smitten—which left him not just worried, but a little heartbroken too.
While Katie was still gushing about Mike, he whispered to his wife, "Katie's never really been around other kids much. Her first friend? We gotta vet this guy. What if this Mike's bad news!"
Seeing how worked up he was, Mom tried to calm him: "It's a good thing she made a friend. You're overreacting."
"Aren't you even curious what kind of person this Mike is?" Dad shot back.
Katie had always been homeschooled, and now she'd suddenly been thrown into regular school.
Truth was, Mom was just as worried as any parent dropping their little girl off at kindergarten for the first time.
His question made her waver: "Maybe... we should meet Mike and see if he's as great as she says."
"That's what I'm talking about," Dad said triumphantly. "Later, find a way to have her invite him over. We can check out his character ourselves..."
Perfect timing—Katie had just finished telling the story of how they met.
Mom jumped in: "Your dad and I are so happy you made a friend, Katie.
How about you invite Mike over tomorrow? We can properly host your new friend."
Dad saw how fast his wife nailed it, quietly gave her a thumbs-up, and added, "Yeah, I'll make sure he's well taken care of."
Katie didn't catch the double meaning in her dad's words. She thought about it and said, "Wouldn't that be kinda sudden...?"
Just as her parents started to worry, she added, "How about the weekend instead? There's more time then."
"Perfect! We'll both be free this weekend anyway," Mom said with a smile.
Actually, both parents were zoologists with their own independent studio—no punch-in clock required.
So no matter when Katie invited Mike, they'd make time.
...
Back at the Coopers', dinner had just wrapped up. Mike, carrying his football gear and heading out, ran into little Sheldon and Dan at the door.
The two were on their way to the garage to work on rockets.
Maybe because Mike had given him that toy train, Sheldon surprisingly invited him: "Mike, wanna see the rocket I built myself?"
From Sheldon's proud, tsundere expression, it was clear he was showing off.
"No thanks," Mike turned him down politely, then added a reminder: "If your rocket's got a real propulsion system, I'd suggest launching it somewhere open and clear."
"Thanks for the tip~" Sheldon said in his haughty way as he brushed past Mike with Dan.
Who knows if he actually listened.
Mike shook his head and headed toward Connie's house.