“Louise invited us to her volleyball game this afternoon,” grandfather said as I sat down. He scooped some preserved radishes into my bowl.

I asked if we were going. I had never known either of them to be into watching sports, save for the occasional Olympic figure skating event, and the gymnasium would be a very unfamiliar spot for grandmother.

“Of course we are!” grandmother exclaimed. “That is how you support your friends.”

I winced, and Louise laughed.

“It’s an away game for us, so it’ll be nice to have some fans,” she said.

“I don’t know how loud we can be,” I mumbled.

“Of course we can!” grandfather said, hitting the table. Louise and I both jumped.

“Haven’t you heard grandfather in front of the television during the news? You think that isn’t loud?” grandmother said. She glanced at my bowl, still laden with pickled radish, and scooped in some pork floss.

“Yeah, but I can’t imagine him getting as fired up over a volleyball game.”

“Hey! Volleyball is intense. You’ll see.”

“Monica, don’t insult other people’s sports.”

“That’s not what I meant—”

“No problem. I have to head out to brunch with my teammates now. Thank you for the prebrunch breakfast though. I’ll see you later at the game?”

She did not meet my eyes even as she smiled.

After she left, I retrieved a long roll of paper from my room, a remnant from some high school project. I spread it out on the kitchen table, inviting grandmother over, asking if she would help me.

I passed her a pencil, and together we began to draw.

When we got to the gymnasium, grandmother and grandfather laid down the cushions they’d detached from our kitchen table chairs, placed them on the bleachers. I told them I didn’t need one, and soon regretted it, sitting directly on the cold bench. We were in the second row even though I was normally a back-of-the-room type.

I didn’t know the first thing about volleyball. I filled the time before the game reading about the positions and rules, rattling them off to my grandparents, who sat on either side of me. Eventually the gymnasium filled up, and even though I kept explaining the roles of each position, I was sure they could not hear me anymore over the bustle.

“Oh!” grandmother exclaimed when the players started jogging out. “They’re all so tall!”

“Oh!” she exclaimed again, her hand rapidly tapping my shoulder. “There’s Louise!”

“Louise, look!” grandfather said, pointing, having not heard grandmother.

I waved to her. She was average height compared to the rest of the team. They wore orange-accented shirts, and their black short shorts made them appear even taller. She smiled widely and waved back.