"Help cook," I told Tamara, who was confused. Ruben repeated my words in the correct Armenian phrasing. I rolled my eyes since Tamara had already understood. Tamara patted the cushion next to her, and my father sat down. He took Milena in his lap and instantly became a babbling fool, keeping the smiling Milena enthralled.

I sat down and found out what had transpired to bring my parents to Armenia. As I suspected, my mother was the driving factor. Ruben was brought along since he was the only Armenian speaker they knew, and they wanted to limit any issues they might encounter. Smart to avoid the fist fights.

As soon...