“Yeah you did.”
He leans in to give me a kiss before we head out of the kitchen. “Forgive me?”
“Hmm,” I hum into his mouth. “You’re forgiven.”
When we sit down at the table, I take the seat next to Rose, and Cora and Richard take the ends, and Marco sits across from me. Rose slaps her hand over mine, affectionately squeezing it. “I’m so happy we’re here. Now who the fuck made this?” She nods at the spread Marco made and I chuckle.
“I did, ma’am,” Marco says.
“Oh, stop with that ma’am business. You guys can call us Aunt Rose and Uncle Rich—or Dick if you prefer, because he can deserve it sometimes.”
“It’s true,” Rich nods.
“Any friend or significant other of our Cora calls us aunt and uncle.”
I huff a small laugh, “Okay.”
Cora starts serving everyone as Aunt Rose turns to look at me. “Tell me everything Jay. Parents, background,hangug-eohaseyo?”
I don’t know that last part she said, so I answer what I can. “I was adopted when I was one. My parents are white and I grew up around here.”
She nods in understanding. “And do you speak any Korean?”
I simply shake my head. “Very little. I knowI love youand a few other things.”
She pats my hand again and smiles. “That’s okay. I’ll get you up to speed.”
My chest swells with warmth as I watch Cora smile at me. I can’t believe this is happening. I mean, I knew we’d get here eventually, but I’m so stricken by the instantaneous acceptance that the hope I so often build too high doesn’t seem so out of reach.
I know I could have learned Korean years ago. Could have studied the culture. Could have purposefully found a community… but something always held me back. It’s like my relentless optimism somehow stopped here. And I’ll just say it: I was scared. Scared to disappoint my heritage. Scared to jump in and find the language too hard to learn. Scared to look like a beginner. But Aunt Rose doesn’t seem to give a shit. I think she’s just as excited to have me in the family as I am to have her.
Marco clears his throat and dabs his mouth with a cloth napkin. “Aunt Rose, Cora tells me you’re an excellent chef. I was wondering if you’d share with me some of your Korean recipes.”
“I’d love to,” she beams.
“I’m not very well versed in my heritage,” I tell her. “So Marco has been cooking some of the traditional stuff and we’ve all been learning about it together.”
“Aww, that’s so sweet.” She looks lovingly at Uncle Rich. “Darling, remember that time when we were first dating, I made you those Gochujang noodles?”
He smiles back at her. “It was so damn spicy; I still don’t think my asshole ever recovered from that night.”
“Yeah, but you ate every bite and asked for seconds.”
“It was worth it.”
I listen to every word of their love story, every memory shared of a Dalton family gathering, and while I’m thrilled beyond measure to absorb it all, it makes me miss my own. I’ve never gone this long without talking to my parents. This distance is getting bigger, and like my hesitation with learning about my heritage, it’s starting to feel too impossible to recover.
Should I just apologize to them to keep the peace? I know deep down that peace will only be surface-level. The real issue will linger like an unscratchable itch, I just know it.
I’m pulled out of my thoughts when Cora gets up with Marco to take our plates. I move to stand, but Aunt Rose holds my wrist gently. “Stay right here, Jay. I want you to try something. Richard, can you grab that?” she says, pointing to the tin sitting behind him on the buffet server.
Rich sets it down on the table, removing the lid, showing off what looks like baklava. Aunt Rose points inside. “This isyakgwa. Have you had this before? It can also be shaped like a flower, but I like to make them in these little squares.”
It smells great. “I don’t think I’ve had this before.”
Cora’s hand comes diving in between us to snatch one. “This is my all-time favorite.”
Marco brings over small dessert plates and Aunt Rose serves me up. Both women watch me intensely as I bite in and the sweet taste of ginger and honey melts in my mouth. It’s sticky and sweet and so flakey I have to be careful not to let the crumbs fall in my lap.
