“Thanks. That means a lot,” he says. His sincerity catches me off guard, making me supremely awkward.
“Oh, I— You’re welcome,” I say clumsily before twirling my fork aimlessly on my plate. I didn’t realize my support meant so much to him.
Between bites, Mom and Dad take turns saying things like “Unbelievable” and “How remarkable” and other comments about how uncanny it is that Gavin was able to so accurately capture in a dish a memory that only existed in their minds.
Eating dinner together is unusual, but the conversations that accompany it are even more out of the ordinary for us. “This is nice,” I say.
“I agree. We haven’t had a family dinner like this in…” Dad drifts off.
“It’s long overdue,” Mom says, finishing his thought. A reflective lull takes over our table. I can tell by the thoughtful expressions on everyone’s faces that we’re enjoying this rare family dinner together.
“In Korea,” Mom says, breaking the silence, “the word forfamilyisshik-gu, which translates tomouth to feed, because we share our food with people who are the closest to us. It means food is essential, but so is family.” She looks around the table before staring directly at Dad. His features soften, and for the first time in a while, Mom and Dad exchange a glance that conveys more hope than despair.
After we’ve finish eating, in a completely unprecedented turn ofevents, Dad offers to wash the dishes. And I help.
“I didn’t know you knew how to wash dishes,” I say semi-jokingly. Actually, come to think of it, I don’t know how to wash dishes either. I’m just making it up as I go along. Soap, sponge, water. I mean, it’s pretty self-explanatory, right?
“It’s true,” Dad says. “Men aren’t supposed to wash dishes.”
My skin prickles. “Excuse me?” I lean back to stare Dad in the eye.
“I mean, that’s what I was taught growing up,” he goes on to explain. “Kind of like how your mother and the other women in our village weren’t supposed to deal with the merchants when selling our produce to the markets. Everyone had a job on the farm, which is how we managed the endless work.”
As disappointed as I’ve been with Dad for his lack of interest in me, it occurs to me that I’m no better. I haven’t asked him about himself since, well, ever.
“You never told me you grew up on a farm.”
He nods, then goes back to washing the plate in his hand. I deflate, thinking he’ll revert to engaging only in conversations that are limited to a need-to-know basis.
“Men were responsible for financially supporting their families, so we left the housework to the women,” he continues, surprising me. “It’s why I wasn’t expecting to meet with those women today. Because I’m used to dealing with men when it comes to business and farming. But if I didn’t change my perspective, I would have missed out on an opportunity with the co-op. And it’s making me curious to try other things I’m not used to.” He hands me a dish to dry after washing and rinsing it.
“Maybe you’re better in boardrooms than in kitchens.” I point at the food stains on the dish he just handed me.
He grimaces. “It’s my first day on the job. Cut me some slack?”
“Okay.” I laugh. “How about I wash the dishes and you rinse?”
“Deal.” He smiles.
Mom hears us laughing and comes over to us. “I take it the meeting went well.”
I glance over at Dad, who meets my eyes with a smile. “It did,” he says. “It went really well. Elena was right to introduce me to this group of women.”
My smile stretches wider. I’m still not used to hearing the unfamiliar words of praise from him. I hope we’ll be able to join the co-op soon, since it’ll give me many more opportunities to show Dad what I’m capable of. Most surprising of all is my excitement over my involvement in farming. I mean, who am I? Guess it really means I can turn any bad situation into a good one. And it feels good to finally be included in the family’s business.
When we’re done with the dishes, we dry our hands, and Dad joins Mom in their room while I go to mine, where Gavin is reading in bed. I’m about to tell him about my day when I suddenly remember his.
“So? How’d it go?” I singsong as soon as the door closes behind me.
“Must I?” He drops his head back dramatically.
“Yes, you must. It’s my payment for playing matchmaker.” I poke him in the chest. “Now spill.”
“Argh.” Gavin makes a face, pretending to be annoyed. “Fine,” he says, putting his book away. He rolls over onto his side and glances at me casually. “It was…nice” is all he says.
“Are you serious?” I throw my pillow at him. “Try harder. Did my plan work?”
“Surprisingly it did,” he says, sitting up and tossing my pillow back to me.
