Austin started to whine, “I’m hot, I’m tired. Can we go now?”
Edison said, “Dahee’s not a kidnapper.”
I appreciated his attempt and gave him a smile.
The counselor handed my wallet back to me. “Please come back when you have Channing with you.”
“Wait, let me try again,” I said, and rapidly sent Channing a message that she had to call me back immediately. There was no reply. It remained unread and my call went to voicemail. Where was Channing? Why didn’t she reply to me? And why didn’t she tell me the camp was so strict? I tapped my hands on the steering wheel to make the pricks go away.
Just then, a white woman walked up and pointed at her car behind us. It was Nora, from the Leeward Beach Club.
“Stacy, is there a problem? Can I get my kids while you work this out?” She addressed the counselor and then looked right at me.
“Nora, it’s me,” I said. “Channing’s cousin. We met at the beach club?” I pointed at myself.
She pulled her chin back in shock and then her eyes widened. “Right! Hi!” She smiled at the boys, who looked hopefully at her.
“I’m not on the list to pick up,” I told her.
“Of course,” she replied, and then turned to the counselor. “Stacy, this is definitely Channing Shin’s cousin. I know her.”
Stacy scowled. “Go back to your car now.”
“But—” Nora began.
“Rule number one: Parents and guardians are not supposed to leave their car,” Stacy said to the sky, but Nora got the message.
“I’m so sorry I couldn’t help,” she said. “Tell Channing to call me for a playdate.” Then Nora sprinted away.
I tried a different tack because I didn’t have the boys’ parents’ number. “Look, I’m a teacher during the year, second grade, so I get it; what can we do to get these boys home?” I asked.
Stacy slid the clipboard under her arm again and picked up each boy’s arm.
“Return with Channing. We need you to move along now.” She turned the boys around with her. She was holding them by their forearms and tugged. Austin cried out, “Ow!” I wanted to jump out of my seat and rip the boys away from her but stopped myself. I called Channing again, but it was futile.
Cars honked again behind me. Another counselor in a town park shirt knocked on the hood of my car and waved me ahead. The boys were being taken away, looking back at me with worry. I drove forward and parked in a space in the lot. What could I do? I looked up Channing’s location on my phone, and it didn’t show up. That’s when a text from an unknown number appeared:It’s me from Minjae’s phone. We got a flat. Sorry, waiting for a tow.
I texted her that they wouldn’t let me pick up the boys.How long until you get here?I wrote.
She typed back:Truck says they’re coming.
Why doesn’t he have a spare?I replied.
There was no answer. What were my choices? I thought about helplessly waiting for her to arrive. In the parking lot to my left was the same group from earlier. A clump of five men and women in suits with folders in their hands stood around Kent. I tried to duck and hoped he hadn’t seen me.
Too late, Kent strode over. “It’s okay, Kent, we’ve got this. Channing is on her way,” I said as cheerfully as I could manage.
He took one look into the car, scanned the group of children with thecounselors waiting to be picked up and said, “Again, Dahee? Channing is failing to do her job again?”
“It’s not like that, she—” I began, but he wasn’t around to listen. I would have said she wasn’t feeling well. He walked off. I was about to text Channing about Kent when he returned with the counselor and the children.
“You’re lucky Kent vouched for you,” Stacy said, and helped the boys in.
Edison and Austin made a big show of sighing and putting on their seatbelts. “Finally,” the older boy said. Austin added, “Can we get home now, jeez. And blast the AC in the back.”
I thanked Kent but he was busy furiously texting on his phone. Was he telling the children’s parents?
Chapter 20
