He looked disappointed. “Should I have it sooner? I think people are busy during the week.”
“You already told everyone, right? So definitely have it on Friday. I’m sure it’ll be great.” I turned to leave.
“Yeah, I have to keep it on Friday actually because I’m being set up to meet someone that night.” He scratched his head.
Was this the woman that Mrs. Ku had mentioned to Harabeoji? If so, she worked fast.
“She’s the daughter of Mrs. Ku’s friend in Philly, so if she’s willing to come all the way here I should agree to meet her,” he continued. “For whatever reason, it’s been a challenge to find someone who wants to date me.” He actually looked sheepish.
“I’m sure you’ll find your person, Kent,” I replied.
He gave me a tentative smile, “Would you ask Channing to bring the boys? I know she hates making dinner for them. I’ll have lots of food. Really good Korean catering. Tell her seven o’clock? She can come at six if the boys are hungry. I can make sure the food is set up earlier. There will be lots of people there. All the Korean families. I’m just being a friend, that’s all. I get it.”
“Yeah, sure, I’ll tell her,” I agreed.
He made a choking sound that seemed to be the release of an excited laugh. I suddenly felt suspicious of him again. He sounded too eager to have my cousin attend to be over his obsession with her, but I pushed away my fears. Be optimistic, I told myself. I only agreed to inform her of the party. It didn’t mean Channing would attend. I couldn’t force her. He wasasking me to just let her know, and I promised him I’d do so. I felt sorry for him as I walked away and also not sorry. Maybe this woman from Philadelphia who Mrs. Ku had arranged to meet Kent was the person for him. As Channing said, there was someone for everyone at some point or another. We had to keep looking.
Despite several detours, I found my way back to Bike and Basket. Ames was eating lunch with Paul when I returned and said she was going to Kent’s party when I mentioned it. My phone showed that Channing was at the park picking up the boys on time, so I drove around a bit. I was glad I had stayed a few extra days. Harabeoji was right. Everything was going to be fine.
Channing was making dinner for the boys, one of her bibimbap specials where she threw in everything left over in the fridge, but she wouldn’t look me in the eye or answer any of my questions. I held off talking about seeing Kent at the library and his invitation for Friday night.
After dinner, we sat on the steps and watched in silence as the boys rode their bikes. Finally, she said, “Only ten more days until I can leave this town.”
“Are you feeling sad about that?”
“Actually, I can’t wait. Then I won’t run into Minjae anywhere.”
“Wait, what?” I said.
“We talked about his engagement,” she explained.
“So it’s true.” I sighed.
“He says it’s complicated, but I don’t see how.” She sniffed. “Anyway, it’s over between us. Good thing I hardly knew him.” She put her head down on her raised knees before she got up and hurried into the house.
Chapter 22
Channing held it together the next day, getting the boys off to camp, then returned to the house. Harabeoji and I couldn’t leave her in East End in this condition. We decided to postpone our departure yet again. When Channing became quiet like this, it meant she was more upset than if she cried and yelled. The only thing that remotely piqued her interest was watching the Chunhyang K-drama, so that’s what we did, sitting at the kitchen table, watching it on her laptop, drinking cups of tea. She refused the ginseng now. She wanted only peppermint.
The Yuns invited us over for dinner that night, but Channing refused to go. I drove the boys, and we had sujebi in chicken soup. Edison and Austin jumped on the trampoline and ate watermelon and peaches again. According to Mrs. Yun, Paul was busy, so he didn’t join us. A disappointment. I didn’t realize how much I’d hoped to see him.
Mr. Yun was showing Harabeoji real estate listings for houses in the area, which my grandfather was gently declining. “Think about it. If you lived here, we could go fishing every day,” Mr. Yun said. “How can I wait until the next time you visit? We aren’t young anymore. How many years do we have left, do you think? Two, three?”
“More than that,” I said. “Ten!”
All three of them laughed at my response. “Wah, I’ll be ninety-nine,”Mr. Yun exclaimed. “That would be something if I could drive and fish in my little boat at that age.”
“Well, in the old days, that was possible,” Harabeoji said.
“I’m planning on it. Speak for yourself, old man,” Mrs. Yun exclaimed in a stern voice. “Mrs. Ku says an apartment might be available above her bakery.”
“An apartment! That’s for young people. My friend needs a house,” Mr. Yun said.
It made me realize that he didn’t know where my grandfather lived in Boston and had never visited him. Mrs. Yun’s face showed she was hurt by her husband’s comment. Maybe she understood my grandfather’s finances better than Mr. Yun did. I changed the subject to Kent’s party. I must have sounded enthusiastic about it because Harabeoji said if Channing wasn’t attending, then he’d keep her company that night and I could take the children to it. Mr. Yun said the other Korean families would want to see my grandfather. I mentioned Kent’s interest in the new woman from Philadelphia and how Channing didn’t have to worry about Kent anymore, and that seemed to put Harabeoji at ease.
The next morning, Thursday, Channing couldn’t manage to get out of bed to drive the boys to camp. The house was quiet when I woke, and she was huddled under her blankets. I had to hurry to get the boys dressed. I’d hastily thrown their swimsuits, towels, and lunches together but didn’t have time for them to eat at home, so we stopped at a drive-through doughnut place to get them breakfast. Austin asked if we could do this every day.
When I returned, the house was quiet. Channing’s flip-flops were by the door, so I knew she hadn’t gone out. Harabeoji called to ask how Channing was feeling, so I filled him in. He was at Mrs. Ku’s bakery helping out today because she was shorthanded. “Bring Channing,” he said. “She should get out of that house.” I promised him I’d try.
