Julia cut into her brioche French toast and dipped a piece into the warm bourbon maple syrup. She peeked to see a hopeful look on Sonia’s face. A contrast to the skeptical look on Rachel’s. Just as expected. Julia didn’t know what to think. Was it really not a big deal, or was it the biggest deal ever?
“Oh God.” Julia dropped her fork and put her head into her hands. “My grandmother thinks I’m magically gonna find a partner after three dates. Of their choosing. There’s just no way.”
“We’re gonna need some mimosas over here,” Rachel said to the server.
“Don’t worry about the end game just yet. Focus on these setups. Who knows? Anything could happen. Youcouldmeet the man of your dreams.” Sonia’s excitement and positivity were at a fever pitch.
“If you break out into a song and dance, I will never speak to you again,” Julia said.
“Anyways, um, shall we bring up the elephant in the room?” Sonia asked.
“Oh, I’m so glad you mentioned it before I had to. Sonia, honey, did you mean to leave the house wearing those things?” Rachel asked, pointing to Sonia’s feet. “Haven’t I told you to always have an emergency pair of cute shoes in the car?”
“What’s wrong with my Birkenstocks?”
“Well, they’re not even the decently cute white ones. They’re just two tan straps with buckles attached to a corkboard,” Rachel answered.
“I like them,” Julia chimed in, head still in her hands. “They’re comfortable and, despite the aesthetic limitations, have managed to remain remarkably relevant in fashion.”
“You’re both doing this to incite me, I see. I won’t bite. I won’t peel off my fake lashes in rage like last time we had this conversation,” Rachel said.
Julia reached her hand across the table, and Sonia met it in a high five.
“Anyways, the elephant I was going to bring up is that if your family is setting you up, there’s a decent chance they’ll know the guy’s family as well,” Sonia suggested.
“That’s a good point. So it’s not only your reputation on the line, it’s theirs too.” Rachel’s words were not helping Julia’s nerves.
Julia didn’t do well in normal social situations. Suddenly the added pressure of not embarrassing her parents made her want to wave the white flag.
“I actually think this is a good thing. These parents likely know you and who you are. The moms are probably foaming at the mouth for their sons to marry The Julia Song. So when things go south—” Rachel’s yelp stopped her statement in its tracks. “Why’d you kick me?” she said to Sonia.
Sonia’s eyes widened in an unspoken warning.
“What I meant wasifthings go south,” Rachel said and widened her eyes back at Sonia, “then they’ll likely blame their sons for ruining their dreams of a lavish wedding and free products for life. It’ll never be your fault. You’re in the clear.”
Sonia reached over and grabbed Julia’s hand. “We’re not trying to freak you out. Just go and have fun, with an open mind. What’s the worst that can happen?” Sonia asked.
Julia groaned. “Oh, I don’t know... I disappoint my grandmother and break her heart. Or I shame my parents’ good names, and they’re banished to a small town with no other Koreans and bemoan the lack of good cabbage in the area’s farm stands.”
“Well, that took a turn,” Rachel said, her fork holding a piece of her salmon Benedict hanging in midair.
“You should get a coach or something. You love a good coach. Don’t you have, like, ten of them for all your life’s needs?” Sonia asked.
“Do dating coaches even exist? I feel like if they did, there’d be some reality show onBravoabout it already,” Rachel added.
“Funny you should mention this,” Julia said, dreading what she was about to share with her friends. Would they laugh at her? Possibly. But they could also think it was the best idea ever. At this point, what did Julia have to lose anyway? She needed all the help she could get. “I may have already asked my young neighbor to be my dating coach,” she admitted.
“Which young neighbor? The one who sells the Girl Scout Cookies? Or the one who won the high-school spelling bee last year?” Sonia’s family were third-generation Irvine Koreans. They knew everyone.
“Taehyung, the kid across the street,” Julia said.
“Wait, do you mean Tae Kim?” Sonia’s voice was excited with recognition.
“Yeah, Tae Kim,” she said.
Julia took the last bite of French toast, swirled it around in the decadent syrup, and put it in her mouth. She grabbed her coffee and took a sip to wash it down. She looked out at the ocean, one of the best outdoor seating views of any restaurant on the Westside. She mentally reviewed the entire next year’s marketing plan. She grew ten new gray hairs...
It had been awfully quiet for way too many moments.
