“No, Julia,” her grandmother replied. “I know how these things go, and who knows how much time I have left. We can’t waste it. You can do anything you put your mind to, I know it.”
Julia raised her head, and tears filled her eyes. “But Halmoni...”I’m bad at dating. I’ve never been in a relationship. I’m too much to handle. What if I fail? Don’t leave me.
Her grandmother waved her hand at Julia. “No tears. Just get on it. Open yourself up to the possibilities. Find a good man, or woman if you prefer, to build a life with. I’m progressive, it makes no difference to me. Then I can die in peace,” her halmoni said, pouring herself another bowl and taking a drink, punctuating her demands with a burp. She turned her eyes and her entire focus onto her granddaughter. “Julia, promise me you’ll try, try to find your true love. You can look where you least expect to find it. That’s usually how I find my glasses.”
Her grandmother stood, way steadier on her feet than Julia felt. She placed her hand on Julia’s shoulder and squeezed, nodded her head, and walked away.
Julia wiped away the tears from her eyes and nodded back, though the space on the couch was now empty, a silent promise made. She would pay for the best doctors to do whatever they had to do to help her grandmother with whatever it was she was dealing with.
Julia would fix this.
The two of them returned to the kitchen where everyone was gathered, acting like nothing was wrong, like the matriarch of their family wasn’t dying. Did her parents know Halmoni wasn’t well? How could she possibly deny her grandmother her dying wish? But how could she make a promise she wasn’t sure she could keep?
She couldn’t just find some guy out of the blue who would be funny and sweet and didn’t shrivel in the presence of Julia’s success, expecting her to become less so that he wouldn’t feel so... could she? Okay, wow, she definitely needed to work through some things with her therapist. But she’d also need some help right now.
Before she could change her mind, Julia cleared her throat and raised her hand. “Excuse me, everyone. I have an announcement.” She pulled her shoulders back and stood straighter. The room quieted, and all eyes turned to Julia in full CEO mode.“After further consideration, I have decided that I will agree to let you set me up. On a date.”
All jaws dropped to the ground.
And then all mouths began moving at once.
“Hallelujah, this is a miracle!”
“This is wonderful, just wonderful.”
“It would have been easier if we started before she was thirty, but still...”
Julia watched the back-and-forth like a tennis match. She was losing control of the situation. They were jumping the gun. She wasn’t quite ready yet...
“How about we not focus on my age and focus, instead, on what kind of man we should be looking for. Let’s talk about my type.” Julia needed all hands on deck to find someone just right.
“Well, honey, we don’t exactly know where to start since you’ve never brought anyone home for us to meet. But sure, what are you interested in?” her mom asked, subtle dig not unnoticed.
“He has to be smart so that Julia’s brains don’t intimidate him,” her father said before Julia could get a word in.
“And tall. Korean men these days are very tall, and we can’t waste Julia’s strong genes on someone who won’t match them,” Aunt Sharon added.
“And no wimps. You know how Julia makes men cry,” Aunt Linda insisted.
Now, that was an urban legend. One time. It happenedone time. And Julia hadn’t actually made anyonecryfrom her honesty since then. At least she didn’t think so.
“At the very least, he needs to be successful. I want a partner,” Julia added. She wanted an equal. All her strongest business relationships were those where each side brought something to the table, mutually beneficial. And she didn’t want to struggle like her parents had their entire lives.
“Smart. Successful. Tall. And no crybabies. This is going to be a lot harder than expected.” All heads nodded in unison as if Aunt Janet had just dropped some epic truth.
Julia gripped the kitchen island with both hands, her knuckles white with tension. She felt exposed. She hated people talking about her and being dissected by others. She bit the inside of her cheek, willing for this night to end.
She raised her eyes and looked over at her grandmother. Fear grabbed her heart at a world without her halmoni. Whatever the diagnosis, however much time she had left, Julia would do whatever she could to make her happy. She would go on these dates and be the best version of herself. She would figure out how to make it work, to make someone—anyone—stick. But would she be willing to give up a part of herself if she needed to?
Did they have coaches for something like this?
“Himnaeja, everyone. Let’s do it for Julia,” her father said.
Her mom perked up, and her eyes sparkled with excitement.
“Dangshin,” her mom called to her dad, “what about that new youth pastor at church? He has a lot of hair on his head. Very smart.”
“No, no, too short. But what about Mr. Lee who owns the sandwich shop?” her dad suggested. “Tall.”
