Carey hands me the phone back and I stare at the screen.
Jintae:I’m safe.
I glare at Carey. “How is that it?”
“But he’s made contact. That’s amazing, right?”
“Right… Right…” I keep nodding because I don’t know what else to do. “I’ll… Write back.”
“That’s probably a good idea,” Carey agrees with a kind smile.
Tek:Where are you?
JinTae:I’m safe. That’s all you need to know.
Tek:Mom and Dad called the cops.
JinTae:Please tell them I’m alright.
Tek:Goddamnit, Jin. Can’t you please tell them yourself?
JinTae:How’s the shop going?
Tek:Don’t act like you didn’t disappear off the face of the earth for two months.
He starts typing, then the dots disappear.
“Goddamnit,” I curse under my breath, then look to Carey who's been reading along over my shoulder. “Am I being unreasonable?”
“About what? Nobody's heard from him in two months. You’re allowed to let him know you’re frustrated.”
JinTae:I feel good, Tek.
“Is he fucking serious?”
Tek:Am I supposed to act happy for you?
JinTae:I don’t wanna fight. I just wanted to let you know I was doing well.
Tek:Are you coming home?
JinTae:Yes.
Tek:When?
JinTae:I can’t answer that right now.
“I swear to god I’m gonna reach through this phone and wring his fucking neck.”
Carey holds my face in his hands, and presses his thumbs against the middle of my lips. Gently, he runs them out to the edge of my mouth then back towards the center. With each new pass, I feel myself cool. When my breathing has calmed, he digs between my lips and gives me his thumbs to suck on, and my heart settles back into my chest. “Are you not happy too, old man?”
I bite down lightly. “That’s not the point,” I mumble around his fingers.
“Do you want him to be happy for you when you tell him about us?”
I concentrate on sucking and silently nod my head.
“Then you need to be happy for him. Whatever that means.”
