Chapter 14
Soon Minjae and Channing joined us. Minjae chose the lounge chair closest to Harabeoji while Channing sat in the chair on the other side of me, farthest from Minjae, but I could tell she was listening to him even with her eyes closed to the sun.
He seemed determined to focus on our grandfather, but his eyes kept wandering over to my cousin.
Minjae told Harabeoji about his work and his family.
They spoke in low tones in Korean. I was surprised to hear he had a law degree and a master’s degree in public policy but still didn’t feel he knew what he wanted to do in life.
He said he’d come to East End because he and Paul were friends.
He sounded like Channing as he talked. He cared about working for a company he believed in, and he didn’t know what he really wanted to do for a career.
In time, Edison and Austin climbed out of the pool and dropped into lounge chairs.
I settled in for a couple of hours of pure sun on my skin.
I closed my eyes. After a bit, I heard Channing announce she was going to use the restroom and then returned with a plan.
She wanted to walk out to the breakwater.
There was a gate where the beach club ended, and the sandy beach began.
Off to the side was a long pier of rocks that stretched out into the ocean.
We could walk right over without going through the building.
She insisted we all go together, even Harabeoji.
“It looks far,” Edison said.
“It’ll be an adventure,” Channing replied.
“What if I’m too tired to come back?” Edison insisted.
“Oh, come on, how can you be tired?” she said.
I didn’t understand why it was important to go. But Channing was up and holding her hand out to Edison, and when he reached her she started running, which made Austin run, too, and Minjae followed shouting the words, “Don’t let them win, Austin!”
As I walked, I noticed the large boulders beneath our feet. So flat they looked as if they were sliced in half like bread. Harabeoji took his time, and I slowed to keep him company.
It was exhilarating; the wind was much stronger out there.
Have you seen puppies play together? Throwing their bodies at each other?
Channing and Minjae were constantly bumping limbs or finding ways to be in contact, egging each other on without taking their eyes off the other.
It was risky on that stone surface, but it was wider than it appeared at first, and they had excellent balance.
I took it all in: the air, the smells of salt and sea life, and I could see Harabeoji relax, too. A good moment, I told myself. Eventually, the children slowed and crouched alongside Harabeoji, who pointed to living creatures in the cracks and crevices in the rocks.
Channing waited for me, linked her arm in mine, and whispered in my ear that she had caught sight of Kent in the front hall of the club and thought he had failed to notice her.
I glanced toward Leeward in the distance.
A lone figure stood on the beach by the gate to the beach club, turned in our direction.
“Looks like he did,” I said.
“If we get off the jetty on the beach and walk across, we’ll reach the parking lot without walking through the building.”
“What about our stuff? We left it by the lounge chairs,” I said.
“Minjae can go back for it. We’ll wait in the car.”
“How did Kent know we were here?” I asked.
“He knows everything, remember, Dahee.” She sounded hopeless as she dropped my arm and ran to Minjae.
We didn’t quite make it back to the sand before the children said they were hungry, and my phone showed it was past six o’clock.
I suggested we stop at the grocery store to prepare for the week and get some ingredients for dinner, but Minjae invited us to eat at the club instead—once again as his guests.
The children agreed, saying they loved the French fries there.
They’d attended birthday parties of classmates who belonged to Leeward.
Meanwhile, Channing was peering at the gate where Kent remained.
She refused to walk toward the club and wouldn’t tell Minjae or the children why.
Harabeoji seemed confused, but then he followed Channing’s gaze and told us to wait. “It’s not a problem if we don’t make it one,” he said. “I’d be happy to talk to whoever that is and meet you all inside. Nothing to worry about.”
Channing nodded, and he nodded back a reassurance. Minjae suddenly pointed to something in the distance and exclaimed that there was a dolphin out there, which took the children’s attention.
“Where? Where?” they cried. He pointed again as Channing put her arms around Minjae’s chest and leaned against him. He smoothed the top of her head.
While they were occupied, I watched Harabeoji approach the man at the gate. The other person bowed, and Harabeoji acknowledged him. Then my grandfather began walking away from the entrance and the man hurried to keep up.
Harabeoji’s actions gave us enough time to slip back into the club.
We changed out of our swimsuits into our clothes in the locker room by the pool, and then Minjae took us through the lobby toward a restaurant with big chandeliers.
We were led to a table and seated near an expansive terrace.
Three groups of Koreans took stock of us.
One batch looked familiar, so I smiled at them, and they looked down and then bent their heads to talk with their dinner companions, who looked over at us as if we were being discussed.
Another table had young children with them, younger than Austin, and the last cluster had a Korean woman who could have been our age and a gray-haired Korean woman who seemed related to her.
After we were settled and the waiter took our order for appetizers, Harabeoji found us.
That was when the older Korean woman at the other table walked over.
Harabeoji rose immediately to his feet in response, and they bowed to each other.
She showed my grandfather great affection, complimenting him on his physical health, and commented on how she was glad to see him after these many years and stayed standing near him, forcing him to listen to her drone on.
I kept looking for signs of Kent, but he was nowhere to be seen.
Harabeoji must have convinced him to leave.
My grandfather asked the woman questions about her family, and she replied, but she was studying Channing and Minjae as she answered.
I was sitting near Channing, so I could see the woman’s stare and was acutely aware of how close my cousin was sitting to Minjae at this large round table.
Everyone was spaced generously apart except for them.
Their elbows were touching by the silverware.
The woman made no attempt to hide her curiosity. “You’re Albert and Maggie Shin’s daughter, I remember you. And I know you, too, Minjae; I just talked to your mother in Korea on the phone last week. You two are very good friends, are you?”
Minjae sat back and covered his mouth with his hands. He was actually blushing at her words. I was apparently of no interest to her because the woman’s eyes never moved from the two of them. “Hello, Mrs. Ku,” Minjae said.
The name clicked with a memory. So, this was the owner of the bakery my grandfather had pointed out when we’d driven in.
“I heard Kent Cho is engaged, good news,” Mrs. Ku replied. She wasn’t ready to leave us and continued to peer intently at Channing.
Harabeoji said, “Indeed, that’s excellent news. Congratulations to whoever it is. Tell us who is marrying Kent Cho?”
Mrs. Ku pointed at Channing.
Just then Edison hit a glass with his arm, splashing water and ice cubes across the table.
My first response was to push back my chair and stand.
Austin jumped back as if the content of that glass was acid.
Immediately, Harabeoji reached over and dabbed at the pooled liquid with his napkin, and Minjae joined in.
Together, they mopped up the spill and stood the now empty glass back upright.
A waiter came over, and since the water had swamped only around and under the plates it was really fine.
Nothing but Edison’s glass of water and a few napkins had to be replaced.
During this ruckus, Mrs. Ku returned to her table, but not before looking over her shoulder once more.
We were all seated again, and Channing made a comment about how she was usually the one to knock over drinks.
Harabeoji said he remembered that was a constant when she was a child.
Edison and Austin laughed along with Channing, and I noticed that Minjae’s hand was over Channing’s on the table. She didn’t move hers away.