Chapter 17
I drove the Ahns’ SUV since it blocked my car and had a town resident sticker on its windshield to park for free in some spots around town.
Sure enough, a car pulled out of a slot just as I turned onto Middle Street, so I steered into it easily and then traveled on foot, taking photos like a tourist. Instead of feeling abandoned by Channing and my grandfather, I started to make the best of it.
If I lived here, I thought, I’d do this every day.
The sign for the East End Courier was next door to flower boxes in the window of Bike and Basket, a bakery café. Across the street were the police station and the town hall, and a bit farther down the block was the yellow sign for Mrs. Ku’s shop.
Now I saw that there were three other similar businesses on the same street. Besides Bike and Basket, there was a Starbucks and a Dunkin’. I didn’t want to run into Harabeoji and his friends at the meeting in Mrs. Ku’s bakery, so I decided to wait at Bike and Basket.
Everyone in East End was exceptionally good-looking that day.
A handsome South Asian man talked loudly on his cell phone as he paced by the entrance.
At a table near him, two beautiful Blasian women sat at a table with plates of pastries and ceramic coffee cups between them in light conversation.
They laughed and showed each other the screens of their phones.
A leashed brown-and-white dog with long hair around her ears sat under their table, looking calmly at people walking by.
On the other side of the women, an attractive Asian man sat alone bent over a laptop. He looked up and our eyes met.
It was Paul. He got to his feet quickly.
“Need a steady supply of caffeine to study,” he said, leaning toward me for a hug.
But I was in the middle of awkwardly saying, “Sorry… didn’t mean to…
was going… have an errand…” so he swiftly reversed course.
Maybe the expression on my face reflected my desire to keep my distance.
“Okay, just saying hi then,” he replied, and held up a hand in an impersonal wave. I became acutely aware of people staring at us.
How could I excuse myself? I decided the best course of action was to sit down and not stand there in the middle of the sidewalk.
“Mind if I join you for a second?” I asked.
Paul smiled and motioned to a chair at his table as he closed his laptop.
“Oh, you should keep working, I can’t stay,” I said.
“Hey, any excuse to take a break,” he said.
I didn’t have a reply. Silence fell between us. I looked around to avoid staring at him.
“Is that where Ames works?” I said, pointing to the sign for the local newspaper. I decided I might as well ask him some questions.
“Yup, she’s inside. She makes me meet her here just to get me out of our grandparents’ tiny garage apartment.”
“And what about Ames? Where does she live?”
“Up there.” He pointed above the coffee shop.
I squinted at the second- and third-story windows and made a note to check the rental listings. Maybe I could do the same one day if I got a job here.
“You’re a teacher, right? How do you like it?” he asked.
“The first years are hard, no lie, you’re so exhausted you really need the summers to decompress, but then it eases up. The key is to have good colleagues. It’s a group effort.”
“That’s what I hear,” he said.
“There’s a lot of hoops to jump through—” I paused.
His calm face had tightened, and he looked like my students when I announced an activity in class they didn’t like.
There was no reason to dissuade him. You needed all the enthusiasm you could get to deal with courses and exams. “It’s also a lot of fun, you’ll be great at it,” I finished.
He took a deep breath and let it out. “I have so many questions. Could I get you something to drink? I’m ready for another cup myself.”
If it would help him, I was all for it. “Sure,” I said, and told him I’d like a coffee with almond milk.
“That’s it? Nothing fancier?” he asked.
“Okay, splurge. I’ll take an almond latte.”
He grinned. “Say no more, I’ll be right back,” he replied, and went inside.
In few moments he was back. “Okay, they’ll take a few minutes.
It’s worth it, you’ll see. Good or better than New York, I bet,” he said, and I replied, “Yeah, well, it’ll probably take just as long as it does in New York, too.
” He laughed. I didn’t usually get that reaction. He was easy to talk with.
“How are you and Ames cousins? Which parent is whose brother or sister?” I asked. I explained about Channing’s dad and mine. He nodded as if he already knew.
“Her mom is my dad’s sister. Fun fact, they both married people who are Chinese.
They’re all lawyers. Her mom met her dad in law school.
And my dad met my mom at work. In any case, everyone thinks Ames and I are siblings; we look more alike than my other cousins who live in Rome.
It’s a great perk to have family in Italy. Who doesn’t love to go?”
“They have soccer there,” I said.
He caught my glance and held it. “I see that Minjae told you about our soccer days.”
“He talked about it with Channing, and she said how much you both loved it, but now you’re going into teaching instead? Your cinnamon rolls were pretty good. What about baking?”
I must have hit a nerve, because he looked distraught before he let out a sigh. I added, “I shouldn’t tell you what to do. It was a compliment. I’m sorry.”
Paul shook his head. “It’s okay, I’m glad you liked them.
It’s just something I mess around with. I don’t like it that much.
” He pulled his chair closer to the table and continued, “I’m never working for Mrs. Ku again.
I did my time at her shop when I was a kid baking bread at five in the morning, and I promised myself I’d never return voluntarily.
Especially when there are those who want to be there.
That’s Ames’s sister. Not Alice, Ashley. Do you remember her?”
I said I didn’t.
He added, “Yeah, she’s older, like a grade below Kent. She works for Mrs. Ku now and will until the next gen is old enough to take over.” He scratched his forehead with the back of his hand.
“Where are Mrs. Ku’s children? Do they work at the bakery?” I asked.
“She never had any. That’s why we were all sent to her for summer jobs. But she means well and knows a ton. Since her husband died a few years ago she’s all about love, setting up people.”
“She and your grandfather are the matchmakers in town,” I said.
“True.”
“Any of them actually get engaged or married?” I asked.
“Their record so far is like zero for five,” he said. I had to laugh at the way he raised his eyebrows comically as he spoke.
A white couple walked out of the café just then and sat at a table close to ours.
They looked to be about our age, and I was reminded again how this was the time of life when people paired up.
They were sitting together, diagonally, with their shoulders touching.
They reminded me of Channing and Minjae except they kissed each other on the mouth, and I hadn’t seen Channing and Minjae at that stage yet.
My ex-boyfriend had never been as intimate in public even at the beginning when we were the most affectionate.
Just as well, I had appreciated how we never lost our heads when we were together.
We remained aware of our surroundings and our responsibilities.
No one at the school suspected we were dating.
After we ended, nothing changed at work.
I was still relieved when he transferred to another school the following year.
He’d broken up with me because I refused to move in with him.
Three years was a long time, I agreed, but why did we have to change where we lived?
That happened over a year ago now, and though I missed having someone to eat with on weekends, I realized nothing was memorable about our time spent together.
Not nights, not holidays. Channing had never liked him.
“I’m sorry he broke up with you. The nerve of him,” she said.
“You should have left him sooner. He wasted your time. He was so boring. You can’t meet the one you’re meant for if you’re with him. ”
Now sitting at a table in front of Bike and Basket, I could smell the couple’s fresh coffee and the sweetness of their baked round pastry.
I must have stared at it because Paul teased, “Yeah, that’s pretty good, but we can’t be seen eating that when we’re this close to Mrs. Ku’s bakery.
Coffee is one thing, pastry is another.”
“I totally get it, of course, but what’s all that?” I pointed to the crumbs on his plate.
He raised his hands in surrender. “I don’t know anything about it.”
“I wouldn’t blame you if you had what they’re having. What is it?” I said, motioning with my chin to the couple’s plate.
“What?” Paul widened his eyes. “You’ve never had a supreme croissant before?”
I shook my head.
“They’re filled with chocolate. Do you like chocolate? I warn you, they’re a ton of work to make.”
I raised my hand to my chest. “Chocolate is my second favorite. Anyway, that’s good to know, because I’ll never attempt to make it. And if Mrs. Ku asks, I never saw one in my life, and I didn’t see it today.”
Paul leaned toward me. “It’ll be our secret. The pastry we never had.”
I offered my hand to shake on it, and I liked how warm his felt when he took it, solid and comforting. We let go right away.
The couple smiled at each other and then at me when Paul got up to check on our order. “It’s really good,” the woman said. “You’ve got to get one.”