Chapter 25
It was a long night. Channing didn’t answer my calls or texts.
On our walk to the cars that night of Kent’s party, I was able to put together part of the scene from Harabeoji and Mrs. Yun’s accounts.
Mrs. Ku had called to Harabeoji from the staircase asking if he had a handkerchief.
Kent had ushered Mrs. Yun and Channing to his bedroom, claiming he had a cabinet he’d ordered from Korea that he wanted their opinion on.
Since Mrs. Ku wasn’t right behind them, he sent Mrs. Yun to bring her to the room but then closed the door behind her.
“I thought it was odd and told your Harabeoji. That was when you and Minjae arrived,” Mrs. Yun explained.
“Why didn’t you go in? Why were you and Mrs. Ku looking at a phone by the stairs?” I asked.
“Oh, dear Dahee,” Mrs. Yun exclaimed. “I was trying to help.”
“You left her alone with Kent,” I said.
She looked baffled. “I’d taken a picture of the cabinet when we first went in, so I showed it to Mrs. Ku so she didn’t have to walk all the way to the room,” Mrs. Yun said. “She was tired and needed to sit. There were not enough chairs in that house. He needs more furniture.”
I turned away from her and said to my grandfather, “What did you see, Harabeoji, when you walked in? Channing didn’t want to be alone with Kent.”
He said the door was locked at first, so he knocked. When it opened, Channing came running out. It appeared to be a bedroom, he observed. A large bed and an old Korean dresser, just like Mrs. Yun described.
After breakfast the next morning, the children were playing video games in the living room, and I was making a list of all the grocery items we needed to restock when I heard from Channing.
It was Saturday, nearly ten o’clock. I was worried, but seeing her location on the phone app at the beach club told me at least she was safe with Minjae.
Harabeoji had her location on his phone, too, so we had decided last night to wait until she was ready to tell us what had happened with Kent in his room to make her run out that way.
Channing texted, Minjae’s leaving for Seoul tonight.
What? Why? I replied.
I’ll tell you later. Look, don’t repeat anything I tell you here out loud. I didn’t call because I know Kent is listening somehow.
What happened last night at the party? Should we come pick you up?
There was no answer.
I had to ask, What’s going on with Minjae? Why’s he going so soon?
Yes, wait. No. I’ll tell you when I see you. He goes to the airport at five. Could you bring the boys out here?
Out where? To the club? I can find something for them to do if you want to spend the last day with Minjae, I offered.
No, it’s too sad when it’s just us. It’ll be easier for me to say goodbye to him with you and the boys there. The kids love the beach club.
I had to admit that was true. A good point. We’ll be there.
The dots showing she was typing appeared before a long line of text: Minjae has to check out of the club by noon so let’s meet at Jutting Rock. It’s a beach on the way to the airport. You’ll see signs once you’re on Shore Road. Remember!!! Do NOT tell the boys while you’re still inside the house.
I promised her I wouldn’t and then rushed around to pack supplies.
Edison refused to budge from his spot on the couch.
“No fair, you have to tell me where we’re going,” he said.
The green-and-red colors of the screen reminded me of the books I’d bought for him and his brother that I had forgotten to give them.
Austin followed me up and down the stairs and thanked me with great appreciation as though he never got presents, while Edison would not be lured away. “Tell me,” he said.
“I’ll tell you in the car,” I said. I dropped one of the books I’d gotten him into a bag. “Come on, Edison.”
I’m ashamed to admit I resorted to tactics I abhorred and had never used in my classroom.
Channing was right, twenty-four/seven with children was different than teaching in a school.
Threats, bribes, pleading. When pretending to leave without him didn’t work, I ran back inside and told him as softly as I could that we were going to Jutting Rock.
If there was an audio device somewhere, I didn’t see it.
“I hate sand,” Edison shouted. “Jutting Rock is the worst, why are we going there?”
“You can stay on the blanket and not even touch the sand. I promise we’ll find a way to get to the beach club another day, for those French fries you love, okay? Deal?” I sounded desperate and hated myself for it.
The beach was surprisingly deserted for a Saturday, but Channing said it was probably because we were far from town and this park wasn’t as well-known as others.
Still, I should have been more careful. There was a scattering of bright beach umbrellas propped up in the sand with a few people lying out on colorful towels, which made me feel better.
Maybe others would arrive later. It was still early in the day.
Minjae said hello to me and the boys but didn’t seem to have energy for much else.
He and Channing were sitting together on the sand entwined.
They hadn’t brought anything. He said his suitcases were in the car when I asked.
There wasn’t much else to do but drop two bags full of lunch stuff and towels I’d lugged from the car and tell Minjae and the boys to spread out the blanket and see what else I’d put in those bags.
Minjae and Austin immediately complied, but Edison turned his back to us and crossed his arms. I pulled out the book I’d bought him and held it out.
Peace offering. He grudgingly accepted it from me and turned to the first page.
Before his next tantrum, I had to talk to Channing privately.
I grabbed her arm and hauled her to her feet.
“We’ve got to talk.” She was reluctant to leave Minjae, I could tell, but I told her we’d be right back.
“Quick walk,” I promised. When Austin said he wanted to join us, I said we had grown-up stuff to talk about and afterward I’d take him for a swim.
We showed him the pinkie promise of yaksok.
I told him he and Edison could eat their muffins before their sandwich.
I’d discovered that both boys loved miniature brownies that looked like little muffins, so they called them muffins instead of brownies.
Channing and I set off along the water’s edge, walking in our bare feet parallel to the shore.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“Minjae’s mom wants him home. She won’t say why, and he’s so upset about it. He said he knew he shouldn’t have told her about me.” She wiped tears from her eyes.
“Well, why does he have to do what she says?”
“He’s all she has.” She looked out at the horizon. “I know how he feels, I want him to go and explain to his mom. I’ll miss him.”
“Okay so maybe Minjae will go to Seoul, talk to his mom, and come right back to you.”
“He can’t because of his visa.”
“There’s got to be a way around that. Did he get any leads from Kent’s party last night?”
“Dahee, stop.”
“We don’t have to ask Kent for help, there are others.”
She kicked at the water with such ferocity that I paused and walked around her until she met my eyes.
With a steel edge to her voice, she said, “I’m only saying this once.
He attacked me when Mrs. Yun left. I slapped him, but he pinned my arms and put his gross lips on my face.
That’s when Harabeoji knocked so forcefully he surprised Kent. That’s how I got away from him.”
I suddenly felt sick. “Channing, I’m so sorry.”
“It’s not your fault,” she said, turning away. “It was going to happen. He was always going to try.”
“He assaulted you,” I said when I could find my breath. “We have to call the police. Right now.” I told her how he’d knocked me down chasing after her.
“Like they’re going to believe me. Do you know that his best friend is the chief of police, and his other best friend is the mayor?”
“That doesn’t matter.”
“Of course it does,” she sputtered.
“Harabeoji will say the door was locked,” I said.
“That doesn’t prove anything.”
“We still have to report him.”
“Not today. Promise you’re not going to ruin this last day with Minjae. I’m not going to let Kent steal this time with Minjae from me.” We weren’t able to talk any more about it because Austin came running at us full tilt.
“Are you ready?” he asked, nearly out of breath.
“Go ahead, go, you promised Austin,” Channing said with an attempt at a smile.
I pulled off my T-shirt and shorts and handed them to Channing. Underneath I was wearing a swimsuit.
I tried to focus on the moment and tamp down my anger at Kent.
Austin deserved my undivided attention. We jumped waves, my feet firmly landing on the sandy bottom after each leap upward, the green Atlantic smashing into my chin.
To be honest, I was the one jumping, Austin was held afloat by my hand on his forearm.
Didn’t take much effort because he was light, buoyant in that salty water, except when he tried to prove he didn’t need me.
He kept pushing away, which immediately made him sink, and I kept yelling at him, “Don’t drink it, Austin.
” Because that’s exactly what he was doing, as if taking in the salt water like a fish would give him gills.
Austin coughed hard. I showed him how to hold his breath, but he kept opening his mouth.
“Come on, we’re going back, that’s it,” I said. I wasn’t a strong swimmer, so the whole experience was beginning to stress me out. The water seemed deeper even though we’d stayed in the same place. I wasn’t supposed to have to swim.
Wiggling his jaw from side to side, he sputtered, “Look at me,” and shook off my hand, plunging under the green water. I went after him and pulled him back up. He coughed harder after that, snot running out of his nose. His stark refusal made me shake his arm and start back to shore.
“Wait, Dahee,” his voice screeched as if I were hurting him.
“Wait,” he repeated. I ignored him and kept pulling him along after me.
“But you’ve got—” he said, and I stopped because at least he was saying something different and there was an edge to his voice, a warning, and he was kicking his way toward me rather than fighting for distance.
“Look,” he said, his lips darker at the corners.
He was shivering. I flinched when he reached his hand toward me.
He touched my neck, and I felt a slickness slip past my skin.
A triumphant look lit up his face as he held a piece of narrow dark green seaweed.
“Necklace,” he said, and twined it around himself.
“You’re gross.” I shook my head and gave him a wry smile.
“I know.” Austin emphasized his words by punching the surface of the water.
I was too busy watching him to see a large swell rise on the horizon.
It lifted my feet off the sand, and I had to kick to keep the waterline at my shoulders as the wave passed us, headed to shore. My hand was still firmly on his arm.
The sun was out and the ocean water was warmer than it should have been in late August. Austin was consumed with collecting seaweed now, a bracelet and crown.
Since he wasn’t fighting to swim on his own, I loosened my grip and gave him a little more range of motion.
He seemed thrilled by my permission. Why did I want to please him so much?
Part of me remembered loving to explore, how I was before I got lost that day by the lake in the storm.
Time passed. I don’t know how long. I got caught up, I admit, in helping Austin find seaweed that would fit into his pattern of whatever he was creating, looping pieces with one free arm while keeping him tethered to me.
The sky was the most beautiful blue, just as Minjae had said that first day he’d come to the house on Sandpiper Lane.
And here it was again, a week of constant beauty.
A sad last brilliant hue for Channing and Minjae before they would part.