“Sorry about this,” SangHyun said
quietly to Valeria as they approached the front door.
Valeria did her best to smile. “It’s
alright. Your grandfather reminds me of my grandmother. I’m used to the
forceful personality.”
Sanghyun chuckled. “Forceful is putting
it lightly.”
Valeria turned her attention away from
SangHyun and looked forward to see HyunSu and Maria smiling back at them.
Valeria shooed their looks away with a wave of her hand, hoping SangHyun hadn’t
noticed.
The awkwardness of the silence in the
room perfectly matched the tension in the looks shared by Maria and Ray. Ray sat at one end of the table, Maria at the
other. On one side sat Valeria and her
mother, on the other sat SangHyun and HyunSu.
Valeria had been staring at her hands on the table, too nervous to look
up at her father.
“So,” Ray began, his displeasure evident
in his voice, “you came without booking a room at a hotel?”
HyunSu chuckled. “I meant to book one, but it seems my old
mind is not as reliable as I’d thought.”
“And you’re grandson is incapable too?”
Even though she was not looking, Valeria
could tell that HyunSu’s expression had become more serious when he said, “Do
you think I am the kind of man that would put such a burden on my grandson when
I have already made him go out of his way and take time out of his busy
schedule to come to a foreign country and try to honor a pact I made with a man
I saved from certain death.” These
last words HyunSu made sure to put a heavy emphasis on.
Ray had started to respond, but stopped
when he heard HyunSu’s last statement.
He cleared his throat and sat back in his chair, folding his arms as he
did so. “Since it’s already this late
and I doubt there are any places in our town for you to stay,” Ray closed his
eyes as if mentally keeping himself from saying what he really wanted to, “you
are welcome to stay with us.”
Valeria looked up in disbelief. After glancing at her father, she quickly
turned to her grandmother who winked at her slyly. HyunSu chuckled again. “How kind of you. SangHyun, thank the man for his hospitality.”
SangHyun sighed and offered an
apologetic smile to Valeria’s father.
“Thank you for this. I’m sorry
we’re imposing.”
Ray simply glared and grunted before
standing. “Valeria, give them some
blankets and things.” He gave SangHyun
one last dirty look, then he and Valeria’s mother left to their room.
Valeria stumbled back a little as she
pulled two comforters out of the hallway closet. She turned and was about to head back into
the living room when she spotted her little brothers out of the corner of her
eye. She grinned and squatted. “What are you two doing? You should be in bed.”
Miguel and Edgar scampered over to her
and leaned on the comforters she was holding.
“Vale, who are they?”
She pulled one arm out from under the
blankets and patted each boy on the head.
“Friends of Grandma and Grandpa.
No one to be afraid of, ok?”
Miguel’s eyes began to water. “Vale, you going to leave us for him?”
Her heart clenched to see her precious
little brother upset. She set the blankets
aside and hugged him. “Silly, didn’t I
say it already? I’m not going to marry
him.”
“But, Vale, you like him, don’t you?”
Edgar asked, the same look in his eyes that his brother had.
With a sigh Valeria pulled him into the
hug. “You two, talking as if you know me
better then me. Look at me and
listen.” She waited for the boys to wipe
their eyes and look at her. “You
listening?” They nodded. “Right now I have only two men that are most
important to me and they are standing right in front of me even though they
should be asleep right now.” She kissed
their cheeks lightly and then spun them around and hit them gently on their
butts. “Now go to bed. Go!
Go!” The boys giggled and
scurried to their room as fast as their little feet could carry them. Valeria laughed and picked the blankets back
up before heading down the hall. When
she reached the bottom, she saw SangHyun leaning against the wall. He
didn’t hear all that, did he? So
embarrassing!
“My mom used to treat me like that,” he
said with a soft chuckle. “I’ll take
those.” He slipped his arms under the
comforters and lifted them out of Valeria’s hold.
“I-I’ll go get some pillows then.” SangHyun nodded and Valeria hurried back to
the cupboard that held the extra pillows.
She closed the door and pressed her forehead to it as she groaned. Why did
it have to be him? Why couldn’t it have
been some nobody from the Korean countryside with a terrible accent and ugly
face? Why did it have to be CheonDoong? Valeria stomped her foot lightly before
lifting her head and going back down to the living room to deliver the
pillows. “I found three,” she said,
offering them with outstretched hands.
HyunSu motioned for SangHyun to get them
and smiled warmly at Valeria. “Thank you
very much. I hope you aren’t too
troubled with our staying here,” he said.
Looking at his face Valeria knew no
matter how much she said she felt inconvenienced, he wouldn’t change his mind
so she smiled back and shook her head.
“Not at all. I just hope you can
get a good sleep on our couch. It won’t
hurt your back or anything?”
HyunSu chuckled as he always did. “You embarrass me. I am not so old that I can not get a good
night’s sleep on a couch. Plus, your
couch feels quite comfortable. I am more
concerned for my grandson who will be sleeping on the floor. For a young man who uses his body so much for
his profession it can’t be good if his back is injured.”
SangHyun finished placing the pillows on
the couch and looked back at his grandfather.
“Grandfather, wasn’t your argument that since you aren’t old, your back
will be fine? So wouldn’t the same apply
to me?”
“Oh?
Is that what I said? Well, still,
we are different people. Who knows if
you are as strong as me!” HyunSu laughed
and shuffled over to the couch before sitting.
“Such a kind girl. I truly am
sorry for making you put up with the selfish requests of this old man.”
Valeria shook her head slightly and
laughed quietly. Just like Abuelita. Such a
liar. “Don’t worry about it. If you need anything, my room is the first
one as you head up the hall, ok?” HyunSu
nodded. “Ok. Goodnight then.” She waved and started to turn when HyunSu
asked, “No goodnight kiss?” Valeria spun
around and tried not to laugh when she saw the funny grin on his face. After scratching the back of her head she
walked over and kissed his cheek.
“There.”
“I meant for my grandson,” HyunSu said,
still smiling.
Valeria blushed and SangHyun
sighed. “Grandfather!” He looked up at Valeria from where he’d lain
his blanket on the floor. “Don’t bother
with him anymore. Sorry we’ve kept you
up.”
She shook her head, trying to hide her
red cheeks. “Don’t worry about it. I’m not very good at getting to sleep anyway
so I’m normally up pretty late.”
HyunSu clicked his tongue. “How sad. Young people should get plenty of rest. SangHyun, why don’t you go and sing her to
sleep?”
Valeria turned redder and waved her
hands frantically. “No need! No need!
I’m fine! Goodnight!” She rushed up to her room as fast as
possible.
SangHyun looked at his grandfather
reproachfully. “What?” HyunSu asked,
pretending to be innocent.
“You know what. Why do you keep doing that? You’re causing her trouble.”
“What trouble? You’re imagining things. I was only trying to help poor, cute, little
Valeria. Why must you always twist my
words?”
“Sure.
I’m imagining things.” SangHyun
climbed under the blanket and lay his head on the pillow. “Just remember: I agreed to meet her and I
have. As soon as we can, we’re going
back to Korea.”
HyunSu scrunched his face and shook his
head at SangHyun before lying down and covering himself with the blanket. “You go ahead and try,” he whispered under
his breath.
“What was that?”
“Goodnight, Grandson!”
