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Ralphie’s visit was just the kind of booster shot I needed. He was a sweet reminder of home.
Most of the time, I’m too busy to feel homesick. But ... it pops up the most at mealtime.
Don’t get me wrong. I love Korean food. Love it! But I’ve never gone this long without my mom’s cooking. So I guess that’s when I’m reminded of home the most. When my stomach growls.
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The elevator hummed as Letty and Ki Tae stood side by side, enjoying a rare, private moment. Just them and their personal crew. Behind them stood Ben and Ducky with his camera pointed at the back of their heads. Ki Tae’s cameraman stood in front to capture their reactions. Letty nicknamed the man Tiny because he looked like an escapee from a bodybuilding club. Tiny was standing off to the side, so as not to appear in Ducky’s shot.
The elevator dinged as it reached the fifth floor, and Tiny ran ahead so he could film them as they walked down the hallway. Apartment doors lined each side and Ki Tae led them to the first one on the left.
“What are we doing here, Hubby?” Letty asked with a smile on her face.
She heard Ben’s quiet whisper as he translated her words for Ki Tae. Her husband made his bunny nose like he always did when he was listening, glanced back at Letty, and answered in English.
“Mom.” He pointed to the front door.
“Mom?” Letty looked at the apartment. “Mom!”
Ki Tae repeated the word and nodded. She was about to meet her mother-in-law! She didn’t expect the show to take it that far. If she had known, she could have brought a gift. What if the woman had read all the overblown reports on the internet about her tackling Ki Tae?
Letty pretended like she was going to run away, and Ki Tae grabbed her arm and pulled her back as he rang the bell. The door buzzed open and he pushed her through before she could change her mind. They stepped into the entryway and slipped their shoes off. A pair of women’s black leather flats already sat there on the floor.
“Your mom wears the same kind of shoes mine does.” Letty pointed at the loafers.
They walked together down a short hallway and turned the corner. The blinding set lights greeted them and Letty saw the crowd of crew people sitting against the wall. Ben slipped around her to join the people behind the cameras and Letty scanned the room, looking for her pretend mother-in-law with hyperactive butterflies swirling around in her tummy. She and Ki Tae walked further into the living room where a petite woman with medium brown hair was sitting on the couch with a small black dog by her side. When Letty saw her she threw her hands up over her head.
“Oh my word! Mom!” She looked at her television husband and shoved his arm. “You meant my mom. Why didn’t you say so?”
She launched herself across the room as her mother stood and grabbed her in a hug. Ralphie ran around them in a joyous circle and pawed at their legs to be let in on the loving.
“I missed you!” Letty cried into her mother’s shoulder, not caring if her eyes got red and swollen for everyone to see. Even if she had only been gone a few weeks, the travel and the jet lag and the unfamiliar situations had made it feel more like a year.
“I missed you, too.” Her mother patted her shoulder and pushed her away in pretend outrage. “You didn’t think I would let just anybody take Ralphie to another country did you?”
“I did think that was weird, now that you mention it.” Letty grabbed her back for one more squeeze.
The sound of throat clearing interrupted their joyful reunion. The women turned to see Ki Tae standing respectfully beside them with his hands clasped in front of his waist.
“Jangmonim.” He bowed as he called her the Korean version of mother-in-law.
“This is awkward,” Mrs. McDonnell said. “I can’t even say hello to my own fake son-in-law. Good thing hugs work in any language.” She wrapped her arms around the startled young man and pounded him on the back. “Now come into the dining room. I’ve got dinner all ready.”
She led them to the table where a banquet of food filled every available spot. There was roast beef, mashed potatoes with a lake of gravy in the center, corn on the cob, glazed carrots, saffron rice, macaroni and cheese, and even fruit filled pierogies with powdered sugar on top.
“My word, Mom. Did you use every recipe from Grandma McDonnell’s cookbook?” Letty’s mouth watered just looking at the home cooked goodness before her.
“I wanted Ki Tae to get a true taste of Pittsburgh,” she said as she sat at the head of the table. “Go ahead and take a seat, son. We don’t stand on ceremony in the McDonnell house.”
Letty tugged on Ki Tae’s sleeve and pointed at the chair in front of him. They sat down together and Letty saw that her mom had put both forks and chopsticks out for them to use. Her eyes started to tear up again at the thoughtful gesture, but she blinked them away.
“This looks delicious!” she said.
They dug into the meal, and the cameramen took close-up shots of everyone as they ate and chatted. Despite the overabundance of food, there was still plenty leftover when they finished. The three stood up from the table and Ki Tae bowed again to his mother-in-law as they took their leave. He said something in Korean and Letty passed the message on once Ben translated it in her ear.
“My hubby says this was the best meal he’s ever eaten, and he hopes you can make it for him again sometime.”
Mrs. McDonnell looked at him and smiled. “You’re welcome anytime you’re in Pittsburgh.”
This time Letty bowed with her husband and she heard her mother snicker.
“Mo-oooom,” she complained with her head still lowered.
Director Cho called cut, and Ki Tae shook her mother’s hand one more time before leaving the room. The crew jumped up to dismantle the lights, and equipment wranglers entered from the hallway to carry things outside.
Letty crooked her finger at her cameraman. “Ducky, come here.” She picked up a piece of savory roast beef with her chopsticks and held it up to him. “You have to try this.”
The man looked off in the direction of the busy director with a guilty expression but leaned forward to take a big bite. His eyes closed in ecstasy as he chewed. For the first time since they met, Letty saw a small smile appear on his face.
“The secret is the dry onion soup mix you sprinkle over the meat before you cook it.” Letty picked up another bite and gave it to him. “It gives the roast that rich flavor.”
“Here, Letty!” Her mother passed the plate of pierogies over. “Let him try one of these.”
“Is this party only for cameramen, or can translators get in on the goodies?” Ben walked up with a hopeful smile.
“Help yourself, young man.” Mrs. McDonnell held out the plate.
Ben grabbed the fluffy, deep fried dumpling and devoured it in one bite. He moaned as the fruit filling exploded in his mouth. “Mmmmmmmmmm. Tastes like home. Strawberry is my favorite.”
“Don’t be shy.” Letty’s mom stuck the plate in front of him.
“Thank you, Mrs. McDonnell.” He grabbed one in each hand. “It’s been too many years since I’ve had a pierogi.”
“Ben grew up in Cleveland,” Letty explained.
“So he told me. He’s the one who picked me up at the airport. You know, Ben, Letty’s father is a buckeye. I’m quite partial to Ohio because of that.”
“Partial enough to let me try the roast beef?” Ben waggled his eyebrows.
Mrs. McDonnell laughed as she passed him the dish. Between Ben, Ducky, and even a short visit by the director, the leftovers disappeared in a matter of minutes.
“That’s what I like to see.” Mrs. McDonnell sighed at the mostly empty dishes. “It makes cleanup so much easier.”
“And weight loss so much harder,” Letty said with a straight face.
“Why would you need to lose any more weight?” Her mother frowned at her. “You’re no bigger than my thumb as it is.”
“And a very attractive thumb at that,” Ben agreed.
“I can’t tell if you’re complimenting me or my mother’s finger,” Letty said, “but I’ll take it either way.”
Director Cho hollered for Ben and he ran off. Letty and her mom began picking up dishes and carrying them to the kitchen as if they were back home in Pittsburgh.
“How long are you staying?” Letty asked.
“I fly out tonight.”
“Tonight! But you just got here.”
“Actually, I’ve been sitting in the hotel room for two days, waiting for someone to tell me what to do.” Mrs. McDonnell placed a large platter in the sink and turned on the water to wash off the gravy. “I would have starved to death if it hadn’t been for Ben. He kept sending me food delivery during the day and took me out for dinner last night.”
“It’s not fair,” Letty grumbled. “Ben got to see you more than I did.”
“You see me all the time.” Her mother turned off the water and swatted her. “Enjoy this experience while it lasts. When are you ever going to be fake married to a Korean pop star again? Don’t even pretend like you’d rather spend time with your mom.”
Letty giggled and grabbed her in another hug. “You know me too well.”
“Of course I do.” Mrs. McDonnell slapped her back with a soft hand. “I’m your mother, after all.”
Ben appeared in the doorway carrying a stack of dinner plates and stood watching them with a smile, his cheeks bulging with leftovers.
“That reminds me,” he said once he swallowed the last strawberry pierogi. “I need to call my mom. I’m ashamed to say it’s been a month since I talked to her.”
Mrs. McDonnell kept one arm around Letty and motioned Ben over with the other. He approached with a grin but all he got was a heavy smack on his shoulder.
“Ow!” he howled as he rubbed the spot with his hand. “What was that for?”
“I shouldn’t have wasted my pierogies on an ungrateful son like you. Call your mother, right now!”
“Yes, ma’am.” He left with his head bowed and his lower lip sticking out. He passed through the doorway but stuck his head back around the kitchen doorjamb at the last minute.
“Mrs. McDonnell!”
“Yes?” She and Letty turned in unison to face him.
“It’s worth a thousand shoulder slaps for just a taste of your pierogies.” He winked at her and disappeared.
Letty’s mom clicked her tongue. “Shameless.” But she was smiling as she said it.
The two made short work of the dishes and left them clean and sparkling on the counter for whichever prop man would put them away. They headed out to the living room where they found Ben with a sleepy Ralphie on his lap.
“What’s this?” Letty said. “He finally warmed up to you! What kind of treat did you bribe him with?”
“No bribes. Just sincerity.” Ben patted the dog that laid in a content, snoring pile on his legs. “We had a little heart to heart. I believe animals pick up on the emotion in what we say. Even if they don’t understand the actual words.”
“Me too.” Letty squatted down beside them and rubbed her sleeping pet’s head. “This dog of mine has comforted me through more bad days than I can even count.”
Ralphie’s ears perked up and he raised his head at the sound of her voice. He licked her fingers but didn’t make a move to leave Ben’s lap.
“Come on, buddy. Ben has better things to do than babysit you.” Letty picked him up and was surprised to hear a whimper as she took him away. “You two must have really bonded.”
“I told you.” Ben smiled. “Dogs love me.”
“So you’re a player on all levels.” Letty teased him.
“Sincerity.” Ben placed a hand over his heart. “It gets them every time. The rest of the crew has already left. You two take your time saying goodbye.”
He exited the room to leave Letty and her mom alone for a while. They settled back on the couch and the two cuddled with Ralphie until it was time to leave. Mrs. McDonnell produced a suitcase from a back room. They loaded Ralphie into his pet carrier and rode the elevator down to the main floor together. Ben stood at the curb with a taxi waiting, and he opened the door the minute he saw them exit the building. He took the dog from Mrs. McDonnell and placed him on the backseat.
Letty was trying not to get weepy and failing miserably. “Are you sure you don’t want me to go to the airport with you?”
Mrs. McDonnell shook her head. “Ben told me all about the schedule you're keeping. You need all the sleep you can get.”
She took her daughter's face in her hands and squeezed her cheeks.
“I am so proud of you.”
Letty's eyes widened. “Why?”
“Because you're out here doing something. Showing the world how amazing you are!” Her mother wrapped her in one last hug. “Take care of yourself.”
“I will.”
“Don’t skip any meals. You’re thin enough as it is.”
Letty nodded against her mother’s shoulder.
“I like your young man,” Mrs. McDonnell whispered in her ear.
“Of course.” Letty sniffled. “How many times have I told you Ki Tae is the best!”
Her mother let her go and stepped back to climb into the taxi.
“Who said I was talking about Ki Tae?” Her eyes raised to Ben and twinkled as he shut the door.
Letty glanced at him, but his clueless expression said he missed their exchange. Ben gave her mother a short, formal bow as she stared out the window, and she waved at them as the taxi drove off.
Letty wiped her eyes and waved back as the car disappeared down the street.
Yes. Her mother knew her too well.
