Three
“Gigi, you’re going to be late for school!”
I bolted up from where I’d been slumped over at my desk. Mom was staring at me from where she stood in the doorway, her mouth wide open in concern. I must have fallen asleep while drawing last night!
“Oh no!” I checked my alarm clock. It was already 8:15 a.m. I only had fifteen minutes to get to school!
I rushed to the bathroom, splashed water on my face, and ran downstairs with my backpack.
“I can drop you off on my way to the store,” Mom said. “But I’m about to leave, so hurry!”
My parents owned a small Korean grocery store where a lot of people in our neighborhood went for Korean snacks and cooking supplies. Dad always got up super early in the mornings to open up shop, and Mom usually went back and forth since it was close to our house.
Instead of eating breakfast like I normally did, I grabbed a granola bar and rushed to the garage, where Mom was waiting. She made a disapproving tsk-tsk sound as we got into the car.
“You shouldn’t stay up so late on school nights,” she said. “What are you going to do at Starscape when no one will be there to wake you up for class?”
I groaned. “Hopefully the classes there won’t start so early in the day.”
“Yes, hopefully! But Gigi, let me know if you end up getting a tardy slip at school today.”
“Will do. Thanks, Umma,” I said, saying the Korean word for “mom.”
We got to school just as the tardy bell rang, so I didn’t have time to check my phone until I’d sat at my usual table with my friends for lunch. But when I did, I got the biggest surprise. There, in my notifications, was a text from Aunt Yeji. I didn’t even know she had my number!
Hi, Ji-young, she wrote, using my Korean name. How have you been? Sorry for the super-late response. I was actually in Paris when you messaged me, then it was a busy few months, and I’m finally getting my bearings back in NYC. Your mom gave me your number and reminded me to be in touch. Would totally love to see you when you’re in town!! Congratulations on the art program. XO
I screenshotted the conversation and sent it to Mom.
Look! I texted her. Yeji-imo finally replied! We’re meeting in NYC!
Let’s talk when you get home tonight was all she said in return.
Well, that was rather ominous.
“What’s up, Gigi?” asked Zeina.
“Yeah, you’ve been staring at your phone like it’s going to explode for the past five minutes,” said Emma, arching her left eyebrow.
“Oh, my aunt Yeji just replied!” I said. “But my mom doesn’t seem too happy about it. All she said was that she wants to talk to me after school.”
“Weird,” Carolina said with a frown. “But wait, isn’t Yeji the aunt who left you on ‘seen’ for months? Are you sure you still want to meet up with her?”
Emma and Zeina also stared at me, looking concerned.
“I mean, yeah!” I said. “She was just really busy. She explained that she didn’t get a chance to reply until now because she was in Paris when I messaged her. Isn’t that so cool?”
“Paris!” Emma exclaimed. “I love Paris!”
Carolina shrugged. “Well, I’m glad she finally replied!”
“Yeah, me too,” I said.
When I got home from tutoring, Mom was making dinner in the kitchen. I could tell what today’s menu was even without asking because the strong, fragrant smell of kimchi, pork, and onions permeated the house. It was kimchi stew, one of my favorites.
“Hi, Ji-young,” Mom said, calling me by my Korean name. “So, Yeji-imo replied to you?”
“Yup!” I said. “She told me to tell her when I’m in town so we can meet up.”
“That’s great! I messaged her yesterday that you’d be in town, so I was hoping she would reply to you.”
With a wooden spoon, she tried some of the soup and then let me try some too. It tasted perfect, so I gave Mom a thumbs-up. She smiled. This was a little ritual we’d been doing whenever she cooked dinner since before I could remember.
“I know you’ve heard me talk about Yeji-imo already, but I just want to warn you that she is… What’s the word…? Flaky. She doesn’t mean any harm, but she’s so busy and disorganized. And she always prioritizes work. She’s always been like that.”
I frowned. Not sure how to respond, I said, “Oh, okay.”
“Just keep that in mind. And don’t take it personally if you two don’t get to meet up. I really hope you get to see her, though. She is very fun. You’ll love her.”
“I hope so, too!”
First my friends and then my mom. Everyone seemed to believe that I wouldn’t be able to meet up with Aunt Yeji. But I still had hope. She seemed perfectly nice over text!
Regardless of whether or not Yeji-imo could actually meet up with me in NYC, I was so happy that everything seemed to be finally coming together. For real, this time. Just a couple of more months of school and then my friends and I would be on our way to Starscape!