Moving In at Last
October was finally over and the apartment construction had been completed. Jiyu's family moved into their new home on the first of November.
After getting rid of almost all the old furniture, Ha Young had gone on a furniture shopping spree like a madwoman. The result was a budget that was heavy but produced an interior design that somehow lacked any real foundation.
In her rush to copy things she had admired from richer households, the style she was chasing lacked unity. She had jumped between modern, classic, and French antique, buying all the expensive trendy items of the moment and placing them everywhere.
The large pictures hanging on the walls were framed in lavish gilt frames with an antique feel. Even the museum lighting on the ceiling. But the pictures inside the frames were so famous they looked tacky instead, Giclee reproductions of Impressionist masterpieces.
Anyway, Ha Young was very satisfied with the interior she had designed herself.
Jiyu was thrilled to have a massive built-in bookshelf that stretched from the floor to the ceiling and a bathroom she could use all to herself. The view from the window overlooking the quiet courtyard and tree house instead of the noisy Fifth Avenue was also good.
The weekend after the moving boxes were mostly packed, Ha Young urged Jiyu and Alan to change into pretty clothes for dinner.
“Why do I have to change my clothes just to eat dinner? I’m tired from unpacking…” Jiyu complained, dragging her feet, but Ha Young pushed her back.
“In rich families you change into pretty clothes for dinner, oh! Light the candles, carve the steak! That’s the way it is.” Ha Young was already wearing a gorgeous dress that reached to her knees, with a frilly apron over it, and was grilling steak.
Alan and Jiyu changed into their clothes and sat around the new round marble table in mid-century modern style. Ha Young lit the candles on the elaborate French antique candelabra placed in the middle of the lavish spread. The maids watching gave each other knowing glances. Alan winked and nodded slightly as if to say, “Do whatever Mom wants.”
Ha Young, with her heavy makeup, dangling gold earrings, and smile that reached her ears, looked happier than anyone could imagine.
That elevated mood seeped into everyone watching.
“Honey, shall I pour some champagne?” Alan suggested with a smile.
“Ah, right! I almost forgot. Sweetie, of course! Give me champagne.” He returned holding three glasses and the champagne bottle. Then he placed a glass in front of Jiyu and poured a small amount.
“Since it’s a good day, you should have some fun too.” Alan raised his glass in front of the delicious-looking steak.
“To the happiness of our family!”
“Cheers!” The clear sound of the crystal glass filled with liquid rang out in the candle-lit living room as the glasses clinked together.
Jiyu sniffed at her champagne glass and tilted it to her lips. She took a sip on her tongue and was surprised by the sudden fizz and bitter taste, quickly pulling the glass away.
Alan and Ha Young burst out laughing at the sight. Jiyu, feeling embarrassed, set her glass down with a smile.
It was a night without laughter stopping.
During winter break they planned to go to Naples, Florida for fun, and in spring break they would go to the Bahamas.
Jiyu had said she wanted to earn pocket money by doing babysitting work. Ha Young said why would she bother buying and suffering, and Alan said it was a good idea and she would learn a lot.
The mother’s fussing about what to do and what not to do was enough to make her want to reveal that she was planning to take a story-writing class at the nearby community center.
‘I’ll talk about it during winter break.’ She shrugged and listened to Ha Young’s endless chatter. It was a night she would remember as one of the happiest days of her life.
***
“Waaah, unnie! Don’t go, waaah…” Jiyu knelt on the floor with her arms wrapped around Daisy’s neck, hugging the girl who wouldn’t let go and sobbing. She looked helpless as she looked up at the teachers surrounding them.
She had come down to the Lower School library for a short errand after leaving behind supplementary classes, and by chance found Daisy crying in front of the classroom. Her feet were rooted to the spot.
The kindergarten kids standing in a line outside the classroom with their backpacks on eyed the scene with curious glances.
“Daisy, Olivia has class now so she has to go up.” Miss Janice tried to comfort Daisy. When Jiyu had first entered kindergarten, Miss Janice had been the assistant teacher and was now her homeroom teacher.
Daisy wailed even louder and clung desperately to Jiyu. Jiyu worried that the child who was crying until she could barely breathe might collapse.
From the half-digested story tangled in her tears, it seemed the friends were not playing with her.
She was stupid.
Thinking back, a while ago Ha Young had mentioned in passing that Daisy had been having problems lately.
Because she had watched her since she was a baby, Daisy followed Jiyu like a big sister. Jiyu’s heart couldn’t be so hard as to leave the sobbing, clinging Daisy behind.
Thanks to Ha Young sharing all the details about the Hunter family, Jiyu also knew that Rosalyn was visiting her family in Guatemala for three weeks. She had said she found a temporary babysitter, but from what Miss Janice said it sounded like an unexpected accident making it impossible for her to come.
If that was the case, she would have to wait for Lauren, who was in surgery now and couldn’t be reached, and Jerod was on overseas business and unreachable, leaving her in a real dilemma.
After a moment of thought, Jiyu asked Miss Janice, “Um, can I take Daisy home? We live in the same building. The last class is supplementary, so if I ask the teacher for permission, it should be fine.”
“Thank you, Olivia. You’re such a kind girl. But that’s against the rules unless the parents agree.”
At that moment, Miss Carlton approached holding her phone and handed it to Miss Janice.
“It’s Mrs. Hamilton.”
While the teacher talked to Lauren on the phone, Jiyu stood up holding Daisy. The child continued to sob bitterly but stayed glued to her, as if unable to let go.
After finishing the call, Miss Janice nodded at Jiyu. “I just finished talking to Mrs. Hamilton. The surgery was successful and she said she’ll be here as soon as possible, but that it’ll be five o’clock at the earliest. If you can take her, it would really be appreciated, but if it’s too much trouble, she said to entrust Daisy to her brother Hunter. That might be better, right?”
Jiyu shook her head vigorously. “No, no. I can take her. Don’t worry.”
“Really? Are you sure it’s okay?”
“Of course!” She nodded repeatedly.
“Then I’ll leave her to you. I need to go guide the kids to dismissal now.” Miss Janice hurried off to lead the lined-up children. Jiyu whispered in Daisy’s ear, “Daisy, don’t cry. If you stop now, I’ll buy you worm jelly at the Lucky Market on the way home.”
The child’s sobs stopped as if a stop button had been pressed, then started again, but much weaker.
“Waaah, not that, fish, waaah, jelly?”
“Yeah. I’ll buy fish jelly. Oh, shall I show you around my locker on the sixth floor?”
The sixth floor was only for high school students. To the kindergarteners it was the coolest, unknown area in the school.
Daisy nodded enthusiastically even through her hiccupping, her tear-streaked face already full of curiosity.
Jiyu took the child up to the sixth floor, explained the situation to the teacher, showed her the locker, and as promised bought a pack of fish-shaped jelly at the deli in front of the school.
Jiyu, chewing on the red fish, held Daisy’s small hand that was giggling as if wondering when she had last cried. She stepped into the Hamilton Residence for the first time in a long while, and led the child by the hand toward the playroom.
The pink-and-unicorn-and-rainbow-filled playroom was now Daisy’s space instead of Hunter’s.
“I wish I could read books well like unnie.”
“Hmm. Shall we read together? I’ll teach you.”
Her speech was clear, but Daisy was particularly slow at learning the alphabet and phonics. Jiyu remembered hearing she hadn’t even tried Korean.
The idea that she was stupid or something, maybe friends teased her because she couldn’t read.
Jiyu was worried Hunter might come in, but since it was still high school class time, there was some leeway. She sat Daisy on her lap and guided her line by line, reading a fairy tale together.
Only when Lauren came running into the playroom did they lift their heads from the book. Daisy slid off Jiyu’s lap and ran to her mom with arms wide open.
“Hello.” Jiyu greeted politely and put the book back in the shelf. Lauren, holding Daisy, came over to Jiyu who was packing her backpack and thanked her repeatedly, so grateful it was overwhelming. Then she hesitantly asked, “Olivia, um…”