LISA
ONE MONTH LATER
I'm driving home after the first day on my new job as Jieun Lee's co-star. The table read was like a dream come true. To sit next to her behind a nameplate with Lisa Manoban printed on it. To read my lines with her. To meet the rest of the cast and some of the crew. The show runner is a woman whose—my phone starts ringing. Kai's name lights up the screen. The nerves I felt before going to work with Jieun Lee for the first time are nothing compared to the ones tearing through me now. I haven't spoken to my brother since he left for Washington almost a month ago. I pick up and, just to be on the safe side, just in case it took him a month to prepare a litany of insults to hurl at me, I pull over and park my car.
"Hey, Kai." I try to sound upbeat—it's not that hard after the day I've just had.
"Hey. Just wanted to see how your big day went today." Because my phone's connected to Bluetooth, his voice takes over the entire space of my car. It's almost like he's here with me.
"It was great." I don't want to sound too elated. For very selfish reasons, him leaving town has made things much easier for Jennie and me, but that doesn't mean we've forgotten about what we did to him.
"Just great?" He sounds surprisingly cheerful.
"Amazing. Astounding. Like all my dreams were coming true all at once." He's still my brother, the guy who has always believed in me, but for obvious reasons, my demeanor around him, even on the phone, can no longer be the same.
"Awesome. I'm so happy for you."
Is he? "Thanks." Good thing I parked the car because I'm welling up again. "How are you? How's Washington treating you?" Mom's in daily contact with Kai and she gives me the occasional update, but it's not the same as hearing it straight from him. It's not the same as actually talking to my brother.
"It's pretty great. Despite all the red tape to cut through, but we'll get there. It's good that I'm here to help move things along." There's something about his voice I can't decipher.
"Are you coming home any time soon?" He missed Mom's birthday last week. Although she didn't grumble about it too much, it was easy enough to see she missed having her son at her house for the celebration.
"We'll see. I just need to do my thing here first. Get this project on the rails." The thought of my brother going home to a lonely hotel room, no matter how swanky, breaks my heart a little. But I can hardly suggest I go visit him—and not only because I'm a working actor with a tight schedule to adhere to now. "Look, um, Lisa, I wanted you to hear this from me. It's very early days, but I met someone. Her name's Bridget and she works for the city. She's recently divorced and we just sort of clicked. She's an architect, too, so we have a lot to talk about."
"Oh, wow, Kai. That's so wonderful."
"Don't go telling Mom yet, okay? I want to tell her myself. I want to introduce her to Bridget when she comes to D.C. next week."
"My lips are sealed." I can't help myself. "What's her last name?" I need to google this woman who has swept my brother off his feet to such an extent he was able to call me today. What did he tell her when they first met? If I look a little glum, it's only because my wife ran off with my sister.
"I'll tell you that when the time is right." Even though I can't see his face, I know he's smiling. "She has two kids. Two boys. Three and five years old. I haven't met them yet because it's way too soon for that, but, um, maybe you could tell Jennie? I don't know how to tell her any of this."
"So, I'm allowed to tell Jennie?"
"Duh."
"Sure, bro. I'll tell Jennie."
"Mom said our house will be going on the market soon."
"Yep. All your stuff's at Mom's."
"Look, Lisa," he pauses. "We both know how short life can be and I don't want to hold a grudge forever. Look at Dad. He didn't even make it to fifty. I don't want to spend the short time I may or may not have on this earth hating you and Jennie." This Bridget must be some emotional miracle worker. Maybe she moonlights as a life coach or something, because Kai's not usually this talkative when it comes to how he feels. But a lot has happened and we've all had to face some harsh truths.
"Thanks, Kai." I swallow hard. "And don't you dare die in your forties. I'd never forgive you for that."
"I'll do my best," he says. "I've got to go."
"Okay, but, Kai… Will you call me again?"
"How about you call me," he says.
"Will you pick up?"
"Try me," he says, and in his tone his yes is loud and clear.
Although it's killing me not to be able to tell my mother about Kai meeting someone, I could at least tell her that he and I spoke on the phone. Her lack of surprise makes me believe she might actually have had something to do with that. Maybe she's been lobbying for me behind my back with Kai all this time.
As expected, she insisted on a family dinner to celebrate my first day at work—although Kai can't be with us. But the fact that he called me makes up for that a lot.
In front of my family, Jennie and I minimize the displays of affection, but tonight, when she arrives, she walks straight toward me and hugs me in front of Mom and Nathan.
"How's my TV star?" she whispers in my ear. She still draws the line at kissing me in front of my mother, and rightfully so.
"Feeling extremely starry," I say, despite not having been near a camera yet. "Also, Kai called."
"He did?" Her eyes light up for a split second.
"To ask how today went. He sounded good. Better." I'll tell Jennie about Bridget later, when we're alone. She's renting an apartment close to work, where I spend a fair amount of my time, although I still officially live with my mother.
"That's so great to hear." She gives my hand a quick squeeze, then sinks into a chair.
"I'd like to say something." Mom taps a spoon against her glass before holding it up. "A toast. To my children, both wonderful in their own, very unique ways."
"Thanks, Mom." I brace myself while I send her a big smile.
Nathan hands Jennie a glass of wine so she can toast with us, although, from looking at her face, I can tell this sort of thing is still awkward for her—it's only normal.
"As a mother, my most important job is to believe in you," she says. "And I always did, darling. Always. And here we are. Can't wait to see you on TV every week. Maybe you'll be better behaved on screen than in real life." She chuckles. "It's not because I always believed in you that you've made that easy on me. But that's your job as my child and I, too, have made plenty of mistakes along the way, but don't we all?"
She pauses. "Before he passed away, your father made me promise that I would let you be a child. You were only nine and he didn't want you to be forced to grow up all of a sudden just because he died." She arches up her eyebrows. "Some might say I took my promise a bit too literally, that I let you be a child for too long, but I don't care if I spoiled you, because look at you now." She sends me a smile. "This family's been through some tough times." She casts her gaze to Jennie. "But who else can have their daughter-in-law remain such a close part of the family after a separation?" Her next chuckle is a bit more nervous. "All we can do is the best with what we have and, all things considered, we Manobans have been blessed with a lot." She reaches for Nathan's hand. "Your brother's not here, but he loves you, and he will come back to us when he's ready—of that I'm sure."
Mom doesn't know yet that Kai might have a very compelling reason to stay in D.C.
"Here's to you, darling. Well done." She lifts her glass again and looks me in the eye. What a woman. Throughout this entire saga, I've never lost her support. It was only natural that, when she found out, she disapproved of Jennie and me getting together, but that never stopped her from being there for me, and putting in a good word for me with my brother.
I walk up to my mom and give her the tightest hug I can—she deserves about a million more.