Face Time – Chapter 10

Lee

Laura laughs on her end of the call, and I relax. It’s hard to see her sad. The night we met and during our first date, she was so bright and happy, sarcastic and funny. It was a good first impression. Now, I’m beginning to understand the depths of her personality. She’s been through hell and can still smile. She cares about her family even though her mother is a bit crazy and her father treated her poorly. We’re on our third date, and I want ten more. A hundred.

“I was forced to tell my mom and aunt about you. My Aunt Sally has a ridiculous sense for these things. She can take one look at a person and know everything about them. But I kept the details to a minimum. I told them you live in Seoul, though. It’s a problem for them.”

“Yes, I can imagine. But is it a problem for you?”

“Lee, I swear. We’re on the third date now and the sexual tension is miles high.”

I burst into a laugh and her neck reddens. “It is indeed. Let’s change the subject…”

“Oh,” she squeaks, jumping forward and knocking the iPad off her lap for a moment before righting my view. “I had an idea, and I hope you don’t think it’s weird or anything.”

“What?”

“I’m going to join the Korea Society here in the city and take Korean language classes…”

Wow. She’s more into me than she’s let on.

“They have lots of cool events, films, plays, and…” She leans in, her eyes wide. “Cooking classes.” She claps her hands and grins, reminding me of Evie when she scores a toy she’s been talking about for weeks. “I could learn to make kimchi and bibimbap and pickles and, yeah, lots of food.” Her eyes glaze over, and I’m sure she’s imagining herself in the kitchen cooking up full-course Korean meals, enough to feed a huge family. “My cooking would never be as good as an actual Korean mom or anything, but I love an opportunity to learn. When I was in Thailand, I took a Thai cooking class, and I often make curries for Theresa and Mike or my mom or whoever else comes by. I love it.”

“Sounds like a lot of fun,” I begin, but how do I tell her this isn’t necessary to our relationship or anything? “Are you sure you want to take Korean language? You don’t have to, you know.”

Maybe she thinks she’ll need this if we continue on?

“I know. I’ve always wanted to learn more foreign languages, but I was never sure about which one. I thought maybe I could practice with you? I don’t know. I’ll take the first class and see what happens. I think I’ll have a blast, though.”

“Okay, well, sure you can practice with me, if you like. But you don’t have to change or be different for me. I like you the way you are.”

She pours herself a glass of wine. “I’m not doing it for you, but you reminded me how much I love the East. I’ve been here in New York trapped for some time now. I want to do something different. And it’ll be even more fun if I can share them with you.”

I nod my head at her. She seems genuinely interested in Korean culture, and, with all her travel in Asia, I get why she’d be spurred into this. If anything, it sounds like classes and studying will keep her busy and not dating other men.

And there it is. I am already trying to make a claim on her. Where does that even come from? Once I find a woman I like, I circle my wagons around her and fight off other men to the death, and I hate when she won’t let me. It was a major issue with Sandra and me. She didn’t want to be exclusive, and I could have been fine with that if she hadn’t always pushed the fact she was with other men in my face… And she flipped out every time I tried to date someone else. It was maddening.

“Lee? What’s going on in your head? Is this too weird? I’m sorry…”

“No. No, I was thinking about something else. It’s not weird. I love the idea. You should definitely do it. I bet you’ll enjoy it. Next time I see you, I’ll want you to cook for me.”

“Okay.” She lets out a huge breath. “I’d be happy to cook for you.”

I should stop pulling into my head and comparing Laura to Sandra. They are both two entirely different women, complete opposites.

“Laura, show me your apartment. Give me a tour.”

“Sure.” She sets down her wine glass and gets up from the couch with the iPad in her hands. “Let me use the other camera.” The view flips around, and her living room is before me instead of her face. “This is the only common room in the apartment, besides the bathroom and kitchen. The furniture was my father’s since I traveled almost all of my twenties. I came back to the city with little in the way of possessions.” A big screen TV sits on a low IKEA bookshelf crammed with used novels. Along either side of the TV are knickknacks that I guess are from Laura’s travels: a fan, a metal dragon, a Buddha. Next to the Buddha is an incense burner and a red and black lacquer box. She swings the iPad around the room. The walls are pretty bare but painted a dark gray that’s very contemporary. Along the area over the couch is a line of framed photographs.

“Can I see the photos?”

“Of course.” She leans in and shows me a collection of six in one frame. “This was my trip to Thailand and the Philippines.” Laura is obviously a gifted photographer, skilled with depth of field and arrangement. I can identify the large golden reclining Buddha in Bangkok, monks crossing a busy street in a flurry of orange robes, a jasmine flower, a beach, the wall in Chiang Mai, and bells in a temple.

“They’re beautiful.”

“And this was my time in the South building houses.” This collection is less exotic but precious all the same. The photos here concentrate on the houses she worked on, the French Quarter in New Orleans, the bayou and Mississippi River. “I miss that work. I was always outside or learning something new.”

“How did you make money while you were down there?”

“I waited tables mostly, and friends of friends let me stay with them. I had a small trust fund I lived on in Asia, but it was gone by the time I returned. Anyway, I made enough to barely get by. That’s all the matters. I’m still alive.”

Still alive? Damn, she says the most peculiar things, and I want to pry and ask question after question, but instead… “Looks like you had an amazing time.”

“I did.” She moves the iPad out of the living room to the kitchen. “And here’s the kitchen again. It was all remodeled before I moved in. I’m glad to have a dishwasher. Not many places in the city do.” The kitchen is modern with dark wood cabinets, black countertops and stainless steel appliances. She tilts the camera so I can see the hardwood floors, even in the kitchen, and a black and white rug in front of the sink.

“Mom’s bedroom is right off the kitchen. I won’t show it to you.” She bypasses a door and opens the second one in the hall. “This is the bathroom. Also remodeled before I moved in.” Stone tiled floors and a white pedestal vanity and tub. The collection of hair dryers and straightening irons takes up most of the wall space and the bags lining the shelves are probably stocked with makeup.

“Then my room which you’ve seen some of. I picked my clothes up off the floor this morning. You’re a lucky man.” Her room is more chaotic than the rest of the place. The long, coffee-stained wood dresser is overflowing with scarves, stacks of folded clothes, photos in frames, and jewelry. “Oh, let me show you David.” She moves to her bedside and picks up a framed photo of a striking young man in his twenties, wild blond hair, a summer tan, his hands in his khaki shorts, smiling at the camera. “I took this at our summer family picnic. I really miss him.” She and her deceased brother are a lot alike. Laura shares the same nose and smile, but it’s sad there’s a brother who meant so much to her who I will never meet.

“I see a pretty strong family resemblance,” I say as she places the photo back on her bedside. Next to her bedside lamp is a stack of books, mostly fiction. I recognize some of the titles. “What do you like to read?”

“Anything as long as it’s fiction. I only read non-fiction if the subject really interests me, and I mean really. I check what my friends are reading via Goodreads and queue up anything that sounds good. I have one friend in a zombie and vampire phase, though.” The disdain is clear even though I can’t see her face. “Not my cup of tea, but I’ll happily do science fiction or fantasy.”

“I like spy novels and mystery. I’m in a Robert Ludlum phase right now. His books are readily available at the bookstores here.”

“Well, you can’t go wrong with Jason Bourne. He’s pretty damned kick ass.”

“He is.”

Laura turns the camera around and sits down on her bed. “Okay, your turn. Show me your place.”

“All right. But, be warned, there’s not much here.”

I flip to the other camera, get off the couch and turn around. “It’s a loft type apartment which is typical of these high rises in Seoul. The kitchen and living area all share the same space.” My apartment is all white, white, white, with dark wood and marble floors, and the furniture is either black or glass. “None of the furniture belongs to me. The place came furnished.”

“So did mine, except for my bed. Your kitchen is so white. And the whole apartment is so bright.”

I swing the camera to the floor-to-ceiling windows and my view.

“Wow, but you have an amazing view. What’s that of?” she asks, her face close to the iPad.

“The Han River and the northern part of the city. This area I live in, south of the river, was built up after the Olympics were held here. I live in sort of a fancy part of town.”

“How fancy?”

“I think they call it the Rodeo Drive of Seoul, honestly. All the big designers have stores here. It’s a little rich for my taste, but I’m not the only lawyer in my firm who lives here. Chris and Cori live a few floors down. There’s someone to water my plants while I’m gone.” I tilt the iPad down at my plants bunched up around the edge of each window. This is the only redeemable part of my apartment. I can grow things and not have them die on me because I get so much light.

“You have a green thumb. Wasn’t expecting that.”

“I have many talents.”

“I bet you do.”

I’m glad she can’t see my face right now because, when she says things like that, the blood in my body rushes straight to my dick, and I can’t control it at all.

“My kitchen…” I move past the table and adjust my pajama pants along the way. “Also does not have much in it, but I did stock up my fridge this week.” I open the door up and show her everything I purchased but compared to her refrigerator, it’s barren. I’m starting to feel ambivalent about this tour. My desolate apartment gives me an air of “bachelor college student,” not a high-powered, highly-paid lawyer.

“I hope you go out to eat a lot.” She tilts her head to the side and purses her lips. “Because you don’t look like you’re wasting away, but your fridge says otherwise.”

“I do. It’s easier.”

I show her the bathroom which is a lot like hers except bigger and with less products along the wide stone vanity, and, in the bedroom is just my bed, a dresser, and the closet.

“Wait. Go back,” Laura directs, and I pan back along my bed past the window. “Stop. Walk closer to the mirror.” A huge mirror lines one wall in my bedroom, and standing here, Laura can see everything. It’s possible she can’t see the hard-on she just gave me through these pajama pants, but…

“Just stand there, Lee, and let me get a good look at you.”

I roll my eyes at her in the mirror but obey. I wonder what she sees. I see an average Korean guy who works out and does nothing with his hair. I’m better with clothes and more stylish than I used to be. I don’t buy the cheap t-shirts and underwear anymore. I spend the money on the nicer things. Even my pajama pants are upscale. This is another thing I have in common with Laura, we both like a good wardrobe. But otherwise, I’m average.

“Take a picture, Laura. It’ll last longer.”

“Okay.” From the position of her hands on the iPad, I can tell she’s taking a screenshot. “Fair warning, I’m going to do that a lot.”

I flip back to the front-facing camera and smile at her. “Fine by me.”

“Well, it certainly is a big and beautiful apartment…” She hesitates and chews on the side of her lip. “But…”

“Go ahead and say it.” I’ve already heard this a million times from Cori every time she comes over, so I sit myself on my bed, pushing back against the pillows.

“Lee, you’re a charming and sweet guy, and I can tell you have good taste. Why does your apartment feel so empty?”

“Because it is. I travel so much that I get back here and don’t know where to start. I have some things in the storage area but never bring them up, and really? I don’t feel like they fit in here. I often don’t feel like this is home.”

“Hmmm…” She taps on her mouth and scans her own room. “What about bringing items home from your travels and then placing them around your apartment? You saw my apartment. Half the stuff I own is from traveling. I don’t own much, but I have something. I would buy things and ship them to my mother. She held onto everything for me until I came home.”

“I don’t know. I rarely have time to shop when I’m traveling.”

“Where are you off to next?” she asks, before taking a sip of wine.

“I leave on Saturday for two weeks in India. Mumbai and Pune.”

“Oh. Will I still be able to talk to you?” There was a moment on our first date when Laura asked me if I liked dinner and she seemed so much like a little girl in that instant, her eyes wide and seeking my honest opinion. I think I fell in love with her right then. I hesitate to think of myself in love with her, she’s so far away, but I know I am already.

“Yes, absolutely. Let’s not let it get in the way.”

“Okay. Well, anyway, you’ll be in India. Save some room in your bag and buy something colorful from a street vendor or something. Colorful. You hear me? Your place needs bright and happy objects.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Good.” She claps her hands and smiles. “Oops, I left the wine bottle in the other room. When I come back, I want you to tell me about your family.”

She only leaves me “alone” for a minute and comes back with a full glass of wine and the rest of the bottle she puts on the nightstand. I tell her about my older brother, Jin, and his wife, Mimi. He’s six years older than I am and married young. His kids, my two older nephews, Kade and Leland, are already in their early teens. Jin’s an accountant and Mimi is a librarian at the local high school. I get along best with Jin and Mimi of anyone in my family besides my father. Jin watched out for me when I was a kid and his friends were nice and let me tag along for soccer during the summer. My older sister, Nari, and I barely talk. She’s only eleven months older than I am, and we disliked each other growing up. Probably because she was supposed to be the baby and instead I was born. Sandra is one of her best friends, and they’re like two peas in a pod: bossy, stubborn, and drop-dead gorgeous. I shouldn’t have mentioned that.

“Drop-dead gorgeous, huh?” Laura asks, twirling the ends of her hair in her fingers.

“Trust me. Her looks don’t make up for her sour personality. Neither of them.”

Laura pulls back from the iPad, chewing on her lip and running her fingers through her hair before taking a sip of wine. “So, um, you were a mistake baby then? Only eleven months younger than your sister?”

“Yep. In fact, my name is a huge joke. ‘Lee’ and ‘Park’ are two of the most common surnames in Korea, and Lee was my mother’s maiden name, so they just named me that. They hadn’t anticipated a third kid or having to name me.”

She laughs, dropping her hands to her side. “I’ll admit I tried to google you and came up with nothing.”

“Yeah, that’s the only good thing about my name. I’m not on any of the social networks either. I stayed off on purpose, for business reasons.”

“I’m on Facebook, but that’s it.”

“Now I want to be there.”

I bet she has tons of friends and photos in her profile, but she waves her hand at me again and smiles. “Don’t. You’ll get all the good gossip straight from me.”

“So, anyway,” I continue, clearing my throat, “Nari is married to Daniel, and they have one son, Chase. He’s three.”

“And Daniel is?”

“What?”

“Ummm, caucasian?”

“No. He’s Korean too.”

“Oh.” She runs her hands through her hair again, and I wish I were there to do that and to hold her hands because she’s obviously feeling self-conscious. “I’m beginning to feel like the odd duck.”

“Really, it’s okay. It doesn’t matter to me.”

“It may really matter to your family, especially if this went anywhere between us.”

I stare hard at the iPad in my lap and compare it to the empty space next to me in bed. She should be curled up under the covers next to me, and we should be having this conversation in person, so that I could reassure her of her place.

This is a third date, right? I can be thinking these things on a third date? That she has a place in my life? That I’m falling for her? If we were dating in person, I’m pretty sure I’d be thinking these things by now…

“Not that it has to,” she rushes, and I snap my eyes back to the iPad. She’s covered her face with her hands. “Oh my god, I’m so presumptuous. I’m sorry.”

“No, no. I wasn’t thinking that at all. I was thinking about how I know my mother would be upset, but my father doesn’t care. I only seek his approval in these things. But let’s not worry about that, okay?”

She uncovers her face, her eyes directed downward.

“Really? I looked at myself in the mirror this morning and thought I am painfully not Korean.”

“Laura, I’ve gone out with all Korean girls in my life but one, and it’s never worked out for me.”

“I’ve gone out with tall, tan, blond men my whole life and that’s never worked out for me either.”

“Like your brother?” I ask, and her eyes un-focus, panic causing her features to flatten. I’ve noticed something about her she wasn’t aware of.

“Holy shit.” She turns in her bed and grabs the photo of her brother from the nightstand. “I’ve spent the last ten years trying to figure out why I pick these guys because they’ve all been different except that they look like my brother. How come no one noticed this before you? How come I never noticed?”

“Maybe they did and just never said anything.”

She smiles, looking from the photo of her brother to me and back. “This is really comforting.”

“Phew.” I let out a deep breath. “I was afraid for a moment there.”

“I just…” She squeezes the photo frame to her chest and closes her eyes before putting it back beside the bed. “I loved my brother so much. He was a good person, kind and sweet. A lot like you, actually. You just look nothing alike.”

She laughs again. “Thanks, Lee. I wish I could kiss you right now. Your kiss is addictive. I’ve thought of almost nothing else since you left.”

Whoa. I can read Laura, understand her, and unlock these hidden places inside her. I’ve never had this kind of a connection with a woman before. I’ve always floundered my way through relationships, guessing what my girlfriend wanted and getting it wrong.

“It’s addictive for a good reason. That’s how I hook you and reel you in.” Life is going to be hard until I can get to New York again.

“I’m hooked, for sure.”

My phone buzzes next to me with a text from Cori.

—-

Cori Winslow

Ready to go soon? The palace, shopping, and tea await us.

—-

Lee Park

I’m almost done talking to Laura. I’ll get dressed and head down in 10 min.

—-

Cori Winslow

Oh. Take your time. I don’t want to interrupt.

—-

Lee Park

It’s fine. We’re almost done.

—-

“Everything okay?” Laura asks, leaning into the iPad, her empty wine glass in her hand.

“Yeah, but I promised Cori and Evie I’d take them to the Gyeongbukgung Palace and then shopping in Samcheong-dong, plus tea and lunch. Chris is in Europe again.”

“I understand… sort of. Korean names make my head spin,” she says, her eyes crossing and rolling around. No jealousy I can detect when I talk about Cori, but she immediately tenses when Sandra’s name is mentioned, so I’ll have to be careful from now on. “Go out and enjoy your day. I’m going to watch some TV before I turn in.”

“Laura? Can you talk to me again on your Tuesday night?”

“Yes. Good. Don’t make me wait a whole week again. That was just ridiculous.”

I laugh at her honesty, one of her more alluring qualities. So far, I know where I stand with her. “It was ridiculous. I’ll see you then.”

We both wave at each other before ending the call, and my apartment swallows up the silence, more empty than the day I moved in.