Persona

Chapter 24

June stopped in front of her Gram's house, holding Jimin's hand tight in her own.  "We can still not do this."

He looked at her pale drawn face.  Her lips were pulled into a thin tight line and she kept swallowing nervously. 

"It'll be okay."  He kissed her cheek.

"You say that now," she muttered, after taking a deep steading breath she headed for the front door.  "Remember you asked for this and I tried to warn you."  With that said she knocked resolutely on the door.  Her fingers shook free of his as the door started to swing open.

The woman who opened the door was deceptively young looking to be old enough to be a grandmother.  She appeared to only be in her mid forties, when she actually had to be nearing seventy.  Her bright blonde hair was cut in a neat bob that framed her smooth featured face to perfection.  Her classy makeup only enhanced her classically beautiful face.  Her light grey eyes narrowed slightly and her lips thinned as they focused on Jimin.

"I thought you were never darkening my doorstep again," the older woman said.  "And what have you brought with you?"

"That was the plan, but my boyfriend wanted to meet you.  I warned him it would not be pleasant."  June responded roughly.  Secretly she was glad he wouldn't be able to understand what this woman was bound to say.

"Boyfriend?  This is what you're dating.  I thought I taught you better than that."  She eyed Jimin.

He knew this was not going well, even if he couldn't understand every word they were saying.  He did comprehend enough to know that he was being refered to as a thing and not a person.

"His name is Jimin, Gram."  June stated.  "This is my Gram, Margaret Winston."

She ignored the introduction.  "What have you done to your hair?"

She touched the now coppery waves that flowed across her shoulders.  "Uh, I colored it, you should--" she cut herself off prior to saying something very rude about Margaret coloring her hair.

Using his best English he said.  "It is nice meeting you, Mrs. Winston."

June smiled encouragingly at him.

"Does he even speak English?" the elder woman complained.

"No, he is not fluent, but he is learning quickly."  She repeated her words in Korean wanting him to know how proud of him she was.

Jimin grinned pleased with her praise, his eyes disappearing.

"He was born and raised in Korea there is no reason he should speak anything else."  She glanced at him as if to say I told you this was not going to be fun.

"Where did you meet?"  She still had yet to speak to him or acknowledge him. 

"Ah, Korea."  Knowing Ash would take certain pleasure in upsetting her Gram, she added.  "Ash introduced us."  Mostly true, if not precisely true.

Mrs. Winston grimaced at Ash's name.  "I should have known that troublemaker would do something like that."

"She is one of my best friends.  I wish you wouldn't insult her, or any of my friends for that matter."

"Then you should get a better class of friends."

June glared at her.

"Why are you here?"  Mrs. Winston questioned again.

"I already said, Jimin wanted to meet you."  Her tone clearly said she had no idea why anyone would want to meet her.

Margaret's eyes focused fully on him for the first time.  "Why would he want to visit me?"