Emi held the phone to her chest after blocking his number. Another reason to breathe easier. Just as she was closing her eyes. Her phone continuously buzzed. A phone call from Charles.
Charles: Em, are you asleep yet?
Emi: Obviously not, if I am answering the call.
Charles: Damn, what has got you all sassy at this hour?
Emi: I just got this text from Jason and -
Charles: What did that asshole have to tell you? Even after what he said to you.
Emi: Don't worry, I handled it and ended any form of communication he wanted.
Charles: That's all I get? Really? Just some generic description of how you said fuck you to him.
Emi: Didn't think you would want the entire explanation in the middle of the night, C?
Charles: What? Who are you?
Emi: Your best friend, who knows how to strike a cord with you. Okay so, he said how he made mistakes and that he still loved me and that he was under a lot of pressure, but that was no excuse for his actions. He still saw a future with me and he wanted to make our relationship work.
Charles: I think he forgot to apologize for saying that you were responsible for his failures academically. Oh and saying that you were cheating when you were with Imo (aunt in Korean) until her.... [Charles stopped himself as he realized he was going into some sensitive territory]
Emi: Don't stop yourself now. You are right. I was with her until she took her last breath, like she was there for my father's last breath.
Charles: I'm sorry, Em.
Emi: C, it's gonna have to feel normal someday. Let it be sooner rather than later. Also, Eomma will be very close to watch over you too, whether it is to protect you or set you straight when I cannot.
Charles: This is true. She was the one to set me straight when my eomma or you could not. Like when you got your first period.
Emi: Yeah, that was not that bad after all the stories we heard from the 8th graders. Well, maybe for you it was. God, how you became a football player still baffles me, after seeing you run like an idiot to get my mom.
Charles: Hey, sue me for caring for my best friend.
Emi: How did you scream? Oh it was like: Imo! Imo! Emi, she's bleeding on the floor! Oh and then you dragging me to her when she did not come fast enough. That was hilarious.
Charles: All right, all right. I'm glad I could entertain you as you entered womanhood.
Emi: Okay, I'll chill now. What are you doing up?
Charles: I feel bad, since I can't be there for when you leave Kansas for good.
Emi: Oh so it's because you feel bad, not because of me. I get it.
Charles: Stop -
Emi: You know I'm joking. You've made so much time to even talk to me. Know I appreciate you, C. Are you not on the call sheet for tonight?
Charles: I am, but I got it pushed to at least talk to you. I'm glad I could catch you. How are you feeling about the move?
Emi: Nervous as hell, but also lost as to where I should be going next in my life. [Pause] Yeah, lost is the best way to express this feeling.
Charles: I don't really know how to respond to that, but I will let you know that I can help you find whatever you are looking for.
Emi: Thanks, at least one of us will know where I will be going.
Charles: Em, I gotta go, but just know this. I am gonna support any decision you make, but I will also call bullshit when I know you are being an idiot. Love you, Em.
Emi: Thanks, C. Love you too. Now go and film. I'll talk to you soon. Please give Mila, my regards.
Charles: [gave a little salute and hung up the phone]
Emi laid in bed and cuddled with the pillow. She dozed off to sleep without even knowing what else she needed to do.
When she woke up, the pillow she cuddled was drenched, not of drool (which she hoped it was), but it was her tears. 'One night,' she thought to herself, 'my pillow will be drenched with drool.' She laughed at her thought and prepared for her flight.
Her preparations and drive to the airport were quick. Uncle Phil and Auntie Suk Yong gave her the tightest hugs, quite similar to her eomma's. She shed a tear as she entered the airport and took a deep breath to compose herself. 'Here we go, Eomma. I trust you.'
Emi entered her flight off to her new house, hopefully to somewhere she can call home.
YOU ARE READING
Threads and Strings
Fanfiction"I know there will be more people in your life that will be become more than someone you pass by." As a speech pathologist working with little kids, Emi Kim had been through enough in her 24 years of life that could have broke her, especially in 201...
