What's Next?

Chapter 19 Finding a Family

Se-ri was standing in her favourite spot looking at the ocean. It was so calm today; it was like a sheet of glass. She had read somewhere the word Pacific means peaceful, calm. She hoped some of that would rub off on her if she looked long enough at the ocean. She kept going back to Thanksgiving. She did not want to hope that she had met her mother but on the other hand, she could not help but feel hope. She did not want to get disappointed. She had experienced so many disappointments in her life, she did not want to add any more. David was away on business and he was not due to come back till Christmas. She was grateful Lisa was there. She had not talked to Lisa since Thanksgiving and she felt it was time she did so.

"Lisa, it's Se-ri. Can I come over? I have to talk to you."

"Sure, come today, anytime."

Se-ri had so many thoughts and she was trying to sort them out. She arrived at Lisa's place and was happy to see her friend.

"Se-ri, how have you been?"

"Confused"

"Sit, would you like some tea?"

"Yes, that would be nice, thank you."

They sat in silence sipping their tea.

Se-ri put down her cup.

"Lisa, I think Annette is my biological mother."

"How do you feel about that?"

"Mixed feelings. It would be nice to have a family, a place where everyone accepts me. We are waiting for David to return so we can do the DNA test. He will be back before Christmas. I have some things to tell you, please keep it confidential."

She told Lisa everything, her family, her trip to Switzerland, hearing the song, landing in North Korea by accident, being save by Jeong hyeok, his trip to the South to save her and her second brother and his wife trying to kill her. Her Music Scholarship and seeing Jeong hyeok, his fiancée and his parents.

Lisa was looking at her in stunned silence. She knew there was a story, but did not expect that story.

"Lisa, say something."

She got up and walked over to Se-ri, sat next to her and hugged her, holding her tight. Lisa was crying, she could not believe the story she heard.

"Se-ri, I am so sorry you had to go through all that. And you were able to rise above it."

"Lisa, no more tears. Whether she is my biological mother or not, I got a family I can call my own."

"David is going to be back soon; he will make arrangements for the DNA test. I am so glad I met you."

Se-ri thought that Thanksgiving was momentous, would Christmas be the same? She didn't think she could handle any more surprises. She was busy with work; it was close to Christmas and it was her busy time. Her team was in constant contact and sales were better than last year. She felt that after everything that had happened that year, it was a relief that her business was doing so well.

David returned from his business trip and was home for a few days. He checked in with Se-ri to see how she was doing.

"David, come in. when did you get home?"

"Last night. I wanted to come by to see how you were doing. I made arrangements for the DNA tests next Tuesday, Mom will bring Aunt Annette here and we will go together."

"Where do we have the test?"

"Here in town, it won't take long. There is some paperwork you and Aunt Annette will need to complete. They take some saliva and that is it. You will get the results in about three weeks."

"I have to go to Seoul in January, I don't know if I would want the results before I leave. The results might be a distraction. But on the other hand, I will be so curious wondering about the results. I won't tell my mother about Annette until I have a definite answer. I never thought coming here would solve my greatest mystery, well, it hasn't been solved as yet."

"Se-ri, whatever the outcome is, know that you have people here who love you. You made quite an impression on my family. They would love to see you again, they are always asking about you.

"I would love to see them again, when I return from Korea. So what are we doing for Christmas?"