Nobody Like You

The Weirdest Family Gathering

Yeju

I make sure my scowl is as intense as possible when Dad opens the door. His nervous expression tells me I did a great job.

"Yeju! You're here." Despite the hostility I am emanating, Dad sounds genuinely delighted to see me. "Come in, come in."

I take off my shoes and coat before trudging inside.

After Mom wore me down about talking to Dad, I texted him to meet up for dinner. Dad's reply was immediate.

And now, I am here at the traitor's house. There are still a few unpacked boxes scattered about the hallway, but otherwise, his new place looks very well put together. Dad has always been more of a neat freak than Mom, and it's obvious now comparing their houses. I make a mental note to help Mom clean up more.

"Want something to drink, Yeju?" Dad asks.

"Anything."

I peek into the kitchen. Chopped vegetables and other ingredients spread across the counter—his dinner plans are indeed as elaborate as mentioned in his text message.

"Need any help?" I ask. I hate to admit it, but I am excited about the food. Mom does not cook, and I don't have the time to recently, so it has been a while since I ate good home-cooked food.

"Don't worry about it," Dad assures me. He comes out of the kitchen with two mugs, and we sit at the dining table to drink. It's warm apple cider, perfect for the winter.

"I'm just so glad you're here," he says. "I thought I won't see you again. You are much closer to your mother after all."

The dejection in his voice is a twist in my gut. I turn my head away from him and sip at the cider.

He sighs. "Listen, Yeju, I'm sorry about—"

I slam the mug down to cut him off. "Do you know how much you've hurt Mom?"

Another sigh. "I know. I didn't mean to hurt any of you. I made a terrible mistake, and I'm going to try to make amends."

I want to explode at my father. Yell my head off. Toss my cup at him. Maybe ruin his nice new house a little. Wasn't that what I've always wanted to do after finding out about his affair?

But it has been way too long. My anger is all used up, and now I'm just tired.

I slump on the table. "Why did you betray Mom all those years ago?"

Dad's eyes glaze over as if he was staring somewhere far in space. He sighs again. "I don't want to give excuses, Yeju. I don't deserve to. I made a mistake, and... and that's it."

"You betrayed me too, you know," I whisper.

There is a slight pause. "I'm sorry, Yeju." He spins his mug a few times. "Have you... ever met someone and immediately knew they were special?"

Lia flashes across my mind. I take a huge gulp of cider to drown out my growing heartache. It's almost the New Year, and I'm writing the last chapter of my thesis. I'll be seeing her soon.

The thought makes me giddy with both excitement and fear.

"So you're saying you met that special someone then?" I ask with a wry chuckle. "And that's why you did what you did?"

"It was both that and... a huge lapse of judgment on my part. I fell in love, hard, but I should not have pursued it. I knew I shouldn't, and yet... I am completely at fault here—I won't deny that. I just..." His voice quivers. "I didn't know I left her all alone with a kid in a foreign country."