What's Next?

Chapter 36 Almost Time to Return Home

Christmas was upon them and that year she got a tree and they decorated it together, she wanted that Christmas to be special. It was their last Christmas in a place that had brought her so much happiness. They arrived at Annette's house for Christmas dinner with her family and loved being with the ones she loved. Rachael opened the door.

"Se-ri, Jeong hyeok, Merry Christmas. Come in, they are in the kitchen."

"We have some presents for the family, should we put the presents under the tree?"

"Yes, thank you. They are going to be surprised."

Se-ri and Jeong hyeok placed the presents under the tree. She looked at their handiwork and was pleased. The wrapping paper and bows were colorful and the tree looked so festive. They went to the kitchen where they were all gathered, putting the finishing touches to the food.

"Hello, everybody, Merry Christmas." Se-ri greeted them.

"You are here. Merry Christmas." Annette walked over and hugged them.

Se-ri looked at them, joking with each other and sharing what was going in their lives. Sara was dating a guy she like a lot, Rachael had also met someone. She would miss this when she returned home.

"Dominic, what about you? How is your love life?" Rachael asked.

"It's going. It is not like a Se-ri and Jeong hyeok love story."

"I think their love story is a miracle." Sara said.

"David, what is going on with you? Any one special in your life?" Sara asked

"I won't be surprised if he meets someone in South Korea, he spends a lot of time there. Se-ri, you will have to keep us updated." Rachael said.

Se-ri smiled and looked at Rachael and said "I will keep you updated. It won't be hard to find out." She looked at David and smiled.

"Jeong hyeok, have you given any more thought to what we talked about?" Asked Ben.

"Yes, I have, the three of us will talk about it later. It would be a challenge, but one that I feel I can handle"

"That's great, I would love to see the finished product," James said.

Se-ri looked at everyone seated around the table and she smiled. So, this was how Christmas was supposed to be. She hoped that Jeong hyeok was enjoying the holiday.

"Se-ri brought presents, they are under the tree. We should open them after dinner." Annette said.

She looked at Se-ri and smiled, she will miss her daughter. Finding her was nothing short of a miracle.

They returned home with full hearts. She, because of her family and he, because of her.

"So, that was Christmas." He said. "I like it, you have a loving family. They loved the presents. How did you know what they would have like?"

"I have been around them long enough to know what they would like. I knew Annette and Ben, Kate and James would love season tickets to the Hollywood Bowl."

"I also like the Christmas Parade and the boa at the Noodle House and the visit to Santa for our photo. It was fun. I can see why you would miss this place."

They went skiing with David and Lisa and just like last year, Se-ri would not leave the slopes, she skied till late in the night. Jeong hyeok had never seen this side of her, having so much fun and being in the moment. He used to ski in Swiss when he was going to school, and he was a decent skier, but not as good as her. He made a note to himself to take her skiing in South Korea. He saw parents teaching their children how to ski, some as young as three and he wanted that for them.

They celebrated Lunar New at the University with David and Lisa and it was just as Se-ri said, it was fun to celebrate with so many people, all strangers but by the end of the evening it felt that they were no longer strangers. And the sweetest part, was the children trying to feed the lion.

They visited her family and had dinner with Lisa and David for the last time. She knew she would see David in South Korea. She would miss the people who watched out for her when she first arrived.

They were getting ready to leave, the rented piano was picked by the store, the housekeeper made sure that everything was in the same condition as when she moved in.

Everything was packed and it was time to leave.