Weightless

t h r e e

Jisu Collins

        At the sound of my voice they both look up, surprise evident in their eyes. I'm never downstairs by choice. They share a troubled look, postures uneasy.

        "Hey, sweetie. What's up?"

        "Yeah, hon. You're never up this early. Breakfast isn't even ready yet."

        I take a deep breath. No sense beating around the bush.

        "Mom. Dad. I'm moving to South Korea."

        Silence.

        I expected a lot of reactions, anger, crying, yelling, but not silence. Silence is bad. Shit. Thoughts reeling, I try to muster up an explanation.

        "Uh... you see, yesterday I was..."

        "What?" The sound of my mom's voice causes me to snap my mouth shut. "Jisu, what did you just say?"

        Wincing, I look at my feet. "Umm... I said that I'm moving to South Korea."

        I hear a sigh. "Sit down."

        I look up. I shouldn't have. Instead of anger, all I see is pain. My parents look like I just ran over the puppy we never had. I watch them practically collapse into their chairs, shoulders sagging, eyes dejected. I wait for the guilt to wash over me, to make me change my mind and take it back with a lighthearted "just kidding," but it never comes. I walk towards the kitchen table. Still no guilt. I pull out my chair. Nope. I sit down. Absolutely nothing.

        "Sweetie. I think you might be si..."

        "No." I take a deep breath. "I'm not sick. Actually, I've never felt better in my whole life."

        My mother flinches. It looks like I just punched her in the gut.

        "Jisu Collins. You do not speak to your mother that way. I will not have you spouting this nonsense in my house, under my roof. Now take it back." Ah, there's the anger. I cross my arms and exhale.

        My father has always been an intimidating man. He's stubborn, brash, and short tempered. From a young age, I knew that I never wanted to be on the receiving end of his wraith. I guess I've finally grown up.

        "No."

        "What did you just say?" The glare my dad sends my way could make any full grown man piss his pants.

        My gaze doesn't waver. "I said no."

        He slams his hands down onto the table. My mother jumps. I don't flinch.

        "Take. It. Back."

        I'm a calm person. I take pride in my level-headedness, and usually more than a little yelling is needed to stir any kind of anger inside my chest. Today is different. Maybe I really am sick. Slamming my own hands on the table, I stand.

        "No. I'm twenty-one. I'm an adult. And I'm old enough to make my own decisions. For the past eight years of my life I've felt stuck. Stuck in high school. Stuck in college. Stuck here."

        My dad begins to open his mouth.

        "No. I'm speaking. I've stayed quiet for too damn long. Now it's your turn to listen."

        He huffs and crosses his arms, but holds his tongue. I quickly glance at my mother. She's too busy staring at her hands to notice.

        "As I was saying, I'm moving to South Korea. No exceptions. I've already found an apartment and checked flights. All I have left to do is pay for everything and pack. I don't need your approval. I didn't even need to talk to you guys at all, but I did because you're my parents, and I felt you had a right to know before I just up and left. You're welcome to yell until your face turns blue, but it's not going to change my mind. With that being said, you can either support my decision or not. Hell, for all I care, you could disown me the minute I walk out that door, but no matter what I'm doing this."