On the Other Side

Chapter 2: Wait

Laughter resounded around the space of the living room, bright with the Texas summer sun that infiltrated through the windows. The sounds of the stove, the boiling of the beans, and the popping of the peppers, tomatoes, and fajita beef blended with the voice of Selena Quintanilla as La Carcacha played loudly from the Alexa standing next to the television. 
Marceline, now a 22 year old woman, joyfully danced to cumbia alongside her cousin as her aunt and younger cousin cooked dinner in the kitchen. At this moment, the memory of her life in Korea was nothing more than that: a distant memory. After graduating and winning the talent show, her adoptive parents found it appropriate to live the next chapter of their lives in Texas. Within a year, they had gained contact with Marceline's mother's side of the family; her immediate family living in Lake Jackson in southern Texas while most still lived in Michoacan, Mexico.
It took a tad bit longer for contact with her family on her father's side to be reached, as they all still lived in Jamaica.

Though her love for her adoptive parents was deep and unbreakable, she felt as though she was where she belonged as she danced to the traditional and custom music of her family and her people.

She threw her head back as her feet began the complicated footwork of the cumbia, smiling gleefully as her cousin had clapped her on. Not once in this atmosphere has she felt that monster that hid deep within her stir.

"Ay, mirala!" her cousin grabbed onto her hands, dancing along with her as they finished off the song. The doorbell rang, causing both girls to stop in their steps, Marceline once again smiling gleefully as she bounced over to the door. She opened the door to see her adoptive parents standing there, throwing the door open wider as she welcomed in, kissing them both on the cheek as she took the platter of kimchi out of her mother's hands. Once her aunt was introduced to the fermented dish, she had become obsessed. So over time it grew to be a tradition for her mother to bring some with her whenever the other had run out.

"Eomma! Oppa! Come in, come in!" she closed the door behind them with her foot as her cousin took their small jackets, which grew more and more unnecessary as the warm and hot months of April and May approached.

"You guys are early! Tio hasn't even returned with the beer yet." She went to the kitchen to place the kimchi in the fridge as her aunt hastily removed her apron, eager to greet her friends as they walked deeper into her home.
The day was special to the family as it was one of Marceline's cousins birthday, who had yet to arrive to their surprise celebration. 

The rest of the night was filled with even more laughter and love as the celebration spurred on, the sharing of traditional Mexican dishes at their now extended dinner table as more humorous stories about their family, the birthday boy in particular, was spoken of with the utmost love. 

Marceline's adoptive parents, Ye Eun and Min Ho understood and felt the love their adoptive daughter had for them, as well as for the time she had spent with them, but as they watched her interact with her family they silently wished she could have experienced this more. 
But what had to be done had to be done.

The celebration was moved to the more spacious basement, where currently karaoke and dancing had been going on. 

Marceline along with two of her cousins, Marlena and Raquel, sang along to another Selena y Los Dinos song, a remote control clutched in her hand as a mock microphone. 

Bidi bidi bom bom (bidi bidi bom bom)
Bidi bidi bom bom (bidi bidi bom bom)
Me canta asi
Me canta a ti
Cada vez que lo veo pasar

Her family clapped and cheered on for her as she smiled gleefully for the millionth time that night. As she finished the song, Marlena went to hug her, planting a kiss on her cheek that left a red lipstick stain.