Mina knelt down to smell a bloom, and Michael wished he had a camera to capture her as she closed her eyes to inhale. He wanted to remember this day forever. She looked up to see him staring, swinging away self-consciously and accidentally backing into a giant cactus covered with tiny spikes. “Ouch!”
Michael helped her up, turning her around to pick the spines out of her shirt. “Hold still,” he said, carefully pulling out each tiny barb. She winced, hissing in a breath, and he put a hand on her shoulder to steady her. “You okay?”
She looked over her shoulder to see the concerned look on his face, her eyes falling to his bandaged hand. “It’s nothing,” she said. “Nothing at all.”
They continued their walk, winding their way through a forest of giant bamboo that towered over their heads and pausing to read some of the messages they found scratched into the stems. They wandered through an exquisitely maintained Japanese garden, inspected a vast collection of bonsai, and climbed out onto a bridge that arched over a lily pond.
Mina stopped in the center of the span to lean on the railing and look down at the koi fish swimming lazily in the shadowy water, and Michael stood close by her side. A pair of children scrambled across the bridge behind them, followed by their harried mother. A little boy was chasing girl with a frog he’d caught, thrusting it into her face while she squealed with fear and laughter.
Michael chuckled, shaking his head. “Did your brother ever tease you like that?” he asked Mina.
“Just the opposite,” she said. “Only my brother was afraid of spiders.”
She started telling him stories about all the pranks that she used to play on her brother when they were children, surprising him with her deviousness. She made him laugh harder than he had in ages.
“I can’t see you doing stuff like that,” he said, wiping his eyes.
“I was a super pesky little sister,” she admitted. “I suppose I was jealous because he always got to do so much more than I ever did.”
“Why?” Michael asked.
“Because he was a boy,” she said with a trace of bitterness. “It was pretty obvious to me who my parent’s favorite one was.”
“Oh,” Michael said, nodding thoughtfully. “It was kind of the same way with me and Layla. I was jealous of all the attention that she got. It always seemed like there was nothing I could do to please him.”
“Did you get along with her?” Mina asked.
He nodded yes. “She was my best friend. In a lot of ways she was like my mother, because she always tried to protect me.”
“That’s nice,” Mina said.
“I don’t know about that,” Michael mused, “She had to grow up fast, because of what the professor made her do.”
They stood peacefully for a minute, and he asked her, “What about you? Do you get along better with your brother now?”
“Much better,” she smiled. “He was the only one who supported me when I wanted to go into the FBI. He told my parents that he thought I’d be good at it because I was so bossy.”
“I think you’re good at it because you’re …” he groped for the right words, “You’re good at everything!” Michael pointed it out like it was obvious.
She smiled, pleased by the compliment. “I wish my parents believed that.”
“They haven’t seen you drive,” he said, wondering what she’d do if he tried to hold her hand again.
They started walking some more, passing through a beautiful Chinese garden and entering a pavilion through a round stone portal. There was a small café in a nearby building, and Mina turned to Michael with a smile. “Hungry?”
They stopped to grab a bite to eat, sitting by pond to watch the turtles sunning themselves on rocks. The afternoon sped by much too fast, and when the phone in Mina’s bag chirped out a warning she looked at it, her eyes widening in alarm. “Oh no!”
“What is it?” Michael asked, alarmed by the sudden change in her.
“My brother,” she cringed. “We’re late for dinner!”
Michael was puzzled. “Isn’t it kinda early?”
“My father likes to eat at five o’clock sharp,” she explained. “He’s a stickler about keeping to his schedule.”
She rapidly typed in a return message, rising to her feet and announcing, “We need to hurry.”
She led Michael back to the parking lot, and he had to walk fast to keep up with her in spite of his longer legs. They drove back in silence, and he could see the tension in her face intensifying as they neared her parent’s house. She was silent in the elevator, chewing on her lip anxiously.
“Are you okay?” Michael asked, unaccustomed to seeing her so nervous.
“Yeah,” she replied just as the door opened. Mina led Michael down an upstairs hallway and into the dining room, pausing at the door to catch her breath. They entered the room, both of their faces flushed.
“I’m sorry we’re late,” Mina said, “I lost track of the time.”
Six faces looked up at them from the table, but the first one Michael’s eyes landed on belonged to Mina’s former fiancé. Mina saw him too, and started to stammer out her introductions.
“Um … Michael, you’ve met my parents … and my grandmother.”
Her mother smiled cordially and her father nodded coolly. Mina’s grandmother glowed with satisfaction, taking note of the change in Michael. She was pleased that he looked so much better than the pale and sickly boy who had fainted in their hallway just a few days before, and she credited her nursing skills for the change in him.
Michael stood uncertainly. “Thank you for having me,” he said.
Mina continued her introductions, gesturing around the table. “You’ve met my brother Sam, and this is his wife Hana.”
“Pleased to meet you,” Michael said.
“We’ve met,” Jae interjected before Mina got around the table to him.
Mina’s father waved for her to come and sit next to him, and she complied, taking the chair between him and Jae. She cast a nervous glance towards Michael, who took the last remaining seat at the other end of the table next to her grandmother.
The old woman poured him a cup of tea, urging him to drink it. She rose from her chair, beckoning for Mina to help her fetch the food. Mina followed her dutifully, and Michael watched her leaving the room with anxious eyes.
Now he was all alone with Mina’s family. Her father muttered something to Jae, who threw back his head with a hearty laugh. It was perfectly clear to Michael that her family was as unhappy with the broken engagement as Jae was, and from the stern glances coming his way from her father, it was also obvious that they saw him as an interloper.
No one spoke to him, leaving Michael sitting awkwardly. He looked around the room, taking in the fine mahogany table and matching cabinetry filled with sparkling crystal. It reminded him of the professor’s dining room, only not quite as opulent. He would have felt perfectly at home in such a fine room, save for the fact that Mina’s mother was sitting at the end of the table, speaking to her ex fiancé in a familiar tone.
Whenever he looked their way Jae glowered back at him.
Mina’s brother Sam finally addressed him, “So how are you feeling?”
“Much better, thanks,” he said pleasantly, slipping his bandaged hand under the table.
“Next time, I wouldn’t wait so long to seek medical attention.”
The smile fell away from Michael’s face. “There won’t be a next time.”
Mina and her grandmother returned, serving each diner a bowl of rice and laying out a spread of all kinds of different dishes that made the variety at the restaurant pale in comparison. The old woman started loading up Michael’s plate, and he noticed Mina’s eyes flash gratefully towards her.
Michael remembered what Mina had told him, so he reached his long arm across the table for the teapot, refilling her grandmother’s cup. Mina flashed him a smile.
There was more conversation in both Korean and English, but Michael kept quiet, eating
slowly. The food was delicious, but he was too nervous to have much of an appetite. He kept glancing over at Mina, noticing how subdued she was.
She seemed like a completely different person, hardly speaking and bowing her head meekly. She started to tell her mother about visiting the gardens but Jae interrupted her, bragging about an important business deal he had just made that would enable him to purchase a condo in an exclusive area of town.
“You always wanted to live there, didn’t you?” Her mother asked pointedly.
“No,” Mina replied quietly, “You were the one that liked Brentwood.”
Undeterred, she turned towards her son. “Have you told your sister the news?”
“Not yet,” he said, glancing over towards Mina. “I was kind of busy last time we were together,” he laughed. Now Michael looked down, his face flushing red.
“What news?” Mina asked.
“Sam and Hana are expecting a baby,” her mother announced proudly.
Mina smiled at her brother and his wife, “Congratulations!”
“Thanks,” he replied.
“You could have had one by now too.” Sam’s wife smirked at her, smugly superior. “If things had turned out differently,” she added, casting a sympathetic glance towards Jae.
“I don’t think she would make a very good mother,” Jae said, “She’s too busy playing cops and robbers.”
“That’s not true, Jae,” Sam admonished him.
“Yes,” her mother added. “I’m sure she will get all this foolishness out of her system and settle down soon.”
Michael kept his head down, biting his tongue.
“I like my work,” Mina said in a small voice, “I feel like I’m really making a difference. As a matter of fact, last week I–”
“Let’s not discuss that kind of unpleasantness at the dinner table,” he father cut her off.
Michael watched Mina wilt under his disapproval of her parents, and a surge of powerful emotions floated up from the depths of his soul. He was suddenly very angry, and seeing Jae’s triumphant face only served to inflame him even more.
Michael’s voice rang out, “None of you have idea what she’s capable of, do you?”
“Michael,” Mina looked up at him, “It’s okay.”
“No it’s not!” he exclaimed. “They act like you’re doing something wrong!”
“Why don’t you keep out of family business,” Jae said, his voice full of contempt. “We can all see the trouble that bad decisions have gotten her involved in.”
Michael stood up abruptly, his fists clenched in anger. “Mina is the smartest, bravest, best person I’ve ever known! She’s the best daughter anyone could possibly hope for! She saved my life––Hell, she saved my whole family’s lives! All she wants to do is make this world a better place!”
His voice lowered as he struggled to get control of his anger, “Maybe if you listened to her you would understand.”
Everyone at the table looked shocked except for Mina’s grandmother, who regarded him thoughtfully. Mina’s face reddened with embarrassment and Michael pressed his lips together with regret. He calmly tucked his chain back into its place at the table. “If you’ll excuse me, I’d better be going now. Thank you for your hospitality.” He turned to walk out of the room with as much dignity as he could manage.
Mina watched him leave with a sinking heart, the chorus of outraged voices blending together into a low hum all around her. She looked up at the one sympathetic face at the table, and her grandmother’s eyes blazed into hers as she almost imperceptibly nodded towards the door.
“Go after him,” was her clear message.
~
Michael had just finished stuffing a shopping bag with the few items of clothing that he wasn’t wearing when there was a knock on the door. He braced himself, opening it to see Mina’s anxious face looking up at him.
He rushed to apologize. “I’m so sorry. I hope your parents aren’t too angry with me. I didn’t mean to be rude.”
“Jae was the one who was rude,” she said. “I can’t believe they even invited him.”
“It’s pretty obvious why they did.”
She looked down, “I’m sorry about that. They just can’t seem to accept the decisions I make.” She looked back up, the steel returning to her eyes. “Maybe they never will.”
Michael’s face darkened. “I need to leave now ... Layla left me enough cash for a bus ticket. Will you please call me a cab?”
“No way! Don’t you want to drive back home with me?”
“Mina, I can’t stay here anymore. I’m pretty sure I’ve outstayed my welcome.”
She frowned. “I’m sorry about that. If we leave right now we can be back by tomorrow morning.”
“I don’t want you to leave because of me.”
“I want to. I’m ready to get back to work. I’ll go tell them goodbye and pack my things.” Her decision made, she smiled with relief before turning to go. After a few steps she stopped and came back to the door.
“Michael?”
“Yeah?”
“Thank you for standing up for me.”
She stretched up to kiss him on the cheek, spinning back around to hurry away down the hall.
~
Chapter Twenty-One
FORTUNE
~
She clawed at the blankets, certain that it must be right there beneath her fingertips. She nearly had it, catching a brief glimpse just before she was torn away. Ramon was gently shaking her arm. “Layla? You okay?”
She could still smell the roses as she struggled to sit up, rubbing her eyes as visions of an idyllic hilltop garden slipped from her mind. “What? What?”
“You were dreaming,” he told her.
She flopped back down and rolled over, pulling all of the blankets with her.
“Hey!” Ramon protested. “You blanket thief!”
She turned to face him, lifting up the covers. “Umfh. C’mere. I’ll keep you warm.”
He scooted closer with a sigh, snuggling into her arms. “What were you dreaming about anyway?”
She struggled to remember the details, still groggy. “I dunno … what’d I do?”
“You were looking for something. Then you pulled the covers off me.”
“Mmm sorry.”
She nuzzled her face into his neck, promptly falling right back to sleep.
~
Caledonia was just about to tape up the last box when Layla breezed into the kitchen, peachy pink with happiness. “Good morning!”
Cali smiled pleasantly, noticing that her cousin was in an extra good mood. “It is, isn’t it?”
Layla looked around the room to see that the packing was already done. She bit her lip and grimaced. “Oops. Sorry I’m so late.”
Caledonia smiled. “You’re always late.”
Layla sighed. “I know. Ted–the professor always insisted on punctuality. I think it might be my way of rejecting him, you know?”
Caledonia nodded thoughtfully at Layla’s self-analysis. “Maybe so. As I recall, it worked out in our favor before. In fact, Calvin owes his life to it.”
Layla had to nod in agreement. “So how’s everything coming along? Is there anything left for me to do?”
“I’ve pretty much got almost everything boxed up and ready to go. Do you want a cup of coffee before I pack up the pot?”
“Yes please,” Layla grinned happily, sliding into a kitchen chair.
Cali passed a cup across the table to her, delighted to see Layla feeling so fine. “So what’s up?”
“I got some good news this morning. Me and Ramon both got accepted to the academy! We start our FBI training this fall.”
Cali sat down next to her. “That’s great! Congratulations!”
“Yeah, we’re going to move to Virginia in September, and from there who knows where we’ll end up going.”
Their eyes met, and they both smiled despite a shared surge of melancholy.
“Everything is goi
ng to change,” Layla said.
“It always does,” Cali observed.
Layla sighed, looked around at the home she’d played the largest part in decorating. “I’ll miss this place.”
“Me too,” Cali replied.
“I’ll miss living with you guys. In spite of everything that happened, this is the happiest home I’ve ever had.”
Cali’s eyes misted over. “I know. I’ll miss it too. But you’ll come back and visit us, right?”
“Of course,” Layla cleared her throat. “So, did you and Cal get the apartment you were looking at?”
Caledonia nodded yes. “We have the weekend to clear everything out of here. Calvin and Jarod are on the way over with a moving truck right now.” She gestured towards the living room. “Are you sure you don’t want any of this furniture?” Cali asked. “Michael is coming by later today to pick up his bedroom set.”
“I’m sure. Most of this stuff wouldn’t fit in Ramon’s apt anyway, and when our training starts we’ll be staying in furnished dorms.”
They sipped their coffee and made small talk for a while, both of them feeling the weight of yet another upheaval in their lives. All at once Layla fell silent, looking for the right words before she spoke.
“Cali, I want you to know how grateful I am for everything you’ve done. I want to thank you.”
“There’s nothing to thank me for.”
“I’m serious. If it weren’t for you I’d never have known anything about my mother or who I really am. Michael and I would still be stuck with the professor, or even worse, in LA…”
Caledonia changed the subject. “So, how does Michael like his new job?”
“I think he likes being normal. Away from all the drama.”
“You mean away from us?” Cali asked.
Layla shrugged. “I guess so.”
“I suppose it’s time he started living his own life.” Caledonia said.
Michael had forged ahead the moment he’d gotten back from Los Angeles, selling his collection of Max-inspired gold chains and watches to finance a tiny apartment of his own. He rid himself of everything that reminded him of his past, inspired by his friendship with Mina to make a fresh start of his life.
The Redcastle Redemption (The Athena Effect) Page 18
