Anton's Strength

by R. M. Healy

"Hey, Joe is already here and the food is ready. I'll take your coats if you want to take a seat," Esther waited and took the coats, hanging them on the banister before following them through.

  Although Jessica and Joe were already sitting when they entered, Joe immediately got out of his seat and walked over to her parents.

  "Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Lee. I want you to know I love your daughter a lot, and I hope we have a good meal together."

  Esther’s mother smiled and nodded as her father surprisingly didn't grimace or be rude like she suspected he would.

  "Nice to meet you, young man," he simply said.

  Everyone took their seats and carried on talking happily as Esther began dishing up the food. It seemed this meal wasn't going to be all bad, and her father hadn't made a nasty comment about her yet.

  "Food is served!" Esther took a seat across from her father, watching everyone tuck into their food.

  "This is the best bibimbap I have ate since I left Korea," her father said, nodding his head with approval.

  "Try some of the kimchi," her mother recommended. Esther herself was pleased with the food. She'd made several different dishes and put them all in the center of the small table for people to help themselves.

  "This reminds me of your aunt Jisu’s cooking. Hers was always my favorite," her father said.

  She was pleased his appetite hadn't gone and he still appreciated food. He loved nothing more than cooking and sharing his food with others.

  "Oh Esther, when my magazines arrived earlier, I couldn't believe the things they were saying about your poor employer's son. It's not true, is it?"

  Esther shook her head and looked at her mother. Her mom had always subscribed to trash mags ever since she and Jessica were little girls, Esther knew she must have loved seeing someone she recognized, but it annoyed Esther because these were people she cared about.

  "I tell you time and time again, Helen, these magazines are lies. You shouldn't believe the rubbish they print!" Esther's father said, picking out some of the meats Esther had barbequed.

  "Dad is right. He really was in a fire, and his family is struggling at the moment to deal with it. These magazines are only making it harder for them."

  Her mother puckered her lips, "yes, but in a profession like his, he opens himself up to the public eye. He dates all these famous women and has a high profile, doesn't he?"

  "Mom, let's just not talk about it, ok? You know his parents are my employers and good people, so let's just leave it at that."

  "So, Joe, how long have you lived on the farm?" Her father said before his wife had a chance to talk.

  Esther looked at him and saw the smirk he used to do when she was younger. Before the breakdown of her marriage to Micheal. Had he really gotten over it?

  The rest of the meal went better than Esther could have imagined, and she felt so happy by the time she got back to her flat.

  Her father's comment about his sister Jisu had really played on her mind. He spoke to her still once a year over the phone and her husband, who happened to be his childhood best friend.

  Thanksgiving was just a few days away, and Esther wanted to do something special for them all. She called her mom and got the number she needed, and set the plan into motion. She didn't want to chance it and wait until there was a risk of something happening that would make it impossible.

  Once she'd successfully sorted everything out, she called Rosa.

  "Heya Rosa, it's Esther. How are you?"

  "It's been a bad day. Did you see what these magazines write about my son?" Rosa's voice was distressed as she spoke.

  "I did," Esther thought it best to be honest, "how does Anton know?"

  "His phone. I heard him shouting to someone earlier. I guess it is these women who spread lies about him. I told him so many times he needed to find one woman and treat her right! All these people he fooled around with come back to haunt him."

  Esther sighed. Rosa was a lot more upset than she had anticipated.

  "They even spoke about my beautiful little Isabella. How could they tell people of his sister's death like this? He still hurts so much to this day, but they do not care! And to say he is lying about this! I have seen his skin. It is no lie! He can not even use his arm."

  Rosa began to cry down the phone, and Esther really felt sorry for them. It was unfair to share these things about a couple who cared about their privacy as much as Rosa and Anthony.

  "He will be ok, Rosa. This is Anton, he's the most confident man I know, and he has two wonderful parents supporting him."

  "How can I support him when he doesn't talk to us? When you came for food was the most I've seen him talk since the accident."

  Esther thought it funny the most he'd spoken to anyone was that night since most of what he had to say was offensive anyway.

  "It's only been a couple of weeks. This gossip will fade out, and Anton will get back on track," Esther said.

  She felt guilty for saying that since she didn't believe it herself. She didn't think they would leave Anton alone until they saw proof of the burns themselves. And what would they say then?

  "I hope so. I am sorry, Esther, you must think me so weak."

  "The opposite, Rosa. You're a great mom and a great woman. Now get some rest. I will call you in a couple of days. I start volunteering at the hospital before work tomorrow, so I need to get some rest."

  "Ok, thank you so much for calling, Esther."

  Chapter Seven

  Thanksgiving was tomorrow, and Esther was so excited. She'd already secured a table at Romano's months ago, and she'd made sure that they were able to expand to the number of seats she required.

  It seemed she wasn't the only one who'd asked for an extension of their guests.

  Usually, only Anthony and Rosa ate at Romano's alone. This year she saw that they'd booked the table for 11 people. She wondered who they were bringing since there hadn't been that many at their house last week.

  More so, she thought about Anton. Would he be there? Or would he be hiding at home away from all the media attention?

  Fortunately, the tables with a higher number of guests would be separated on the left side of the restaurant, and Esther knew the other large table was reserved for her family. Which meant other guests wouldn't be able to photograph the famous Romano family together.

  She logged back onto her social media on her tablet and saw that her cousin had replied. Since her mom gave her the number to call her father’s family, she'd added some of them online and been communicating with them.

  It was strange how excited she was to meet them. They'd only ever talked over the phone and sent presents through the mail.

  Now she'd added them to her social media. It made them seem so much easier to speak to regularly. They'd be landing within the next hour and heading straight to their hotel in the city. She couldn't think of a better surprise on Thanksgiving for her father.

  Tonight, her father’s family planned to rest at the hotel after traveling so far and having to deal with the massive time difference. Then tomorrow afternoon, they'd be meeting her at Romanos for dinner.

  She'd picked an outfit especially for it and called her parents and sister and told them to dress up. Her mother promised to make her father wear a suit even though Esther had only told her sister the surprise.

  Esther looked forward to meeting her aunt, and two cousins face to face at last. Her aunt and father looked similar in their younger years, but as far as she could tell, her cousins didn't resemble her all that much.

  She knew she had her mother's eyes, lips, and freckled skin. Her height and ink-black hair were definitely from her father's side of the family.

  It was funny that people always assumed her height would be from her American mother’s family, not her Korean father's. Especially considering all of his family were taller than the average American person. That included her aunt and cousins.

  It was strange that her male cousins were somewhat known models in Korea. She had be
en offered modeling contracts in the past. Unlike them, she'd said no.

  Why quit a job she loved for something she knew she would hate? She loved working in catering and used to dream of owning her own restaurant. She still did hope to once she'd save enough money to set the plan in motion.

  It was sad her father wouldn't be around to see it come to fruition. But she decided not to think about that. This was going to be a good week.

  How lucky that her cousins were planning to come to America soon anyway. They didn't mind coming over a couple of weeks earlier than scheduled with their mother and father.

  Apparently, they'd signed on to an agency in America that wanted them to model an international line. Despite being a year apart in age, they were almost like identical twins and looked much like her father in his younger years too.

  She turned off her tablet and got into bed, ready for the Thanksgiving meal.

  The floral lilac dress was tight around her waist and showed off her figure, but Esther thought the fact that the sleeves were long and it fell past her knees, making it look appropriate for a family meal.

  She'd straightened her hair and debated whether to put it up or not. She rarely had it down since it was so long and often irritated her, but since this was a special occasion, she let it free.

  When she called her mother, she was surprised to hear her father had not only wore his only black suit, he was willing to let her pick them both up in her car.

  Esther would pick her sister up and then her parents before heading to the restaurant, which was close to their house.

  Her father's sister and her family would already be waiting inside the restaurant to surprise him, and Esther couldn't wait to see his reaction.

  Putting on her beige pumps and jacket, she was ready to go. It was freezing outside, but her car heated up quickly, and she would be in the restaurant most of the night, so she didn't need to wear her scarf and gloves.

  Jessica was in a fantastic mood when she got in the car and was just as excited as Esther to meet her cousins. As she pulled up in front of her parents two bedroomed terraced house, she went to get out and knock on the door when she saw the living room lights go out.

  The house hadn't changed at all since Esther had moved out ten years ago, and she often missed her childhood home. Despite her father's recent hostility, he'd been fun and caring when they were children, always making sure she and Jessica were occupied and happy.

  That was why she ignored his harsh words and bad attitude since her divorce. She wanted him to get past it, and it seemed this last week she'd made a breakthrough with him.

  "Mom looks so pretty," Jessica said as their mother walked down the small driveway.

  Esther agreed with her sister. The thick green coat Esther had given her last Christmas perfectly complemented her mother's auburn hair, as did the small green stilettos she'd paired with opaque black tights.

  It had been a long time since she had seen her mother put an effort in for anything, so seeing her like this was a real surprise. It seemed her father had listened to her mother and worn his black suit, which still fit despite his expanding belly. He'd even brushed what was left of his greying hair to look smarter than his usual out-of-bed style.

  "You both look wonderful!" Esther said as her father got in the front with her and her mother in the back.

  "It's your mom's fault. I wanted to wear my jeans," her father grumbled and turned to look out of the window.

  Jessica spoke the entire journey about how work was at the farm and how she'd been to eat at the main house with Joe's parents.

  Esther ignored her father while he judged her driving the entire way.

  "You are breaking too late. You should have taken that last turn. It's quicker. You are speeding. Slow down!"

  Esther hadn't once gone over the speed limit, and the turn he'd said she should have taken would have added time on to the journey. But in his mind, he knew best. Her father was the worst back seat driver she'd encountered, but she chose to blank him and just focus on getting them there safely.

  The restaurant came into view, and Esther began to feel apprehensive about going inside. This was a big moment, and she hoped it would go well.

  "This is still the best Italian in town," her father said as they all got out of the car into the empty car park. Esther was pleasantly surprised at the lack of press. In the last few days, there had been a couple of paps waiting around in the hopes of spotting Anton Romano.

  Today, there were no paps at all.

  "Here, I'll get the door," Esther deliberately stepped ahead of her father and opened the door. His sister couldn't be seen at the reception, and her family waited for her to speak to the person at the counter.

  "Hey Esther, your table is ready. Let me take your coats," Kelly, the young hostess, said, her cheeks noticeably red.

  "I will take us to the table. It's fine," Esther noticed the disappointment in the girl's face as she spoke. They all handed their coats to Kelly, and the girl smiled tightly before walking into the cloakroom.

  Esther felt her hands go clammy as she walked the glass doors and around to where she knew the table was. The Romano table was still empty, but hers wasn't.

  The four dark-haired people stood as soon as they saw Esther and her family walking towards them. Her father's footsteps stopped behind her as he saw his younger sister and his childhood best friend smiling at him from the opposite side of the table.

  "Jiso? I can't believe it!" Her father couldn't hide his smile as his sister walked around to him, her arms open and tears in her eyes.

  "It's been too long since I saw you, sister."

  Esther smiled at her father, embracing his sister as did the two handsome men in front of her. She could see now why Kelly had red cheeks and was disappointed not to come back to the table.

  "Hello, you must be Esther. I am Jae. Thank you so much for arranging this for our parents," one of them said in fantastic English. His aftershave was strong, and his shoulder-length hair was slicked back, showing off his prominent cheekbones. Cheekbones, much like her fathers and her own.

  "Hey, nice to meet you. And thank you for coming all this way. I know you must be exhausted from such a long journey."

  Esther heard her father’s voice as he introduced his sister to Esther's mother. The two women had spoken over the phone many times but had never officially met in person.

  "This is my sister, Jessica," Esther said.

  "So, you're my cousin?" Jessica immediately said, her hand out, ready to shake his.

  "I hope so," he said charmingly and ignored her hand, instead bending down to hug her. Esther found the gesture heart-warming.

  "Hey, you must be Chan-woo?" Esther said, hoping she'd pronounced her cousin's name right.

  "Just call me Chan," the younger brother said shyly, awkwardly shaking her hand.

  She nodded and looked at her father, whose smile was beaming as he spoke to his childhood friend and now brother-in-law.

  "You must meet the two women that I live for besides my wife, this is Esther, my oldest, and this is Jessica," her father said proudly, wrapping his arms around his daughter's shoulders.

  "Ah, I bet you have to keep an eye on these beauties," his old friend said, leaning forward to take Esther's hand into his own and then doing the same to Jessica.

  "I cannot believe how much your sons look just like my husband when I first met him!" Esther's mother said as the more confident of the men bent down and took her mother's hand. Esther saw her mother’s cheeks turn red as he placed a gentle kiss on her hand as he looked her in the eyes.

  "And just as charming as him too!" Her mother laughed, as did everyone else, including her father.

  "I think it's time we sat down before my wife leaves me for a younger man," Esther's father joked.

  The parents sat across from each other on the right side of the table as their children sat facing each other.

  Esther and Jae, the older brother, sat across from each other at the e
nd of the table.

  Mark, a waiter, walked over to the table with his tablet ready.

  "What does everyone want to drink? Order anything you want. We will be picking up the bill, of course," Esther said, knowing even with her 50% discount that the bill would be high. Her job paid well enough to pay for it.

  Her father made eye contact, clearly worried about the cost. Esther shook her head only slightly. It was enough. His relief was evident as he nodded to her.

  "I have never been to Italy. What do Italians drink?" Jisu asked her brother.

  "I recommend the house wine, but of course, we do cocktails, beer, soda, and juice!" Anthony answered, walking through the round alcove and down the two steps behind Mark, the happiest Esther had seen him since Anton's accident.

  "I am the owner of Romano's, and my name is Anthony. Pick whatever you want from the drinks menu, whatever the price, it's on me. This restaurant wouldn't be the success it is without Esther! The least we can do is pick up the bill."

  Anthony smiled at her and looked around the table at the guests.

  "Nice to see you again, Anthony!" Esther's father stood to embrace the other man.

  "I will just have a beer today, Mark." Esther had no plans on drinking wine at her place of work. At least with the beer, she knew she would only get buzzed and not wasted.

  "I envy you. I can't drink," Jae sighed and asked for lemon water.

  "Why?" Esther asked as Mark continued taking drink orders around the now rowdy table.

  "You have never heard of Asian glow?" Jae asked. He laughed and shook his head when Esther raised her brows, "I have no tolerance to alcohol, neither does Chan. I haven't had alcohol for years. It's not worth the reaction, trust me."

  "I've never even heard of it," Esther said honestly. She thankfully suffered no such problem and wondered why it was called Asian glow. She didn't have time to ask since Anthony came around to her side of the table with the menus.

  "Hey, where's Rosa?" Esther said, smiling as she took the menu from him.

  "She's in the kitchen making sure they cook the food to her standard, she's excited about this meal, and I think it will be good for the family," Anthony said optimistically. "Let us know if you need anything at all, Esther. I am sure Rosa will come and say hello when she finally gets out of the kitchen.”