restaurant.”
Joyce turned to her. “Look at me! Do I look ready to face him?”
“You would if you hadn’t washed off all that makeup!”
Joyce rubbed the rest of the tears from her eyes. “It wouldn’t have mattered anyway with that chili powder fiasco.”
“I guess,” Gina sighed. “Well, you can still go and introduce yourself to him and his family.”
Sam made it all the way to the table without spilling a drop. He set the stew down in front of an elderly woman who could have been John’s grandmother and then walked back to the kitchen.
“Who is that guy?” Sam asked as he entered the kitchen and set down his tray on the prep table.
“Some guy from school that has Joyce all hot and bothered,” Gina said.
Joyce began to pace and mumble, “What am I going to do? What am I going to say? I haven’t practiced for this.”
Andy poked his head out of the bathroom. “Jeez, would you stop obsessing already and go out there.”
Joyce glowered at him and pointed her finger. “Back inside, poopy pants.”
Andy stuck his tongue out before shutting the door.
“Joyce,” Gina said, “you just have to put some ice on your eyes and dry your hair and then you’ll look fine.”
Joyce reached up to her wet hair. “Really? You think so?”
Gina walked over to the freezer and pulled out a bag of frozen peas. She threw them over to Joyce and then walked over to the stove. “Look, we’ll turn the stove on high and you can kind of stand near it and I’ll wave the heat over to—”
Sam stepped forward, his hands waving back and forth. “Hold up, do I have to be the voice of reason here? What if your hair catches on fire?”
Gina turned on the burner. Mrs. Lee stood at the prep table, her back to the girls, her knife flying through the vegetables as she frantically prepared the rest of the banchan for the dinner rush that would begin in another hour.
“Come on, Joyce, this is your chance. You can finally get him to recognize you.”
Joyce stood there, holding the peas, trying to decide what to do.
“Don’t do it, Joyce,” Sam said quietly.
Joyce began gnawing at the webbing of skin between her thumb and pointer finger, trying to make a decision.
“John Ford Kang,” Gina said.
As though hypnotized, Joyce shuffled over to the stove. A blast of heat rose up and hit her face. Gina lifted up a large clump of hair stuck to Joyce’s cheek, making sure the flames weren’t too close.
Sam untied the apron from around his waist and dropped it on the table. “I guess, Joyce, you don’t need my help anymore.” He knocked on the bathroom door. “Let’s go home, Andy.”
“Finally,” Andy said and emerged from the bathroom.
“Thanks for everything, Sam,” Joyce called out as Sam and Andy left the kitchen through the back alley door.
“Is it drying?” Joyce asked Gina.
“It’s working,” Gina said. “Put the peas over your eyes.”
Joyce reached up, and surprisingly, her hair was dryer than before. She glanced over at Juan, who was standing at the dishwasher watching them, his eyebrows knotted in concern. When he caught Joyce’seyes, he licked his finger and touched the air, hissing his worries. Joyce smiled and nodded her head.
Muy caliente.
Joyce tipped her head back a bit and placed the bag of frozen peas over her eyes.
Just as Gina was finishing up, Joyce could hear someone entering the kitchen from the back door.
“What are you two doing?” Helen asked.
“None of your business,” Joyce said, her eyes still covered. “Why was your cell phone turned off?”
Helen groaned. “Oh, no, I’m sorry. I meant to turn it back on after the meeting.”
“Well, while you were doing other things, we were in crisis mode,” Joyce said, removing the peas and stepping toward Helen. Gina grabbed the ends of Joyce’s hair and yanked her back.
“Just another second,” Gina said, wafting the hot air over to Joyce.
“What happened?” Helen asked, setting her bags down in the storage
Joyce turned to her. “Look at me! Do I look ready to face him?”
“You would if you hadn’t washed off all that makeup!”
Joyce rubbed the rest of the tears from her eyes. “It wouldn’t have mattered anyway with that chili powder fiasco.”
“I guess,” Gina sighed. “Well, you can still go and introduce yourself to him and his family.”
Sam made it all the way to the table without spilling a drop. He set the stew down in front of an elderly woman who could have been John’s grandmother and then walked back to the kitchen.
“Who is that guy?” Sam asked as he entered the kitchen and set down his tray on the prep table.
“Some guy from school that has Joyce all hot and bothered,” Gina said.
Joyce began to pace and mumble, “What am I going to do? What am I going to say? I haven’t practiced for this.”
Andy poked his head out of the bathroom. “Jeez, would you stop obsessing already and go out there.”
Joyce glowered at him and pointed her finger. “Back inside, poopy pants.”
Andy stuck his tongue out before shutting the door.
“Joyce,” Gina said, “you just have to put some ice on your eyes and dry your hair and then you’ll look fine.”
Joyce reached up to her wet hair. “Really? You think so?”
Gina walked over to the freezer and pulled out a bag of frozen peas. She threw them over to Joyce and then walked over to the stove. “Look, we’ll turn the stove on high and you can kind of stand near it and I’ll wave the heat over to—”
Sam stepped forward, his hands waving back and forth. “Hold up, do I have to be the voice of reason here? What if your hair catches on fire?”
Gina turned on the burner. Mrs. Lee stood at the prep table, her back to the girls, her knife flying through the vegetables as she frantically prepared the rest of the banchan for the dinner rush that would begin in another hour.
“Come on, Joyce, this is your chance. You can finally get him to recognize you.”
Joyce stood there, holding the peas, trying to decide what to do.
“Don’t do it, Joyce,” Sam said quietly.
Joyce began gnawing at the webbing of skin between her thumb and pointer finger, trying to make a decision.
“John Ford Kang,” Gina said.
As though hypnotized, Joyce shuffled over to the stove. A blast of heat rose up and hit her face. Gina lifted up a large clump of hair stuck to Joyce’s cheek, making sure the flames weren’t too close.
Sam untied the apron from around his waist and dropped it on the table. “I guess, Joyce, you don’t need my help anymore.” He knocked on the bathroom door. “Let’s go home, Andy.”
“Finally,” Andy said and emerged from the bathroom.
“Thanks for everything, Sam,” Joyce called out as Sam and Andy left the kitchen through the back alley door.
“Is it drying?” Joyce asked Gina.
“It’s working,” Gina said. “Put the peas over your eyes.”
Joyce reached up, and surprisingly, her hair was dryer than before. She glanced over at Juan, who was standing at the dishwasher watching them, his eyebrows knotted in concern. When he caught Joyce’seyes, he licked his finger and touched the air, hissing his worries. Joyce smiled and nodded her head.
Muy caliente.
Joyce tipped her head back a bit and placed the bag of frozen peas over her eyes.
Just as Gina was finishing up, Joyce could hear someone entering the kitchen from the back door.
“What are you two doing?” Helen asked.
“None of your business,” Joyce said, her eyes still covered. “Why was your cell phone turned off?”
Helen groaned. “Oh, no, I’m sorry. I meant to turn it back on after the meeting.”
“Well, while you were doing other things, we were in crisis mode,” Joyce said, removing the peas and stepping toward Helen. Gina grabbed the ends of Joyce’s hair and yanked her back.
“Just another second,” Gina said, wafting the hot air over to Joyce.
“What happened?” Helen asked, setting her bags down in the storage
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