EXAMPLE PAGE - EBOOKS - THE PROMISE OF THE TEA GODS - Flipbook - Page 28
18
H. K. O'HARA
Sitting back and getting comfortable, Binnie contemplated his options . . . Let’s see, if I move the meeting with him from today at four to
tomorrow at noon, then tomorrow and today must happen simultaneously. That will be a big one for Soo-kang, but no one has ever died
from going over the edge twice in the same day and if anyone can handle
it, it would be him. The man is made of feelings, and it wouldn’t surprise
me a bit if those feelings take him right over the edge—once, twice,
maybe more—before midnight tomorrow.
He picked up his phone and called Soo-kang. First, he explained that
something unexpected had happened that morning and it had put him a
bit behind schedule. Then he asked Soo-kang if he’d mind meeting at
noon tomorrow instead of at four o’clock today, as they had planned.
“Is the ‘something unexpected’ what happened in the park this morning?” asked Soo-kang.
“You were there?”
“Yes, I was there. Who was that girl? What was wrong with her?”
“Just a friend of mine,” said Binnie. “A friend who was having a
challenging moment.”
“A challenging moment? It looked a lot more serious than that. Is
she okay?”
“Yes. She’s fine now.”
Ah, my shoulder is alive and well, thought Soo-kang; wanting a few
more details—like a name and a number—yet determined never to let
Binnie know he had claimed a portion of another human being . . .
“That’s good,” he said, erasing shoulder-girl from his mind. “And the
poet from the U.S.—did she make it here safely? All in one piece?
Ready to light up South Korea?”
Binnie laughed. “K does have a way of lighting up whatever place
she’s in; and, yes, she’s here—safe and sound. She arrived with a smile
that sent the gods to their knees, looking as radiant and as beautiful as
ever.”
“She’s beautiful?”
“She’s beautiful to me, and the most extraordinary woman I know.
But, as a seasoned traveler yourself, I’m sure you know those long
