EXAMPLE PAGE - EBOOKS - THE PROMISE OF THE TEA GODS - Flipbook - Page 48
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H. K. O'HARA
He was not one to beat around the bush when he really wanted to
know something, so out it came, “Are you and Binnie in love with each
other?”
And so calmly she answered, “We’re very close friends. We love
each other deeply, but we’re not in love with each other.”
Persistence is the ruler of the universe, thought Soo-kang—and out
it came again, “How long have you known him? How many years?”
“Binnie and I are always having way too much fun to stop and count
the years. We just enjoy them, we don’t count them.”
“You said you’ve traveled with him a lot. Where to?”
“We’ve traveled through all of Europe, most of Asia, parts of South
America—but we particularly like visiting the islands in the sky. Binnie
loves planet-hopping. We just drop in, say hello, sample the food, taste
the wine, then we jump over to the next one. It’s great fun!”
Soo-kang sent her a sweet, secretly amused look.
She sent it right back.
“Okay,” he said. “Universal travelers—sounds very Binnie. Where
did you meet?”
Her laughter made the day dance. “We met on a star—a wandering
star. And when that star fell from the sky, we landed here—right next
to you. Is there anything else you’d like to know about Binnie and me?”
His heart wrapped itself around the words right next to you . . . I love
her mind, he thought. And those eyes. And that smile. No wonder the
star she was on fell right out of the sky . . . “How long have you lived
in America?” he asked—giving his love-struck heart a rest.
“Most of my life.”
“Binnie said you were born in South Korea—did your parents move
to the U.S. from Korea when you were a child?”
“I don’t have any parents.”
“Everyone has parents—if you didn’t, you wouldn’t be here.”
“That’s true for most people, but not for me. I don’t have any.”
Hmm . . . Maybe I should leave this alone. Something doesn’t feel
right, but— “Okay,” he said, “you don’t have any parents. Where in
South Korea were you born?”
