Page 2 of The Waiting Game

“Well, that’s what happens when you get married,” Felix said. “You live together.”

“I just don’t know why she couldn’t move here with him.”

“Cause she has kids there.”

Jonah sighed. His grandma had told him the same thing but he still thought it sucked. “I don’t like it,” he insisted, sniffling. “And someday you’re gonna go do the same thing. You’re gonna leave me!”

“No, no I won’t,” Felix insisted. “I swear it. I’ll never leave you.”

“Don’t lie to me!” Jonah scrambled to his feet, tears flowing freely now. “Yes, you will! You’ll get married and go away! Everyone goes away!”

“Not me, Jonah!”

“You will! You’ll get OLD, like thirty, and GET MARRIED,” he insisted, wiping his face with his sleeve.

“No way. I’m gonna be in the NHL!” Felix said, grinning.

Jonah let out a choked laugh through the tears. He had a hard time being sad and upset when Felix smiled like that. But it didn’t mean he was right. “See, you’ll go away,” he cried.

“No, we’re gonna be in it together!” Felix said. “We’ll get drafted by the same team and play together forever!”

“Nobody plays forever,” Jonah said scornfully, the tears slowing a little. “They get old and stop. And then they get married and leave their team.”

Felix grinned, his blue eyes brightening. “So we should marry each other!”

“What?” Jonah laughed.

“Yeah! It’s perfect. We’ll promise to stick together forever.” Felix hooked his pinkie on Jonah’s. “Pinkie swear.”

But Jonah didn’t swear back. “Do they let two boys get married here?” he asked doubtfully.

Felix shrugged. “I dunno why not. Aren’t Mr. Robbins and Mr. Ramirez married?”

Jonah thought about the guys who sometimes came over for Korean barbeque in the backyard. “I guess so?”

They lived together and Jonah was pretty sure people had to be married to live together.

But maybe not? A few weeks ago, he’d heard Grandma Ji-min and Grandpa Cho talking about some people on the other side of the street who weren’t married and Jonah knew Grandma didn’t like that.

Jonah had been playing with Legos and only half-listening but he’d perked up when he heard his parents’ names.

“What if something happened to them like it did to Hana and Zachary!” Grandma said. “And think of the custody issues with their kids if they separated! I just worry about them. Marriage is security! It keeps you safe when life goes wrong.”

Grandpa Cho smiled at her. “Not everyone is as lucky as we are.”

She softened, putting her arms around his waist. “No, they aren’t. The Hales …” She shook her head. “Poor Felix. It’s good he has us is all I’ll say.”

Jonah frowned. He didn’t like Mr. and Mrs. Hale much either. They never came and cheered for Felix and Jonah’s hockey the way Jonah’s grandparents did and they never hugged like them.

They didn’t hug Felix much either.

But that was what Jonah and Grandma and Grandpa were for.

“It is good,” Grandpa Cho said, kissing the top of her head. He was a big man. Bigger than Grandma Ji-min anyway. “I’m glad Jonah has him.”

Grandma Ji-min nodded. “I am too. And who knows, maybe someday they’ll want to get married. To each other I mean.”

“Ahh, it’s too soon to think about that. But we’ll keep fighting that battle.” Grandpa hugged her tighter.

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