Page 14 of Rewind

“Yes. You were weren’t wrong. I’m not happy in my current relationship and I haven’t been in a long time. I wanted to break things off with him this week, but he’s...he gets kind of scary when he doesn’t get his way.”

Ethan took one of her hands in both of his and gave it a light squeeze in earnest. “Did he hurt you?”

Amina shook her head. Technically he hadn’t…yet. That little push against the wall, however was all the remainder she needed of what he was more than capable of. “Not really but he made it clear that he wasn’t going to allow me to end things easily.”

“Shit!” He released her hand and slammed his hand against the wheel. “I suspected something... but I never said anything.”

“What do you mean?”

“The times you came to work with long sleeve shirts in the middle of summer or when you started wearing heavy makeup. And then when you quit—” His eyes widened. “I mean, ugh…I meant I can only imagine something like that would happen if you stay with a guy like him.”

His face turned a dark shade of red before he quickly glanced away.

Amina froze. “How…how do you know about things that haven’t happened yet?”

He swiveled in his seat to face her again. “Haven’t happened yet? Amina? You’re going to think I’m completely bat shit for saying this but…did you die and come back as well?”

Chapter

Six

“Idon’t think it’s a good idea. Won’t you please reconsider going? No good can come out of being in contact with those people.”

Ethan’s heart tightened. This was something he’d dreamed about since he was a child but he didn’t want to let his mother down. “Eomma, if you really don’t want me to go, I won’t.”

A heavy sigh on the other end of the line met his ears. “You’re an adult and I can’t tell you what to do, but there’s a reason I kept the identity of your father away from you. When you went to Korea that summer, I was sick with worry.”

Despite the knowledge of his mother keeping the secret of his birth father from him, Ethan couldn’t bring himself to resent her decision to do so. Raising him as a single mother in a country where English wasn’t her first language, Ethan was well aware of all the sacrifices she made in order to give him the best life she possibly could.

He might not have grown up with name brand labels or the latest gadgets but he never wanted for anything. His mother helped him pay his way through college and medical school, often by working more than one job. There were nights she’dcome home so exhausted, she could barely stay on her feet but somehow she always managed to keep food on the table, a roof over his head and made sure he was well taken care of.

But that didn’t mean he didn’t long to know about his father’s side of the family and where he’d come from. He’d been a toddler when he realized he was missing something in his life. At the time his mother worked late hours and a neighbor would watch him sometimes because she had a son around Ethan’s age.

Ethan saw that his friend Jake had a mommy and daddy. He asked his mom why he didn’t have a daddy and even at a young age he could tell the question upset her. So, he didn’t bring it up again for a long time but as he got older he realized, even the kids whose parents were divorced still have fathers.

The television shows that displayed the loving bond of father and son was something he longed for. Once he hit middle school, he built up the courage to ask his mother about the subject again.

Her answer had been a curt, “He’s gone.” There was no elaboration on what that meant and Ethan couldn’t discern whether he was dead or alive from her answer. But when he sought to get clarification, his mother changed the subject.

Though he didn’t bring the subject up again, it didn’t end his thirst for the truth about the identity of his father. When Ethan was in high school, his mother won a trip through her job. He couldn’t go with her because of his part time job. Having the house to himself while she was away, Ethan used that opportunity to look through her things. Figuring out the combination to her safe wasn’t hard considering she used his birthday.

It was then he’d discovered the name of his father which led him down a rabbit hole of not only learning that his father was very much alive but was married with two other children in Korea.

The biggest surprise, however, was finding out his father was a member of a wealthy chaebol family. Ethan’s grandfather was the founder of one of the largest food distribution companies in all of Asia and had recently broken into the US Market.

“I know you were, but you had nothing to worry about,” Ethan replied not bothering to keep the bitterness from his voice. Even at 38 it still stung that his countless attempts to get in contact with his family had been ignored. During the summer of his junior year of college, he had an opportunity to do a work study program abroad in Seoul.

Of course he’d jumped at the opportunity since it would bring him closer to his family there. It wasn’t long after reaching out that he was contacted by the family’s attorney to cease all contact or else he’d be thrown in jail for harassment and deported.

Ethan understood that a prestigious family would need to take precautions from all kinds of weirdos attempting to make claims on their names and fortune but it didn’t hurt any less to be rejected. All he wanted was a chance to talk to them, to find out more about them beyond what he’d read in the news.

But finally, after all these years, they wanted to see him. Well, specifically the acting head of the JKB Corporation. He could have told them all to fuck off after being ignored all these years, but he didn’t want to live a life of wondering what if.

“I get that you’re concerned, and rightfully so but I need to do this for me. You may not talk about it often but I know it still hurts you that you were cut off by your parents. I remember when I was younger when you got a letter from a distant relative that your father died, you were devastated. I know you have regrets that you didn’t do everything you could to reconcile with them. I want to be able to say that I did all I could to establish some kind of connection to my family. And if in the end nothing comes of it, so be it. At least I can say I tried.”

“And do you know what that letter said? It was a cold message informing me that my father died and to not come to the funeral. That was even more painful than when they disowned me in the first place. My father held his grudge even in death. And when my mother dies, it will be more of the same. I just want to save you from the pain I’ve experienced.”

“Eomma, not to be disrespectful, but that’s my cross to bear. Trust me, I can handle it.”

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