Page 65 of Rewind

“She’s in the shower at the moment.”

“I’d love if she can visit me again soon. You don’t have to come with her.”

“Wow. You would treat your only born like this?”

“I see you all the time. I’ve always wanted a daughter and now I have one.”

It warmed Ethan’s heart that his mother had taken to Amina so quickly. He had been a bit worried at first because he wanted his mother to love Amina as much as he did. Now she always asked about Amina and how she was doing.

“Fair enough.”

She paused and released a heavy sigh. “Actually, there’s a reason I called.”

“Oh? What’s up? Did you need anything?”

“Actually, I was hoping we could talk. There’s been something weighing on my heart and I can’t hold it in anymore.”

Ethan frowned wondering why the conversation had suddenly taken a serious turn. “What’s the matter? Has something happened?”

“No, but there’s something I need to tell you. And when I do, I don’t want you to hate me.’

Ethan leaned against the kitchen counter fearing the worst. “Eomma, I could never hate you. What could you possibly have to say that would make you believe I’d hate you?”

“Maybe after hearing this you will.” She sighed again. “This is the kind of news I should probably tell you face to face but I’m not brave enough after what I’ve done.”

Ethan gripped the phone harder. The more she spoke the more his concern grew. “Eomma, just tell me what it is you need to say. I promise I won’t get upset.”

“Don’t make that promise, because I don’t think it’s one you can keep. So I won’t blame you if you do.”

Ethan switched to Korean. “Please tell me, Eomma.”

“Ethan, I’ve been keeping something from you for a long time and I’m so ashamed. I thought I was protecting you but now I realize I may have done you a huge disservice.”

“What do you mean?”

“When you came to visit with Amina, she said something that got me thinking?”

Ethan frowned. “What did she say?”

“It was nothing bad. She was just telling me about her background and how she had never met her father.”

“Okay,” Ethan said slowly still not understanding where this was going.

“She also mentioned how her mother chose not to be in her life and how if she ever met her again, she’d like to talk to her.”

“You keep pausing, Eomma. Please get to the point.”

“She said that everyone wants to know where they came from. And they she wanted to know her history. Is…is that how you feel about your father?”

Ethan rarely talked to his mother about his father because he knew it was a subject that hurt her. When he was younger,he’d bring up the topic often, but after the one time it made her cry, he stopped asking. He’d only brought up the topic two other times and that was when he spent the summer in Korea during college and in the first timeline just before he met up with Kim Soo-ah.

The fact that she was initiating a conversation about his father told him that something greater than he understood was going on here.

“Yes, Eomma. I know it’s probably too late in the game now to meet him or know anything about him but it would be nice to have that connection.”

“I see. Well, I think I already told gave you a brief history about your father and me. We were both college students who met at a mixer at the Asian student union. There was an instant attraction, and he quickly became my everything. You and I are alike because when we fall in love, we fall hard. I see it with you and Amina.”

“That’s true. I’m madly in love with her.”

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