Page 13 of Rules for Rule Breaking
Winter Park
5. WE WILL NOT DISCUSS EACH OTHER WITH OUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY
Winter wasn’t much of a packer. Her family rarely went anywhere except Korea every few years, but Winter always deliberately underpacked a too-big suitcase so she could fill it with sweaters there and bring them back.
Winter lounged on her bed, completely devoted to a letter she’d received that morning, as her mother balled up socks and folded pants for her.
“You won an award. Why are you moping?” Umma asked.
“Because it’s a recognition award for being a girl in robotics. It’s meaningless.”
“It’s all meaningless when you get as many awards as you do.”
Winter scowled. “I’m serious. Brandon Long was given an internship. They didn’t think that the only girl on the team could benefit from an internship? Brandon and I are partners. It’s not like he outperformed me. But I only get a letter, and he gets an internship?” She put the paper over her face and blew it up into the air before watching it float gently to the floor.
Umma retrieved the paper and placed it on the dresser. “You asked me to help you pack,” she said. “Why am I doing everything?”
“Because you’re good at it.” Winter hopped to her feet, openedher dresser drawer, and grabbed all the T-shirts on top, tossing them recklessly into her bag.
Umma took the shirts out and refolded them. “Sit down,” she said, and Winter threw herself back onto the bed. “Stop complaining about winning awards and focus on your trip. I got lunch with Mrs. Bae yesterday, and she told me Bobby has been very down since his girlfriend broke up with him.”
“Really? I didn’t even think he liked her.”
“You two haven’t spoken?”
The only time they communicated since Bobby said he was “in” was when he sent Winter an itinerary and told her he’d allotted fifteen minutes in total for bathroom stops. She chose which rest stops she wanted and then sent the doc back, having changed the font to Papyrus to annoy him.
Winter rolled over onto her stomach and played with some fibers on the carpet. “You don’t think he’s going to be annoying, do you? He’s probably going to cry the whole time.”
“It’s normal for a young man to cry.”
“Not as much as he does.”
Umma sucked her teeth. “Well, then, make it your job to cheer him up.”
“My job? I don’t remember putting in an application for that, but it’ll probably be the only job I get since I haven’t completed any internships.”
“He’s a very nice boy.”
“So you keep saying. What does that even mean?”
“It means he’s available now,” she replied, as if that answered her question. “Bobby is smart and handsome. If you both go to Harvard or MIT, then you—”
“Please don’t finish that. I’m not dating Bobby Bae. Not now. Not ever.”
“Mind your tone, Soon-hee.”
Winter hid her face and mouthed all the things she would say to her mother if she wasn’t such a good daughter. Umma brought up her dating Bobby all the time as if he were the only “nice boy” from a good Korean family in the world. Winter didn’t understand why they moved to a town with barely any Koreans if Umma wanted her to marry one so badly. Or maybe she didn’t know she wanted that until she saw Bobby and was seduced by his man-bangs and lack of a personality. Now it seemed to be her life’s mission to unite the Parks and Baes by marriage.
“Umma?” Winter asked. “What if I never date anyone?”
Her mother looked up from the suitcase. “Why don’t you want to date?”
“I’m not saying I don’t want to. I’m saying what if I never do? I want to accomplish so much, and I don’t want to be distracted or not taken seriously. Being a successful woman is lonely. I should get used to the idea now.”
Umma went back to folding. “I’m a doctor, you know, Winter. I may not be a NASA scientist, but I did go to medical school and still managed to marry your father.”
Winter didn’t want to share a career with her husband like her mother did. Perhaps Winter was a product of the idealism of her generation, but she wanted something that was only hers. Umma must have sensed her dissatisfaction with that answer, so she said, “Angela Merkel has a partner, and she’s one of the most powerful women in the world. She probably got her fair share of recognition awards too.”
