Who: May Paik, Amy Chen What: Shopping for their new homes When: February 7, afternoon. Where: Bed, Bath and Beyond Rating: G Status: Complete.
May moved her basket closer to the rack as another person joined the aisle, making room for both of them to maneuver. She gave a polite smile to the young woman before returning her attention to the thread counts of the expensive sheets in front of her. On closer inspection, she found the counts were inflated. Laughing to herself, she glanced over to the other person.
"These are a big rip off, like they think a person won't notice a cheap sheet when they see one." she said in the fast, clipped tone that came about when she wasn't entirely concerned over her accent.
Amy's eyebrows met her hairline, lips stretching into the uneasy smile she wore whenever strangers addressed her. Whenever a residue of the respect for elders instilled in her since childhood came to the forefront of her mind, just as quick to be discarded.
"Are they? I didn't notice... what does it say, that they were made in India?"
"This says here 300 hundred but looks to me like 150 at most. They must be counting weaves going both way instead of once." May said, crossing over to the other basket to show the other woman. "And this is supposed to be the best brand here."
"Maybe they're just... mathematically-challenged." She didn't know much about weaves and quality, but she made a mental note to start learning.
May laughed, putting the pack aside and reaching out for an ivory set that caught her eye. Squeezing it, she handed it to the young woman. They didn't teach these things over here. "See? You can tell without the number this is better. Much softer, too."
Amy did as told, taking the woman's advice and feeling the pack with her hands. She had a point. "Looks nice too. White is better than all the purples and blues, right?" It dawned on her that she was asking advice of a stranger.
"Right, but it is neutral if you don't know what colors of the room they'll be going in. Good for guestroom." she said, tucking a strand behind her ear. "Comforters and pillow covers can fit color of the walls or the personality of the room. My room, chocolate color, been said I have lots of wood in my personality and should stick to red and blue, but I like the color."
Amy smiled. That was helpful advice, something to keep in mind if it turned out Hugh didn't mind her putting a more personal touch to their home. A more homely touch. "That must be so pretty. I don't know the room I'm decorating. At least not yet. Do you think strong colors are good? You know, restful?"
"Strong colors could have the right effect if you balance them right. I wouldn't go strong over strong, but strong over neutral or complementary is good." May said, smiling. She was glad to help, it had been awhile since moving to Seattle that she's had a chance to socialize. And the girl was sweet for not turning away like some in her generation. "I'm sorry, call me May."
"Amy," she nodded and held out a hand because she wasn't sure how old school the other woman was - if she was like her parents or her grandparents or neither. "Newly wed," she added in explanation with a shrug. "It's for my husband's home..."
May shook her hand and threw in a small bow out of habit. "Nice to meet you, Amy. It's a shame you're already married, I would have introduced you to my son." It was said mostly in jest, but there was truth in her words. A woman like Amy would be good for her son. "I'm here for his room. Do you know your husband well? What does he do?"
"Oh..." She didn't blush because she didn't do that, but the comment did go straight to her heart and made the other woman instantly likable in her eyes. "He's a lawyer," she answered proudly. "Good man. A little... older than I am. But a good man."
"He sounds like my husband!" May gushed, clapping her hands together. "John was a lawyer, very good man and a little older than I. Your husband would like solid, dark colors. Something uniform, but if he is anything like John was, he could care less what you do to the room so long as it's clean."
"I'll make sure it is," Amy beamed. "Lawyers like clear lines, don't they? So..." She bit her lip in thought, pointing to one of the other brands on displey. "Should I go for the blues after all?"
"That would be a good blue, or the red next to it." she said nudging the woman's elbow with her own. "You said you were a newly wed, a little red will add passion to the room, and virility."
And then she did blush, one hand reaching up to push glasses that hadn't slid down her nose. "That's, uh, I hadn't thought of that." She hadn't thought about any of that - or if she had, she wasn't prepared to admit it. "I' should get the red..."
"The blue too, it would be good for variety sake to have a different set." May nodded, giggling when she spied the blush appearing on Amy's cheeks. "Oh, I hope I didn't embarrass you too much. You should make your room a sanctuary he'll find hard to leave, yeah?"
"Yes. Right." Especially when he had another sanctuary to go to. "I'll take both." The blue for when he was tired. Or not in the mood. "Anything, uh, else, I should get?" She didn't mean to sound like a complete idiot, but some things she was wholly unprepared for.
"Let's see, what do you have?" she asked, looking in the woman's basket for the items she already picked. "I was with John for 25 years before he passed, lots of experience. Where you married by the lottery or did you know him before?"
"Lottery... I'm sorry about your husband." She wasn't sure if it was a recent thing - it didn't seem it from the woman's candor - but perhaps because she was more emotional of late, she found it terribly sad.
"Don't be, we had a good life together." May smiled, placing a hand on Amy's arm. Five years and she was okay, though it was the evenings alone that she felt his absence the most. "I wish you and your husband will have the same, even if your marriage was by chance. You said before he's a good man, did you know him before the lottery?"
Amy smiled, unusually reassured. Maybe because the other woman looked so much like her mother. "Yes, he and I work together. We know each other well enough." She knew his habits, his phone number, his preferences and his moods. She was much better suited to be his wife than some random blonde.
"So more than a coincidence! Fate may have had a hand in it after all." May clapped her hands together. "You have an advantage that most women would die to have."
It was the first time someone said that to her without an ounce of sarcasm. Amy smiled, utterly unconvinced in spite of it. "I don't know... feels like I could mess things up so easily and so quickly...." A wave of her hand. "Oh, I'll be fine."
Another basket turned into the aisle, so May gave an apologetic wave and moved her basket closer to Amy's. "Every new wife feels this way, even if your husband does not say it, he'll appreciate the effort. You're off to a good start with those sheets."
Amy grinned, because the words were kind even if they remained little more than platitudes. "I have sheets, cups, teapots, cutlery, plates... am I missing anything?"
May tilted her head to the side, thinking over the list the woman gave her. "Crock pot? Since you both work together, it would be hard to prepare a meal during the day. There are a lot of recipes that you can prepare in the morning and let slow-cook while you're at work. "
"I'm nervous about leaving the cooker on while I'm not there. Especially in his house. I don't want to, you know, burn it down..." It would be wholly unromantic. "I don't even know what he likes to eat."
"That is the wonderful thing about crock pots, they do not need a lot of heat to cook, most recipes cook on their own steam. New cookers are fancy, they have safety chips in them that shuts it off it if gets too hot." May said, moving her cart towards the appliance aisle. "We lived off our cooker, especially during the week. I could give you some recipes, easy to make and cheap. Beef, pork, chicken, fish, vegetarian...you'll have something for anything he likes."
"You would?" Amy asked, trying not to show her enthusiasm lest she appear totally unsuited for this family business. "I'd be so grateful." She followed the other woman - May - into the next aisle and glanced at the options on hand. "I could've used one of these for myself, too..."
"I'm glad to help. John always said to reach out to people in need before they ask. The world is too prideful." May said, scanning the devices and marveled at the extra features. This generation did not know how easy they had it. "Something that size would be good, you could fit a small chicken in that."
"A small chicken? Would I ever cook a small chicken?" Or a big chicken, for that matter? All the things she hadn't considered came to mind. Far from being a wife, it had to do with living with someone. Sharing a home. A life. Dutiful in taking the other woman's advice, she took one of the bigger models off the shelf.
"You would be surprised how much a man can eat." May giggled. She learned early on how to feed a family of four on a limited amount of groceries. "Even if his appetite is small, the leftovers can be ingredients in another dish or used for the next day's lunch."
"That's clever. I hadn't thought of that." She had lived on a single salary and a single, albeit healthy, appetite. The thought of fitting herself to someone else's was a little daunting.
"You should give me your e-mail, I can send you my favorite dishes. Guaranteed to fill any man's stomach." May hadn't had the opportunity to cook like this since the twins left the house, but she hoped that would change once Jason moved in with her.
Amy nodded fiercely. "Oh yes...I could use the help. Do you have a pen?"
May was always prepared. She reached for her clutch and pulled a pen and a small notepad from it and passed it over to the woman. "Here you go. And here I was thinking I'd have a hard time meeting people in the city."
"You're new here?" Amy asked with genuine surprise. "I wouldn't have guessed." She read the fine writing on the squared paper and folded it carefully into her bag. "Where did you move from?"
"Cerritos, California. Just outside of LA. Before that, Gangneung. The rest of my family moved north so I followed." she said, folding her arms over the basket handle. "I'd show you their pictures, but then I'd turn into one of those mothers."
"I wouldn't mind," Amy assured her. "I wish I had pictures of my children to show off." Or a husband. She thought about having a picture of Hugh but imagined he wouldn't approve. "California sounds... like it was a lot warmer than it is here." She wasn't sure where the other place was. It didn't sound like China, at least.
"Give it time." With permission, May reached into her bag for her wallet. Flipping to the compartment with the family photos, she introduced them to Amy. "That's me and John, and our twins, Jae-mi and Jason. Jason's at the University studying weather, but both of them are accomplished violinists. My youngest, Jae-mi, is a part of the philharmonic orchestra here."
"Oh wow," she gushed and none of it, not even one iota, was fake. Perhaps it was the lottery, perhaps it was having her name picked, but she genuinely believed that could be her someday. Flashing glossy pictures in a supermarket. "They're in college already? You don't look... I mean..."
"I don't look like an old woman? Thank you for thinking that, makes me feel young." May smiled. "It's in my genes that I look younger than my actual age, and make-up helps too."
"Make-up, yes." She must've had some genes, Amy thought jealously, her smile turning a little greener than before. Gingerly, she pushed her cart a little further.
"You look pretty young yourself, are you fresh out of college?" she asked, pushing her cart down the aisle. "It sounds exciting, to work in a law firm. John had a practice, but it was mostly helping our neighbors with immigration."
"Me? I'm twenty-three. So I guess.... pretty much." She spoke of her husband with such pride that Amy couldn't help envy her. "I've always wanted to do something like that. Open up my own practice. Do more... socially-geared projects, I guess." She wasn't sure why she told the other woman - a perfect stranger - except that she seemed so generous and genuine that it was hard to hold silent.
"You should at some point. There really is something more satisfying doing more socially-geared work than the kind that gives you money and prestige." May grabbed a desk organizer from the display as they passed, it would fit perfectly in Jason's room.
"I'll keep it in mind. For the future. Right now I just want a family. Children." It was doing her duty and all that, but it was more. It was her purpose in life. Have a child. Prove she could do it. Prove that a man wanted her.
"That's a refreshing thing to hear from a woman your age, but twenty-three is so young!" May couldn't help but fuss, just a little. Amy reminded her of her own children. "I didn't even think about having children until...well, until I actually had them. Had I known that they were the only ones I'd have, I would've started sooner. But, I've no regrets."
"I'm precocious," Amy replied with a smile. "At least that's what my parents say." At least in part. "I should go pay for all of this... I'll email you one of these days about those recipes. I think I'll need them to make a good impression."
"I wish my youngest had your drive," she admitted with a laugh. "I'll leave you to it, hope to hear from you soon, Amy."
"You'll hear from me tonight!" Amy chuckled, knowing it would sound obsessive but that she never let anything to chance. "Happy shopping. It was nice meeting you, May."
"It was nice meeting you too." May waved, pushing her chart towards the bathroom section of the store. "See you soon."