Chapter 15

They say that when you can’t find something, it is usually right under your nose. That proved true with the printer. Everyone was scurrying around trying to find a local printer to do the wedding invitations, the table name tags and the thank you notes.

Traffic was backed up on York road the day they obtained their marriage license. It usually was around rush hour. Anyway, Sunny decided to take the back roads to West Padonia Road and Miki’s house. They were stopped on Timonium Road, at the railroad tracks. The barrier was down to let the light rail train pass. While she waited, Sunny just happened to look to the left and voila! There was a sign: Kindly R. S. V. P. designs. She pulled into the parking lot, and they went in.

It’s a small mom and pop business, and the owner’s wife, Rachel was a dream to work with. Sunny and Miki looked at some of their work and decided on a pink (obviously for girls) papered invitation with a white lace-like border and a big baby blue heart that contained the lettering. They used the same design for the R. S. V. P. return notes, the table placement name tags for the reception, and the thank you notices. Sunny told Rachel that they only needed about thirty-five, but she suggested a few extra, so they ordered an even fifty of everything. They said for a small job like that they would only need a two-day turnaround because everything is done digitally.

So, after school the following Tuesday, they would stop on the way home to Miki’s, and pick everything up except the table placement name tags. For that, they needed a complete guest list and Hye Bin had not yet talked to their Korean relatives.

THAT’S something I need to do. I need to speak to Jimmy. Sunny thought. She was dreading it and kept putting it off, but she had to face the music. When she got to Miki’s she called her cousin, Park Ji Hun, or James Park. To Sunny, he was Jimmy. Jimmy is a premier heart surgeon at Greater Baltimore Medical Center, or GBMC. He was first in his graduating class at Harvard Medical School and did his residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital. He also was a Mensa/Cattell scholar with an IQ of 163. Jimmy was eight years older than Sunny and he used to play with her when she was a small child visiting her mother’s first cousin, his mom. When she was five, he was her “boyfriend” and was going to marry him when she grew up. She was his shadow until he went away to high school at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Fairfax, Virginia, the nation’s highest ranking high school.

Sunny not only wanted to come out of the closet to him and invite him to the wedding, but she also wanted to ask that he be the sperm donor and father of her and Miki’s child. Sitting at the breakfast bar, Sunny dialed his cell number.

He answered in the second ring. “Hey, Princess, what’s up?”

Jimmy used to call her that ever since she was a little girl. “Hi Jimmy, whatcha up to?”

“Waiting for my favorite cousin to call me and ask me for a date.”

“What, you’re not married yet?’”

“Hell no! I’ve been waiting until you grew up so I could marry you.”

“Come on, Jimmy, you’re embarrassing me.”

“Hold the phone, there, Sweetie. YOU were the one who was going to grow up and marry me, or have you forgotten that?”

“Jimmy, I was five. What. Are you saying thay you’re gonna hold me to what I said at five years old?”

“Such is a woman; fickle as a butterfly, flitting from flower to flower. So, what does my favorite cousin want that you contact me out of the blue after not speaking to me for over a year?”

“I’m sorry Jimmy. I really am. When dad died, I kinda imploded for a while. Then with school, I got a new job after school taking care of a high school girl who has Duchene’s Muscular Dystrophy and is in a wheelchair. Been kinda busy, you know?”

“Again, Sweety, what can I do for you?”

“I really need to talk to you, and I need to speak to you in person. When can we meet?”

“Funny you should ask.”

“I have two surgeries tomorrow and then I’m flying out of town for two weeks for training on a new procedure. BUT” Jimmy said in a happy mood, “I just so happen to be free this evening for dinner. Wanna date?”

Sunny snickered on the phone and replied, “Sure, Where at and what time?”

“How about ... let me think now. How about we meet at the Nautilus Diner on York Road? Traffic should be cleared up by then and they’ve got good food. You can come casual, and I have a sneaky suspicion you want to talk about something. For that, we can get a table that’s out of the way there also.

How in the world does he know that? “That sounds nice, what time?”

“Give me an hour to wash up, change shirts and get there. I’m still at the hospital.”

“Okay, “So, that’s the Nautilus Diner in one hour.”

“Yeah, If I’m not there when you get there, get us a table.”

“Will do, see you soon. Bye.

“See ya later.”

When Sunny got off the phone, she turned to Miki and said, “He knows I want to talk to him. How? How does he know that?”

“Maybe because you two were so close when you were younger. You said he’s a genius. Maybe he has some sort of connection with you since you were young. Are you gonna ask him to be our sperm donor too?”

“Now, I’m not so sure. I’ll have to play it by ear and see how our “date” goes. Know what I mean?”

Sunny sighed and stood thinking for a moment then said, “Well, let me go, Sweetie. I’ll go home and change into a skirt. The least I can do is look more presentable than a pair of cut up jeans and an Eastern Tech T-shirt.”

Sunny went home and changed and left a note for her mom telling her she was having dinner with Park Ji Hun and left.

When Sunny pulled into the parking lot, she saw a smokey silver metallic Porsche 911 Carrera. She was pretty sure that was Jimmy’s. She stepped inside and the waitress asked if she was Sunny, a Korean gentleman is waiting. She led Sunny to a corner booth in the rear of the restaurant.

After Sunny was seated, the waitress handed them the menus and said she’d return for their order.

Jimmy smiled and said, “Well, Sunny, how the hell are you? You look just as pretty as I remembered you.”

“Hi, Jimmy. It’s been a while and I’ve missed you.”

“Have you, Sunny?”

“Yeah, I have. You may not believe me, but right after dad died, I was a complete mess, and I was so torn apart. You know he was my idol. He really did hang the moon.”

“I heard you were having a rough time, but everyone including your mom said to give you your space. I should have listened to my heart and gone to you. I’m sorry, Princess. I truly am sorry.”

“I wondered why you never came, but Mom said that you were giving me some space. Funny how Koreans think, isn’t it? Grin and bear it, suck it up and don’t ever let them see you cry just to save a little face.”

“You look like you came out of it alright. How’s things with your mom?”

“She’s good. We coped together and came out of it closer than Siamese twins. Now, I can’t bear to be away from her for more than a day or two.”

“That’s great to hear. So, what is it you want to talk about? You being a lesbian, you getting married, or both?” He looked her straight in the eye.

Sunny probably looked like a zombie; she was so shocked at Jimmy’s last statement. “H-h-how d-do you kn-know all of t’-that?”

“What? You forgot about Ju Jin? Jenny? Your second cousin on your mom’s side?”

Sunny wracked her brain and then the light bulb went off... “Oh yeah. She’s a ninth grader at Eastern, right?”

“Uh huh. I know it all. Your coming out day, the cafeteria scene and the kiss in front of the principal, At your Lesbian Association table you passed around your marriage license Wednesday afternoon. When the hell were you gonna tell me?”

His words pierced her heart and she felt terribly guilty. She hung her head and Jimmy could see the tears begin to drip from her chin. He said, “Shit! I should never have come out and said it like that. I’m sorry Sunny, sometimes I’m such an ass. I don’t want to hurt you or make you feel guilty.”

“But I do, Jimmy. It’s my fault. I let people project their prejudices on me and I thought you might reject me like the rest of our family probably has. My mom has been terrified to call anyone. I was scared to death that you’d hate me.”

“Don’t let it get to you. Jenny and I are tight, and I’ve told her in no uncertain terms, it’s okay to tell your folks that you’re gay, but she wasn’t to share all the play-by-play details. She understood, but I told her that she’d better tell me everything she hears or she was dead meat.”

“What have you got on her?”

“I caught her and some boy making out down the street in front her house. He had his hand up her blouse. I had stopped by to check her mom’s heart arrhythmia and spotted her.”

“What? At fourteen and making out and petting in a car?”

“Shhhh. Mum’s the word. Now on to more pertinent things. Sunny, there is only one way for you and me to continue. And that’s in pure truth and honesty. Agree?”

Nodding Sunny said, “Yes, I’ll be perfectly honest with you. I hope you know that you are the only man I have ever loved or had any feelings besides my dad. Right now, I really need you in my life in more ways than you know.”

“Okay then. Here goes. I’m hurt. And I need to say some things that may hurt your feelings, but I’ve gotta get it off my chest. Alright? Please don’t take it the wrong way because I don’t mean to hurt you in any way.”

“I’ll try and keep that in mind, but I can’t guarantee how I’ll feel about what you have to say.”

“Alright. I can accept that you are gay. But I need to tell you ... What a fucking waste! Like I said, I don’t mean to hurt you, but you are such a beautiful young woman, and it’s such a waste to not be able to realize my dream.”

“What are you talking about, Jimmy? What’s a waste? What dream?”

“It’s a waste that such a beautiful young woman like you is gay. The dream is that ever since you started puberty and I could see your tiny, pointed nipples start to poke out your shirt, I’ve wanted you as my girlfriend. I know I’m eight years older than you, but I have loved you from the time you were a tween.”

“Wow ... I don’t know what to say. I’ve always loved you too, but I’ve never thought of you that way. But believe me, I truly do love you. And I didn’t lie when I said that besides my dad, you are the only guy I have ever had any feelings for.’

“Well, that’s a consolation. Am I, at least, invited to the wedding?”

“That’s one of the reasons I wanted to talk to you. If you don’t come, I’ll never speak to you again. In fact, let me say that besides my mom, I need you to be there for me.”

“Since you put it that way, I guess I’d better be there, right?”

“Right!”

“Now, tell me about your espoused?”

“Well, she is of mixed race. She’s half Black and half Caucasian. Her father is a black Englishman she hasn’t had any contact with for years. She is also wheelchair bound with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy she contracted genetically from her father’s side.”

“You do know what the prognosis is for that disease, don’t you?”

“Yeah, I’ll probably be a widow before I’m twenty-seven. They say she might make it to age twenty-five. She just turned sixteen Wednesday.”

“Well, what-ever you need, when-ever you need me, you had better call me. Do you understand?”

Nodding Sunny sniffled and replied, “Thank you so much, Jimmy. I really needed to hear that.”

“Why do I get the feeling that there’s something else rolling around in that lezzie brain of yours?”

Sunny chuckled and said, “Well, now that you mention it...”

“What? Spit it out.”

“I would like to give Miki, that’s her name. Michaela Harrelson. Anyway, I want to give Miki a child that we can call ours before she dies. I want her to experience motherhood―”

Jimmy cut her off saying, “She can’t bear a child, you’ll be dooming a child to having the same life’s end as her mother.”

“No, please hear me out. It may be crazy, but this is how my mind works. In order to avoid any chance the baby would contract M.D., I thought that we could obtain her mitochondrial DNA using her mother’s egg and the father’s Korean DNA from a donor. I would carry the baby and nurse it. They say that the disease can be transmitted through the blood in the placenta and through breastmilk. I would like you to be the donor and father of our baby. That way, the baby would get my DNA from our side of the family.”

Jimmy smiled and nodded saying, “That’s a unique way of having a child that would be about as close as possible as being both of yours genetically.”

“Would you do it for us? For me?”

“Princess, of course I’ll do it for you, but I have some stipulations attached to doing it.”

“Like what?”

“First, I am named on the birth certificate as the child’s father. I want to be able to see the child whenever it’s convenient for all of us to get together. I want to be in his or her life.”

“Agreed.”

“Since I can’t marry you, I would like to be the father of any future children you might have.”

“Jimmy, I don’t know if I can keep that promise. What if I remarry and my new spouse is a man? But if Miki and I want another, I would be very honored if you were the father.”

“Deal!”

“I still can’t believe that you have felt that way about me my whole life. I am humbled, flattered and wish I had known. I was beginning to think that all my life there was never just one guy who thought I was worth pursuing.”

Sunny continued, “I was never attracted to any guys, ever. That’s why when those feelings hit me, and they were for a girl, I just accepted that I was gay and that I can live with that. Like I’ve said many times, I am who I am and I’m not going to lie to myself.”

Gently putting his hand on hers, Jimmy replied, “Well, I can go to bat for you with the family. Everyone now knows you’re a lesbian. I’ll find out how many will support you and come to your wedding and I’ll let you know. Please tell Auntie Hye Bin that I’ll run interference for you and her. Off the top of my head, I would say about five or six. Your mom’s sister, Auntie Bo Yung, and of course Ju Jin. I’ll talk to my Mom. I think I can convince her not to abandon your ship along with my sister, Angela. That’s Five including me. I’ll get you the list and their addresses to you one way or the other.”

“Jimmy, I can’t tell you how much your love and support means to me, to Mom ― and to Miki. Thank you also for being willing to be the father of our child. I will pick up the invitations on Tuesday. I’ll mail you one.”

“When is the wedding anyway?”

“November 13^th. It’s a Saturday, at 12: 30 at the Maryland Presbyterian church on Providence Road.”

“I know where that is. Let me put it in my phone. Even if I need to cut my procedure class short, I’ll be there. Can I give you away?”

“Like I said, Mom and I are like Siamese twins joined at the heart. She told me that she was definitely walking me down the aisle and giving her daughter away. You should see the gowns. They are unbelievable!”

“Let me see that ring. THAT looks unbelievable!”

The waitress must have been paying close attention to their body language because she waited to come and take their order. Jimmy told her, “Get a load of this engagement ring. I’ve never seen so many diamonds on one finger in my life!”

Miki’s ring is exactly like mine.”

Patty, the waitress, was taken aback and said, “Wow, it’s stunning! Aren’t you afraid of being robbed or something?”

“No, it’s never crossed my mind.”

Patty took their order and the two caught up on old news. And Sunny’s ambition to attend Hopkins. He said, “I don’t know if you or your mother are aware, but since she works for Hopkins, you can get a 50% reduction on tuition”

“Really?”

“God’s honest truth. Oh, and I want to speak with the future bride before the wedding. Give me her cell number.”

Sunny gave him Miki’s new cell number and teased, “Don’t you go ‘flirting’ with my fiancé. She’s only sixteen and a minor”

“No Ma’am. Strictly platonic as one sperm donor to a mother. Get it? Let me tell her, okay? But what about you? You’ll be eighteen and an adult?”

“It doesn’t count because we are marrying six days before I turn eighteen.”

“Boy, you really did do your homework, didn’t you?

“Sure did. Well, are you gonna call her? Call her now if you like.”

He did.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Miki, this is Jimmy, Sunny’s cousin.”

“Oh hi! How are you doing!”

“I’m doing just fine now that my favorite cousin finally decided to talk to me.”

“I’m happy you two reconnected.”

“The reason I’m calling is that Sunny tells me that you two want to be mommies. Is that right?”

“If we can. Will you help us?”

“Can I get a kiss?”

“Sure. What kind of kiss? Tongue or no tongue?”

“Well, since you’re giving me a choice, I’d like the whole enchilada.”

“Can do!”

“We won’t tell your fiancé about it, will we?”

“I’ll just tell her I was kissing our baby’s daddy. You be baby daddy, right?”

“Sure nuf! That works for me. I like the way you think, Darling. I can call you darling, right? I mean, we’re having a baby together, right? Do you think I can get one from the other mommy too?”

“Tell her she’d better, or I’ll turn her over my chair and paddle her tiny butt?”

“Does she have a pretty butt?”

“It’s delicious!”

“Hmmm, I’m jealous!”

‘Hey!” Sunny cut in, “what the hell are you two talking about?”