It felt weird going to Shawn and Skylar’s place without Grace; even more so, it was weird telling Grace I was going to run an errand without telling her that errand included her cousin, and my best friend.
I knocked on their apartment door, and to my surprise, Skylar’s the one that answers it. She immediately pulled me into the apartment by my jacket, closing the door behind me.
“For fuck’s sake, what took you so long?” Skylar said as she hurried to the couch next to Shawn. I sat in the chair directly across from him, letting out a breath as I did.
“It’s kind of hard to leave Grace behind when she’s asking about your every move nowadays,” I answered. Grace was extra clingy these days now that she is officially on maternity leave. Her doctor instructed her to take these next two months off, as they are some of the most crucial parts of the pregnancy. It was hard having Grace around 24/7, especially in the gist of me trying to do something without her knowledge.
“What did you end up telling her, Hyung?” Shawn asked.
“I told her I had to run to do an errand; nothing specific,” I said, bouncing my leg anxiously. “I thought she was going to catch me for sure today.”
“Well thank god she didn’t,” Skylar added. “So, what were you thinking about doing?”
“I was planning to take Grace to Korea before her doctor gave her strict orders to follow, so now I’m not sure what else I can do for Grace now that she’s so far along.”
“So, you don’t know when or where you and Grace are having your babymoon,” Skylar said, crossing her arms. A couple of months ago, I had suggested to both Shawn and Skylar that I was planning a babymoon for Grace. I had originally planned to have it earlier on into her pregnancy, but everything came speeding fast, and time was just not on our side. Grace was about to enter month 8, and a lot of the romantic ideas I had for her seem to be thrown out of the window.
“I want it to be special, but I don’t know where to take her,” I confessed. I feel like a lousy boyfriend. “I was thinking about getting a nice hotel in the city, but I feel like that’s still too close from home.”
“Yeah, and you know how Grace’s mind works; she would not be rested being too close to home.” Skylar commented. I sighed, putting my hands onto my head.
“How about something out of the city, like in upstate New York?” Shawn suggested. Skylar immediately turned her head to face him.
“Babe! That’s actually a good idea!” She looked at me with a smile before she spoke again. “I feel like what Grace needs right now is less stimulation. Between being in the city, managing the academy and feeling huge now, she needs to go to a place where it’s quiet.” I liked the idea, spending quiet time in a cabin or something outside of the city where there isn’t a siren going off, a car horn being honked, or blinding lights from the billboards. I also believe it would be the perfect spot to spend some quality time with Grace before our little girl comes.
…
“Jamie,” Grace said as she sat on the passenger’s side of our car. I quickly looked over at her, checking to see if she was okay. “How is this a birthday getaway for you if I don’t know where we’re going?” I smiled at her question, not answering her right away. On the actual day of my birthday, Grace and I went to Yonkers to celebrate Willow’s birthday with Max and his wife, Miriam. Willow and I share the same birth date, April 16th, so to my surprise we had two cakes to celebrate. Miriam told me that Willow was the one that said she shared the same birthday as me, which is why the cake they had for me was store bought instead of made. I didn’t care though; as long as I was celebrating my birthday with Grace and Willow is all that mattered to me.
It wasn’t until Grace and I got back to the city that I told her that I had planned my own birthday weekend getaway. Yes, she was mad at me for planning my own birthday trip, but I quickly had to remind her that my birthday gift from her wouldn’t be ready until June.
“Jagiya, I told you already; all you have to do is sit there and be a passenger princess,” I teased her as I drove. She huffed in her seat, looking outside of her window facing away from me. “Jagiyaaaa,” I dragged out.
“I just feel bad,” Grace finally admitted, turning her head around. “Between Willow’s birthday and everything else happening, I totally forgot about your birthday and—”
“Ya,” I stepped in, stopping her train of thought. “I already told you it was okay.”
“It still doesn’t make me feel any better.” At a red light, I finally took the opportunity to turn towards Grace and properly talk to her.
“Grace. I know your heart is in the right place, but you honestly do not need to feel bad about forgetting my birthday this year. Besides, as long as you’re here on this weekend trip with me; that’s all I wanted for my birthday.”
“You’re just saying that,” Grace argued.
“Think of it this way, jagiya,” I began to say, driving once the light turned green. “I am spending my birthday weekend with the most beautiful woman in the world, in a nice little cabin loft with absolutely nothing to think or worry about. This is my birthday gift from you.” I placed my hand on her thigh, slightly rubbing it for reassurance. She let out a deep breath before putting her hand on top of mine, signaling that she listened to what I was telling her. I quickly smiled at her before quickly focusing on the road.
…
We opened the front door of the cabin, in which Grace was in awe at first glance. Me, on the other hand, struggled carrying our luggage from our car to the wooden stairs of the cabin. After tossing the bags into the cabin, I closed the door behind us, catching my breath.
“This is so cute! It looks like a place straight out of a vision board,” Grace said, observing the space. She looked up toward the second floor where the bedroom was. “Oh, a loft bedroom is teenage Grace’s biggest dream.”
“I’m glad you like the space.” I went over to Grace and kissed her on the top of her head. I sat down on the couch, watching Grace was she walked around to tour the space. For a moment, I was able to picture Grace and I living in a place like this, older and retired from our jobs while gathering our little space for our kids to come visit us. Yes, kids; as in “many more to come”.
Grace turned around and faced me with the biggest smile on her face. Once she catches me looking back at her, she walks over to me, plopping herself right next to me on the couch.
“I can get used to this,” she said out loud. I laughed, pulling her close to me as I kissed her.
“Me too, jagiya.”
…
We decided for our first night, we would order some food for dinner after driving up here for most of the day. I could tell that Grace was super tired, even though she was fighting herself not to fall asleep during our movie night. Before she was able to quickly deny her tiredness, I ran her a bath to relax. It wasn’t long after that she put on her pajamas and knocked out on the bed while I was taking my shower for the night.
I walked upstairs to the bedroom and saw Grace sleeping soundly under the comforter. I couldn’t help but smile. Ahh, jagiya… if only you knew.
Letters From Liz. 