The Fold by An Na

Author:An Na [Na, An]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781101652275
Publisher: Penguin Group US
Published: 2008-04-10T04:00:00+00:00

TWELVE

joyce woke up the next morning and walked out into the living room to find most of her family laid up as though she had entered a hospital. And even though it was a Sunday and they should have been getting ready for church, the television was turned on to the Korean channel. Uhmma and Apa sat on opposite ends of the couch. Uhmma was watching television and cradling Apa’s swollen black-and-blue ankle on her lap, while Apa sat on the other side intently reading his mystery novel. Andy sat on a large folded beach towel in the armchair.

Uhmma looked up as Joyce approached. Her forehead was slightly smaller, the skin showing some wrinkles instead of being taut as a balloon. Joyce leaned over the back of the couch and gave Uhmma a peck on the cheek.

“Are you feeling better?” Joyce asked.

Uhmma nodded, tiny points of light coming from her now visible eyes. She gingerly poked her forehead. “The swelling is going down.”

Joyce studied Uhmma’s eyebrows, which had begun to look slightly off center and crooked now that the swelling had receded. Joyce didn’t want to say anything to make Uhmma more upset. Apa looked up from his book and offered his cheek for a kiss.

“Good morning, Apa,” Joyce said and gave him a peck as well. “Did you find out who did it yet? Your ankle looks better.”

“It does not feel better,” Apa sighed. “I might have to go to the hospital, after all. I will give it one more day of rest.”

Joyce nodded and glanced over at Andy, who was zoning out on the Korean soap opera. “How ya doing, poopy?”

Andy scowled. “Shut up.”

“Joyce, please tell your brother to stop taking the shark liver pills,” Uhmma urged.

“You’re still taking them after all that moaning last night about how Gomo poisoned you?” Joyce asked and walked over to the kitchen to get herself a bowl of cereal.

Andy perked up. “I called Tom this morning to ask if anything unusual had happened to him when he started taking the pills.”

“I can’t believe Tom Koh would admit that he had the runs,” Joyce said, pouring cereal into a bowl.

“Well, he wouldn’t exactly admit to anything, but he did say that whatever it was, it would pass,” Andy said.

“So you two had an entire conversation about diarrhea without naming it?” Joyce poured milk over her cereal. She stared down into her bowl. “Why am I having this conversation before breakfast?”

Andy turned back to the show. “It’s not diarrhea. It’s a side effect. And it should stop after my body gets used to the pills.”

Uhmma shook her head. “The pills are too strong for you.”

“I just want to try them for another week,” Andy pleaded.

The phone rang. Joyce picked it up.

“You’ll never guess who had the eyelid surgery,” Gina said.

Joyce took a bite of her cereal. “How did you know it was me?” she crunched into the phone.

“Well, everyone in your family is injured, and Helen picked up my mom for the early church service, so that just leaves you.

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