Page 44 of Share with Me

Chapter Sixteen

Brinley walkedaround the McMillan family room past the old Steinway upright piano as Yun boiled water in the kitchen nearby. Peeling paint on the wall was somewhat masked by rows and rows of photographs from years gone by. Some were black and white and some were in faded sepia colors. Brinley moved from photo to photo, studying old childhood pictures of Ivan and Quincy and of a girl whom Yun had identified as Ivan’s sister, Willow, who now lived in Atlanta and owned a piano studio. The two boys looked like two happy twins until Quincy outgrew the other.

Yun had briefly mentioned that her husband, Otto, had been a photographer of some repute. Apparently he couldn’t keep down a job for long, and the entire family—two adults and three grandchildren—had depended primarily on Yun’s music studio to make ends meet.

Yet while Otto still had his photography equipment he had taken most of these pictures. There were photos of the Frederica Middle School, which Brinley had also attended. She had no recollection of the McMillan brothers. At the bottom of the photograph, Brinley could see Ivan’s name scrawled there—maybe by himself—and the year in faded ink.

1996.

Ivan was in middle school then. That would make him about thirty years old now. Four years older than Brinley was.

She heard the tea kettle whistle, followed by the clicking sounds of cups. Coming out of the kitchen and toward her, Yun was rolling an old cart with a tray on it. The tray had a teapot covered by a frayed quilted cozy, two cups on their saucers, and a small platter of macadamia cookies.

“Please let me get that.” Brinley took over the cart. She rolled it to where Yun told her, right next to her rocker.

Brinley took her seat in an old armchair that had seen better days. It was more comfortable than it looked. It faced windows with faded drapes overlooking a patch of grass and the marshes. The afternoon sun illuminated everything in the room, defining the age of the house and the nostalgia on those walls.

“Nice photos of your family,” Brinley said.

“The grandkids are my pride and joy.” Yun beamed. “I’m looking forward to meeting my first great-grandchild. I never expected to be a great-grandma, and here I am.”

Brinley was surprised Yun had brought it up. Not twenty-four hours before, Yun had been visibly shaken by the announcement that one of his grandsons had not only eloped but was going to be a dad. Perhaps she had gotten over the initial shock of it.

“If only Ivan had children too, but he’s not eager to marry.”

Does he have a girlfriend?

Brinley decided not to ask. Instead she watched Yun pour tea. Brinley reached for her own cup so that Yun didn’t have to get out of her rocker.

“He’s too busy trying to make ends meet,” Yun continued. “Did you know he was a concert violinist for two years after Juilliard?”

“Juilliard. He must be very good.” Brinley smelled the fragrance of chai with its spices.Delish.

“Full scholarship.”

“Why didn’t he continue being a concert violinist?”

“My Otto died. Seventy years. I married him when I was only twenty. He had just come home from the war. I was a music teacher in Boston, and I sang in the choir. His first Sunday back at church, he saw me. That was all it took.”

“I thought love at first sight is a myth.”

“We didn’t fall in love right away. We went out to the movies and spent time with each other’s families. Our love grew as we got to know each other.”

“Over time.”

“Right. Over time. How’s your tea?”

“Very good. Love loose-leaf tea.”

“No bags for me either.”

“Seventy years of marital bliss.” Brinley pondered that over her steamy tea, but she didn’t even know where to begin to think of such a possibility. Could the love between a husband and wife last that long? “Is it possible for that to happen anymore?”

“Yes, Brinley. It’s possible. It takes a lot of effort, but you have to be determined to make it work.”

“Did you and Otto ever fight?”

Yun laughed, stray silver curls on her head bobbing slightly. “Yes, we did. Believe me. We had to learn the hard way to differentiate behavior from personhood.”

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