“ . . . little girl walked up in my shop like she owned the joint! Didn't even stop at reception.”

“Oh, no,” Jodi said with a pained expression as she looked into the computer screen.

“Sat her narrow down at the nail station and then told Tina she didn't need an appointment. Now, you know I don't take that mess, but it was a slow day, so Tina agreed to take her. She wiped the girls' nails down and all that like she was supposed. Tina did one nail, then asked if she was okay with the color and all that.”

“As is the policy.”

“Right,” Mrs. Verda said with a nod of her head and clap of her hands. “Girl glanced at her hand, said it was fine, then went back to playing on her phone.”

“Oh, she must have been a new client.”

“Never saw her before, won't see her again,” she said passionately. Mrs. Verda shook her head and waved her hand. “Anyway, Tina finishes up and sets her hands under the dryers. When the time was up, the girl took her hand out and do you know what she said?”

“What she say, momma?” Jodi asked, knowing the answer would be bad, but couldn't want to hear it.

Mrs. Verda leaned forward in her chair and put her hand on her hip. “That little heifer said, 'Uh, uh. This ain't right. I'm not paying for this.'”

“No . . .” Jodi covered and stifled the laughter.

“Yes she did, child. Had the nerve to even stand up and act like she was gonna walk out.”

Jodi laughed aloud and covered her face with her hands. “What'd you do, momma?”

“I came out my office and stood right in front of the doors. I told her, 'You not walking outta here, without payin' me my due.' She rolled her neck and told me she wasn't satisfied with the service and she shouldn't have come to this 'little half , ghetto shop.'”

“No she didn't,” said with a gasp.

“Yes, she did.”

“Momma, no!”

“She sure did.”

With her hands in her hair, leaned forward on her desk and chuckled. “Alright, momma, what'd you do then?”

“I grabbed her by her hair and walked her back down to that chair. I dipped her hands in acetone and told her that since she was so unhappy with them nails, she could leave 'em behind when she left.” Jodi howled in laughter. She laughed so hard and for so long that tears were running down her face. “That's just how you have to deal with some folks now.”

“That is so true,” Jodi told her. She still had a smile on her face as she shook her head. “I learned a lot about dealing with people by being in your shop. I learned a lot in general from you. Like, when to shut up.”

“And what do you mean by that?”

“Momma, I love you, but you can't hold water with a bucket.” Mrs. Verda tried to protest, but Jodi held her hand up. “Don't try to deny it. I can't count how many times you would wait until it got quiet then say, 'Well ya'll done heard about such and such, right?'”

Mrs. Verda put her head down to hide how hard she was laughing. When she looked up, her gold tooth was visible as she smiled. She simply told Jodi, “Shut up, little girl.”

Because there was no comeback for that, Jodi wiped at the happy tears on her face as the door to her office opened. Looking over, she saw JiYong eyeing her curiously. Jodi waved him over and sat on the arm of her chair. In English, she said, “JiYong, I want you to meet my momma, Mrs. Verda Brown. Momma, this is my husband.”

“It's nice to meet you,” JiYong spoke in his accented English. He bowed, smiled and waved politely.

Mrs. Verda leaned back in her chair and observed him curiously. “Isn't he a little young for you, Jodi-girl?”

Jodi chuckled and translated the comment for JiYong before answering. “Not enough to go to jail for.”

“Mmmhmmm,” she hummed, then turned her eyes to JiYong. “Well, it's nice to finally meet you , too.”

JiYong told Jodi that he was going to wash up, then kissed her hair. He waved again to the computer screen and walked out. Jodi watched him go with a smirk on her lips. “Momma, what—”

Mrs. Verda crossed her arms over her ample chest and gave her a stern look. “Uh, uh, little girl. It's 8a.m. over there. What's he doing in your house?”

“Well, uh, you see, he . . .” Jodi stopped and took a breath. “He sleeps here a lot.”

She shifted and brought her face closer to the camera. “In what bed?”

“Momma—”

“Don't you 'momma' me,” she warned. She leaned back in her chair and sighed. “Well, you're my only baby without a baby, so I won't give you a hard time. Just make sure he treats you right.”

“He does,” Jodi assured her with a fond smile while thinking back on little moments she and JiYong had shared. They talked for a little while longer after that, then Jodi noticed the time. “I have to go, momma. I have a shoot to do in a few hours.”

“Well, alright,” Mrs. Verda said with a sad smile. “When are you coming home again?”

“Probably next spring. The show that I'm on doesn't finish until February,” Jodi answered. Then with a devilish grin she said, “You could always come here.”

Mrs. Verda cut her eyes at her and scoffed. “You know that's never going to happen. If the Good Lord meant for us to fly—”

“—He would have given us wings,” Jodi finished with a smile. “I know, momma. I just really miss you sometimes.”

“I know, baby girl,” she responded with another sad smile. Then she shook it off. “Go on now. We both have things to do.”

“Yes, ma'am. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

Jodi ended the connection and leaned with her head on the desk. The residual warmth from the conversation wrapped itself around her as she walked out into the kitchen. JiYong was busy with the coffee maker and had the music turned down low. Jodi wrapped her arms around him from behind and rested her weight against his still damp back. “Why are you up so early?”

“I heard screaming. I thought you were hurt,” he answered in a chiding tone. Turning around, he cupped Jodi's face and kissed her lightly. “Did you have a nice talk with your mom?”

“I always do,” Jodi answered honestly. “Verda Brown is a funny woman.”

Hearing the machine stop, JiYong poured coffee for them both. After they fixed the coffee to their liking, they sat at the counter and held hands. “When am I going to get to meet the rest of your family?”

“Eventually,” Jodi responded with a shrug.

Hesitantly, JiYong asked, “Would you like to meet mine?”

Jodi paused, then said again, “Eventually.”

“How about next weekend? My parents are coming into Seoul for a couple days and . . . I would like for them to get to know you.”

She closed her eyes tight and tapped her hands on the counter before saying, “Okay.”

“Okay?”

Jodi nodded. “Sure, I'll meet them. Just let me know what I should bring as gifts.”

JiYong scratched the back of his neck and looked embarrassed. “Leave that to me. They have expensive tastes.”

Jodi raised her eyebrows, but said nothing.

* * * * *

Episode 12

Jodi sat at the kitchen counter, sipping coffee while the WGM crew finished setting up. When everything was finished, one of the staffers handed her a familiar red envelope. 'Prepare For Guests.'

Jodi read the cryptic message then looked around for AhJong. “The last time I got an envelope like this, my husband's ex-boyfriend showed up.”

AhJong laughed before going out the front door. Curious about that, Jodi set her mug down and waited for her to come back. When AhJong did, she was followed by a Black woman with a little girl holding her hand, and a Korean man holding a car seat. Jodi stared at them, jaw slack with astonishment before her manners kicked in. She bowed before the couple. “Anneonghaseyo, Oh Jodi-imnida.”

The other couple bowed back, smiled in a friendly manner, and the man spoke first. “Lee ChangNam-imnida. My wife, Lauren Nelson, our daughter Naia, and our son, Neil. It's a pleasure to meet you.”

“Likewise,” Jodi responded, then smacked herself on the forehead. “Excuse my manners. Please, have a seat.” She waved them over to the couches and smiled when Naia peeked at her over her shoulder. They settled in, but Jodi stayed standing. “Can I offer you all anything? Coffee? Tea? Water?”

“No, I think we're good,” Lauren answered with a gentle smile. “I bet you're wondering what's going on.”

“That I am,” Jodi answered honestly.

“Our children will be your children today,” ChangNam explained. “Is your husband coming?”

“His flight hasn't landed yet. He was in China, I think. I've lost track,” she finished with a laugh. Jodi's eyes swung to the little girl who was looking at her in amazement. She sat down with her legs crossed and smiled at her warmly. “Hi. My name is Jodi. What's yours?”

The little girl smiled shyly. “Lee Naia.”

“That's a very pretty name for a very pretty girl.” Naia smiled wider at the compliment. Jodi gasped and clutched her heart. “Ah, and a pretty smile, too. What a lucky girl you are.” When Naia laughed, Jodi reached out to tickle her then sat her on her lap. Naia didn't fight against the hold, and Jodi was relieved. One down, she thought. “And how old is Neil?”

“Ten months,” Lauren told her. Jodi rocked the car seat and got a closer look at the sleeping baby. Lauren looked at her husband and they nodded to one another. “You seem to have this in hand. I'll give you my number in case you need anything.”

“I will need something before you go. You're shirt.” Both parents looked at her with their eyes raised. Realizing how odd that sounded, Jodi laughed and rubbed the back of her neck. “Babies at his age have really bad separation anxiety. Being able to smell you will help.”

Lauren looked at her and sighed. “Oh, yeah. You're going to be just fine.”

* * * * *

JiYong was thrilled to be home. Filming day or not, he couldn't wait to get his hands on his wife. He ran up the stairs excitedly and threw the door open. “Honey! I'm ho—” His eyes raked over