It was July 24th, Minhee's birthday. She had an early shift at the convenience store, so she had gotten up at six in the morning that day. Minhee knew how every cent counted to her family, so she always tried to avoid taking sick days or holidays. Her family was always her priority.

While Minhee was away, her parents promptly got washed and dressed for Minhee's birthday. Her father cleaned the apartment while her mother prepared a small banana nut cake and, later, dinner. By four o’clock, her parents were ready. They hid behind the couch when they heard the approach of footsteps outside their door.

When Minhee opened the door, she was surprised by how dark the apartment was. Usually, her parents would be in the living room with the lamp on as they read a book or worked on a crossword in their puzzle book. She knew her parents had to be home since she saw that her father's truck was still sitting in the parking lot.

Just as she closed the door, Minhee's parents jumped out from behind the couch as they both yelled, “Surprise!” A smile blossomed on her face as she quickly placed her things on the couch before hugging her parents. After a moment, Minhee’s mother excitedly brought her to the kitchen where the banana nut cake was waiting.

The icing on top of the cake resembled a sunset. Along the sides of the cake, Minhee’s mother had created a beach out of the icing. In white letters, the cake read, “Happy Birthday, Minnie!” Time seemed to slow down. The sunset, the beach, and the nickname, “Minnie,” were hitting Minhee with a wave of nostalgia as powerful as the waves back in California… where Junmyeon is. She quickly recovered once she noticed tears had formed along the sides of her dark almond eyes.

After wiping her tears, she turned to both of her parents and bowed a “thanks.”

For the rest of the day, the family passed the time eating and reminiscing on Minhee’s childhood. Between bites of cake and shared laughs, Minhee took in the humble atmosphere that always seemed to settle around her parents. She felt warm that day.

Later that evening, while Minhee helped her mother clean up the kitchen, her father went to his closet and took out the brown suitcase and the white envelope. He soundlessly headed to the kitchen, the two objects hidden behind him. As he stood there, he caught the attention of his wife and proceeded to signal he was ready.

“Don’t worry about the pots and pans,” her mother spoke up, “I can always wash them in the morning.” She gestured for Minhee to turn around.

Reluctantly, she turned away from the remaining dishes to see her father looking at her with a small smile. In the corner of her eye, she could see her mother mimicking her father’s smile.

Minhee was about to speak up; however, she was rendered speechless once she saw her father take out the suitcase and envelope out from behind him. She wasn’t sure how to feel. Usually, envelopes always signaled the end of a happy chapter in her life, and frankly, it made her quite nervous. She glanced at her parents’ smiles and then back at the envelope. Are they trying to reassure me before this all ends?

As if sensing her anxiety, her father spoke, “Don’t worry, just open it.” He passed her the envelope.

She took a deep breath to calm herself before opening the envelope. Inside it, Minhee found a single airplane ticket to San Diego along with its receipt. The instant she read, “San Diego,” her face brightened as she used her free hand to hold her locket. Finally, she could go back to sitting under the rubbery leaves of that special oak as well as feel the sand under her feet at the beach, but most importantly, Minhee could see Junmyeon again.

However, those hopeful thoughts quickly dissipated when she realized there was only one ticket. Slowly, she looked at her parents, her eyes glassy with tears due to her rapidly shifting emotions.

As if reading her thoughts, her mother, with a careful and soothing voice, cleared the silence with, “It’s okay, my Minhee; we’ll be fine. Go see your friend, Junmyeon, and,” her voice became playful, “don’t give your aunt a hard time.” During her mother’s calming words, her father moved to give her a hug.

He pet the top of Minhee’s head before whispering proudly into her ear, “You’ve worked hard, my dear. You deserve this…” His voice became as quiet and still as the night sky as he continued, “I know you miss him.”

She hugged her father back, letting her salty tears cascade down her cheeks. Their hug tightened. Minhee wasn't sure why she was crying; it seemed to be a mix of things. She was happy her parents were letting her go to California, but she was worried about them losing her income; she knew they were bare