CHAPTER 39
The next morning, Mee-Kyong woke up with a gnawing emptiness in her gut that twisted up her insides into a tangled, knotted mess. Mrs. Stern rapped lightly on her door. “Are you awake, sweetheart?”
Mee-Kyong wondered if pet names and early-morning wake-up calls were blessings reserved just for the initiated. She pulled the quilt up to her shoulders. “Come in.”
Her benefactress waddled through the door, her smile as wide as her girth. “It’s your special day,” she chirped in a sing-songy voice. Mee-Kyong hoped the early hour would excuse her from having to gush enthusiasm.
Mrs. Stern held up a hairbrush and a handbag. “I brought you some things. To get ready.” Mee-Kyong sat up. Mrs. Stern lowered herself behind her on the bed and ran the brush through her hair. “I remember the
