Trouble with the Curve

Chapter Two | From One Hell to Another

Lee Soojin

"That's the ring your future husband picked out?" San Mirae asks, scrunching her nose up at the photo of the engagement ring I had been sent by my future husband apparently.

To everyone's surprise, I was marrying for the sake of my father's business and not for love. The marriage was one of convenience and even after a couple of months of being engaged, I had yet to meet the man who I would wed in a couple of months and the man who had, at best, questionable taste.

If his taste is that bad, what does that say about his desire to marry me?

"It's ugly, isn't it?" I laugh, putting my phone down as I hand her a popsicle to soothe her mouth.

Chemo is a nasty process.

"Does he hate you?" She asks, cocking her head to the side.

I giggle and shush her as I try to contain my laughter from spreading to the hospital room next to us, "Shush, that's not very nice."

"Neither is he for selecting something so ugly."

The gaudy ring she was talking about was thick and fat and ostentatious and far too inconspicuous to wear at work, so it was hiding itself in a spot in my jewelry box at home.

A knock comes at the door to San Mirae's hospital room and she lets out a smile and waves as a familiar face wheels her way into our room.

Ms. Ryan was a patient in the hospital I worked as a nurse in and she and San Mirae had quickly bonded over their love of musicals during their rounds of chemo. Ms. Ryan was battling stage three breast cancer and San Mirae had a rare form of Leukemia that racked her body with disease and sores. It was a tough time for both women and I could only look at them with admiration as they battled their situations silently, with courage and pride.

"Hello Nurse Lee, I just came by to see my favorite kiddo," Ms. Ryan smiles and waves at us as she sidles her wheelchair next to San Mirae's hospital bed.

"Did your son come with you today?" I ask, courtesy spurning the question forward.

"He's getting his arm checked out again and then has physical therapy. I'll probably see him later," she beams.

Ms. Ryan's pride and joy was housed in the physical form of her son, Ryan Jae. I didn't know much about the man except that he had recently been injured at work and was the size of a brick house, but he seemed nice enough and Ms. Ryan doted on him and tells stories about him as often as people will let her. I'd met him a few times when she was visiting, but he seemed about as private and obscure as a person could be in today's digital age.

"That's good. Hopefully he'll be healed soon."

"I hope so too. He said he has a couple of gatherings in the next few weeks that he'd prefer to have both arms for is what he jokes about. Apparently, a basketball tournament and a wedding. The doctors don't think he'll be free from his sling quite yet, but a mother can hope," she sighs.

I nod in agreement and my watch beeps at me, alerting me to a call from Secretary Jin.

"Excuse me, my father's secretary is calling me and I should go and answer it."

I give San Mirae a quick hug and exit her room so she and Ms. Ryan can talk in peace without them having to hear the undoubtably tense conversation between me and my father's nervous secretary.

"Hello?"

"Miss Lee, your father wanted to know if you'll be joining us today for this afternoon's board meeting?"