|
�
�
| thursday, july 19, 2001 |
�
My family is odd but extremely loveable. Case in point. Last night, we all gathered for my cousin�s 20th birthday. Here are some of the highlights:
-Sitting at the kid�s table. I�m the oldest among my cousins on my mom�s side of the family, and even at 24, I still get stuck eating with the 3-year-olds. I�d like to think it�s because of the generation gap and not because I�m the most juvenile out of all the kids.
-Picture of Joe�s (the birthday boy) girlfriend being passed around from relative to relative. Then a show-and-tell display of her birthday gift to him (a handmade booklet containing photos and personal written entries) is forced around the table (my cousin turns bright red). Finally, Uncle makes Joe call his girlfriend to thank her and puts her on speakerphone so we can all hear her voice. Her reaction: �Uhh�this is so embarrassing.� I feel for the girl and for my cousin. Dating in my family becomes every bloodline�s business. Even the second-cousin of our cousin�s cousin knows who and when we�re dating. It drives me nuts, and that�s why I never disclose this information to anyone.
-Aunts, uncles and cousins drinking Coronas and red wine with our steak, potatoes, corn, asparagus, rice and kimchi dinner (no steak for me, of course). Uncle (who is not blood-related) is beat red and buzzed and continually comments on my male cousin�s nice chest. In Korean: �I was so surprised when we went to the beach. You must do a thousand push-ups a day. Take your shirt off. Let�s see it again.� I know alcohol is supposed to loosen you up, but this is too much.
-Peter, 12-year-old cousin, saying later that he�s going to ask his inebriated father (the same one trying to grab my male cousin�s chest) for $40. �But Peter, it�s not your birthday. Your dad�s not going to give you money.� His reply: �Sure he will . . . when he�s drunk.� The boy is learning to take advantage of those who�ve had one too many to drink at an early age. The scary thing is he�s the really smart kid in the family.
-Peter joy-riding in my brother�s Maxima (which he keeps referring to as Maximum) and asking a million questions. �So how many gears does your Maximum have? What�s the horsepower? How fast have you driven it? I can drive stick. Wanna see?� An immediate �I don�t think so� comes out of my brother�s mouth. But there�s an endearing quality and innocence to Peter�s curiosity and it makes me remember why I adore children so much (disregarding the fact that he�s about to rip off $40 from his father later on in the evening).
-Odd coincidence that all the girls (excluding my sister) are dressed in white tops, dark jeans, platform shoes and a half ponytail. Of course, they�re 8+ years younger, 30 pounds lighter, and helluva lot cuter.
-Eating ice cream cake. And every extra pound of me is loving it. Yummy.
Happy Birthday Joe! Love ya, kiddo.
rewind �  �
forward
|
|
