Chapter 23: Pi Day – January 27 – March 14, 2025
Myeong, Haewon, Dahui, and Bada all fell into a happy rhythm after a few weeks of living together. The three girls returned to school, and Myeong found himself busy with his increasing business ventures. Dahui and Bada had become fast friends, despite the five years that separated them. Bada seemed to identify with something she’d found in Dahui. They had also discovered they possessed a common love for romantic dramas. Often, when their schoolwork was done, they could be found watching one on the big television in the living room.
Haewon was falling naturally into her roles as wife and eomma. She had already begun to mother both of the girls, making sure they ate well, finished their homework, and slept enough each night. She even took time off of work to attend Bada’s first doctor’s appointment with her. They were both looking forward to her sonogram appointment at the beginning of April. Bada seemed to think she was carrying a girl, but Haewon had a feeling the baby was a boy. Dahui said she’d be happy either way. Privately, Myeong was hoping for a boy.
––
“Dahui, do you want to help me make some pies for tomorrow?”
The girl came running out to the kitchen to help her eomma. “I’m so glad that Pi Day is on a Friday this year! And not a Saturday,” Dahui remarked.
“I’m glad it’s on a Friday too. It’s a great way to end the week.”
“Do you have lots of fun games planned for tomorrow?” Dahui asked.
Haewon’s eyes were dancing as she nodded. She hadn’t told the girl, but she had several surprises up her sleeve for tomorrow.
A couple of hours later, drawn by the scent of baked cinnamon apples – one of his favorite aromas – Myeong entered the kitchen a little while after the first couple of pies were removed from the oven. He stared down at one of them. He glanced at Haewon and asked a question.
“So you’re going to use these pies to teach math?”
“Mmhmm.”
“How?”
“I’m going to take some string with me. The students will use it and a ruler to measure the circumference of each pie. They’ll also measure the diameter of the pie. We will then check to make sure that all of our calculations yield the same results by dividing the circumference by the diameter. If we end up with a resulting pi each time, then they’ll know they did the problems right.”
“Well, it appears you made the right calculations in the kitchen. You’ve ended up with a resulting pie each time.”
She laughed and swatted him on the shoulder.
He glanced back down at one of the pies. “So, did you double check with this pie?”
“Hmm?”
“To make sure your pie is a perfect circle. Did you measure it?”
“Nope.”
“Where’s your string and ruler?”
“You’re serious?”
“Mmhmm.”
Haewon headed to fish them out of her school bag after wandering into the living room. She returned to the kitchen with them a moment later. Myeong took them and measured the pie. Then, he divided the circumference by the diameter to find his result.
“Oh, look! What a little cutie pi!” he remarked.
Shaking her head, Haewon laughed up at him.
“What? It’s a perfect dad joke. And I am going to be an appa again in a few short months. I’ve got to sharpen my sword.”
“Oh?” she tittered, “does this mean I have many more dad jokes to look forward to then?”
“Absolutely,” he murmured.
“Wait a minute. Did you go to all the work of measuring that pie just so you could tell that lame joke?”
He looked mortally offended. “Lame joke?” He threw his hand over his heart. “I’m wounded. Wounded by my wife! I worked hard on that joke. Nearly as hard as you worked on these pies.”
She shook her head as another giggle escaped her lips. “Myeong…”
“What?”
“Always keep me laughing, okay? It feels good.”
His eyes met hers for a moment, and he understood what she was saying. She’d lived her first lifetime – the one her own heart had purchased for her – without much laughter. Now she wanted to live out her second lifetime – the one Eunho’s heart had afforded her – enjoying as much laughter as possible.
“You picked the right man. I’m up to the challenge. Your wish is my command, my queen. I’ll go research some more dad jokes.”
She was still laughing as he exited the kitchen a moment later.
––
He returned to the kitchen a couple hours later as she stood over a pan while she poured cake batter into it.
“Aren’t you a bit of an overachiever, my love?” he whispered in Haewon’s ear as he bent over her and slid his arms around her from behind. “You didn’t think that baking four pies for Dahui’s birthday was enough? She needed a birthday cake too?”
She set down the bowl and spatula on the counter then turned towards him and wound her arms around his neck. “She definitely needed a birthday cake. Baked and decorated by her eomma.”
He read the serious light in her eyes and nodded. “Ahhh, I see.”
Her lips twitched, and an amused sparkle danced in her eyes as she explained, “She told me you tried to bake her a cake last year…”
He chuckled. “That little twerp told on me, huh? Traitor.”
But he was smiling as he kissed his wife. A moment later, he drew back and commented, “You know you’re officially the world’s most amazing eomma, right?”
He glanced down at the pan filled with cake batter before his eyes traveled to the table lined with pies. “I don’t know any other mothers who have baked five items for their daughter’s birthday.”
“Mmm. Well, it’s my first effort. I wanted to make it a good one.”
“You know what I think?”
“What?”
“You’re making up for the last ten years. Before Dahui had an eomma.”
“I think that each of those years was a gift.”
He furrowed his brow at her.
“Because Dahui had an appa who loved her enough to attempt to tackle all of his disabilities in the kitchen.”
His lips quirked. “Disabilities? I see where our daughter gets her twerpiness from,” he growled before he planted another kiss on her lips.
She giggled and pulled away from him. “I have to get this cake into the oven now! Or I’m going to be up till midnight decorating it.” She pushed past him and slid the cake into the oven.
Then she set the timer before turning towards him. “And I’m going to help you overcome every challenge in the kitchen. For the next year, I’m requiring that you become our sous chef. My goal is that next year you bake Dahui’s birthday cake.” Her lips curved upwards mischievously. “Without burning it.”
He tossed his eyebrows towards the ceiling. “That’s a tall order.”
She sighed dramatically. “I know, but I’m going to have my hands full with an infant.”
He grinned then and reached for her again, pulling her up against him. “How delightful,” he murmured. “All right. I’ll give it my best effort. I feel certain you can teach this old dog some new tricks.”
She smacked him lightly on his chest. “Myeong! You are not an old dog.”
“Mmm. I am still ten years older than you.”
“You know…I like a mature man.” Her eyes flirted with him.
“You better stop that.”
“What?” Perplexed, she frowned up at him. “Why?”
“Because I’m likely to whisk you off to bed, and then you’ll be guilty of burning Dahui’s birthday cake.”
She chortled. “You expect a lot of me, Myeong! I’ve already spent half the night baking in the kitchen, and I still have to decorate that cake. Where do you think I’ll find the energy to entertain you in bed?”
“I figured I’d do the entertaining,” he replied, teasingly.
She giggled. “I’m sure you would,” she responded, provocatively. Her eyes were caressing him.
“Come on,” he tugged on her hand. He glanced back at the clock. “How long does that cake have to bake? Twenty minutes? I’m sure I can accomplish quite a lot in that short period of time.”
Haewon chuckled again, but she did let her delightful husband lead her towards their bedroom.
––
The next day Dahui was delighted to discover her first two surprises in the kitchen. Haewon had arisen early and made a delicious breakfast for the four of them to enjoy as a family. In the center of the table, she’d displayed Dahui’s birthday cake. It was the first thing the girl noticed when she entered the kitchen.
“Happy Birthday, Dahui!” her new eomma greeted her.
The young girl’s eyes flew wide open as they came to rest on the cake. “Eomma! You made me a cake?”
“And I didn’t burn it, either. Although, your appa tried to ensure that I would,” Haewon tossed a teasing glance Myeong’s way.
“Hey! I did not!”
“You think I didn’t know what you were up to when you led me from the kitchen last night?” Haewon joked.
He shot her a dirty look.
“It’s perfect!” Dahui breathed before crashing into Haewon and throwing her arms around her. “I love it!”
“I love you,” Haewon responded, melting Myeong’s heart.
This was the first one of his daughter’s birthdays that they hadn’t spent alone. It felt good to have his wife here.
Rubbing her eyes, Bada entered the kitchen then. “What smells so heavenly?”
“Take your pick,” Myeong responded as he eyed the smorgasbord on the table. “Come on, everybody! We’ve got to eat up! School starts soon!”
“Yay!” Dahui shouted. “Pi Day!”
She discovered her third surprise of the day after they arrived at school.
“You’re staying?!” she asked her appa. “For the whole day?!”
He nodded his head. “I know how crazy you fourth graders get when sugar is involved. I figured your eomma could use some help.”
Dahui threw her arms around her father. “I love you, Appa!” She released him and jumped up and down. “I’m so excited that you’re going to be here for Pi Day!”
“You mean, Pie Day?” He glanced at the pies lining the table.
She giggled.
“Come on, you two. I need you to help me set up the game stations,” Haewon urged them.
They spent the remainder of the school day engaged in contests and enjoying the pies Haewon and Dahui had baked together. After school, as they were packing up her supplies, Haewon turned towards her daughter.
“Are you ready for your next surprise?”
“There’s another one?” the girl’s excited eyes grew round.
Her parents nodded.
“My favorite thing about this birthday is you,” Dahui suddenly seemed to change the subject as she threw her arms around Haewon.
“Oh!” Haewon exclaimed as tears flooded her eyes.
She brought her arms up around the girl who would soon overtake her in height. Her eyes met Myeong’s as she replied to Dahui, “My favorite thing about your birthday is you,” she murmured as she squeezed the precious girl tight.
A moment later, Dahui drew away from her and asked joyfully, “When do I get my next surprise?”
Haewon glanced at Myeong. “What do you think?”
“I’m thinking she’s had an awful lot of fun today. We wouldn’t want to overload her. Maybe… Tomorrow?”
Dahui pouted. “Tomorrow?”
Haewon chuckled. “Your appa is just teasing you. Come on. Let’s get all this stuff loaded into the car. Then we can go get your surprise.”
As Myeong drove them to their next destination, he turned his head to look at his wife. “I’m just dropping you two off, right? And coming back in an hour?”
“Yes.”
“Phew.”
Her lips twitched. “Afraid I was going to encourage you to add a little color to your fingernails?” she murmured.
“Or dye my hair indigo,” he rejoined.
She laughed. Then she tilted her head sideways to gaze at him consideringly. “Hmm…I think you’d look good in indigo.”
His eyes slid her way. As their eyes kissed, he chuckled.
A few minutes later, she and Dahui entered the salon. The girl’s eyes grew round as they traveled around the little shop.
“You brought to me a salon?” she breathed in awe. “Why?”
“I thought you might want to get your hair styled and your nails painted. What do you think?”
Dahui turned her eyes upon her eomma. How had she read the desires of her heart? She suddenly remembered the first week of school, when she’d first met Mrs. Wang. Dahui had sat in her classroom daydreaming that her new teacher was her mother. She’d envisioned them styling her hair and painting her nails.
“How did you know?” she whispered suddenly.
“Know what, sweetheart?”
Sweetheart. No woman besides her new mother had ever called her that.
“That this was my dream?”
Haewon stared down at her. “It was?” she asked in wonder.
Dahui nodded her head vociferously. “Thank you! Eomma.”
Once again, she threw her arms around Haewon as she realized that all her dreams of the past few months had come true. Just in time for her birthday. The very best one ever.
