Read Online Kimchi & Calamari by Rose Kent - Free Book Online

like she didn’t expect anyone with below a Mensa IQ to read anything but easyreaders. Yongsu shrugged like he was used to his sister’s moods and waved good-bye cheerfully.
    Watching Yongsu and Ok-hee walk away got me wondering again. Maybe I had a snooty know-it-all sister in Korea who was a foot taller than me. Maybe I had a couple of brothers and sisters. Now I wanted to know if I did. I really wanted to know. And not just for a social studies essay, either.
    Another five minutes passed and I almost left too, because I figured Dad was waiting to pick me up and getting grouchy. But finally Kelly came out of the locker room. She’d pitched five tough innings and still looked like a model. Wow.
    I intercepted her before she reached her parents. “Awesome triple, Miss MVP!” I called.
    â€œThanks, Joseph.” She flashed a grin.
    Her smile sent me soaring. Go for it, Joseph. I pumped myself up. “I was wondering if you wanted to go to the movies tomorrow,” I began. I couldn’t stop now. “Maybe we can get some pizza afterward. At Dom’s across from the CinemaPlex. We could walk there.”
    She didn’t look horrified. A good sign.
    â€œDom’s has free soda refills and the best Sicilian pizza in New Jersey,” I added.
    â€œI like regular pizza.”
    â€œTheir regular pizza is twice as good as their Sicilian. Trust me, my record is five pieces.”
    She laughed. Then Mr. Gerken called her. He sounded like he was in a hurry.
    â€œI’ve got a softball lesson tomorrow. How about Sunday?” she asked.
    â€œLucky for you I’ve had a cancellation. I’m available on Sunday, say twelve thirty?” I had no idea what movie would be playing, but it didn’t matter. Even a Disney cartoon would do.
    â€œSounds good. I’ll meet you at the CinemaPlex then,” she said as she flung her hot pink gym bag over her shoulder and walked off.
    I waited until the Gerkens’ car drove off before letting loose with “Woo-hoo, I’m the man !” Then I danced a touchdown dance in the parking lot, just as Dad’s truck pulled up.

Run, Grandpa, Run
    P eck, peck, peck, peck.
    My fingers hacked away at the keyboard Saturday night. I clicked the mouse to check the word count: 1295. Roughly two hundred words away from the essay finish line. And just in time, too. It was due Monday, but tomorrow was my movie date with Kelly.
    The freezer door slammed shut. From the computer desk in the family room, I watched my sisters battle by the kitchen counter. Their hair was wet and braided and they were already in their pajamas. Mom was working at the beauty shop later than usual, leading new producttraining for the hairdressers. Dad was in his recliner, reading another classic that you’d expect to find in the hands of a pipe-smoking professor, not a window washer who looks tough in a tank top.
    â€œGive that to me!” Gina yelled. “Daddy, Sophie took the last Popsicle!”
    Sophie sat on a kitchen stool gripping the Popsicle like a weapon. “I grabbed it first. Fair and square.”
    The air was thick as oatmeal. No matter how many times I wiped my forehead, it felt greasy. My glass of fruit punch sat in a puddle next to the mouse pad.
    â€œBully!” Gina wailed.
    â€œBoth of you have cookies if there aren’t enough Popsicles,” Dad growled from behind The Brothers Karamazov.
    â€œI don’t want cookies,” Gina whined.
    â€œI’m eating this Popsicle. I got it first.” Sophie ripped the wrapper off just as Gina started crying.
    â€œMaybe there are more in the back of the freezer.” Dad put his book down and walked into the kitchen.
    I hit my mental button to mute the sibling static. I was on a roll, two-finger punching at the keyboard.
    The title of my essay was “A Medal for Speed and a Life of Honor: My Grandpa Sohn.” I wrote how Sohn Kee Chung was my father’s father. Since I