You Are Here: Connecting Flights: List 3

by Ellen Oh
This collection of twelve stories by different authors is set in the Chicago Gateway International Airport, where tween characters are experiencing delays and encounters colored by their Asian American heritage.

This list covers “Natalie: Costumes” by Traci Chee, “Henry: Grounded” by Mike Jung, and “Camilla: Big Day Suitcase” by Erin Entrada Kelly.

Here are links to our lists for the book: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. checkered
    patterned with alternating squares of color
    Actually, no one in her family ever dressed up like that, and the thought of asking Mom and Bachan to help her with the pink robe and checkered obi made her feel stiff and clompy.
  2. unabashed
    not embarrassed
    “What are you talking about? I think they’d be totally into it! You’d be perfect as Nezuko.”
    At her friend’s unabashed encouragement, Natalie grinned, but she also couldn’t help feeling a kernel of the Weird Feeling again.
  3. resentment
    a feeling of deep and bitter anger and ill-will
    With thin brown hair and smooth, skim-milk skin, Beth was some mix of English and/or Irish and/or German and/or Dutch. She’d said she’d never really asked—and, Natalie had thought with a peppery dash of resentment, she’d never really had to think about it—so she didn’t have any old traditions to feel weird about.
  4. conspicuous
    obvious to the eye or mind
    Then again, to some people, maybe any Asian in a face mask was conspicuous—to them, maybe it didn’t matter that Natalie was fifth-generation American and her family had been in this country since before World War I.
  5. ebb
    fall away or decline
    Beth and Mrs. Martin flushed an identical petal pink, and Natalie felt the sticky Mountain Dew feeling ebbing away.
  6. oppressive
    weighing heavily on the senses or spirit
    It’s not that she disliked Mr. and Mrs. Martin, really, but as one small thing piled up on top of another, she couldn’t help but feel the weight of Beth’s parents near her, oppressive as a planet.
  7. reverie
    an abstracted state of absorption
    “Hello?” The woman snapped her fingers in Natalie’s face, jerking her out of her stunned reverie.
  8. balk
    show unwillingness towards
    The woman only balked for a second before her expression soured on both of them.
  9. expansive
    able or tending to extend in one or more directions
    Feeling Beth’s side pressed firmly, warmly against hers, Natalie felt emboldened. (An expansive, bigger-on-the-inside feeling.)
  10. flurry
    a rapid active commotion
    She carried that feeling all the way out of the bathroom, where she and Beth were greeted by a flurry of activity in the terminal: travelers racing past with backpacks and rolling suitcases; sneakers squeaking and high heels clicking on the floor; security walkie-talkies crackling; PA announcers announcing; hungry diners in the food court muttering over whether to get pasta or wings.
  11. patter
    rain gently
    And in the center of it all were Natalie and Beth, like the eye of the storm pattering at the floor-to-ceiling windows.
  12. strew
    spread by scattering
    As they joined the burger line, they passed three boys in red-and-white warm-ups, two of them seated at a table strewn with pizza crusts and greasy napkins.
  13. precarious
    affording no ease or reassurance
    The boy who had been speaking hesitated. (A precarious feeling, like trying to tightrope-walk between staying silent and letting things accumulate until they were too big to be ignored or forging onward through the awkwardness and pain of speaking up.)
  14. forge
    move ahead steadily
    The boy who had been speaking hesitated. (A precarious feeling, like trying to tightrope-walk between staying silent and letting things accumulate until they were too big to be ignored or forging onward through the awkwardness and pain of speaking up.)
  15. ruefully
    in a manner expressing pain or sorrow
    Ruefully, she covered her face again.
  16. blatant
    without any attempt at concealment; completely obvious
    “I’m okay, Dad—I bet this trip’s less stressful than when I was four and we flew to Washington, DC, right?” Henry said. It was a blatant attempt to change the subject, but Henry knew it would probably work, because that kind of thing usually worked on Henry when other people did it to him.
  17. neurotypical
    relating to mental functions that are considered ordinary
    “Were you acting like a cartoon character?”
    “I’m sure I was trying to act friendly and whatnot, like a neurotypical person. I was teaching myself how to do it, but I wasn’t very good at it yet. I’m glad you’ve had better help with that.”
  18. lapse
    pass into a specified state or condition
    They both lapsed into silence and stayed that way as they walked through the airport, noting the locations of the bathrooms, the food court, and—Henry was excited to see—a bookstore.
  19. articulate
    put into words or an expression
    “There’s a lot of mean people,” Henry said finally, unable to articulate something better.
  20. restrained
    not showy or obtrusive
    “And people are confusing.”
    “All the time, yes,” James said with a very restrained smile.
  21. insulation
    material reducing transmission of sound, heat or electricity
    They reached their gate, found an empty row of seats, and sat down, carefully arranging their bags on the seats on either side of them, like a layer of insulation against other travelers.
  22. relevant
    having a bearing on or connection with the subject at issue
    “I am her son, and that part’s relevant. Weird in what way?”
  23. enlightened
    characterized by full comprehension of the problem involved
    You gotta remember your halmoni’s Korean, like, Korean Korean, not Korean American. A lot of Koreans from her generation aren’t super enlightened about neurodivergence. Or therapy. Or anything about mental health.
  24. methodical
    characterized by orderliness
    Henry and James, who were both very methodical about shopping for books, got down to business when they entered the store. First, they looked at the books, all the books, then the magazines, then back to the books, where they made their top five picks, which they narrowed down to three, then two, then one.
  25. insolence
    an offensive disrespectful impudent act
    “You know who’s not Korean enough?” he said.
    “You,” Henry said.
    “That’s right, me, because no self-respecting Korean dad would accept this kind of insolence from his son!”
  26. monolith
    a system or organized structure that is large, uniform, and powerful
    “Yes, they would. Korean American dads aren’t a monolith, you know.”
    “I am a Korean American dad,” James said.
    “And look at you being all not a monolith and everything!”
  27. subtly
    in a manner difficult to detect or grasp
    He dropped his shoulders, and right before the moment of contact, he subtly pivoted on his back foot so his body was almost pointing at the other boy.
  28. bray
    laugh loudly and harshly
    The other boy laughed loudly, braying, “That was hysterical!”
  29. pseudo
    not genuine but having the appearance of
    Father and son looked each other in the eye for quite a bit longer than either of them could usually handle, until James finally twisted up one corner of his mouth in what Henry liked to call a pseudo smile, which was when Henry tackle-hugged him.
  30. customary
    commonly used or practiced
    He sounded confused, but it didn’t stop him from giving Henry his customary kiss on the head.
  31. maw
    the mouth, jaws, or throat
    Henry sat, and James plunged into the increasingly hectic maw of the food court.
  32. hostile
    characterized by enmity or ill will
    Henry felt a wave of gratitude and affection for his dad, which was extra nice to feel while they were in a loud, crowded, potentially hostile airport.
  33. precedent
    an example that is used to justify similar occurrences
    A few moments of comfortable, patient silence went by as Henry considered this question, which had no precedent in the twelve-year epic tale of James and Henry Yun, Father and Son.
  34. alma mater
    a school you graduated from
    My dad had given it to me for Christmas, because Texas A&M is his alma mater, and right then and there, as I contemplated the suitcases, I vowed to wear the shirt during the entire journey to the Philippines.
  35. contemplate
    look at thoughtfully; observe deep in thought
    My dad had given it to me for Christmas, because Texas A&M is his alma mater, and right then and there, as I contemplated the suitcases, I vowed to wear the shirt during the entire journey to the Philippines.
  36. translucent
    allowing light to pass through diffusely
    Pancit bihon is one of my favorite dishes. It’s made with thin, translucent noodles and any kind of meat you want.
  37. rendition
    a performance of a musical composition or a dramatic role
    She stopped her rendition of Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” to click her tongue at my cutting board.
  38. paparazzo
    a freelance photographer who pursues celebrities
    “You look like you’re undercover. Your whole face is hidden. Are you trying not to be recognized? Are you hiding from—” I lean forward more and whisper, “the paparazzi?”
  39. delicate
    marked by great skill especially in meticulous technique
    Greta lays her iPad carefully on the table. She’s very delicate with all her things. Her Big Day suitcase is filled with immaculately clean dolls and books.
  40. compassion
    the humane quality of understanding the suffering of others
    “It’s easy to show compassion to people who are kind. Showing compassion to people who aren’t—that’s the true test.”
Created on Fri Jul 19 16:40:38 EDT 2024 (updated Sat Jul 20 15:27:41 EDT 2024)

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