It is very hot outside.

Young-ja sees Linda at the market.

Linda says, "It is so hot today!"

Young-ja thinks for a moment.

Then she smiles and says,

"In Korea, four seasons. Here — only two! Hot. And hotter!"

Linda laughs very loudly.

Another shopper laughs too.

Young-ja is surprised. "I made a joke! In English! First time!"

Linda says, "That was a GOOD joke!"

Young-ja goes home happy.

"I am funny in English too!"

It is August — extremely hot.

Young-ja runs into Linda outside the market.

Linda fans herself. "I cannot believe this heat!"

Young-ja fans herself too. "Yes! Very hot!"

Then she remembers something her daughter told her — a funny way to describe California weather.

She smiles and says:

"In Korea, we have four seasons — spring, summer, fall, winter.

Here? Only two seasons. Hot. And hotter! "

Linda stops. Then bursts out laughing.

"That is PERFECT! That is exactly California!"

A passing shopper laughs too.

Young-ja is amazed. "I made a joke! In English! First time!"

Linda says, "That was genuinely good. You have to remember that one."

At home Young-ja tells her daughter.

Her daughter laughs. "Mom, you have a sense of humor in English too."

Young-ja grins. "I always did. I just needed the words."

August in California was serious.

Young-ja had grown up with four proper seasons —

spring blossoms, humid summer, brilliant fall, cold winter.

Here the temperature simply rose in June and refused to leave until October.

She was outside the market, shifting her bags from one hand to the other,

when Linda appeared from the parking lot, sunglasses on, fanning herself with a folded receipt.

"Oh my goodness. Young-ja. It is absolutely unacceptable out here today."

Young-ja laughed. "Yes. Very hot."

And then — she wasn't entirely sure where it came from —

she heard her own daughter's voice in her head from a week ago:

"Mom, people here joke about it. They say California has two seasons — hot and hotter."

Young-ja looked at Linda.

"You know... in Korea, we have four seasons.

Every season is different. Beautiful in its own way. "

She paused for exactly the right beat.

"Here? Only two seasons. Hot." She raised one finger.

"And hotter." She raised another.

Linda stared at her.

Then she laughed — a full, genuine laugh that turned the head of a woman

walking past with a cart.

The woman heard the tail end, caught the two fingers, and laughed too.

Young-ja stood very still, slightly stunned.

"Young-ja," Linda said, wiping her eyes,

"that was an actual good joke. In English. I want you to know that."

"I made a joke," Young-ja said, mostly to herself. "In English. It worked."

She said it again at home, to her daughter.

"I made a joke in English today. People laughed."

Her daughter looked up from her laptop. "What did you say?"

Young-ja repeated it — the setup, the pause, the two fingers.

Her daughter laughed.

"Mom. You have comedic timing."

Young-ja considered this.

"In Korean, I am very funny. Your grandfather always said so."

"I believe it."

"I thought..." Young-ja paused. "I thought funny didn't translate.

That humor was the last thing that would cross the language. "

"And?"

"And apparently — hot and hotter translates just fine."