a short story

when i dont want to do work, i tend to remember all sorts of random things. but today, a conversation i had with my mom after she got back from korea kept running through my mind. so instead of thinking about it over and over again and wanting to cry every time i think about it, i decided to write it down. it's about my grandma and my mom's trip to korea a few months ago.


5/11/2010

She wasn't getting any better so they decided to move her back home. Being away from home was taking a toll on their dad's health. He took the bus and the train an hour each way, everyday, to be with her.

The daughter in America tracked her mother's condition through updates over the phone with her sisters. She scheduled a two week vacation and booked a flight to Korea. Sooner than later, she thought. This would probably be the last time.

Her dad hadn't left the apartment since they moved Mom back in from the nursing home. Without anywhere to go or anything to do, he fell into a depression and slept through most of the days. The daughter made one last visit day before her flight back to Minnesota, she went to tell him she was leaving. He insisted that they go to lunch before her flight the next day. She said that would be nice and told him she would pick him up at noon.

He woke up early the next day. He found the nail clippers and cut his fingernails. Next, he lathered up his beard, shaved his face, trimmed his nose hairs. He went into the closet and pulled out his three-piece suit, ironed out the creases and picked out his favorite blue tie. When he heard the doorbell ring, he put on his fedora, took one last look in the mirror and told his wife he was going to out to lunch with their daughter from America.

As they walked to the car, she told him he looked handsome. He smiled. This is what he wants her to remember.

--XXunbound <3