Angel Of The Morning Calm (2)
Miss Lee contemplated for a moment. “Me too. I want learn Englishee.” “You speak English well.” “No. I read Englishee. I cannot speakee well. If-uh I learn speakee Englishee well, I can later find-uh good job.” Miss Lee continued in her contemplation for a moment. Suddenly, with a new confidence she returned her eyes to Byron and said, “You me deal. You teachee me speakee Englishee good, and-uh I teachee you Korean and-uh everything.” “Sounds great to me.” Byron extended his hand to Miss Lee. She looked for a moment, unsure of what to think when a man actually offered her a hand to shake. Shyly, she reached and took his hand between both of her hands and bowed slightly. Raising her head again, she smiled at him. “Where are you going?” Byron asked. “I go shopping.” “I think I’d like to go shopping too.” Byron said. “Can I come with you?” Miss Lee paused as she thought her way through the words Byron spoke. Then she raised her eyebrows in exaggerated excitement and nodded. “OK,” she said smiling. She started to walk on down the sidewalk. Byron turned and walked by her side. After three steps together, Miss Lee turned suddenly and faced Byron. Her face was suddenly very stern. “I am Christian girl,” She said. Byron held his hands up in mock surrender. “I’m very happy to hear that,” he said. “I’m a Christian boy.” “I am good girl,” she warned. “I promise I’ll treat you like I want my sister to be treated,” Byron said now catching her meaning. Miss Lee dropped her eyes as she thought again. “You treat-uh me likee you sister?” She asked. Now Byron had to pause, somewhat astonished at the change that had taken place in translation. But her version still worked. “Yes I will,” Byron promised. “This one good,” Miss Lee said ponderously. She turned her stern look on Byron again. “Jung-mal?” “What’s Jung-mal?” “’Jung-mal?’ mean ‘True?’” “Ok, yes … true ... How do I answer that?” “You say ‘Jung-mal.’.” “Ok. Jung-mal.” Her sternness faded into her sweet smile again. “I treat-uh you likee my brother, too,” she said. They continued down the sidewalk side by side. “I go shopping together American man, and-uh ajuma and-uh Miss Gunn thinkee I am crajee.” Miss Lee mused. Byron thought on the earlier conversation about these two. He smiled mischievously and looked over at Miss Lee. “They already think you’re crazy,” he said. Miss Lee looked at him. She interpreted his smile and his words, then smiled back and nodded. “True,” she said. Seeing a display of mink blankets at the front of the store they approached, Byron pointed suddenly and said, “I want one of those really bad. I need to send one home to mom, and I want one for myself.” “You likee mink blanket?” “Yes, very much.” “Crumun,” Miss Lee nodded. “We buy. Let’s-uh go.” Byron stopped and looked at one beige blanket displayed just inside the front door. He shook his head at the beautiful picture of a wild horse which was woven into it. “I like this one,” he said. Miss Lee examined it quickly and said. “This one no good.” “Why?” Byron asked. Miss Lee put one hand on each side of the blanket and pulled. “Just-uh one,” she said. “This one not good long time.” “Ah,” Byron nodded. They looked through the stacks of neatly folded blankets on the tables and viewed the pictures and patterns of the brightly colored blankets hung on the wall. Near the back of the store Byron found another blanket – this time dark blue with black silhouettes of horses - tail and mane streaming behind as they galloped. Remembering the first test Miss Lee taught him, he pinched the fur on each side of the blanket and pulled slightly. To his satisfaction, the sides of the blanket pulled apart revealing that it had two distinct layers of material. “You likee?” Miss Lee asked? “Yes.” “You buy?” “Yes, if I can afford it.” “Ajoshi,” Miss Lee called. “Ye,” a man from the next counter answered. Miss Lee began speaking with him. The conversation began calmly, but gradually became louder and more animated. Byron watched in amazement. The little schoolgirl smile and bashfulness were now nowhere to be found. Now the petite, delicate, and beautiful young woman with whom he had entered the store became a veritable wolverine. Her voice rose to match the level of the man who sold the blanket. She never backed up a step. When he became animated, she became more animated. When he slapped the back of his hand onto this blanket or that blanket, she pointed and argued vehemently. Wrinkles came across her smooth forehead and her face flushed as she contended with the blanket ajoshi. “My gosh!” Byron said. “Doesn’t he want to sell the blanket?” “He want to sell,” Miss Lee said turning her now fiery eyes on Byron. “Just-uh he see American man, and-uh he thinkee more money.” “How much?” Byron asked. “No! We not pay!” Miss Lee said with the same fire with which she argued with the shopkeeper. “If-uh he not discount-uh, we go ‘nother place!” The shopkeeper began the argument again. Miss Lee met him once again with her fire undiminished. The shopkeeper, however, had lost his edge in the pause. After just a few exchanges, he nodded his head, and raised his left hand. “Araso, araso,” he said. Miss Lee turned to Byron again. “He say 12,000 won. I thinkee this good price.” Byron’s jaw dropped. He quickly figured it in his head. It was about fifteen American dollars - just over half what his friends had told him he would have to spend to get a nice mink blanket. He fumbled through his wallet and pulled out the money as the shopkeeper bagged his new prize. “Where did THAT come from?” Byron said in wide eyed amazement as he and Miss Lee walked out of the store. “Ai-gu,” Miss Lee snarled giving an aggravated shake with her head. “I no likee this kind of-uh man. Just-uh he see American man and-uh he thinkee American man have-uh lot of-uh money. He thinkee more money. This is likee cheat!” “I agree,” Byron said nodding. “But I would have never guessed you had THAT in you.” He shook his head, widened his eyes again and whistled in indication of amazement at the ferocity displayed by this remarkable new friend. Miss Lee smiled, all hints of the fury released on the shopkeeper now gone from her once again strikingly beautiful face. “I say you are likee my brother, right?” “Right,” Byron answered. “And you say I am likee you sister. I help-uh you with this kind-uh.” Byron nodded, now understanding the importance the earlier change of wording had for his new friend, and with a new appreciation for the promise he had made when their deal was struck. * * * * “So why did you leave Pusan and come to Kunsan?” Byron asked looking across the table at the beautiful lady now sipping ice coffee. Miss Lee sat her coffee down, and glanced for a moment out the glass front of the coffee shop where they now sat. When the words were gathered, she looked across at Byron again and began: “You know that I am Christian girl?” “Yes.” “My father is not Christian man. He want-uh me Buddha girl. But I do not believe this kinda. I believe Christian now.” “I see,” Byron said urging her to continue. “This is big problem. Girl is not supposed to believe Christian if-uh her father believe Buddha. If she marry, and her husband believe Buddha, she supposed to believe Buddha too. If she marry, and her husband believe Christian, she supposed to believe Christian. If she not marry, she supposed to believe her father same.” “I see,” Byron said. “And since you wanted to be a Christian, you couldn’t stay home.” “This really bad,” She continued. “I want to go churchee, and my father so mad. He come churchee inside, and he get-uh me.” “He came into church after you?” “Yes. He takee my ear like this,” she said pinching her ear lobe to demonstrate. “Everybody lookee me and-uh he takee me outside.” “Wow,” Byron said. “I’ve never heard of anything like that. How old were you?” “Just-uh one month ago!” Miss Lee answered. “You were 21 years old and your father dragged you out of church by your ear?” “Yes,” she said growing visibly agitated as she relived the experience. “Think about it – I am so embarrass. I talk to my mommy and-uh say ‘I want-uh believe Christian. I know not supposed to, but I want-uh believe Christian, so what-uh you going to do?’” Byron nodded. His conversations with Miss Lee the last few weeks had taught him that the “What you going to do?” statements from Miss Lee actually meant “What am I supposed to do?” He needed to correct that, but her page was already full of notes from today – maybe next time. Byron turned his attention back to their conversation. “What did she say?” “She say she understand, and-uh she tell me if-uh I want-uh leave, I am old enough.” “So you left and came here?” “Yes. My mommy give-uh me money, and I buy bus ticket and-uh I come here.” “Why Kunsan?” “I likee ocean. You know, Pusan have-uh lot of beachees” “I bet they’re not like Kunsan.” “Not same thing,” Miss Lee said shaking her head. “This place, everything so dirty. Pusan not same thing.” Byron reached down beside him and pulled his notebook out of his backpack. He flipped through the pages of practice of the Korean alphabet, and spelling of his vocabulary words. He paused from time to time and mumbled the words which he still had some difficulty pronouncing. He reviewed a few of the Korean vowel sounds, and how they transliterated. The ‘ae’ made a long A sound. What was transliterated as ‘i’ made a long e sound. The little character that was transliterated as ‘a’ actually made an ‘ah’ sound. He stopped, and looked up at Miss Lee. “Ajoshi is an older man, and ajuma is a married older woman. What would I call you normally?” “If-uh you do not know me, you say ‘agashi.’ But you and-uh me are friend.” “So can I call you Ok Sun?” “Not supposed to,” Miss Lee said shaking her head. “Why? You’re barely one year older than me.” “Even if-uh I am only one day older, you are not supposed to call me my name.” “So I just call you ‘Miss Lee?’” “Miss Lee is OK, but when we are good friend, you call me ‘noona.’” “Noona?” Byron said recognizing this term which Miss Lee taught him was used only by boys. “Older sister?” “Yes.” “That’s weird.” “I likee,” she nodded. “That just feels weird.” “Miss Lee is ok, too.” Byron nodded and wrote notes on what Ok Sun had just taught. “You know, we always come here to study, and you have taken me where you work several times so I can eat different Korean foods. Ajuma likes me now, and I think even Miss Gunn has eased up around me.” “Don’t trust-uh Miss Gunn,” Ok Sun warned. “She so muchee gossip.” “I understand,” Byron continued. “But what I was saying is that you teach me a lot of things, but I still have never seen the inside of a Korean house. You let me walk you home, but I don’t know what the inside of your house is like.” “Not supposed to,” Ok Sun said shaking her head disapprovingly at the question she anticipated. “Fair enough,” Byron said showing her his palms to indicate he had no plans to pursue the topic further. “Fair enough?” Ok Sun asked. “Yes. It means … like … now that I know what you think, that’s ok.” “Fair enough,” Ok Sun repeated nodding. She gathered her notebook in front of her and noted the expression. “What is your house like on the inside?” “You know, I don’t have so muchee stuff.” She paused and looked for Byron’s approval of her sentence. “Stuff, yes, that’s good usage.” She smiled, nodded, and continued. “I have small dresser and mirror, and little stove. I don’t have bed.” “You don’t have a bed?” “I have bed, and-uh not likee American bed, just little folding bed. We call it ‘Sam-dan-yo’” “Sam-dan-yo?” Byron asked as he tried to note this new word in his notebook. Ok Sun nodded in approval of his Korean spelling. “Sam – likee three,” she said. “Ok,” Byron noted. “We say sam-dan-yo because bed fold, and have three part.” “Oh,” Byron said. “That’s what the GI’s call a ‘yobo bed’.” “Don’t say ‘yobo bed’,” Ok Sun answered. “Husband say to his wife ‘yobo’ or wife talk to her husband likee ‘yobo’, but GI talk not mean likee that. Korean yobo mean likee ‘sweetheart’, but only husband and wife say yobo.” “I knew that about the GI talk, but I didn’t know what it meant for sure in Korean,” Byron noted. “What do you need in your house?” Byron asked. “Nothing,” Ok Sun said thoughtfully. “I do not need, but just-uh I want TV.” “You don’t have a TV?” “No TV. Nothing.” Byron smiled slyly as he continued to write down the definition for “yobo”. Ok Sun had never allowed him to pay her the taxi fare from their first meeting, but perhaps she would accept a gift… * * * * Byron carried the little TV he had purchased up the street to the front of Ok Sun’s landlady’s house this evening. He had accompanied Ok Sun when she stopped to pay her rent, so he knew the house, but he was unsure if he could speak well enough to get her landlady to understand his intent to leave the TV in Ok Sun’s house. The land lady answered the door, and smiled uneasily when she recognized him. She seemed unsure whether to try to converse with him, or send him away. Byron began with his strained Korean to try to explain that he had bought the TV as a gift for Ok Sun. When she nodded as if she understood he explained that he wanted to surprise her by leaving it in her house. It took two or three attempts, but finally the land lady smiled widely revealing her perfect set of dentures, and answered, “Ah, ah, araso.” She disappeared inside her house briefly leaving the door open as a signal to Byron that she would be back. She reappeared with a key in her hand. She stopped briefly and turned her back to Byron as she slid her toes into the shoes outside her door. She closed the door and shuffled down the narrow alleyway in front of her house waving for Byron to follow her as she went. When they arrived in front of Ok Sun’s apartment, the landlady knocked twice at the door and shouted. Nobody answered. Byron knew nobody would be home. He had cleverly scoped out her place of employment until he knew she had gone to work before he ever tried to bring the TV home. He knew her well enough by now to know that she would first be shocked, but if he was accompanied by her landlady, he believed it would be ok. He believed she would appreciate the present he was leaving for her to discover and enjoy by herself. Upon satisfying herself that nobody was home, the landlady opened the door. She motioned for Byron to enter. Byron stepped inside the house. The landlady barked at him and waved at his shoes.. Byron stopped, sat the TV down, removed his shoes, then continued inside. It was very small, and only consisted of a small front room, and a tiny tiled bathroom that actually joined the area into which he first walked. Everything inside her house was neatly in its place, and every square inch of the house was sanitized. The neatness and cleanliness was typical of his meticulous student and teacher. He placed the TV on the tiny dresser just to the side of the mirror. He did not know for sure where she would want it, but he thought this looked as good as any other spot. He carefully situated it to be most easily seen from her bed. He plugged it in, and gave it a quick test. Everything was functional. He turned it off and quickly exited her room. He replaced his shoes at her door as the land lady locked the door and checked to be sure everything was secure. Byron nodded in acknowledgement to her. “Kamsa hamnida,” he thanked her. “Ye,” she acknowledged. “Cheon man-eyo.” Byron stopped and listened. He could hear the sound of a woman’s shoes as she ran. “Odd,” Byron thought to himself as he walked just ahead of the landlady to the mouth of this dark alley. He had become accustomed to the scoot and shuffle that these shoes made as the ladies walked in them. But the cadence of these shoes was unmistakable – someone was in a dead run toward them. They approached the entrance to the alley. Suddenly, a fury of arms and flying hair flew into Byron. Byron jumped back startled. Miss Gunn from Ok Sun’s place of employment stood panting and sobbing, moving with what seemed to be no control before him. Her hair was mussed from her run. Her face was red, and she was obviously winded. Even in the very dim light of the alleyway Byron could see the wild-eyed excitement in her face - or was that fear. Recognizing Byron just before he recognized her, she grabbed his arm. Byron pulled his hand away from her.
Copyright © 2004 Steven L Howard |