AAE -- Wishes Of The Heart
Chapter 184
written by LoveCR2 -- 2005
edited by All-About-AAE -- 2018
"I was just thinking about something from a long time ago, and felt a little sad, because I can't go back to that again." -- Jin Sun-Mi
PYONGCHANG-DONG, SEOUL ...
"My father was furious! And I wondered if I really knew my own husband..."
Keeping her voice tightly restrained, Joo-Hee relates their reactions to Sun-Mi over a cup of tea in the garden of her home...
"I was so upset! How could he do something like this?"
Through a canopy of newly flowering trees, the late morning sun filters from a pale blue sky scattered with fluffy white clouds into the pergola, dappling jewels of light on the round patio table.
Although Joo-Hee is dressed in a cheery outfit -- a lemon yellow H&M pleated skirt and buttery cream button-down shirt with three-quarter roll up sleeves -- there is a sadness in her expression, and Sun-Mi sees the exhaustion worn into her eyes.
"The allegations shocked me, too," she empathizes. "Why would Uncle side with President Kim?"
"I'm worried about what this will do to our family," Joo-Hee frets. "Especially Mi-Rae, who's old enough to know something happened."
"Try not to worry," Sun-Mi counsels, "we don't know all the facts yet."
"That's easy for you to say," Joo-Hee retorts. "I'm potentially seeing my whole life fall into chaos. And for what?"
"I'll do whatever I can, to help you and the kids," Sun-Mi offers.
Joo-Hee replies to Sun-Mi with appreciation in her eyes, "Thanks, but don't you have your own problems to deal with?"
"Those aren't anything new," Sun-Mi plays down her troubles.
"Actually, I feel a bit guilty," Joo-Hee admits. "After Hyung-Chul spurned me, I hoped he'd suffer over love, like I had. Now I wonder if I cursed him for life."
"Nonsense! What happened is because of Senior and me, it's not because of you, or anyone else," Sun-Mi states firmly.
"Then what are you going to do now?" Joo-Hee is curious to know. "Will you get back together?"
"I don't know," Sun-Mi expresses her uncertainty. "We haven't communicated since the wedding, except for a few minutes in the hospital..."
As she is speaking, the nanny appears at the door, carrying Joo-Hee's crying baby, with Mi-Rae tagging along.
"Madam... Baby is fussing. It's time for her feeding," she informs Joo-Hee.
"I'm sorry," Joo-Hee apologizes to Sun-Mi as she gets up. "You'll have to excuse me."
"Of course," Sun-Mi replies, putting her teacup down on the saucer and picking up her purse.
They walk together into the house, pausing to exchange their shoes for slippers staged at the door, leaving Joo-Hee's Fendi white flowered low-wedge slides beside Sun-Mi's Cesare Paciotti raspberry suede 120mm stiletto courts.
Inside, Sun-Mi asks, "May I hold her?"
The nanny passes Ah-Ri to Sun-Mi, moving her drool cloth from her shoulder to Sun-Mi's, to protect her Talbot Runhof royal blue asymmetrical ruched sheath. Then she hovers nearby, watching on protectively as Sun-Mi holds the baby, cooing and patting her soothingly on the back.
Meanwhile Joo-Hee settles into a comfortable rocker by the window, where she can look out over the garden. After she unbuttons her blouse and opens the flap of her nursing bra, Sun-Mi hands Joo-Hee her baby. Ah-Ri quickly latches on and starts suckling noisily.
Watching Joo-Hee with her child in this intimate maternal moment, Sun-Mi feels an unexpected pang of envy...
"I should be going now," she excuses herself.
But Mi-Rae comes up and protests loudly, "Auntie Sun-Mi, you can't go yet!"
"Shhh!" Joo-Hee admonishes. "Baby is nursing."
Ignoring her mother's disapproval, Mi-Rae grabs Sun-Mi by the hand and urges excitedly, "You have to come and meet my dolls!"
"Is it all right?" Sun-Mi asks Joo-Hee.
Joo-Hee nods. "If you can stay, we'll have lunch later."
"Sure," Sun-Mi agrees, as Mi-Rae drags her off...
A FEW MINUTES LATER ...
Entering Mi-Rae's bedroom, Sun-Mi sees that a shelf over the girl's bed is lined with dolls.
They sit down together on the bed, and Mi-Rae confides, "You'll have to excuse them, they're being very naughty today."
"That's okay. Do you want to introduce us?" Sun-Mi replies, playing along.
"Shhh! Everybody be quiet! Pay attention!" Mi-Rae scolds as if she is a teacher with an unruly class. "This is my Auntie Sun-Mi."
"I'm very happy to meet you," Sun-Mi continues her role play, looking over the crowded shelf. "My, you're all so pretty, that I..."
She stops mid-sentence when she sees the Peter Rabbit music box tucked in next to a plush Dooly.
"When did you get this one, Mi-Rae?" she asks, pointing.
"Peter Rabbit? For Christmas, from Uncle Yoon," Mi-Rae replies.
"Huh?" Sun-Mi is surprised at this, but then asks, "May I hold him?"
"Here," Mi-Rae allows, handing Peter Rabbit to Sun-Mi.
Sun-Mi looks fondly at the porcelain figurine she'd given to Hyung-Chul, as a remembrance of the summer they shared in England.
"Do you want to hear the music?" Mi-Rae offers. "There's a switch on the bottom."
Sun-Mi turns the figurine upside down. On the bottom plate, the words she'd written in English are still there...
... To Senior -- London 1995 -- JSM ...
She pushes the switch, and the music box starts plinking the simple melody...
Listening to 'Magic Flute', memories of the last moments before her departure from London City Airport come back to Sun-Mi...
... 'Senior, I bought you a gift. Cute, isn't it?' ...
... 'But it doesn't match my character' ...
... 'It matches mine. It's up to the giver anyways' ...
... 'Isn�t it a big present just to have known me?' ...
... 'This is a British goodbye' ...
"Why are you crying, Auntie Sun-Mi?" Mi-Rae asks innocently. "Don't you like the music?"
Sun-Mi wipes her eyes and answers, "The music is very nice. I was just thinking about something from a long time ago, and felt a little sad, because I can't go back to that place again."
"Oh..." Mi-Rae scoots closer and gives Sun-Mi a tight hug.
"What's this for?" Sun-Mi asks, surprised.
"I always feel happy when I get a hug," the girl answers. "I want you to feel happy too."
"Thank you, Mi-Rae," Sun-Mi says gratefully as she hugs her back. "You're right, I should be happy..."