Going Solo

Part 17

Hugh

I'd finally gotten everything clean. My mother would kill me if she saw how my apartment looked on a normal day. My mother would be here for about a week. I was to pick her up at the airport this morning, at 9:30, which meant that I would have to pick up Jin at 8:30.

My mother, Nahm Han Areum, took Jin Dong in, as a second son, when his mother dropped him off at our house the day she left the country. He was 6 years old.

Jin's mother had never mistreated or neglected him, but he was never her first priority either. Her best friend, my mother, took on the responsibility and expense of another child when she was 28 years old. A young widow was forced, or rather coerced, into raising another child, due to the selfish pursuits of a young woman who never wanted to become a mother.

Or at least that was how I saw it.

Jin's mother appeared in our doorway late one Tuesday evening. She was silent, but her eyes pleaded with my mother as the hands that rested on the shoulders of her 6 year old son, firmly pushed him forward, further into our home. I couldn't understand at the time why tears came to my mother's eyes. I was confused as to why Auntie Seunga didn't speak a word of goodbye as she dropped Jin off, to me, my mother, or to Jin.

Jin doesn't often speak of his mother or of that time. He doesn't have to, I remember it clearly; in his first year living with us, Jin was a difficult child. He was quiet at home. Prior to his mother leaving him with us, Jin and I had a good relationship, but during his first year, he was cold to me, to my  mother, and was a bully to kids at school. Eventually, my mother got through to him, and he opened his heart to both me and my mother, he softened and accepted us as his family. The change seemed to me, very sudden and I wasn't sure what it was that had softened his heart. Till this day, I don't know what it is that changed him, but whatever it was, I was grateful for it. I had regained my best friend.

With all that Jin had been through, I hoped and prayed that he could live the rest of his life in peace, that he could find happiness. When Jasmine came around, and he fell in love, I was happy for him, but somehow I had a feeling that she wouldn't bring him the peace and happiness that he deserved. And I was right. And because of her he had yet again suffered a tragic heartbreak. The combination of what some of the most important women in his life had done to him, made him closed off to all women. Except my mother.

Jin was already waiting outside when I pulled up in front of his building. He hopped in. Usually, when my mom came to visit, Jin was happier than me, but as he buckled his seat belt a frown was draped across his face and his eyes were distant.

"What is it?" I had to ask.

"Drive, we'll be late." he replied, his eyes still pasted to the windshield.

I sat still, the car still in park, and stared at him. I was not letting this go.

"I'll tell you, just... drive for now." he pleaded, finally turning his eyes toward me.

"Okay." I said. "Fine." And I did.

As I was pulling onto the highway, Jin said, almost in a whisper, "She's back."

"Who?" I asked, not sure if he was speaking about Jasmine or his mother. It could only be one of the two that had made him this upset.

Jin turned to me, confused. "Who do you think?" he paused, taking a deep breath. "Jasmine, she's back."

"What?!" I almost screamed. There was a loud HONK! From the car behind me, as I had just about slammed my foot down on the breaks. When I finally regained my senses, and realized that I was on the interstate, I hit the gas and we were again moving with the flow of traffic. Jin sat still, staring at his hands, unfazed by the commotion that I'd just caused and the fact that we'd almost been in an accident. "Why? When was this?! Why didn't you call me?"

"I don't know." Was all he said.

"Oh no. You're going to have to give me more than that." I said, the anger for that woman coming back to me in waves. "When did you see her?"

"Yesterday."

After getting a full report from Jin, starting with his dream, to his getaway with Nicole, and finally his confrontation with Jasmine, resulting in her storming away angrily, I finally asked, "Why didn't you call me?"

"There was too much going on!" he shouted, "And besides, you were preparing everything for Auntie's visit and I was... trying to figure out how to... deal with this."

"You should've called me. I would've been right there with you."

"I know." he whispered, his voice strained.

"We'll figure this out." I said, looking over at him quickly, and then right back at the road, fearful of another almost-accident.

"There's nothing to figure out. I told her to leave."

I finally pulled off the exit and headed to the airport.

"Don't mention this to Mom." I said, knowing how much my mother hated Jasmine after what she did to Jin.

"What, do you think, I'm crazy?" he said.

I pulled up to the entrance of the airport and saw my mother there, bags clutched tight in her arms, as she typed away on the little flip phone I'd gotten her years ago. Jin and I hopped out of the car.

"Eomma! (Mom!)" I called. My mother looked up and was engulfed in my arms as I hugged her.

"Adeul! (Son!)" she said, her face buried into my chest as she spoke. I hadn't realized how much I missed her.

Jin took her bags and was stuffing them in the car, as I told my mother how much I'd missed her. After I let her go, I finished putting her bags into my car, and Jin gave her a good squeeze too before opening her car door and helping her inside the car.

"How I've missed you two!" she said, enjoying her chance to use her English speaking skills. "So, what's new?"