Home Alone: Sole Soul in Seoul
I'm writing this on the sixth, but posting on the seventh, and as I write, I reflect upon an unusual day, the day the EBS cameraman came to our home and accompanied us to the airport to see my family off to my hometown of Salem, Arkansas, leaving me behind, alone in Seoul.
We scrubbed our place cleaner than usual, but the cats subverted our pride -- as cats will -- when Goya threw up three times and Angi pooed where no pet should ever poo, namely, a stool on my chair! I managed to clean those up before the cameraman arrived, indeed before anyone else was up!
In case anyone has forgotten, my daughter received three tickets to my hometown for winning first place on the EBS quiz show Janghak. Three tickets. Our family has four members. We could perhaps have bought a fourth ticket, but I decided to stay home and catch up on work: editing, writing, researching.
The EBS cameraman asked how I felt about staying behind. I explained that I had a lot to do, so the time alone in peace and quiet would be useful. He asked a lot of other question, and I tried to reply without making myself look too foolish. Everything depends on how my daughter translated my answers. I tried to maintain a degree of dignity even though I didn't fit in so well, being incompetent in Korean.
But as I was waving goodbye while my wife and kids were heading for the door to the passenger area, the camera panned onto my face and focused there, stretching out the moment, and I suddenly felt myself about to burst into foolish tears, so I bit my lower lip in a manner I hope not reminiscent of Bill Clinton in his attempts to look moved, and managed to maintain a stoical face, I think.
But we'll all find out the day after my family returns, when EBS broadcasts the edited version . . .
posted by Horace Jeffery Hodges @ 8:13 AM
4 comments
4 Comments:
Something I learned the very "hard way." There will always be work. The same can't be said of time with our families.
My consolation is that I really dislike flying . . .
Jeffery Hodges
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My condolences to you and congratulations to your family. Hopefully the weather will remain fairly mild for August in Arkansas. I did learn something from your map. I never knew Hwy. 62 was also called Morning Side Lane! I will fully commiserate with you next week when I will be "batching" it myself.
Jay
"Morning Side Lane" must allude to the sunrise, since it is Highway 62 East, but the name sounds like a joke -- a highway as a 'lane"?
Jeffery Hodges
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