A Southern Girl: A Novel

1: Jong Sim

7 j 1 i Jong Sim My sweet gardenia, today we will go into Seoul, a city I myself have never seen but one we can visit together. What a day we will have. Everything will be new, as you are new. Oh, do not worry about getting lost. Min Jung gave detailed instructions. This bus carries us to the edge of the city, where we will take another. The sights and sounds and the aromas will welcome us there. They will forever live in our pooled memory. Little flower, we will remember this day always. Am I holding you too tight? It is because the bus lurches from side to side and hiccups when the potholes find the wheels, and at any moment you may be jarred from me. Can I loosen your pojaegi? There. You may move your arms for greater comfort. Your perfect little arms. I have a surprise for you. Later. Surprises are best when you must wait for them. I should know. You yourself were a surprise. Imagine my happiness when the midwife held you up. When she cut the cord, you turned from blue to pink and you cried and I cried with you. When we boarded the bus, the aunties in the front seat swooned when they saw your perfect skin, so like a peach. We cannot fault them for jealousy . Perhaps they have daughters who do not have your endless smile; the smile reflected in the pearl-backed mirror. Yes, I brought it with me. But I will bring it out later, because I must keep my eyes open for the tall sign with the green dragon. That is where we must get off to wait for the next bus. Min Jung told me three times: “a tall sign with a green dragon.” I hope there is not more than one such sign, but she would have told me if there was a chance for confusion. She is such a good friend. A Southern Girl 8 Are you warm, little one? Let me loosen your blanket. Better? The heat on the bus is set for winter, but today is so mild I may open a window. Min Jung said we must make this trip soon, as the mild weather cannot last. I wish the flowers were in bloom for you to see and smell. Did I tell you the pearl-backed mirror was a gift from my mother? She must have loved me very much because to get such a thing she would have to have sold at least a pig or three goats. How she could have managed such an expense I do not know. She always looked and felt so special when she held it to brush her hair. I loved to watch her pause to turn her head first one way and then another. You would not have thought her beautiful, certainly not as you are beautiful, but when she held the mirror she saw herself as special. She would not let me hold it until I was ten for fear I might drop it. But, smiling, she held it for me, turning it at angles to show me all sides of my face and head. Her smile was like sunshine, but seldom did the sun come out because farming life was so hard for her. She always told me my life would be different, but it has not been so. Your father, Hyun Su, says our lives are Buddha’s will, but I was taught that Buddha does not decide our fate. Your life will be different, of that you can be certain. How can I be sure? Ah, that it what today is about. You will see me keep a promise to you that my mother could not keep to me. My little angel, you will not farm. The windows are so dusty and dirty that it is hard to see the beauty of this land. Let me clear a space for you to look through. You see those mountains in the distance? Lovely, are they not? This is the beauty of Korea, a beauty that you must remember. Did you know you were born during the festival of Dongji, the shortest day of the year? Yes, it is true. That makes you even more special. The midwife was not pleased to be pulled away from the festival, but my time had come—our time had come—and we had paid her in advance. Hyun Su told...