The days continue to pass. It is late October. Neighbor Song is better, but she isn’t the same. She has lost some ground. I hear the worry in Hae-in’s voice and see it on his face when we FaceTime. He is coping. Life is hard, but still, when I get to talk to Neighbor Song, she is continues to be excited about the seeds she is ordering for her garden and her latest crochet project. She is making Hae-in a bright afghan. When she showed it to me on FaceTime I could see that her work is not as precise as it was, yet it is beautiful. I am so thankful she hasn’t given up and she is continuing to do the things she has always loved. The only down side is that Hae-in won’t be able to come visit me in November. Texas is a long way from Jeju and he doesn’t want to risk leaving her right now and I don’t blame him. Still, if I am honest with myself, I am very disappointed I can’t see him at Thanksgiving. I will be able to see him during Christmas break though because I am going to Jeju with my mom. Mom is not a good traveler. It will be a fun flight, eye roll.

*

Christmas break has finally come. I am as anxious as the kids are to get out of the building. I drive home fast and begin packing as soon as I am inside. While I pack, images and memories pass through my mind, the last time Hae-in held me, the first time we kissed and those long ago times of watching him from a distance when I was thirteen. I think of Neighbor Song. She is excited that we are coming and especially excited about Mom coming too. I wish I was not so nervous about the flight there. When I booked the tickets I really wanted to lie and tell Mom I couldn’t get seats together. I know I am being childish, but…

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

*

The flight is long. Mom can’t sleep and she keeps squirming and sighing. I am exhausted. Every time I doze off, she either moves or sighs and wakes me up.

After two layovers, a delayed flight and a thunderstorm we are almost there. Hae-in is close. Through the window I see ambient light. The plane goes into its landing pattern. Everything begins to speed up. We land in Seoul, and rush to make it to our plane to Jeju. I text Auntie Ji An and Hae-in. Only one hour in the air to go. The plane takes off. Outside the window I watch the sun slide toward the horizon. Its reflected light is beautiful in the clouds. Mom’s eyes are fixed on the window too. She is on her way to see her sister, Neighbor Song and her childhood home. She reaches for my hand. Her grip is firm. We watch for the first signs of the island. When we see it we let out a collective squeal. This long difficult journey is coming to an end. The plane lands. I text Auntie Ji An and Hae-in, “We are here.”

Hae-in texts back, “We are too.”