Martoons

Today: Fred lends a sympathetic ear. 

Cast of characters

Fred

Mrs Won

*

Shadow  

The rumour had killed Fred’s mood so he walked the dozen blocks back home to Good Lucky Apartments.

He found Mrs Won sitting alone in the kitchen sipping tea.

It was a rare sighting.

* How come? *

She worked long hours at the health clinic and Fred only saw her occasionally at night.

Her husband Mr Kim wouldn’t come home until several hours after that, and usually Fred was in la-la land by then.

As he chatted with Won he realized she was an intelligent, independent woman but locked into a traditional lifestyle.

“Fred,” she lamented, “I am lonely. All my friends are in my hometown, three hours away by car.”

He offered her a sympathetic shrug.

She waved him off.

“My situation is typical for a Korean wife. We move to our husband’s hometown and lose contact with our own family and friends.”

She leaned forward and put her hand on Fred’s in a confiding way:

“I have a confession: I don’t have a single friend in Chinju.”

Fred gently pulled his hand back.

“Why don’t you go out with some of your colleagues from the clinic? Have a few drinks. Relax.”

“They are mostly women and in the same position as me – they have no time.”

“Don’t any men work at the clinic?”

She remained stone-faced.

“If a Korean woman my age talks to another man – yellow card. If she goes outwith him – red card. This is Chinju – very traditional and everyone knows what you are doing and who you were with.”

“But it might bring your husband into line and he’d spend more time with you.”

She appeared aloof.

“Maybe he wouldn’t care. He has many girlfriends. Once he dated a woman who became Miss Korea.”

She paused for reflection.

“I must stay in the home after work. Korean style. I must endure.”

She let out a big, breathy sigh but then looked up and smiled.

“My daughter is my hope for the future. I don’t want Hot Sauce to live this kind of life.

“I hope she gets a very good job earning big money – much more than her future husband. Then she can – how you say – hen-peck him so he has to stay home with their children.”

“I admire your thinking, Mrs Won. You’re a liberated, Canadian-style feminist. Too bad you’re in Korea! But really you should get out once and a while. Don’t worry about what people might say.”

* Will Mrs Won take what Fred has to say to heart? *

She heartily waved him off and staunchly stood her ground.

“Impossible. I must watch over Hot Sauce. She is a teenager but very immature and has no self-discipline.

“My husband and I have decided that she will attend Chinju’s finest science high school, so she needs perfect on her exams. So she must study until midnight every night.”

Hot Sauce’s only break from study was on Sunday when her mom drove her to church and then home right after.

The next Sunday Fred decided to go with them.

It turned out that Won had a meeting after church and asked Fred to take Hot Sauce home.

“Take a taxi, Fred.”

She held out a wad of bills.

“It will take too long to walk.

“Hot Sauce must study all day. If you want, you can stop by a restaurant on the way. There are many near the apartment.

“After that, go straight home and don’t answer any phone calls, and if someone knocks on the door just ignore it. Hot Sauce must not be disturbed.”

* Will Hot Sauce remain undisturbed? *

Won disappeared into her meeting and Fred left the church with Hot Sauce.

*

Tomorrow: Fred and Hot Sauce converse.