Martoons

Today: Fred moves into his new Korean home.

Cast of characters

Fred

Miss No

Mr Go

Mrs Won – Fred’s homestay hostess

*

Fred was slated to live with a typical, modern Korean family – husband, wife and one kid (usually a son) – and a small tank of gold fish.

After a ten-minute drive from downtown, Go turned off the main road and entered an apartment complex, with towers rising up into the sky and receding back as far as the eye could see.

Vehicles were crammed into every parking spot and also up on curves, grassy areas and edged onto patios.

One or two expressionless men were walking from their vehicles, in business suits and holding briefcases; their heads down and cigarettes dangling from their lips.

No children anywhere and the lot was silent.

* What is Fred’s first impression of his lodgings? *

“I am surprised the cars aren’t stacked on top of each other,” Fred chuckled.

“Korea is very small,” Miss No said, “and space is at a premium. Anyway, this is Good Lucky Apartments.”

She pointed up to the apartment tower where Fred’s host family lived.

It was back a bit and they had to drive down to it.

Tower 1, 2, 3… Each clay-coloured tower was numbered high up on its side with a huge black font inside a white circle.

“Right there, right there…” Miss No said and Go slowed the car.

Fred looked up at its number in big black characters and then gasped.

Then he began laughing hysterically.

*

*Homestay*

“Why are you laughing?” Miss No had that irritated feeling that she’d been left out of a joke.

“Oh nothing.” Fred shook his head disbelievingly. “This is … so-o-o surreal.”

He pointed up to the top of the tower and Miss No’s sight line followed.

13

“What?” No threw her arms up, almost annoyed.

“It’s bad luck in my country.”

“In Korea, no problem,” she assured him. “Koreans like it. Thirteen is not a bad number here.”

Carrying in her arms the new quilt sheathed in thick-gauge plastic, she approached the security booth in front of Building 13, informing the guard that they were here to visit Mrs Won.

* Is Fred’s arrival a big event? *

“Ah, yeah, yeah,” the small-framed, uniformed senior sentry said, as if expecting them.

He telephoned up and then gave them the okay.

As the elevator hummed upward, No gave the quilt to Go to hold.

She said to Fred, “Mr Go several days ago bought a brand new bed for you and came here previously and assembled it.”

“And almost got attacked by that stupid little dog,” he remarked, “Ayeesh!”

“Thanks Mr Go,” Fred said. “I appreciate your effort.”

No continued, “Mrs Won didn’t have a bed in her spare room. Most Koreans usually sleep on the floor.”

Fred nodded in acknowledgment. “Miss No, I don’t want to offend my new hostess. How should I address her? Mrs? Ms? Miss? What?”

“You may call her ajumma. It means housewife.”

Fred repeated it. “A-jew-ma. A-jew-ma.”

“Mrs Won is your homestay ajumma.

Everybody uses the word ajumma but the younger housewives don’t like it. Mrs Won won’t mind. She is old.”

* Are names and titles important in Korea? *

Fred started putting together a picture of her – perhaps a white-headed, elderly woman?

She’d no doubt have a million war stories about life back when Korea was dirt poor.

This could be fascinating, he mused.

The elevator opened and they approached Mrs Won’s apartment.

Fred was going to chuckle again at the numerology (1313), but suppressed it.

Promptly after they rang the doorbell, Mrs Won opened the door and bowed to them, gesturing them in.

She wore stylish glasses, had neatly cropped-off housewife hair, and was an average Korean female’s height and weight – about five foot four, maybe 130 pounds.

And she wasn’t old – maybe only about 40.

Fred right away saw that age had a different connotation in Korea.

Miss No officially introduced Fred and he immediately got good vibes.

However, Mrs Won’s ankle-high Scottish terrier didn’t think much of Mr Go, growling and yelping non-stop.

When a fearful Go scooted toward the spare room with the quilt, the tiny terrier lunged at his ankles.

“Ayeesh!” he muttered.

*

Tomorrow: Fred hears some news about Thomas.