[closed] Wings of an angel
Characters: Oh Hyerin (Raina)
Rating: PG-13 for implied suggestive memories
Setting: New Athens cemetery
Summary: Raina visits her mother's grave.
The dead leaves crunched beneath Raina's boots as she walked past the graves of the cemetery. The air was dry with the bitter coldness of winter, but still remained autumn-like in its crispiness. Black mitten-covered hands were shoved into the pockets of her long orange jacket. The girl's head was low, watching her own footsteps. "It's time to buy a scarf," she thought to herself as the wind whipped against her neck, causing the ends of her short hair to float about in the breeze.
The path to her mother's grave was so easy to find by now that she made the trip so frequently. Visiting her father in New Athens had become a ritual, but the old man didn't have the strength to make the trip to his late wife's grave every day, so Raina came by herself this time. The headstone seemed desolate, covered in shriveled leaves and specks of dirt in spite of the fact that she had been here not so long ago. Raina cleaned it with her sleeves and then sat down on the frigid ground. She began to speak in a mix of Korean and English.
"Omma, it's me… It's Hyerin. Sorry I didn't bring you any flowers or cakes this time. I've been so busy…" She rubbed the back of her neck with a warm mitten. "But I'm doing well in my classes. I got A's on all of my exams. I'm studying hard! And the café is doing well, too." Her voice was chipper, exactly the way it would have sounded if she had been calling her mother from college. "Appa is eating well, and he's very healthy." That was true. The old man got tired easily, but his doctors all agreed that he was in good condition for his age.
Raina's thoughts trailed along a ribbon through her memories. It had been 11 long years since her mother had passed away of cancer. Her visits to the grave had grown more frequent as the years went by. Although she had gained independence, it seemed like she relied on her mother more and more as she got older. The woman had inspired her to bake pastries, after all. When baking, she felt closer to her.
"I started talking to Henry again," she added. "Remember him? I met him when he came here with his dad from Canada when we were kids. He's really different now. Well… not so different, really, but… I can tell he's changed. I'm going to meet him later and try to convince him to go to the faire with me." She laughed, her puffy cheeks brightening. "He probably won't want to go. But everyone needs to have a little fun once in a while, right?"
"There's also Won Bin-ajusshi," she continued, laughing more. "He would probably be upset if he knew I called him that. I wish you could meet him. He's so sweet, although he's a little shy. We have fun at work together. But he's still so mysterious…" She paused. "In fact, both he and Henry are kind of mysterious guys. It only makes me more curious about them."
Raina put her hands over her knees and curled up into a ball. "Omma… I miss you. These days are getting colder and colder and I miss cuddling with you and drinking hot chocolate. Remember that?" She sighed, remembering how she had tried to cuddle and drink hot chocolate with her boyfriend in high school, but it just hadn't been the same.
Her ex-boyfriend. Raina shuddered as the wind blew past, and her brows furrowed. Although she tried to push thoughts of him far, far from her mind… the things she went through with him seemed to creep into her daily activities. Memories she had suppressed often returned upon her visits to her mother's grave. Suddenly she felt his hands on her, on her bare body, clamped over her mouth, invading her like he had so many times against her will.
No, not here... he was gone, far away... he couldn't touch her here. Her mother was protecting her. Raina shivered and closed her eyes tightly, and soon the hands were gone. She felt a cool breeze and slowly opened her eyes one at a time.
"Omma…" she said softly. "Can you keep a secret? I… don't think I'll ever have anyone as special to me as you were." Anyone who saw this girl right now would see her expression and swear she would be on the verge of tears… but Raina did not cry often, or even at all. She could count on one hand the amount of times she had cried over the past several years. If tears welled up, there was nothing she could do about that. But if they actually fell… that was a very big deal.
"Sometimes I feel very lonely," she confessed. "But… I know you're watching me, right? Ahh, no need for me to be sad." She grinned, patting her cheeks to brighten her appearance. "I promise to keep working hard to make you proud. I'll take care of Appa, and my friends. And someday, I'll make it to France and become a great pastry chef. Then I'll make you all the cakes you want!" Another gust of wind blew past, causing Raina to stand up and brush herself off.
"I'd better get going now. Take care, Omma… I love you." She put a hand on the headstone and caressed it. "I'll be back soon."
As she walked away, she felt a warmness in her heart, as she often did when she got things off her chest by talking to her mother. Raina imagined that she was being wrapped up by the warm wings of an angel that would protect her in all she did.
And the suppressed memories that had threatened to spill over the surface were buried once again.
Rating: PG-13 for implied suggestive memories
Setting: New Athens cemetery
Summary: Raina visits her mother's grave.
The dead leaves crunched beneath Raina's boots as she walked past the graves of the cemetery. The air was dry with the bitter coldness of winter, but still remained autumn-like in its crispiness. Black mitten-covered hands were shoved into the pockets of her long orange jacket. The girl's head was low, watching her own footsteps. "It's time to buy a scarf," she thought to herself as the wind whipped against her neck, causing the ends of her short hair to float about in the breeze.
The path to her mother's grave was so easy to find by now that she made the trip so frequently. Visiting her father in New Athens had become a ritual, but the old man didn't have the strength to make the trip to his late wife's grave every day, so Raina came by herself this time. The headstone seemed desolate, covered in shriveled leaves and specks of dirt in spite of the fact that she had been here not so long ago. Raina cleaned it with her sleeves and then sat down on the frigid ground. She began to speak in a mix of Korean and English.
"Omma, it's me… It's Hyerin. Sorry I didn't bring you any flowers or cakes this time. I've been so busy…" She rubbed the back of her neck with a warm mitten. "But I'm doing well in my classes. I got A's on all of my exams. I'm studying hard! And the café is doing well, too." Her voice was chipper, exactly the way it would have sounded if she had been calling her mother from college. "Appa is eating well, and he's very healthy." That was true. The old man got tired easily, but his doctors all agreed that he was in good condition for his age.
Raina's thoughts trailed along a ribbon through her memories. It had been 11 long years since her mother had passed away of cancer. Her visits to the grave had grown more frequent as the years went by. Although she had gained independence, it seemed like she relied on her mother more and more as she got older. The woman had inspired her to bake pastries, after all. When baking, she felt closer to her.
"I started talking to Henry again," she added. "Remember him? I met him when he came here with his dad from Canada when we were kids. He's really different now. Well… not so different, really, but… I can tell he's changed. I'm going to meet him later and try to convince him to go to the faire with me." She laughed, her puffy cheeks brightening. "He probably won't want to go. But everyone needs to have a little fun once in a while, right?"
"There's also Won Bin-ajusshi," she continued, laughing more. "He would probably be upset if he knew I called him that. I wish you could meet him. He's so sweet, although he's a little shy. We have fun at work together. But he's still so mysterious…" She paused. "In fact, both he and Henry are kind of mysterious guys. It only makes me more curious about them."
Raina put her hands over her knees and curled up into a ball. "Omma… I miss you. These days are getting colder and colder and I miss cuddling with you and drinking hot chocolate. Remember that?" She sighed, remembering how she had tried to cuddle and drink hot chocolate with her boyfriend in high school, but it just hadn't been the same.
Her ex-boyfriend. Raina shuddered as the wind blew past, and her brows furrowed. Although she tried to push thoughts of him far, far from her mind… the things she went through with him seemed to creep into her daily activities. Memories she had suppressed often returned upon her visits to her mother's grave. Suddenly she felt his hands on her, on her bare body, clamped over her mouth, invading her like he had so many times against her will.
No, not here... he was gone, far away... he couldn't touch her here. Her mother was protecting her. Raina shivered and closed her eyes tightly, and soon the hands were gone. She felt a cool breeze and slowly opened her eyes one at a time.
"Omma…" she said softly. "Can you keep a secret? I… don't think I'll ever have anyone as special to me as you were." Anyone who saw this girl right now would see her expression and swear she would be on the verge of tears… but Raina did not cry often, or even at all. She could count on one hand the amount of times she had cried over the past several years. If tears welled up, there was nothing she could do about that. But if they actually fell… that was a very big deal.
"Sometimes I feel very lonely," she confessed. "But… I know you're watching me, right? Ahh, no need for me to be sad." She grinned, patting her cheeks to brighten her appearance. "I promise to keep working hard to make you proud. I'll take care of Appa, and my friends. And someday, I'll make it to France and become a great pastry chef. Then I'll make you all the cakes you want!" Another gust of wind blew past, causing Raina to stand up and brush herself off.
"I'd better get going now. Take care, Omma… I love you." She put a hand on the headstone and caressed it. "I'll be back soon."
As she walked away, she felt a warmness in her heart, as she often did when she got things off her chest by talking to her mother. Raina imagined that she was being wrapped up by the warm wings of an angel that would protect her in all she did.
And the suppressed memories that had threatened to spill over the surface were buried once again.