ice-creams. At such times, he was generous and happy. He seemed to be enjoying the privilege of being the eldest of the brood. He told Myŏngsŏk, ‘Don’t tell granny that we ate cakes outside, will you?’ Myŏngsŏk eagerly nodded in agreement. As soon as we got home, he ran straight up to her and said, ‘Granny, we didn’t eat any cakes outside,’ with an uncertain shake of his head. Father could not help smiling, and even granny smiled as she pretended she was cross and said to Hyŏngsŏk, ‘You think I am not feeding your brother and sisters properly, don't you, silly boy?’
Approaching fifty, father now had white hairs among the black. With his head laid on a wooden pillow in a sunny patch on the floor of the verandah, he often called and asked me to pull them out. Parting his hair this way and that I searched for them and plucked them out. I liked doing it. I thought it was like looking up at the night sky with a lot of stars and giving them names one by one. He fell into a sweet sleep while I was messing up his hair.
It was about this time that the possibility of his remarriage was being whispered among the grown-ups. The prospective bride was an elderly spinster, Miss Lee who was the head teacher at the municipal kindergarten. During one of these hair-plucking sessions, I gave my father my heartfelt advice as I fingered through his hair. ‘Father, please don’t turn her out this time, will you?’
‘Silly child.’ He gave one of his sad smiles. I might not have put it over-elegantly but it came from the bottom of my heart and with solemn resolve that for the sake of my father’s happiness I would do anything for the new stepmother.
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