We’ve just heard from HR the news of our release date from Korea – June 21st. After this date we’ll be making our plans to return to Richmond and our one-year tour of Korea will be completed. I’ve been wanting to sum up my array of feelings that I’ve had from our experiences, but today instead I’m just going to share a moment that I think will give you some insight about my thoughts.
Yesterday Sadie had the day off from school so we drove to Daegu, met up with a friend and her children and headed to the Arboretum for some fun in the sun. Since I was in Daegu already I planned to surprise Benjamin at school and pick him up to spare him from the long bus ride home. So there we were, Sadie and I at Benjamin’s school staring at his big beaming smile; so happy to see us.
We hopped in the minivan and started cruising home along the highway, the windows cracked on this bright sunny day, radio on, kids playing with their stuffed animals in the back seat and the rice fields and mountains trailing us along the road.
A thought popped into my head. I knew Steve was working in Busan this day and was also making his return road trip home. Wouldn’t it be fun if we saw Steve driving on the highway along side of us? But this was not possible. I was sure that from the time he had left Busan he still would be trailing us for quite a way and we would be near our exit soon.
I had to take care of some business and make a phone call to the school’s bus coordinator and ask if he could please rearrange the bus seating so Benjamin could have a buddy to sit next to. His last seat partner just moved back to the States and I didn’t want Benjamin to be lonely on his long bus rides to and from school. Mr. Bus Coordinator told me he would see what he could do and I thanked him and clicked my phone closed.
As I was shifting my attention back to the drive and the happy thoughts from the day I heard someone honking next to me. “It’s Daddy,” I yelled. “Look at Daddy, he’s in the car next to us!” Benjamin and Sadie turned to the window and saw Steve with a big smile waving back at us. There we were, in the middle of the highway, both with our mutual smiles. My smile was saying, “there’s my husband, the father of my children, so proud of him, look he’s driving home from Busan, he’s made this journey, look, we’re together.”
And his smile saying, “look, there’s my wife and kids, my wife is driving my kids home from Daegu, she’s learned her way around this city, she’s on her way home, I’m so proud of her, she’s made this journey.”
And so there we were, side by side. We made the journey. We made the journey. We followed each other through the exit, paid our tolls, rode down the street. Steve turned into the army base to return to work. I looked in my rear-view mirror and saw him giving us a big wave. I remained straight down the road, the kids were in the back seat, playing and laughing until we arrived back at our apartment. “We’re home kids," I said. "We made it.”
Yesterday Sadie had the day off from school so we drove to Daegu, met up with a friend and her children and headed to the Arboretum for some fun in the sun. Since I was in Daegu already I planned to surprise Benjamin at school and pick him up to spare him from the long bus ride home. So there we were, Sadie and I at Benjamin’s school staring at his big beaming smile; so happy to see us.
We hopped in the minivan and started cruising home along the highway, the windows cracked on this bright sunny day, radio on, kids playing with their stuffed animals in the back seat and the rice fields and mountains trailing us along the road.
A thought popped into my head. I knew Steve was working in Busan this day and was also making his return road trip home. Wouldn’t it be fun if we saw Steve driving on the highway along side of us? But this was not possible. I was sure that from the time he had left Busan he still would be trailing us for quite a way and we would be near our exit soon.
I had to take care of some business and make a phone call to the school’s bus coordinator and ask if he could please rearrange the bus seating so Benjamin could have a buddy to sit next to. His last seat partner just moved back to the States and I didn’t want Benjamin to be lonely on his long bus rides to and from school. Mr. Bus Coordinator told me he would see what he could do and I thanked him and clicked my phone closed.
As I was shifting my attention back to the drive and the happy thoughts from the day I heard someone honking next to me. “It’s Daddy,” I yelled. “Look at Daddy, he’s in the car next to us!” Benjamin and Sadie turned to the window and saw Steve with a big smile waving back at us. There we were, in the middle of the highway, both with our mutual smiles. My smile was saying, “there’s my husband, the father of my children, so proud of him, look he’s driving home from Busan, he’s made this journey, look, we’re together.”
And his smile saying, “look, there’s my wife and kids, my wife is driving my kids home from Daegu, she’s learned her way around this city, she’s on her way home, I’m so proud of her, she’s made this journey.”
And so there we were, side by side. We made the journey. We made the journey. We followed each other through the exit, paid our tolls, rode down the street. Steve turned into the army base to return to work. I looked in my rear-view mirror and saw him giving us a big wave. I remained straight down the road, the kids were in the back seat, playing and laughing until we arrived back at our apartment. “We’re home kids," I said. "We made it.”
2 comments:
Wow, what are the chances of that happening? How fun!
Thanks for sharing in the journey yesterday. Let's do it again.
I LOVE THIS STORY. You captured the moment so well, too. Benjamin and Sadie look so beautiful in the recent pictures - I love the one in the colored balls!
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