39: Mina went downstairs where the people were already nervously sitting to breakfast. She sat at a table with Bill and his son, her co-worker, Jeffrey. "Did either of you manage to get any sleep?"
"Not much. I've been thinking about my wife, Sandy. I think she's still alive where the Defectors are staying. If Chadwick makes it back here and is able to tell us where Rend's headquarters are, I would you, Jeffrey, to lead a rescue party to go find your mother. I would like you to take the black truck. It is large and powerful enough to handle the Revenant."
Jeffrey was stunned by this. His father had never let him drive the black truck, and wasn't sure if he could. "Dad, I can't drive the black truck. You've always driven it."
"I have not always driven it. It's your turn now. Your mother is out there. She needs you. You can help her. I believe in you. I know you can bring her back to us safely." Jeffrey started to tear up.
"Dad, you've always made me feel like I'm a little kid. Now you want me to go out there and find mom? What if I can't do it?"
"Jeffrey, did I ever tell you about your grandfather?"
"What do you mean? What about him?"
"I'm talking about why I hold him in such high regard. Why you always know I'm serious when I swear on his grave. There's a reason for that." Bill took a sip of water before continuing. "When your grandfather finished high school, he worked at a bank in Tangjin. Back then in Korea, your parents were your matchmakers. They arranged who you would marry. He was matched with your grandmother and he thought she was beautiful. The problem was that they lived 100 kilometers apart from each other. Taxis were rare back then, but with the money he got from working at the bank, he paid for one every week to visit her. He'd often bring a guitar, harmonica or flute so that he could serenade her. Soon, they got married."
Jeffrey looked like he was about to say something. "Wait, Jeffrey. Don't worry, I'm getting to the main part of the story. That was just the set up. So then, not too long after they got married, Japan invaded Korea. Your grandfather drafted to fight for the Korean army. He went to fight in Japan and was captured. He was a prisoner of the Japanese. He gathered a few men who wanted to escape and they hid in an abandoned building for a day or so while they tried to come up with a plan. They built a fire during the night because the building had no electricity. They had found an old empty can and an onion. They had a little water so they boiled the onion in the can over the fire. It tasted terrible without salt, but it kept them going.
"The next day, there was an earthquake. He and his two companions watched out the window of the building at the effects of the natural disaster. Outside, a Japanese man was struck by a large chunk of fallen concrete. The blood splattered onto the window my father was looking out of. This frightened them so they waited until nightfall, left the building and made their way to the coast.
"My father had a string of gold rings sewn into the seam of his pants, hidden from the Japanese. He used a gold ring to pay someone for a boat. The ocean was very dangerous with bad, high winds. The three of them were almost killed, but they made it to the shore of Korea.
"When he got to Tangjin, his family thought they were seeing a ghost because they were sure he was dead. So many soldiers died in the Korean War. When he got home, his travels had left him with a high fever which almost killed him. The doctors in Tangjin nursed him back to health and saved his life. He could have stayed in relative safety in Tangjin, but the love of his life was in another city.
"Now at this time, North Korea had invaded Seoul. Your grandmother had gone there to be with her family when my father had been sent off to war. Nobody was allowed to leave the city. The bridge over the Han River, connecting Seoul to the mainland had been destroyed. Your grandmother was sick at that time. She was hiding in the basement of the building her parents lived in. Neighbors brought her food and other necessities. One night, she had a dream that her husband would come to save her. When she told her neighbors about the dream, they told her not to get her hopes up because no one could get into Seoul.
"One day, someone who looked like a beggar approached the building. No one recognized him, but from her hiding place in the basement, my mother could see that it was her husband. The trip from Tangjin to Seoul had taken him over two weeks, but he had made it. She ran to him. He was all bloody and ragged. She cleaned him up and her neighbors helped to bandage his wounds. They had to get out of the city.
"That night they made their way to the Han River. There were many bodies floating in the water. A lot of them had died trying to swim across the river. Many had also frozen to death, since it was wintertime. Still, they needed to cross to get away from that deathtrap. Many other families were also trying to get across. Many families were separated at that time. Most of them never found each other again. Recently, in Korea, there was a campaign to reunite people who had been separated from their families at that time. Anyway, with the gold rings your grandfather had, they were able to get someone to help them cross. It took them longer to get to Tangjin than he had taken to get to Seoul. They finally made it to his family's house in Tangjin.
"In the house, there was a loose floorboard that they were able to hide under whenever the North Koreans came around. They were never sure when the house would be inspected by North Korean soldiers so they had to be constantly vigilant. The time for Chusok came while they were in that house and your grandmother made some rice wine in order to honor their ancestors in the traditional ceremony. Unfortunately, some soldiers came around, so the two of them had to get down to hide underneath the floorboards. They had the alcohol with them under there. The smell of it almost gave them away because the soldiers could smell it. Fortunately, they weren't found. The war soon ended and they survived." Bill sat back and folded his hands into his lap.
"Wow, I never knew that. I mean, shit. He really loved her," said Jeffrey.
"You see, extreme heroism and bravery are in your blood. You can have your band with you while you look for your mother. Together you can face the odds."
Jeffrey seemed to take some measure of comfort from this. "I'll do it. As soon as we find out where she is, we'll go and get her. We're not just a band. We've been friends through lots of shit. You have no idea."
"You know, I don't say this often enough, but I love you, son."
For the first time in his life, Jeffrey actually believed his father. "I love you too, dad." They ate together in a warm and comfortable silence with many smiles and a few tears after that.
"Not much. I've been thinking about my wife, Sandy. I think she's still alive where the Defectors are staying. If Chadwick makes it back here and is able to tell us where Rend's headquarters are, I would you, Jeffrey, to lead a rescue party to go find your mother. I would like you to take the black truck. It is large and powerful enough to handle the Revenant."
Jeffrey was stunned by this. His father had never let him drive the black truck, and wasn't sure if he could. "Dad, I can't drive the black truck. You've always driven it."
"I have not always driven it. It's your turn now. Your mother is out there. She needs you. You can help her. I believe in you. I know you can bring her back to us safely." Jeffrey started to tear up.
"Dad, you've always made me feel like I'm a little kid. Now you want me to go out there and find mom? What if I can't do it?"
"Jeffrey, did I ever tell you about your grandfather?"
"What do you mean? What about him?"
"I'm talking about why I hold him in such high regard. Why you always know I'm serious when I swear on his grave. There's a reason for that." Bill took a sip of water before continuing. "When your grandfather finished high school, he worked at a bank in Tangjin. Back then in Korea, your parents were your matchmakers. They arranged who you would marry. He was matched with your grandmother and he thought she was beautiful. The problem was that they lived 100 kilometers apart from each other. Taxis were rare back then, but with the money he got from working at the bank, he paid for one every week to visit her. He'd often bring a guitar, harmonica or flute so that he could serenade her. Soon, they got married."
Jeffrey looked like he was about to say something. "Wait, Jeffrey. Don't worry, I'm getting to the main part of the story. That was just the set up. So then, not too long after they got married, Japan invaded Korea. Your grandfather drafted to fight for the Korean army. He went to fight in Japan and was captured. He was a prisoner of the Japanese. He gathered a few men who wanted to escape and they hid in an abandoned building for a day or so while they tried to come up with a plan. They built a fire during the night because the building had no electricity. They had found an old empty can and an onion. They had a little water so they boiled the onion in the can over the fire. It tasted terrible without salt, but it kept them going.
"The next day, there was an earthquake. He and his two companions watched out the window of the building at the effects of the natural disaster. Outside, a Japanese man was struck by a large chunk of fallen concrete. The blood splattered onto the window my father was looking out of. This frightened them so they waited until nightfall, left the building and made their way to the coast.
"My father had a string of gold rings sewn into the seam of his pants, hidden from the Japanese. He used a gold ring to pay someone for a boat. The ocean was very dangerous with bad, high winds. The three of them were almost killed, but they made it to the shore of Korea.
"When he got to Tangjin, his family thought they were seeing a ghost because they were sure he was dead. So many soldiers died in the Korean War. When he got home, his travels had left him with a high fever which almost killed him. The doctors in Tangjin nursed him back to health and saved his life. He could have stayed in relative safety in Tangjin, but the love of his life was in another city.
"Now at this time, North Korea had invaded Seoul. Your grandmother had gone there to be with her family when my father had been sent off to war. Nobody was allowed to leave the city. The bridge over the Han River, connecting Seoul to the mainland had been destroyed. Your grandmother was sick at that time. She was hiding in the basement of the building her parents lived in. Neighbors brought her food and other necessities. One night, she had a dream that her husband would come to save her. When she told her neighbors about the dream, they told her not to get her hopes up because no one could get into Seoul.
"One day, someone who looked like a beggar approached the building. No one recognized him, but from her hiding place in the basement, my mother could see that it was her husband. The trip from Tangjin to Seoul had taken him over two weeks, but he had made it. She ran to him. He was all bloody and ragged. She cleaned him up and her neighbors helped to bandage his wounds. They had to get out of the city.
"That night they made their way to the Han River. There were many bodies floating in the water. A lot of them had died trying to swim across the river. Many had also frozen to death, since it was wintertime. Still, they needed to cross to get away from that deathtrap. Many other families were also trying to get across. Many families were separated at that time. Most of them never found each other again. Recently, in Korea, there was a campaign to reunite people who had been separated from their families at that time. Anyway, with the gold rings your grandfather had, they were able to get someone to help them cross. It took them longer to get to Tangjin than he had taken to get to Seoul. They finally made it to his family's house in Tangjin.
"In the house, there was a loose floorboard that they were able to hide under whenever the North Koreans came around. They were never sure when the house would be inspected by North Korean soldiers so they had to be constantly vigilant. The time for Chusok came while they were in that house and your grandmother made some rice wine in order to honor their ancestors in the traditional ceremony. Unfortunately, some soldiers came around, so the two of them had to get down to hide underneath the floorboards. They had the alcohol with them under there. The smell of it almost gave them away because the soldiers could smell it. Fortunately, they weren't found. The war soon ended and they survived." Bill sat back and folded his hands into his lap.
"Wow, I never knew that. I mean, shit. He really loved her," said Jeffrey.
"You see, extreme heroism and bravery are in your blood. You can have your band with you while you look for your mother. Together you can face the odds."
Jeffrey seemed to take some measure of comfort from this. "I'll do it. As soon as we find out where she is, we'll go and get her. We're not just a band. We've been friends through lots of shit. You have no idea."
"You know, I don't say this often enough, but I love you, son."
For the first time in his life, Jeffrey actually believed his father. "I love you too, dad." They ate together in a warm and comfortable silence with many smiles and a few tears after that.
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