The weather got cold again, just when I was completely adjusted to the warm spring-like temperature. 'Imo' gave me a surprise call on the 14th. I thought she just wanted to greet me and see how my Valentine's Day turned out, but she had other things in mind. She asked, no actually she 'begged' if I could stay with her daughter for three days. And I'm the only person she knows who is young enough to reach out to her and who has unlimited time in her hands.. She and her husband are going on a company-sponsored hiking trip, and no one's gonna look after her 15 year old kid. Ok, I would totally understand if we are talking about a 9 year old kid here.. When I was 10, my parents could go back-packing in Antartica and leave me to fend for myself. But I can't see any logical reason to baby-sit a 15 year old, 165 cm middle-school kid. Maybe they just don't trust her that much. Now.. I'm starting to feel bad for her.
I always had a problem saying 'no' to people older than me, so in short I said yes without re-thinking my options. So last Sunday, after taking more Tylenol than necessary as I'm feeling quite feverish, I dragged myself (knees shaking while doing so^^) to the train station to take the 4:35 pm ride to Daecheon. Chris went there with me as he was worried about my condition. I hate hanging around the train station on weekends cause there isn't much space to move around. The place was flooded with people carrying luggages, boxes, and some other things. I sighed in relief when I finally took the train and settled to my seat. It was lucky that Chris made a reservation earlier to ensure that I could comfortably sit down, or I would have been one of those people who jiggled and bounced as the train picked up speed. When the train approached Pyeongtaek, I started to feel nauseated. I was glad I brought some Hershey's Kisses from home, and that significantly held the 'throwing-up feeling' securely at bay. I was munching three at a time when the train halted to a stop and more people started to come. Crap! I told myself.. There wasn't much 'elbow room' left, and I was beginning to hyperventilate. It was then a middle-aged woman came, wearing a fur coat and carrying a Louis Vuitton Speedy bag, and a sudden waft of fishy smell went through me while she was making her way to the empty seat beside me. A couple of teenage kids giggled a little when the woman passed by. Since she was conveniently close to me, I kept on glancing at her direction. She seemed to be taking a nap. I was scrutinizing her from head to foot, although my attention would always go to her fur coat and Speedy Bag (I wonder why?). I'm not the type of person who gives a damn whether the designer bag I'm seeing is authentic or a knock-off. I know a person like that back in College. Her name is Kriselle, and her hobby is scrutinizing all stuff that bear designer logos, making sure which one is authentic and which one is fake. And if ever she finds out it's fake, she's going to let out a full minute of bad mouthing and I would always feel sorry for the person she's referring too. I'm glad they couldn't hear any of her stupid, superficial thoughts. I learned a valuable lesson from her, and that is to never use a rip off/knock off cause unfortunately, there are Obsessive Compulsive people like Kriselle who scrutinizes stuff as a hobby. Ok.. back to my story. The ajumma seemed to be carrying an authentic one (not that I care).. Her boots are kind of fierce, something you would wanna wear while playing dress up. But with all those things she could afford, why on earth did she let herself stink like that? She reeked of onions and mackerel, the freaking grossest combination ever! The stench clung to the fabric of her clothes that everytime she moves, a waft of rancid air struck me that I was getting closer and closer to expelling my lunch. For a minute there, I deliberated whether she's a fish vendor cause it's the only logical explanation for the stench. But then again, how could a fish vendor afford a luxurious fur coat, an authentic Speedy Bag, and a feisty pair of boots? Well, she's probably not a fish vendor, and my reason tells me she must have eaten something like a raw fish for lunch (probably 'Hong Oh Hui' cause there's nothing known to man that stinks more than that). At that time, I felt really sick that I had to run and throw up in the nearest available restroom. I stayed there for more than 5 minutes, composing myself, till I'm confident I don't have anything to expel anymore. I felt much better after that.. But my knees were so week that I had to hold on to something for support.
When I came back to my seat, the ajumma was already awake. She got a piece of ginseng candy from her bag and started munching. Arrggghh, just my luck! The smell of ginseng candy revolts me as well (although not as bad as onions and mackerel). Chris has a pack of those at home which he didn't dare to touch for three years now, cause he knew how much I hated smelling ginseng candy. It smells too damn strong for a candy... That was it, I needed to cover my face or the nauseating feeling will come back, and I don't want anymore sessions with the restroom. I covered my face with the hood of my jacket that smelled comfortingly like Downy. I took my mp3 player out of my bag and turned it to high. Loud music helps me go to sleep... Maybe it's because of the Tylenol, but I fell into a deep sleep as soon as the 2nd song hit it's final note. The next thing I knew, the train was approaching Daecheon station.. The air was clear by then, the smelly ajumma got off somewhere while I was asleep.
My 3 day stay in Daecheon wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. The fever and nausea got worse that I had to stay in bed most of the time. The 15 year old kid usually stayed inside her room playing Pachelbel's Canon in her piano. She would just approach me when it's time to eat or when she wants to watch "Kkot Boda Namja" with me. Right now, I'm waiting for 'Imo' to come back before I head to the train station to catch my ride back to Suwon.
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