***
But, isn’t it good? finally, you can come back to your home again. I mean, your real home along with your brothers. Right?” aunt Harley waits for a response. But no. She got no response. “Look, I'm sorry Catherine”
“No, I'm fine. It's… fine. Everything is fine,” Catherine took her deep breath and then she shrugged, “I guess?”
Aunt Harley walks closer, “I know its hard, but…” before she could sit down beside her, Catherine was already got up.
“It’s okay. Like you said, maybe it’s not that bad. I finally can come back, and my brothers are there. It’s not that bad” Catherine grins, “So, how much time I have left before I'm leaving, for sure?”
“Um… 2 weeks. Tops.”
So, I’m leaving huh? No, sorry. She’s not leaving. She’s coming back. To her hometown- to where she supposed to be in the first place.
2 weeks and that's it?
Catherine Ralph, that's her name.
She was born in Georgetown, Washington DC. But, because of her family business stuff, she had to move out from the States to here, South Korea. It was her mom’s idea. Back then, Catherine was just 5 years old kid and at that time her parents had to do some of their business here. So, they decided to bring Catherine along with them, since Catherine was just a little girl who still needed her parents to be there beside her.
Both of her parents are Americans. So, moving here is just about business. Catherine has two older brothers, Sam and Ben. Ben is 3 years older than her, while Sam is a year older than Ben, that’s why her mom is not too worried about the boys because they’re already grown up enough to understand this whole thing. And yes, Sam and Ben are staying in the States.
Catherine lived with her mom and dad at Seoul, South Korea. And ever since she moved here she had been through a homeschooling with a teacher who could teach her with their English and who also could teach Korean. Again, this was her mom’s idea. Why? well, she was just a little girl who just moved from the States, how could she got into normal school when she didn’t even understand their language?
Everything was working just fine. Her brothers might be in the States living just with the maids while she was here living with their parents and that kinda sounds like it’s not fair to them. But here, it’s not like what it seems because her mom and dad are not staying at home the whole day, but she thought- at least, they’re home at night, right?
Yes, everything was working just fine until that day when Catherine was 8. It happened again. Moving out. It’s like her parent's hobby, she thought.
“Why are we moving again, mom? Are we… going back- to Georgetown?” 8 years old Catherine spoke with her soft voice. Her mom exhales her breath and then kneeled down to face her little girl with a genuine smile.
“No, sweetie. I’m sorry, we’re not moving back to our house.we’re going to Switzerland! Are you excited?”
Nothing came out from little Catherine’s mouth after that, her mom looked so worried about it, “What happened, sweetie? Are you not excited? Are you okay?”
“I- don’t want to go to that Switzer-land mom.”
Her mom held both of her little girl’s hands, “But- why? Why not sweetheart? There, in Switzerland is so… snowy. You love snows, right? I know you do! Everybody does.”
“I love snows! But, I- have snows too here, in December, It’s snowy too! Mom? There’s snow too here!” little Catherine staring at her mom with her cute-little-puppy-begging-eyes, “Can we just stay here? Or- or come back to Georgetown? I kinda miss Bennie and Sam too.” her mom hugged her tightly and exhale her breathe, she knows it was hard to keep taking Catherine to every business trip they had. Deep down, she feels bad for her.
After that day and many more days of hard times. Here she is, 17 years old girl who lives in Seoul, South Korea with her aunt. Aunt Harley, who has saved her from moving out to Switzerland. And after that day and many more days of hard times, it’s happening again, the moving out.
But this time it’s like her wish is finally granted. She’s moving back. Not moving out. This is what she wants, right? Came back to Georgetown with her brothers and parents as a family sounds nice, but to leave what she already has here is worse than bad. She might be never coming back here.
They’re right about not every story will have their happy ending. They’re right about not every story will find their happily ever after. And have you ever wonder how will your story end up like? Sometimes she did. And sometimes, she wonders why is she still wondering.
