My Parents and My Business
I don't think my dad has ever been on vacation. As far as I know, he's never been on a plane since landing here from Korea over 30 years ago. The only passport he has is from when he was a young man and even though he became a US citizen a few years ago, I don't think he's had a need to get a new passport. He's not a man of many words and every now and then, I get a glimpse of the kind of person he is. A man tried to mug him once with a knife and my dad kicked him. He did not get mugged. He taught me how to ride a bike and accidentally helped me be one of the best free-throw shooters in my middle school, even though I can't dribble a basketball. I learned how to draw under his guidance. I remember testing out slides with him for the two-story playhouse he built, complete with monkey bars and a sandbox. He did all this while working 6-7 days a week for the past thirty+ years. He hasn't taken any sick days, not even when he got stung by over a dozen bees or when he got bit by a spider and his entire back turned black. Some people my parents knew decades ago stopped asking about him when I was in my teens and I wonder if it's because they were afraid it was a delicate subject since they stopped seeing him around. My dad just works a lot and works hard and has helped give us a wonderful life.
In the meantime, my mom has been by his side, helping hold down the fort. They own a business together and while my dad holds down the business end, my mom had been juggling the business and the kids. The idea of taking a maternity leave probably blows my mother's mind. I remember how tired she was after having both of my younger sisters and how she w
In the meantime, my mom has been by his side, helping hold down the fort. They own a business together and while my dad holds down the business end, my mom had been juggling the business and the kids. The idea of taking a maternity leave probably blows my mother's mind. I remember how tired she was after having both of my younger sisters and how she w