1975

(1)

Year: 1975
“Everybody loves somebody” started playing on the old HMV gramophone as the disk was placed by a pair of veiny hands. He picked the newspaper roll from the doormat and locked the door while swaying slowly to the rhythm of the song. Warm rays of sunlight hugged his skin as he unveiled the beige floral curtains. He sat on the single Clayton Marcus by the window and opened the newspaper. Head slowly moving with the music that was being played. He closed his eyes sniffing the scent of jasmine kept in a white vase that was on a small wooden stool beside the sofa. Just another peaceful Sunday morning.

Yoongi wasn’t really paying attention to the news written in the newspaper. Holding it in front of his eyes was just a waste of time because every bits of his attention was on the song. He was mesmerized with the morning when he suddenly felt a weight settling on his lap. He moved the newspaper away from his face and smiled. Messy hair, red cheeks and hooded eyes. A little boy still in his night suit adjusted himself on Yoongi’s lap and placed his head on his chest.

“Good morning, buddy”, Yoongi said as he ruffled the younger’s hair. “Good morning, dad” the little boy mumbled. “Did I wake you up?” “No, I feel hungry” “Bread and peanut butter?” “Yes!” the little boy sat up in excitement. Although peanut butter was his favorite but he wasn’t allowed to eat it because of dental issues. That was unless his dad secretly gave him some. That was surely one of the reasons for Yoongi being his favorite parent.

The little boy ran to his room to brush his teeth as Yoongi played the same song again and went to the dining table. He spread the butter on the breads and poured milk on a little glass which was his son’s. He poured himself orange juice and made an egg sandwich. He cleaned the mess that he had created and wiped his hands on the dark blue kitchen apron that we was wearing.

By this time the song had ended. Yoongi went to the gramophone and took out the disk. He carefully placed it inside its cover. As he turned towards the dining table he saw his son walking towards him while dragging the curtain with him. There was curiosity in the small boy’s big eyes. Yoongi knew he was about to get interrogated by the little one.

“Pan-yong, leave the curtain. I believe you don’t want to detach it from its rod again and get scolded for it” Yoongi said. Pan-yong let the curtains go and nodded. Yoongi took his hand and went to the dining table. They sat opposite to each other and started eating their breakfast.

“Dad, can I ask you something?” Pan-yong asked while taking a bite of his half-finished bread. “Anything, buddy” “Why do you listen to the same song every morning?” “Because that’s my favorite one” “Why is so?” “Because the song says the things that I strongly believe in. Besides that, I also love how perfectly the music fits with the lyrics” “What’s a lyric?” “The lines sung by the singers in the songs” “What does this song say then?” Pan-yong asked while drinking the leftover milk in his glass. Yoongi sighed as he got up from his chair. He picked Pan-yong in one arm and the plates in the other. He made Pan-yong sit on the counter of the sink as he kept the plates in the sink. Pan-yong was patiently waiting for the answer to his question.

Yoongi took a little water in his hand and wiped Pan-yong’s lips which were over lined by a thick stroke of milk. “That song talks about falling in love” Yoongi said as he started washing the plates. “Falling in love?” “Yeah. Each and every one of us will fall in love. At least once in this lifetime” “Really?” “Yeah” “Dad, did you fall in love too?” Yoongi smiled, happiness visible in his eyes as he said, “Yes, I did. I fell hard” “Will I fall in love too?” “Yes, you will, buddy” “When?” “No one knows when. But it will happen when you’ll need it the most. One day your heart will feel the warmth too” “But with whom?” “That we can never know. You might find it in someone who is very close to you, someone you know very well or maybe in a stranger, someone who you don’t know at all” Pan-yong smiled as though he understood everything that Yoongi just said.