Birthdays!

The Honeymoon Birthday Part 2

Dedicated to everyone who has read The Gift and Twisted Rope and shared those journeys. Thank you. I don't think you'll ever know what that has meant to me.

(Spoiler warning: This references events in The Gift and Twisted Rope. I've set it on Seri's birthday the year after the chapter 'Endgame' in Twisted Rope. It alludes to critical events in Twisted Rope, but doesn't fully explain them. But if you were planning on reading Twisted Rope, it will be better to read this part of Birthdays! afterwards.)

It was the morning after their long overnight flight from Seoul, and at Zurich airport they collected the keys for their Mercedes hire car. Jeong-hyeok stowed the last of their luggage in the boot, and Seri settled into the front seat. They had so many bags for a week, but she had no idea what he had packed for her. She knew he would have taken good care, though. He got into the driver's seat, an air of excitement about him, as if he couldn't wait to get going. But he still hadn't told her exactly where.

'Ready?' he asked.

He wouldn't get away with that! Enough teasing.

'Are you going to tell me? Or do I have to guess?'

'You probably will guess, but I'll tell you - Iseltwald.'

'Our honeymoon hotel?'

'Of course!'

'Oh, that's perfect! I was hoping so, but I wondered if it might be closed for the season.'

'It was closed in January. We'll be the first guests, but they said they would be happy to open early for us.'

'It will be wonderful to be there again. How long will it take?'

'Only a couple of hours. We can stop off in Luzern if you like, look around, maybe have lunch.'

She clipped her seatbelt as Jeong-hyeok tapped the destination into the sat nav. A relaxed drive, a beautiful city, and at the end, Iseltwald. A perfect day lay ahead.

The flight had been long, but Seri had welcomed it. The chance for them to be together with little interruption, just to relax and chat, and she relished the prospect of a week with Jeong-hyeok in Switzerland. They'd started to watch a popular action movie, but they'd quickly abandoned it when the gunfights began. Too close to home. That sort of tense drama was no longer entertaining. As the lights on the airplane dimmed, she'd settled for sleep and somehow, she'd drifted off easily. Sometimes she struggled to sleep well, but the hum of the engines seemed to rock her to sleep. Or maybe it was the pleasure of being away from work, on holiday, just the two of them. Whatever it was, she'd woken well-rested and ready for her surprise.

They had a lovely morning in Luzern. Jeong-hyeok parked the car and hand in hand they wandered the streets of the old town, occasionally drifting into a boutique to browse. They crossed the historic wooden bridge over the water, taking photos to send to the girls later. For lunch, they chose a restaurant looking out over the lake and towards the mountains. It should have been a beautiful view, but low rain-clouds bowled down the mountainside, obscuring the opposite bank. A strong wind was whipping up waves on the grey lake. Moody slaps against the rocks. Jeong-hyeok checked the weather forecast. Their honeymoon hotel had seemed such a wonderful idea, but he was worried that bad weather might stop them from reaching it. Even if they could, the boat trip there would be rough. She shushed his fears. To be in their hotel again, she was happy to face an uncomfortable crossing. And she didn't want him to be disappointed. He had created this wonderful surprise and a little bad weather wouldn't ruin it.

During the short drive from Luzern to Iseltwald, the clouds broke up a little, the wind dropped, and Seri fidgeted with anticipation. At last, they were here again. At the village, they parked their car, and she hugged his arm to hers as they walked around. How much would it have changed, she wondered? They found the civic hall where they had married, just as she remembered it. They stood for a few moments on the steps, looking towards the lake, remembering how they had felt 20 years ago. Hand in hand, they had walked out the door, knowing that whatever the future brought, they would face it together. No more separations. And that's just what we've done, thought Seri. Jeong-hyeok brought her hand up to his lips and gently kissed it, his dark eyes so tender. Never for a moment had she regretted their marriage.