Fruit Basket

chapter 1

Above is the tent she lives in.

             "Bye mom! I'm heading to school now. I'll be back soon, I promise."
Hi! My name is Kim Saura. I'm sixteen years old and I live in a tent out in the country with my mom. A question might arise, why am I living in a tent?
            Well you see, it's pretty complicated. My father passed away when I was just a little sonyeo. (that means girl in Korean :)) So my mother had to step in and show her independence. She started working and tried her best to support herself and me. Despite all the stress of working on weekends and holidays to have enough money to buy groceries and pay for my school, she was always caring, outgoing and wise. She never let anything or anyone  bring her down, she always had a smile on her face. Besides our sad situation, my moms positive attitude made everyday seem brighter and easier.
                As I got older, I couldn't wait to be able to get a job and help out mom, to help pay some bills and my tuition.  But one day.... Everything changed. Mom got into a car accident, she died on impact. It was.. Very hard. After her funeral I had a bunch of relatives who I could choose to stay with. But wanted to stay with Poppa, my grandfather. He is the sweetest grandfather out of all grandfathers in Asia.. No in the whole world!

           Anyways, as I said my moms death was very hard for me. I was deeply sadden, I didn't want to do anything. But I had to push aside those feelings! I had to think positively, look forward as mom did! She never wanted me to feel like this so I couldn't let her down! The first step was too keep doing good in school. Momma told me, "stay in school Saura, don't follow my footsteps in dropping out. I wish I had a better job, I could've done so many things if I would've stayed in school and work hard. But I gave up. I don't want you to become a quitter. You can have a easier , even better life if you just focus on school, get good grades. I want to see that diploma in your hand, as well as that big smile plastered on your face, knowing you accomplished one big goal in your life. But whatever choice you make, I'll always be proud of my daughter."

                Ever since, I've never missed a day in school! Even when I was sick that didn't stop me. I couldn't fail. I could disappoint her. As time went on I realized I can't rely on Poppa paying for my tuition because he was living off his savings since he's retired. I didn't want him to worry about paying since it was so expensive. So once I turned sixteen, I  decided to get a job. Few months went by, everything was great,  I maintained a cheery, positive attitude, I helped Poppa whenever he needed it, most importantly I was doing very well in school! Then, during Spring break, Poppa broke some news to me. He was going to revamp and fix somethings in the house. He was going to stay with aunt Liyoung while it was under construction since his body won't be able to handle the chemicals and all that stuff. He needed to know if there was someone I can stay with since aunt Liyoung's house is already full. 
               I lied and told him yes I did, that I could temporarily live with one of my best friends, Yooni or Kira. When mom died, they promised, more like swore that whenever I needed help with anything, they will 100% aid me. But I couldn't burden them with something as big as living with them! I know it's only temporarily but Yooni lives in a one room apartment while Kira has a huge family. I don't want to burden them. Eventually I have to live on my own. So why not start now? Everyone will be happy!

         And that's how I ended up living in a tent! Now another question. I did say I was living with my mom, so how can she possibly be here if she passed away? Simple! I ALWAYS carry a photo of her.
            It makes me uneasy leaving her alone. But that just motivates me to work extra hard so I can quickly get back home!

                   As I'm walking down the dirt pathway, a nice cool breeze  arrived making the trees and long grass swish, as well as my hair and some of the leaves. Oh how I love spring weather. I can't wait for the cherry blossoms to start blooming! Humming a catchy tune , something caught the corner of my eye. Glancing over I noticed a beautiful traditional house down by the river.