2. Keeping

Onew rubbed his eyes and bit his lower lip to keep himself from voicing out his shock. Minho’s tummy was bloated way out of proportion. That, coupled with his manner of standing, reminded Onew of his ex-wife when she was nine months pregnant with Amber. He looked at the housekeeper who nodded her head in confirmation.

Minho’s frantic voice broke their silent communication, “How are my parents? When can I go and see them? They are in which hospital?”

Onew rubbed his neck, suddenly feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders. He shook his head when his housekeeper asked him the same questions silently. She understood and her face clouded over. She tried to help the agitated younger man, “Come on Minho, sit down and finish your hot chocolate. Onew will explain. It is not good for you or the baby to be so anxious.”

Minho smelled the air and walked hesitantly towards Onew who quickly reached the younger man to keep him safe. When Onew took Minho’s outstretched hands in his own, Minho repeated, “Please tell me when we can go to see my parents. I know my mother would have asked you to keep me away from the hospital. But, I need to know.”

“Sit down, Mr Choi. Noona is right. You should be careful to not hurt yourself or the baby,” Onew led Minho back to couch and forced him to sit down. When Minho looked up at him expectantly, not letting go his hands, Onew sat down between Amber and Minho. “Your mother has asked me to keep you safe. I promised her. I cannot let you harm either you or the baby. You won’t break her heart by making me break my promise, will you?”

Minho shook his head. His large, clouded eyes staring sightlessly in Onew’s direction, “How are they? Can you at least tell me what happened?” Amber tried to hold back her worried fidgeting.

Onew put comforting arms around Amber and Minho, trying to soothe away their anxieties with his touch. He tried to keep his voice even as he explained, “At the intersection, our car was just behind yours. The driver of another car jumped his red signal and at high speed his car swerved and crashed into yours. He did not survive the accident.” When both Amber and Minho gasped, Onew paused and rubbed their shoulders. Amber relaxed and put down her hot chocolate to climb into her father’s lap, facing towards Minho. She reached out and put a gentle hand on Minho’s shoulder.

Sighing deeply, Onew continued with the bad news, “Your mother put you in my care and insisted I bring you home first. She wanted me to keep you and your baby safe.” He tightened his arm around Minho, bringing the younger man closer into his comforting body. Amber understood her father’s silent body language and wrapped her arm around Minho’s neck, enveloping him into a hug along with her father.

Minho softly whispered, “My parents did not survive either. Right? Otherwise you would have been in the hospital with them, not here with me.” Tears silently trailed down his cheeks. Onew and Amber hugged him closer, making gentle comforting noises to soothe the devastated man. Minho sobbed in their arms. It was a long time before his eyes ran out of tears and he began to calm down a little.

The housekeeper made more hot chocolate for all of them. She handed Onew a clean soft towel to wipe Minho’s face. The younger man slumped against the back of the couch, losing all his energy to even sit up straight. His arms hugged his unborn baby. After cleaning Minho’s face, Onew held the mug and made him sip the hot sweet drink. Once Minho had calmed down some more, Onew asked the housekeeper to give him the handbag and inside it he found a thick file.

Onew was never more thankful for his job profile of medical claims manager in an insurance firm. He made short work of the file that contained Minho’s entire medical history. He handed it to his trusted housekeeper to read as well. There was no way he could deal with the situation on his own.

As the housekeeper read the file, Amber put her head on Onew’s shoulder and dozed off. Onew’s one hand her short hair and his other remained Minho’s long, shaggy hair. Onew sat deep in thought, sorting out facts of Minho’s life that he knew from media and what he read in the file.

Unlike Amber, Choi Minho was born with sight. He lost his vision due to juvenile glaucoma which developed when he was two years of age and by the time he was thirteen years old, he had lost his vision completely. This was not the end of his medical worries. Minho was one of those rare human who could be termed as true inter. His con abnormality had gone undetected till he was confirmed medically pregnant by his family doctor in his native village near Seoul.

Onew already knew the media life of Choi Minho - the blind man who was captain of Korean futsal, the five-member soccer game for visually impaired. Minho was supposed to lead his futsal team in the Paralympics that year but had suddenly dropped from sight. No one knew what happened to him.

His parents apparently had gone to great lengths to keep his pregnancy hidden from the world. Onew concluded that the doctor caring for Minho’s pregnancy was a family friend. Who else would keep silent about such a medical rarity? Onew thought about the date he had read in the file, a date only three days away. It was the schedule for Minho’s surgery to deliver his baby, in the same village hospital where Minho was undergoing prenatal care.

After reading the file, the housekeeper, took Minho’s hand and guided him to the kitchen. She began talking about the baby with him as she prepared a late night healthy snack for him to eat. Reluctantly, Minho began answering her questions. Onew stood up with Amber in his arms and tucked her into her bed. He went to his room and thought about Minho’s sleeping arrangements. The apartment had one master bedroom, two small bedrooms big enough for only one bed each. Both small rooms were in use by Amber and the live-in housekeeper.

Onew looked at his bed and smiled. He was glad that he had not wasted money in changing his bedroom furniture after his divorce. Amber’s mother had found it difficult to cope with the stress of caring for a child who was born blind. She had divorced Onew when Amber was only two years old. Since Amber’s birth, she had insisted on separate sleeping arrangements and had bought twin beds for the couple’s bedroom. After she left him, Onew had simply put the two beds together to create one large bed for himself and Amber to sleep on till she was eight years old.

Thinking of reassuring traumatized Minho, Onew simply separated the two beds a little and put the night tables in between them. He nodded to himself in satisfaction. His room had enough space for a crib as well. There wouldn’t be much walking space left, but they would manage. He didn’t have to think about the changes he was making in his life to fulfill one promise to a dying stranger. Being an orphan himself, Onew was well aware of the importance of supportive family and friends.

Minho had lost his parents. But Onew decided that Minho would find new friends for life in him, Amber and his housekeeper. A few days later Minho would have a new family with the birth of his baby. A strong man like Minho would survive all the sudden changes in his life.

In the kitchen, Onew heard Minho tell the housekeeper about baby’s father, “He was the one and only man I allowed to become my boyfriend. We were intimate just once before he moved to Australia permanently. Three months later, I fell ill and our family doctor in the village checked me up. It was during an abdominal ultrasound that we learnt the truth of my medical condition. To everyone’s great shock, I was diagnosed to be ailing from having a three-month old new life inside me.”

Minho smiled as he curved his hands around his unborn child and rubbed his bulging tummy. “You know I refused to believe it till the doctor made me hear his heartbeat.”

The housekeeper also smiled and watched as Minho spoke through mouthfuls of food, “Oh, you are carrying a boy?”

Minho nodded and swallowed the food in his mouth. He took another big bite of the shrimp salad and continued, “My stomach grew so big that the doctor thought I might be having a hidden twin inside somewhere. He checked everywhere repeatedly but found only one baby. He told me stop eating too much food. But what can I do? I feel hungry all the time.”

Minho patted his baby fondly, “He is going to be a big, strong boy at birth. I am having him one month before the usual delivery date for women. My doctor said he will be developed enough by then. I eat good, healthy food to make sure he develops quickly. I even take all those nasty pre-natal vitamins.” Minho made a bad face but didn’t stop eating.

He continued to speak with his mouth full, “Only thing I didn’t like was that I can’t play football. What if I fall down and hurt the baby?” His lips suddenly turned down, “I had to give up coaching the young children also. I hope they don’t feel I have abandoned them. But I couldn’t help it. Keeping my baby safe is more important than anything else.”

Minho looked at his hands and a tear made its way down his cheek. He tried to speak normally, but couldn’t. “Umma did not even let me say good bye to her. She was so excited about the baby. She and appa were going to buy baby things before the delivery. My hair have grown and umma wanted me to dress as a girl so I could go shopping for the baby with them. Umma taught me how to disguise myself as a girl. Umma, why did you leave me alone? Appa, please come back. I need you. The baby needs you.”

Onew hurried to the weeping man and Minho buried his head in Onew’s chest. Onew spread his legs a little and braced himself to bear Minho’s weight. He knew from experience with his ex-wife that it was easy for body to lose balance when this far along in the pregnancy.

“There, there Minho. Don’t cry. You will make your parents very unhappy. You are not alone. You have me, Amber and noona to help you with the baby. You must try not to be so sad for the sake of the baby. Your tears will hurt not only your parents but also the baby. Once he is born, you can resume your sports life,” Onew massaged Minho’s scalp to soothe him down.

Minho shook his head, without moving it away from Onew’s chest. His breath hitched as he explained, “I cannot go back to my old life. No one must find out about the baby. Doctor says I may never be able to run after a football again.”

“Since when did you start listening to doctors? I am sure they said blind people do not play football. You proved them wrong and became the captain of Korea’s national futsal team. You run, swim and play more sports than majority of the sighted men do. You help other visually impaired children prove their doctors wrong by coaching them in different sports. You inspired my blind daughter to take up Taekwondo and win gold in Paralympics.” Minho shook his head in denial even as Onew tried to convince him otherwise.

“Don’t deny it Minho. Your life is an inspiration to others. You are Amber’s idol. She dresses like you, styles her hair like you. Well, now your hair is longer, I hope she grow hers as well to look more like a girl. And you know what? I am jealous. She is my daughter. I should be her idol, not a man twelve years younger to me. I should be the one she considers perfect, not you. But, now maybe I can redeem myself. Maybe, now she will see your flaws and know that I am perfect. She will have to copy me now.”

Onew looked at Minho’s face change expressions as he spoke. Misery was replaced by determination. The cloudy large eyes opened wider to dominate the small face. Full, red lips pursed into a thin line. Minho’s long fingers, swollen with last stage of pregnancy, wiped away his cheeks. He straightened in his chair and put a hand on Onew’s chest, where just a moment ago his head was placed.

“Oh no. No one replaces Choi Minho. I am the best and will continue to be the best. You just see. Not only your daughter, but my son will also consider me his idol,” Minho jabbed his forefinger into Onew’s chest with each determination-laced word he spoke.

Onew smiled in victory. He had correctly understood Minho’s competitive personality. “Then come with me. I will show you your new bedroom. You can learn everything’s placement tomorrow. For now, you need to put your baby to sleep.”

Onew pulled Minho from his seat and turned his body towards the bedroom. He stood behind Minho and began to guide him with his words. “To reach your bed, walk straight 30 small steps, one foot apart. You don’t want to unbalance by taking large steps till after the baby is born.”

As Minho began walking on his own, Onew followed him with more instructions, “Now reach out your right arm and you can feel the door frame of your new bed room. On the left is Amber’s room.” Minho did as told and slid the door open with his right hand.

Onew explained the bedroom to Minho, “The house has only three rooms. Two smaller ones are used by Amber and noona. My room is the only one that can take two beds and a crib. You will need help with the baby and noona needs to sleep at night so she can look after Amber during the day when I am at work. I hope the arrangement is okay with you.” When Minho nodded, Onew continued, “I have separated the beds with two night tables. Take four steps into the room. Good. Now, if you take two steps to the right you will reach the foot of your bed. If you take two steps to the left, you will reach the foot of my bed. Two steps into the room and two to the right will bring you to the dresser. We both can share it. Two steps in and two to the left will bring you to the wardrobe. Again you will have to share with me. From where you are standing, that is four steps in, if you take six steps right, you will reach the bathroom door which is at the foot of your bed. In the bathroom, immediately to your right will be the basin, to the left will be commode and three steps straight will be the shower stall. All doors except the main door are sliding ones. Got it?”

Minho nodded. He was blind, not dumb. He moved around the bedroom and bathroom, checking out all the instructions and memorizing them. Onew took out a set of pajamas and handed them to Minho. “You can change into these to sleep in. Now, I have one request. I need to check you for any injuries. Either I can do it or you can strip in front of noona.” Onew tried to keep his voice as impersonal and casual as possible but Minho still blushed red.

Wordlessly, Minho began taking off his clothes. Onew walked all around him to visually inspect the bare body, clad only in underwear. There was a large bruise on Minho’s left shoulder. Onew touched it to make sure there was no damage to the bones. Minho’s thick clothes had kept him safe from any further injury. And since the impact was limited to the front of the car, Minho had escaped literally unhurt from the accident. As Minho dressed in Onew’s pajamas, the older man got medicated gel to heal the bruised shoulder faster. He handed Minho a new toothbrush and watched as Minho acquainted himself to his new surroundings while getting ready for bed.

When Minho was in bed, Onew changed his own clothes and closed his eyes tiredly. He turned to face Minho and his arm stretched to turn off the bed lamp but Minho’s scrunched up face stopped him. Onew’s mind raced for ways to lull Minho’s mind to sleep. He spoke the first thing that seemed suitable to him, “Your baby will be born in three days’ time. If you want, we can hold a private funeral for your parents the day before, with just the four of us.”

Minho nodded, biting on his lower lip to stop his tears. Onew had more to say, “We can go tomorrow to buy baby stuff and also get your stuff from your house. You will stay here with us till you want to move out with the baby. We will need a crib as none of the beds are wide enough for two. We can place the crib in place of the night tables. I read in your medical file that you are mentioned as Choi Minjung, 25-year-old unmarried female. You will have difficulty bringing up the baby with that information. How about you change it to married female and put your own name as baby’s father? That way you will always have both biological and legal claim over your son.”

Listening to Onew’s soothing voice, Minho gradually relaxed. He nodded in agreement to the older man’s advice. As Onew continued to whisper softly, Minho slept off, hugging his arms around his baby. Onew spoke for a few more minutes just to be sure that Minho was deep asleep. Then, he got up, took out an extra blanket from the wardrobe. He folded it into a thick cylinder.

Gently turning Minho to his side, Onew bent the sleeping man’s top leg and placed the blanket under the knee for support. Minho smiled in his sleep and moved a little to become even more comfortable. Onew placed Minho’s hand over his baby. Just as Onew’s fingers were about to let go of Minho’s hand, baby moved. Onew’s kind eyes widened in surprise. He brought his other hand to softly pat the baby and whispered his reassurance.

“Let your father sleep, little one. I promise I will keep both of you safe.”