Frankie

Seoul, South Korea

June 30, 2020

 

I wake up with a start, touching my forehead.

There is this low throbbing ache that will not go away.

It has been like this for a little over a week and it is beginning to annoy me.

I sit up massaging my temples hoping this will give me some relief.

I only arrived in Seoul yesterday and I will be darned if this slight ache is going to stop me from enjoying everything that Seoul has to offer!

I scrimped, saved, gone without, worked months of overtime to be able to come here.

I am not letting nothing keep me from touring the ancient palace today!

I mean nothing!

I grab my phone off the nightstand.

It is only three am? Wow I have been sleeping for hours already and now I am wide awake.

I do not have to leave until noon, and I know that I will not be able to stay awake if I do not go back to sleep.

I get up to use the bathroom and find some sort of pain reliever for my headache.

I look in my bag and find a package of bc powders and chuckle.

This is mom’s go to for any pain or ache.

They are disgusting but they work almost instantly.

I grab a packet and head to the kitchen to get some water.

I grab a small bottle of apple juice to chase it with.

Even though it works like a charm I gag whenever I use them.

And that defeats their purpose if I am just going to retch them up immediately after consumption!

I hold my nose swallow down the foul-tasting powder followed by the juice.

I do not know if it is in my mind or not, but I can almost feel the headache disappearing if that is possible.

I drink another glass to chase everything completely down and head back to bed.

I set my alarm for eight am lay my head on the pillow and fall asleep almost instantly.

 

I am awakened by my phone ringing off the hook.

I look around at the still dark room and grab my phone.

I look at it and it is a number I do not recognize.

“Hello?” I say sounding like a man.

I clear my throat “Hello?” That is much better.

“Frankie? Francesca Angelle Winslow is that you?” A male voice says chuckling.

I sit up instantly awake recognition dawning through my haze of sleep.

“Ho-Jin!” I squeal excitedly.

“Yes, baby girl, it’s me how in heck have you been?”

I chuckle nervously at the baby girl part, that always made me swoon.

Of course, I know he did not mean anything by it and he only used it as a term of endearment but still.

I loved it and I would be crushed if he called anyone else that.

“I am great, I can’t complain I am just happy to be here.”

I look at the clock it is six forty-five in the morning.

“As much as I love that you’re calling me, couldn’t you have waited until say eight or nine am?”

I tease and he chuckles.

“No ma’am, as soon as I saw your dm I hit you up, have you heard from Julia yet?” He asked.

“No, you know she is knocked out, I will be lucky if she calls before noon.” I reply and he laughs.

“You definitely know my sister; nothing has changed she still loves her sleep and will rip your head off if you disrupt it.”

“Oh, I remember being on the receiving end of her wrath many a Saturday morning back in the day.” I laugh and he joins in.

“Ahh I missed that laugh of yours, you always snort when something is really funny to you.

“I do not!” I respond embarrassed.

“Yeah you do, especially when you were being tickled.”

A flashback of him tickling me until I almost peed my pants flashed in my brain and I sobered instantly.

I barely managed to make it to the bathroom without an accident.

Thank God I did though otherwise that would have been one of those moments where I would have grabbed my clothing and ran all the way home never to return.

“Yeah well, you tickle me now you get a karate chop to the throat in return.”

“I hate, hate, hate being tickled.’

He roars with laughter and I feel the butterflies in my stomach break free.

“You know I seem to recall that as well.” He said in a contemplative voice.

“Wow Frankie, you sure grew up good, huh?”

“I have not stopped looking at your pictures since I got your dm early this morning.”

“You are truly beautiful and you