Congratulations!

pop, pop, pop, pop… is what I heard as we walked through the door. Huh? What is this?

Sang Jae had picked Ida and me up from the train station, taken us out to dinner for kalbi (listed at one of the 10 best Korean foods in the brochure we got at the Tourist Information booth), then dropped us off at the C-Space convenience store on the corner with instructions to “get ice cream and walk for digestion.” It seemed a strange request, but it was a nice night, so…

Ida and I walked from the convenience store on beautiful toes, carrying a plastic bag full of ice cream treats. We talked about the day, recounting the funny events, unusual happenings. As we began to open the door, we heard, “Wait a minute!” So we did. A minute later Sang Jae opened the door. The lights were off. I reached to press the switch and poppers and streamers exploded. “Congratulations! Congratulations!” he sang. Huh? Congratulations? For what? I walked around the corner into my studio. There, on the floor, was a smashed cake, with tall, skinny candles burning quickly. Sang Jae began singing a Korean version of Happy Birthday. At the end, he quickly said, “I’m sol-ly, I’m sol-ly…” As he had tried to take the cake out of the box, it stuck. He had pulled harder and harder, finally tugging it with one final effort, smashing half of it in the process. Even so, with its smushed glazed tomatoes (yes, really) and kiwi on top, it was delicious. Not a bad way to end the long day…