A Piece of Work
...written on 05.31.03, @ 7:46 a.m.
Sat May 31, 2003
It was 1:30 a.m. and I could hear Min pounding on something in his workshop. Curious, I went over and knocked on the door and said his name. Through the door I heard some shuffling going on as he said my nickname with a tinge of goodnatured bother. He opened the door a peek.
I had a book in my hand and was wanting to just sit beside him as he worked, but his nonverbals were giving me a different message. "Please," he insisted, "I'm working now. It's a secret." With a tilt of my head, I pouted playfully and waved goodbye as I shuffled back to my apartment.
The next morning I heard him pounding away again while listening to the MD of music that I had given him. I called him from work after our big meeting was over to ask how his day was going. He told me he was still working hard on his secret project and that it was for me.
I bicycled home to get some stuff for class and as I was unlocking my door, the door to Min's studio opened rather forcefully. I thought it might be Min wanting to say hello, but I could see that the room was empty and that the wind had blown the door open. I walked over to close the door and before my arm crossed the threshold I remembered that the project was a "secret", so I shut my eyes tightly, leaned in, wrapped my fingers around the knob and closed the door.
I got home near 11 p.m. and saw a red plastic bag hanging on my door. I grabbed the bag and went in to take a quick shower. Once out of the shower, I opened the bag and looked inside. I took out the item which was wrapped in tissue paper and a note from Min.
I thought it was beautiful and I went to tell Min how much I liked it. It seemed as if I had roused him from sleep, but he claimed to have been reading a book and anxiously asked me if I had seen the present. I had it in my hands and began gushing over it. He looked super pleased and began explaining the different woods he used.
He actually said he wanted me to not only use it, but to keep it with me and use it EVERYDAY! (Min is usually such a cool character) I told him I knew how much work and vibes he put into it and that it was a special treasure to me. He clutched his heart and said he was very happy I liked it AND that the secret work was over. Apparently it stressed him to "close his door to me", and that revelation my friends, was another supreme gift.