A Shepherd Boy - 양치기 소년

I remember reading a short story written by a French noblest, Alphonse Daudet, in which he depicts a young shepherd living in a remote mountainous region on a hillside keeping a heard of sheep, away from a village. On one summer day, following a heavy torrential rainstorm, the mailman who usually deliver mails from the village could not come, instead a girl - owner's daughter, whom the shepherd adores, delivered mails instead. She was caught in the shepherd's eyes as her bonnet appeared and then her full picture over the hill.  The boy was feeling delighted and joyful seeing the girl walking slowly up the hill carrying a handful of mails in her hand.  The story is culminated as the girl had left for home could not go across inundated brook and returns back crying ended up staying over for a night with the shepherd boy. The owner's daughter is curious how shepherds spend in the mountains feeling lonely. To her question, the boy would answer that watching so many stars in the sky doesn't make him feel lonely, and the boy was thrilled to explain all her questions. When darkness fell on the hillside and myriad stars appeared in sky, they were star gazing sitting side by side. The shepherd boy was thrilled sitting next to the Stepanette talking about stars that he is so used to watching all alone in many lonely nights. The young girl fell asleep with her head rested on the shepherd's shoulder.

I remember the moments reading this story in a high school classroom. The story was so sweet and I read again during the break following and dreamt about about what would be like to be the shepherd when Korean school would not pay attention to sexuality of young people. My woman biology teacher skipped the entire chapter of human reproduction in the middle school by simply uttering a phrase, "I will skip this chapter. If any of you have any question about human sexuality, please come to my office."  The society's negligence and suppression on  human sexuality to young people was well reflective very crude militaristic society, making my dreaming about the girl all the more sweet.  Her handling the matter, in retrospect, was rather disturbing now that I think, snubbing off the part of our living without proper acknowledgment and respect only augmenting it as a taboo, and negation and suppression of her own sexuality.  After all, how impressive any biology teacher can be, who skip the chapter of human reproduction!  This short story fell in the middle of the textbook, as if there had been a conspiracy, perfectly in line with time of sultry summer summer month of July had arrived - as mounting peer pressure amongst the students getting built - by throwing a spurt of cool summer romantic tale.

 In the midst of our  hectic lives there can be spurious moments that turns around throwing pixy dust giving fresh look at the surrounding. These moments sooth us and caress aches like sun's ray thawing frozen landscape in winter.  Such sweet times are rare, and it is treasured later to be sparkled along with fireworks by the river bank long time after like the shepherd see one of the stars as if his adorable Stepanette.

The day I met Julia was on the  Friday in a fall semester when I was taking a freshman English composition course which I had deferred taking it until 3rd year in the school. The campus became virtually empty on the fall day as I walked toward the building where English department was located; the students had left to home early on that day for upcoming holiday weekend.  The emptiness of the campus oozed somewhat desolate feeling even though sun was setting with colorful hues in the western sky exuding its gaiety.  As I was walking in the hallway heading toward the classroom, some lights in the hallway had already been turned off,  giving me doubts that anybody would be present to help out students with English papers. As I approached to the last room near the other entrance,  I saw lights emitting through door ajar.  As I knocked on the opened door, a woman with long light blond hair  raised her from reading a book sitting in the room.  Through the windows sunlights were still shinning very peacefully like a silky dress in the western sky.  Julia put the book away on a large wooden desk in front of her and asked, "Can I help you?"   I told her that that I need someone to correct my English paper and handed out the paper that I had worked on. Julia placed it on table in front of her and started reading.  I pulled a chair up across the table and sat down.  She asked me whether she could make write on the paper, upon which I responded saying "O.K." Julia started correcting it with a red ball pointed pen.  I was glad that such help was available for I had deferred taking the mandatory English writing course for two years.

Weeks earlier, I visited the English department office to seek any help might be available with correcting papers for students taking English courses, and the secretary told me that graduate students on work study program offers such help on weekly basis, and that I would be able to get the help needed.

 I do remember how I became acquainted with Julia; it was over  but I must have thought of taking her out after meeting her several times getting help from her. I do remember taking her out for a dinner at a Chinese restaurant in downtown after much thinking what to say to her during the dinner without having had much experiences talking in English with a woman.  I admired her amicability and loved seeing her smiling. During our dinner, she made me feel comfortable.  She was tall woman and her smiles had very charming qualities. She was kind and gentle woman.  As the semester went, I found myself getting more drawn to the English department building.  I even went there even at the time she doesn't work there.  One day, I saw her studying at the library;  I could see her from her back side.

One day, Julia called in distress telling me that her apartment was infested with roaches and the landlord would not do anything about it.  She asked me whether it would be possible to sleep in my apartment.  I told her to come to my place. Luckily, my roommate was gone over the weekend and I could let Julia come in.  On that night, we talked and talked, and Julia slept on couch. I brought a pillow and a blanket  that I had and had her lay down flat comfortably on the couch .  On that night, I watched her sleeping like the shepherd boy finding Stephnette had fallen in sleep leaning her head over his shoulder under starry night as he was explaining to her about the stars.