워터루의 코네스토가 몰에서 생긴 일

[조앤리]

워터루의 코네스토가 몰은 한산했다. 

약간은 긴장되었던 아들 졸업식을 끝내고 약간의 피곤함과 홀가분함으로 몸이 나긋나긋했다. 왕복항공권 리턴날짜 덕분에 생긴 낯선 도시에서의 며칠간의 휴가, 그 첫날 저녁, 한산한 몰의 적막을 깨고 뜻하지 않은 전화벨이 울렸다. 처음 한두번 Unknown으로 온것을 놓쳤더니 바로 프라이버시를 포기하며 번호로 다시 울린다. 뭔가 예사롭지 않은 다급한 거 같은 느낌의 전화를 받기위해 통화버튼을 눌렀다

Where are you? I found your dog! 젊은 여자의 카랑진 목소리가 귀청을 찢는다. 

What?? Who am I speaking to? Oh my God! 

몇차례 믿을 수 없는 상황설명이 반복되고 나는 우리 개 지나가 우릴 찾으러 맡겨놓은 아들집을 나와 트럭이 오고가는 도로에서 벌벌 떨다가 거의 트럭에 치일뻔한 상황에 다행히 이 레슬리라는 이름의 생명의 은인이 차를 세우고 나와 주어 구조되려고 하나, 이 긴박한 상황에서 지나가 구조자의 차에 올라타지 않아 도로의 차들을 막고 있는 상황이라는걸 알게 됐다. 

셰퍼드 종인 지나가 남의 차를 탈 리가 만무이며 그렇다고 똑똑해서 멀리 달아나지도 않고 그저 떨고 있는 것이 틀림없다. 30Kg 의 개를 저런 목소리의 여자가 덥쳐서 벌떡 들어올릴 수도 없고.  한참을 어찌할바 모르고 서로 소리만 지르며 헤매던 중 일본 과자점에 줄을 서있던 남편이 돌아와 레슬리에게 이런 시도를 해본다.

 "Although Zena has grown up with English as her main language, my wife is Korean, she sometimes talk to Zena in Korean when they take her to walk and say Gaja! Which means Let’s go! Try saying this! Gaja" (지나가 영어쓰는 가정에서 자라긴 했지만 아내가 한국인이라 가끔 산책나갈때 “지나 가자!” 라고 하니 그렇게 한번 해보라)

전화기 너머로 여자가 참 빨리도 말을 배워 숨이 넘어가게 '지나 가자!' 외치는 소리가 들렸고 지나가 그말을 듣고 반사적으로 귀를 쫑긋 세우더니 몇번 '지나 가자!'를 외치자 여자차에 바로 껑충 올라탔다고 한다! 

그 뒤 어렵사리 아들집을 도로 찾아 지나를 내려주고 여자는 떠나고, 이미 탈출한 집에 더 둘 수도 없어 다른 아들을 시켜 사람도 없는 우리집으로 지나를 다시 안전하게 옮겨 매일 두번씩 들러 돌봐주도록 세팅하기까지 그 사이도 또 잃어버릴것같은 위험한 고비를 여러번 넘겼다. 

지나가 그토록 홈바디인걸 알면서도 에이커리지 백야드에 익숙한 친구개들이 있는 아들집이 더 편하고 안전할거라는게 처음부터 잘못된 생각이었던거 같다. 

이런 에피소드를 겪으며 한가지 사건에 대해 일어날 수 있는 여러변수에 대해 생각해봤다. 

지나가 집을 찾겠다고 더 멀리 달려 사라져 버렸더라면, 차에 치여 다치거나 영원히 못보게 되었더라면, 내가 떠나던 날 혹시나하고 채워준 목걸이, 거기에 "Please Call My Mom" 이라고 애절하게 쓴 글귀와 번호가 없었더라면, 

레슬리같은 사람이 거기에 없었더라면, 아니 있었어도 그 순간 그만한 용기를 내지 않았더라면, 달리는 무심한 트럭사이로 내려 트럭 드라이버들의 욕을 먹으며 2차선 도로를 막고 지나를 보호하려고 싸우지 않았더라면, 내가 적시에 전화를 받지 못했더라면… 

나는 이 새까맣고 부드러운 밤하늘 같은 얼굴과 별같은 저 순한 눈을 다시는 보지 못하고 평생 가슴저리며 살아야했을 것이다. 

모든 일이 이렇게 앞으로 일어날 일을 전혀 알 수 없고 우여곡절과 만가지 다른 상황으로 다르게 전개될 수 있는데 그 끝에 지금 내가 누리는 평범한 일상되기까지는 정말로 운이 좋게 작은 확률로 이루어지는게 게 아니냐 하는 생각을 집으로 돌아오며부터 내내 하게 됐다. 

우리에게 다가오는, 지나가는 수많은 일들을 나는 다 감지하지도 헤아리지도 못한다. 필연이라는거, 우연, 운명, 구사일생으로 살아 돌아온 지나의 운명, 그 앞에서 나는 또 한번 먼지처럼 작아진다. 

이런 모든 것을 정하시는 그 우주의 힘이 경외로울뿐이다. 그 정해주심에 따르고 오늘도 어제와 같이 안전히 지켜주시고,이렇게 데크에 앉아 지는 노을을 감상 할 수 있게 하심을 사무치게 감사드려본다. 

The Conestoga shopping mall in Waterloo was quiet.

After the little tensed time of my son's graduation, my body was feeling loose and relaxed with weariness and some fresh relief. Extra few days of holidays in a strange city because of the round trip flying ticket return date. While walking through the mall that first evening time, my phone rang breaking the stillness of the mall. 

Having missed a couple of unknown calls, the call kept ringing out, this time with a number giving up the callers privacy. I pressed the answer button for this seemingly urgent call.

A lady caller yelled out,

"Where are you? I found your dog!" A young lady's cry nearly ruptures my eardrums. 

What?? Who am I speaking to? Oh my God! 

After the lady relayed an explanation of the unbelievable situations, I finally realized the situation: our dog Zena has escaped the yard at my son's house where we left her during while we are away. She must have tried to find us but ended up on a road, a route often used by large trucks. She was shaking her body in the middle of the road and nearly hit by a large truck, when luckily this lady, named Leslie, stopped her car. Zena was now about to be rescued. However, now out of imminent danger, she wouldn't get in the Leslie's car and was blocking the road.

Zena is Shepherd breed that likely wasn't going to hop up into a stranger’s car and she was smart enough not to just run away recklessly. Also, for a young lady to swoop and lift a 30kg dog up seemed more impossible. While talking loudly on the phone with each other not knowing what to do, my husband came back from a line for a Japanese snack shop and talked to her. 

He explained, "Although Zena has grown up with English as her main language, my wife is Korean. She and her daughter sometimes talk to Zena in Korean when they take her to walk and say gaja! Which means “let’s let’s go!” Try saying this! gaja!" 

The lady did as told, and in a quick moment Zena's ears became alert and when “Zena, gaja!” was repeated a couple more times, then Zena hopped up into the lady’s car! 

Leslie then took Zena back to my son's home nearby and safely put her inside the fence and left. I couldn't leave Zena in that house where she already once escaped from, so I called another son and asked him to move her to our empty home and take care of her by visiting her twice a day. To organize and set up this safe system we luckily got through another couple of dangerous moments where we might have lost our dog again. 

Because Zena is such a homebody dog, it might be wrong from the beginning to think that Zena will be more comfortable and safer in my son's house which I thought she was familiar with and has an acreage back yard with other dogs.

Undergoing this episode, I thought of many other variables that could have unfolded in the event. What if Zena had run far away to try to find her home and disappeared? What if she had been hit by a truck and badly injured or gone for good? What if I hadn't put on the collar on that day which reads “Please Call My Mom” with my phone number... 

What if there had not been a person like Leslie, or what if she hadn't plucked up her courage enough to save Zena… She got out of her car in the middle of the running trucks blocking the two-lane road getting complaints from the drivers and but being persistent to protect my dog. 

What if I hadn't gotten Leslie's phone call in time to respond...

I would never be able to see this sweet black face like a night sky and the innocent eyes like stars. I would have had to live with my broken heart for life. 

Like this experience, our ordinary daily life events can be propelled into various directions in unexpected ways. 

Since returning home, I realized that we never really know what may lie ahead of us that will change our ordinary moments. This ordinary day has been obtained by luck by a very small percentage of possibilities. 

I don't sense or acknowledge all the events that comes to or passes me.

I don't know what inevitability really means, accidentalism or destiny, that Zena who's came back only by the skin of her teeth. 

When I think of these things, it humbles me, as small as a piece of dust. Only being amazed by the energy of the universe that decides all adapting myself to the nature, this evening, I thank God for keeping me safe and enabling me to enjoy this sunset on the deck again like yesterday.