He's gone. Kato is gone.
We all jumped into the van today, drove a few hours north and then dropped him off at the military training base. He's now officially enlisted in the Korean military and will be with them for the next two years. Of course he will get the occasional military leave where he'll be able to visit us here in Cheonan but it won't compare to just how much I've seen him since the first day I signed him up for training at Hulk's. I see Kato almost every single day, well I guess that's "saw" now. There were numerous days when I saw him more than his own family did and then there were numerous days when I saw him before work, during work, and then even after work. He'd come by the club several times, just like his father does too, Wow.
He's changed so much in the two years that we've been training him at the club and it's been really cool to see him come into his own, to watch him change from this shy, skinny kid to our top amateur fighter, a man, who has confidence and charm.
Kato is definitely one of my closest and favourite people in Korea so having to say goodbye today was really hard. When he walked through the main gates and headed down the long dirt road alone, I jumped up and down calling his name. He turned, smiled and waved one last time. I then stood there watching him walk away into the distance, until I could no longer see him. I miss him and I know working tomorrow at the club without him, well, his absence will definitely be felt by not only me but also Snickers and our members. I hope he knows he will be really missed.
No comments:
Post a Comment