Editorial note: This is an original fictional/composite interview written as a publication sample.
Kim Sun-ja, 82, lives on the sixth floor of an apartment building with a perfectly good elevator. Once a day, usually in the morning, she walks down the stairs instead.
Why the stairs?
My knees need movement, but not too much movement. Down is easier than up. I take the elevator back.
Where do you go?
Usually the small supermarket or just around the block. Sometimes I buy nothing. Walking is the reason.
What did you do before retirement?
I worked at a neighborhood dry cleaner with my sister for many years. I handled customers and tagged clothes. My sister was better with the machines.
Do you still see your sister often?
Once or twice a week. We live about twenty minutes apart. We talk on the phone almost every day, usually about what we ate.
What is the hardest part of getting older?
Everything takes planning. When I was forty, I could decide to go somewhere and just go. Now I think about stairs, weather, bathrooms, how long I will be out.
And the good part?
I do not have to hurry because somebody else says I should.
Kim pressed the elevator button after returning from her walk. “I already did my stairs,” she said. “There is no prize for doing extra.”
By Y. Lee
