Realize | Jenlisa

Sixteen

Lisa woke up in her room with a smiling face, late in the afternoon. She quickly washed up and went to the kitchen.

“Mom, if you were at my age, where do you want to go?” she asked, sitting by the counter. “Where do you think is the place that's perfect here in the city?” she added, as she bit the toast in front of her.

Chitthip took a moment to think, and then she grinned. “It would be nice to see the whole city at night — from the sky.”

Lisa thought about it. Then, she swallowed.

“All right!” she said. “Thanks, Mom.”

She went to her bedroom and dressed up. She picked up her cell phone and dialed.

It rang...

“What's up?” a deep voice answered from the other line.

“Hey, it's Lisa. How are you?” Lisa asked politely.

“Lisa! What a surprise! Well, I'm still the same. What can I do for you?” the deep voice asked kindly.

“I need a favor. See, I'm planning to go there with someone tonight. Is it all right if I come?”

"Hmm... I guess I can make an exception,” the deep voice said. She sounded like she was smiling.

“Thank you.”

“My pleasure, young lady. See you.”

There was a click from the other line, and the call ended.

-
It was already dark when Lisa finished making herself ready. Once again, he looked at herself in the mirror. She wore jeans and a beige Irish knit sweater.

“Good enough,” she nodded, before finally leaving. “I'm going out, Mom. See you later,” she called loudly enough for her Mom to hear her from wherever she was.

She closed the door, walked several steps down the hallway, and rang the doorbell on Room 23, the condo unit of the Kims. She waited for a while before the door opened.

It was Jennie. She must have just come out of the bathroom because her hair was still in tangles. She wore a T-shirt and pajamas. Oddly, there was a spoon in her mouth.

She seemed surprised, clearly not expecting Lisa to show up in the night. Lisa quickly looked away and audibly cleared her throat. Jennie looked down and pulled the spoon out of her mouth.

“Um... What is it?” she asked.

“I was harsh to you the other day,” she started. “I thought maybe you could come with me to some place nice.” she looked at her, waiting for her reply.

“Why?” Jennie asked suspiciously, raising an eyebrow. She looked at her, trying to read what she was thinking.

“Think of it as a peace offering,” she shrugged.

She stared at Lisa, thinking...

“Fine.”

Lisa's head shot up in slight surprise. She sighed in relief, but she quickly composed her expression.

She let her in the living room. The TV was on; it looked like she was watching a movie while eating ice cream.

Minutes later, she came out wearing long sleeves and jeans. For moment, Lisa thought she looked pretty. But she immediately pushed the thought away. She didn't want to make anything out of it.

They both wore coats because of the cold breeze outside. In silence, they made their way onto the limousine and drove off.

“Where are you taking me?” Jennie asked Lisa, having no idea where they were going. But she ignored her. She turned to Donghwan the Chauffeur instead. “Excuse me, where are we going?”