Our Child

Chapter twenty five

The day had not gone how Jennie had forseen. What she had expected to be a perhaps hour long catch up, clearly had expanded into several, followed by a text at three informing her she did not have to pick up Annie. As she closed her eyes, clutching her stomach, Jennie wondered if there was ever a point where she would catch a break. Where she could hold her child and not have about twenty other thoughts on her mind.

That thought only grew in exasperation as she collected Annie when, all of a sudden, a small clutch of the parents at her school decided to speak to her about Jisoo. They wanted to know how long she had known her, what she was like. The mother had done their best to brush them off, but it kept happening. A teacher rushed out to ask about Jisoo's skin-care routine, the cleaner wanted to know about her coats, the head teacher asked for an autograph. On the way home, Jennie could have sworn half the pedestrians were looking at her. Though she did her best to justify that it must all be in her head. She knew nothing that could have triggered this.

Annie was her usual perfect self, holding up a picture frame she made in school for art and craft. It was nothing more than a piece of cardboard with distinctly visible lavender paint strokes. A stream of silver glitter glue was elegantly placed around the frame, and was further embellished with an assortment of colourful gems. Annie had refused to let it leave her side as she ate her snack.

Jisoo seemed different when she came through the door, her eyes watching something that was not there. But perhaps that was merely her average state now. Annie ran over, ever the source of sweetness. Jennie watched as Jisoo turned on the kettle as she held her daughter, putting some instant coffee into a mug. She fiddled with a ring, then with Annie's hair. Then she whispered something into the little girl's ear that made her become elated.

"Mum got me a gift today," Annie called, immediately bounding over to brag.

"Did she really?" Jennie smiled, forcing her thoughts onto her child.

Nodding proudly, Annie declared, "It's a picture of a wall."

Jennie's eyes nearly popped out of her head, "Is... is it a nice wall?"

"Uh huh," Annie began to fish it out of Jisoo's hand bag, "Mum says we can use the frame I made."

"There would be no better option. Where are you gonna put it?" Jennie waited patiently.

"On my night stand probably, we've been here some time so no point putting a hole in the wall. You'll want to go soon," Annie shrugged.

Her words hit Jennie like a truck. Half because her daughter was right, and the other because she truly did not want to leave. In fact, for that moment before her daughter's, the idea of even leaving the couch seemed too far fetched to be possible. Much to Jennie's own surprise, she was comfortable.

Eventually, Annie found it, somehow still perfectly neat. "It's a purple wall, with some stuff on it," the little girl eloquently explained.

Jennie shook her head, crouching down to get a better look. Sure enough, it was some graffiti art with a purple background and creme filling. Some white lines were jagged, others made blobs. Harsh blacks detailed sapphires and spikes. Overall, it was a wash of too much, so many things and concepts, it was impossible to imprint the collage of action to memory at once. Jennie only had one thought.

"This is so you, Jisoo," she chuckled.

Jisoo struggled to swallow her coffee.

Settling Annie down to do her homework, Jennie went over to the window to check her phone in peace. Naturally, Rosie had messaged. And Lisa. And... her mother. Jennie read that particular contact over and over. It only said four words: have you no shame? Having no context, Jennie decided her mother needed to be blocked for another month. Lisa was slightly more positive, drafting out some four paragraph long apology Jennie would read over later. Rosie was more direct: Saw Jisoo today, check the news my love.