Ice Cream

“Seriously?”

“What? It’s a reasonable fear…”

“I can understand bugs, but kids? Really?”

Tiffany pouted that same adorable pout that she always did when she wasn’t particularly happy with me. “Come on, don’t make me do this.”

Too bad for her, I could be just as stubborn as she always was. “Don’t make that face at me. That’s not fair. Just come in!” My words only spurred her on and I almost felt like giving in right then and there.

“What’s not fair?” she asked jutting out her bottom lip even further and speaking in a really cutesy voice. And I mean cutesy voice as in annoying-but-not-really-annoying-because-she’s-Fany kind of voice.

“You have this incredible talent of making me enjoy aegyo,” I mumbled. I took a deep breath and tried to glare at her. Key word: tried. I’m ninety-eight percent positive that it was ineffective because she started giggling as soon as I attempted it. “What?” I asked in mock anger. I don’t think I pulled it off very well because she started giggling again.

“You’re so cute TaeTae,” she said with that magnificent eye-smile gracing her face. I grinned at her. I always liked it when she complimented me. It made me feel special because I had always compared Tiffany to the likes of an angel. This girl was just too bright and benevolent to be a normal human being. Maybe she wasn’t an angel, but she might as well have been one. Tiffany had her faults though, I knew that much, so it kind of made me wonder.

Did angels have faults too? And if they did, would that still make them angels?

“So are you. Now that we’ve settled that issue,” I said as I grabbed her hand and led her inside the room full of screaming children, “let’s go inside and be cute together.”

Tiffany wasn’t too happy, I could just tell by the way she walked, but she didn’t protest.

“Aren’t you always the one that wants to help?” I asked with an amused smile, feeling her stiffen up at the sight of so many rambunctious kids. And by ‘many’ I meant three.

“Yes, but I doubt I’ll be of much help here…”

“You’ll be fine,” I said with what I thought was a comforting smile. I think she thought so too because she relaxed a little and mustered a tiny smile back at me.

Now, to be absolutely and completely honest, she wasn’t fine at all. The whole day I think she caused more trouble than she did help me in any way. It wasn’t her fault of course, but knowing that didn’t make me any less aggravated at her.

“Sorry TaeTae,” she told me when I had gotten the three kids to finally go to sleep. “I told you I wouldn’t be much help. You should’ve asked Sunny to help you babysit.” I looked at her and couldn’t help but soften up at the sight of her looking so guilty and helpless.

“It’s alright…” I said sitting down beside her.

She turned her head and looked at me skeptically. “Really?”

“Well, no, not really,” I said honestly. “But it’s over now and I’m not that annoyed anymore.” I turned to face her and patted her back. “Besides, you’ll get better with kids in due time.”

Before she could respond at my attempt to cheer her up, we both heard the soft pitter patter of footsteps in the other room.

“Unnie?”

“Over here,” I said loud enough so the kid would be able to hear me. The little girl shyly made her way over, her hands awkwardly playing with each other the whole way. I picked her up and placed her on my lap gently. “What’s wrong?”

“I can’t sleep,” she said bashfully. When I shot her a questioning glance she stared down at her hands. “Too hot,” she mumbled so softly that I just barely caught it.

“Ah, too hot?” I pondered for a moment. “I have an idea!” I shouted excitingly, snapping my fingers. “How about some ice cream?” The little girl in my arms looked up at my questioningly.

“Ice cream?”

“Yeah, why not? It’s my favorite!” I grinned and placed her in Tiffany’s lap, not waiting for an answer as I raided the freezer for my favorite treat. Before I walked back in, I overheard the little girl talking and decided to eavesdrop because I’m sneaky like that.

“Tiffany unnie, why do you look so sad?”

“I’m not sad.”

“You look sad.”

“Well, I’m not.”

“Well, if you are just smile!”

“Why?”

“Because you have a pretty smile and when you smile it makes Taeyeon unnie smile and when Taeyeon unnie smiles you don’t look so sad anymore.”

I smiled and decided to walk in before Tiffany could say another word. When I handed Tiffany her ice cream I made sure to grin especially wide at her and she narrowed her eyes at me, probably figuring out that I had heard the whole thing. It only took a couple minutes for all of us to finish off the frozen treat and I sent the girl off to bed again.

“Now, don’t you come out here unless that monster sleeping underneath your bed wakes up, okay?”

The little girl nodded confidently. “Okay unnie!”

I chuckled as soon as I heard the door close. “She’s such a naïve kid…” Tiffany mumbled.

“Reminds me of you.”

“Kim Taeyeon!” she said doing that thing where she said my whole name in an illegally adorable kind of way. “Are you calling me naïve?”

“Yes.”

I interrupted her before she could reprimand me.

“But, a little childlike naivety isn’t so bad every once in a while, don’t you think?”