“Grab the bags from the back, will you please?”

Taeyeon gathers some bags from the passenger seat and waits for her daughters by the front door.

Bella hoists a few bags over her shoulder and closes the trunk. “Do you think we bought enough stuff?”

“I think the sales lady was in love with you, Mom” Sophia giggles, dragging her own set of bags.

“She did earn quite the commission from our purchases”

Taeyeon knocks on the door lightly; Bella and Sophia put down their bags and wait on the porch steps behind her.

“Hello, ladies!” Jessica opens the door and her eyes are immediately drawn to the pastel colored shopping bags. “What did you do”

“Nothing you wouldn’t have done if the tables were turned”

Jessica just shakes her head and takes a bag from each girl.

“Where’s the baby?” Sophia excitedly asks.

“She’s in the living room with…”

“Let’s go!” Bella and Sophia run down the familiar hallway toward the living room.

“So how are you finding motherhood after four days?” Taeyeon asks her friend as they slowly make their way down the hall.

“It’s surprisingly incredible” Jessica stops and puts the bags down, facing her friend, “Taeyeon, about the other night…”

“Already forgotten”

“I just want you to be happy, you know that”

“Yeah, I know”

“And I’ll probably bring up the subject again”

“And I’ll probably hang up on you again”

“As long as we”’re on the same page” Jessica smirks.

“Naturally”

They continue down the hallway and Jessica stops her one more time.

“I should tell you that…”

“Hi, Taeyeon”

Taeyeon looks behind her at the sound of the well-known voice.

“Sunny…” Taeyeon glances at Jessica, “I wasn’t expecting to see you here”

“Yeah, I dropped by to see Eden, and to bring some of Jamie’s old blankets and things. Although by the looks of it she won’t need anything ever again” Sunny says, staring wide-eyed at the bags the women are holding.

“Yes, well… the girls were with me and they kept finding things they thought the baby needed…”

Sunny raises an eyebrow, “Likely story” she smiles knowingly at Taeyeon and walks around her toward the living room.

Taeyeon glares at Jessica.

“I tried to tell you” Jessica shrugs.

“What’s she doing here!” Taeyeon whispers.

“Yul called her” Jessica whispers back, “She really likes her, I don’t know…”

“This is really awkward for me”

“Why? She was at your house a couple weeks ago”

“Not by my invitation”

“So you’re telling me you’d prefer if she wasn’t here?”

“Yes…” Taeyeon closes her eyes and sighs, “no… I don’t know!”

“Relax, ok? I think she has to leave soon to pick up the kid, anyway. Just come in and see my daughter, alright?”

Taeyeon bites her lip and exhales deeply. “Yeah…”

....

....

....

“Her skins is so soft”

Bella and Sophia hover over the baby in Yul’s arms and stare, like they’re waiting for her to perform some kind of baby trick.

“Does she cry a lot?” Sophia asks, placing her index finger inside Eden’s tiny fist.

“I wouldn’t say a lot, but she does cry” Jessica says, handing Taeyeon a bottle of water and sitting down next to Yul and the girls.

“She smells so good” Bella smiles, “Are you sure you don’t want to have one of these, Mom?”

Sophia and Bella both look up to watch for their mother’s reaction. The adults in the room follow suit.

Taeyeon glares at her children playfully and takes a sip of water.

“How ‘bout it, Taeyeon?” Jessica leans forward and slaps Taeyeon’s knee, “I think another Bella or Sophia is exactly what you need.

Taeyeon cackles. “That’s just what I don’t need” she says, winking at her stone-faced daughters.

“Aww, don’t tease them Taeyeon” Sunny says, “they’re wonderful girls”

“Thank you, Sunny” Sophia turns her head snobbishly away from her mother.

“Are you going to have any more kids, Sunny?” Bella asks without hesitation.

Sunny’s eyes immediately meet Taeyeon’s. “Maybe… yes, I’d like to”

Taeyeon takes another sip of water.

Bella nods. “You should. I bet Jamie gets bored being the only kid in the house”

“I think he does” Sunny agrees.

“I was an only child, and I didn’t find it boring at all” Taeyeon adds her two cents.

“Well you’re just one in a million, aren’t you” Jessica rolls her eyes.

“I am that”

Yul stands up and walks around the coffee table and puts Eden in Taeyeon’s arms. Taeyeon’s arrogant expression changes instantly. Bella and Sophia follow the baby like she’s a magnet and sit on the arms of the sofa chair Taeyeon’s in.

“Now that’s a beautiful picture” Yul smiles.

“You’re not playing fair” Taeyeon attempts to glare at the new mom, but fails miserably when Eden begins to make baby grunting sounds.

“Don’t blame me because you’re putty in her hands” Yul says, rifling through one of the many pastel bags full of baby accessories.

“Babies are amazing” Taeyeon relents, “especially when I can hold them and love them… and then give them back”

Jessica and Yul laugh. Sunny smiles weakly.

“So you don’t want to do any of the dirty work, is that it?”

“Precisely. I don’t want three a.m. feedings, or baby vomit, or infant seats… I changed my last nappy nine years ago, and I have absolutely no desire to relive that experience”

“So what you’re saying is, if we leave our daughter with you for an evening we should expect to find a dirty, hungry baby with a diaper full of crap when we get back”

“Not at all. Heckle and Jeckle here are quite eager to perform all babysitting duties”

Jessica tips her glass to Taeyeon.

“You two are awful” Yul huffs. She walks over and takes the baby from a grinning Taeyeon.

“Aw, come on…. babe, we’re just teasing” Jessica whines, unable to keep a straight face.

Yul ignores her. “Girls, would you like to help me put away some of the things you brought?”

Bella and Sophia jump to attention and grab as many bags as they can, dutifully following Yul out of the living room.

“I better, um, take these other bags in there” Jessica says quietly.

“You’re so whipped”

“So were you once” Jessica shoots back.

When Jessica is gone, Taeyeon clears and smiles tightly at Sunny.

“Is it awkward for you, my being here?” Sunny asks.

“What? No… not at all…”

“So it is” she stands up.

“Sunny…”

“Well if it matters, I didn’t know you were coming over; I’m not stalking you or anything”

Taeyeon rolls her eyes, “I never thought that”

“Right, well… I have to pick up Jamie from camp, so I’d better get going”

“…Ok”

Sunny gathers her camera and purse, “Can you tell everyone I said bye”

“They’re just in the nursery…”

“I know, but I’m running late”

Taeyeon gets up from the chair, “Yeah, alright”

Sunny walks up the two steps out of the sunken living room and turns halfway, “Bye, Taeyeon”

“Bye”

Taeyeon twists to the side and wonders what just happened. Sighs deeply and picks up her water bottle, tapping her fingers against it.

Jessica comes back in the room. “Where’s Sunny?”

“She left; said to say bye”

“And you’re still standing in my living room because…?”

“Don’t start”

“God, Taeyeon. What the are you so scared of?”

Taeyeon looks at her friend with wounded eyes.

“Go after her”

“Been there done that, thank you very much”

“I thought you were past it”

Taeyeon begins to shake her head. “So did I”

“Just go”

Taeyeon’s body jerks like she’s going to do just that, but then she hesitates.

“I don’t know what to say…”

“Yes, you do” Jessica urges her friend with her eyes.

“” Taeyeon drops her water bottle on the chair and walks out. By the time she’s outside, she’s doing a slow jog. She stands at the end of the driveway and looks left, then right; sighs in frustration when she doesn’t see Sunny anywhere.

It’s when she’s about to give up that she sees her, more than half-a-block down, crossing to the other side of the narrow residential street.

“Em… Sunny!” she yells.

Sunny takes the key out of her car door and turns. Sees Taeyeon running toward her and grips her car door handle tightly.

“Jesus…” Taeyeon puts her hands on her waist and Bends over, out of breath, “those little legs of yours move quickly, don’t they”

“I told you I’m in a hurry”

“Right…”

Sunny stares at Taeyeon, waiting for her to say something. Taeyeon can read her expression perfectly.

“I’m sorry, alright?” Black eyes suddenly very interested in the house across the street.

“Ok…”

Black eyes find brown. “Ok?”

“Yeah… ok”

“Ok”

Sunny opens but then shakes her head and smiles shyly. “I do have to go; he needs to be picked up by four”

“Ok”

Sunny opens her car door and Taeyeon holds it open while she gets in. She buckles her seatbelt and smiles up at Taeyeon. “I’ll call you later?”

“I’d like that”

Sunny exhales, “…Ok”

....

....

....

She unlocks her front door and hooks her keys on the key hook. Jamie runs past her and heads straight for his room. Sunny hangs her purse up next to the keys and begins to look through the mail in her hand while she closes the door with the other.

“Put your bag by the laundry, sweetheart, and get ready for your bath” she calls out to her son.

Not finding anything that needs her immediate attention, Sunny throws the junk mail onto the dining room table and goes to start the bath for Jamie.

“Come on, Jamie, it’s nearly ready”

When she gets no response, Sunny turns the water off and walks down the hall to Jamie’s room. She finds him lying on his bed, chin resting on his crossed arms.

“Tired, love?”

He shakes his head.

Sunny sits on his bed and rubs his back. “If you tell me what’s bothering you, we can talk about it and then you’ll feel better”

Jamie turns his head away from her and faces the wall.

“Did something happen at camp?”

After being ignored again, Sunny lies down next to him on his single bed and cuddles him close.

“I love you” she kisses his dirty hair, “you can tell me anything”

Jamie turns his head to face her and Sunny’s taken aback when she sees tears in his eyes. She takes off his glasses and puts them on his nightstand and then pushes his long hair off his face, holding it to the side of his head.

“Tell me what’s happened. Who upset you?”

Jamie sniffs and wipes his nose across his forearm. “Some bigger boys called me a girl and…” he pauses, deciding not to divulge any more just yet.

Sunny kisses his pouting lips. “That wasn’t very nice of them, was it”

“Mm-mm. They said my hair is long and my nails are painted and only girls have those things”

“What did you say back to them?”

“Nothing; I ran away”

Sunny pulls him closer and presses his head into her chest, kissing the top of his head. “I’m sorry your feelings were hurt”

“I wanna get a haircut, Mama” he mumbles into her chest.

“If that’s what you want, then you can”

“And I want this nail polish off” he pulls away and holds the back of his hands close to her face, displaying the now chipped red, blue and black nail polish to emphasize his statement.

“I can do that for you” she smiles sympathetically.

He cuddles back into her chest and takes a deep breath. Sunny his hair and holds him until he pulls back again.

“What’s gay, Mama?”

Sunny furrows her brow. “You know what gay is; we’ve talked about it”

He purses his lips and picks at his blanket. “But you’re gay and you’re a girl. Why would those big boys call me gay?”

“Well, boys can be gay too, sweetheart”

“…Am I gay?”

“Only you know that. But you may not know who you are for some time”

He looks confused so Sunny smiles at him.

“No one can tell you who you are, do you understand?”

He nods and shrugs.

“As for name-calling, that’s just inappropriate and most people do it because they’re scared”

“Scared of what?”

“Of people who are different from themselves or of things they don’t understand”

“So those big boys are scared of me?” he asks, pointing to himself. His face brightens a bit at the thought.

“They were scared that you’re brave enough not to care about nail polish and long hair being only for girls… which they aren’t, by the way”

“I’m brave?” he asks slowly.

“You are very brave, my love”

Jamie flips over onto his back and tucks his hands Beneath his head. The little smirk that forms on his lips makes Sunny laugh.

“Now, you may be brave, but you’re also filthy”

“Oh Ma…” he rolls his eyes, and it reminds her so much of Hyoyeon.

“Come on…” she gets up and pulls him onto his feet so he’s standing on the bed. He starts to bounce while she lifts off his shirt.

“How did you get dirt on your chest?” she asks him, appalled at the smears before her.

He just shrugs and hums, “I don’t know”

Sunny shakes her head and opens her arms and he falls into them, wrapping his skinny legs and his skinny arms around her and laying his head on her shoulder as she carries him to the bathroom.

“Mama?” he says into her neck, right before they get to the bathroom door.

“Yes…?”

“I don’t wanna get my haircut”

She kisses his bare shoulder, “Then you won’t”

....

....

One more updates for this week :)

thanks for the comments, votes, and subscribes!!