44. SWEET AND SOUR LIFE

My first trimester passed uneventfully, that is, not counting all the events that puppy went through after each weekly ultrasound. Doctor was very happy with puppy’s sympathetic pregnancy as it kept me laughing and healthy through mine. Puppy was sharing my sickness pills to keep his morning sickness in check. He was going through mood swings while my mood remained elated all the time just watching or thinking about my sweet, adorable puppy. Both of us were constantly munching on fried chicken which we craved all the time. He was the of many jokes at the station, but he just waved them away not letting anything affect his bubble of happiness.

I did not have any hormonal problem this time. The baby decided to cooperate with me and my body was adjusting well to it. Puppy was having a gala time loving my a-little-heavier body. He also put on some weight along with me.

Minx was a little upset because I couldn’t lift her in my arms any more. I compensated for that by letting her sleep with us some of the nights. She weaned off from ling and began talking to the baby with puppy. They would take turns rubbing my tummy and crooning lullabies.  

Soon my afternoon sickness began easing off. By the time I began my fifth month, our bathroom trips to throw up had stopped altogether. Puppy and I could breathe easy through the day. There was a little baby bump for puppy and Minx to play with every night. Puppy began measuring it every day.

It was on one such night that I felt butterflies fluttering around my tummy while returning home from our nightly walks after dinner. I stopped mid-step. Puppy looked at me in worry. I smiled at him, took his hand and put it on my tummy.

“Jagi, I felt byong move for the first time.” I explained to him. “Don’t look for kicks. Feel the movement under the skin. That’s our baby puppy. I feel like a butterfly is moving left to right inside. Can you feel it jagi?”

“Oh yeobo I can feel your tummy move. Is it really our baby moving?” He looked at me for confirmation with awe written all over his face.

I nodded. Grinning, he hugged me right there. “I love you so much yeobo.”

Hugging him back, I began crying. We were a weird pair for sure, one cried while the other smiled.

Mrs Oh came running from her house to see what was wrong. We hadn’t realized we were standing right in front of her house. Mr Oh followed her, carrying a folding chair for me to sit on. Putting his arm around my waist, a grinning puppy explained the ‘moment’ to them.

All three of them insisted I use the chair while they chatted about the first movements of babies and compared notes. Puppy talked to them like a pro, thanks to all the books he pored over. He had all of them memorized by baby’s daily growth. He kept massaging my shoulder to soothe me down.

Puppy slept that night with his hand on my tummy, not wanting to miss any movement.

In another week, the movements became sharper and more discernible. They were visible without touching. Everyone wanted to touch my tummy to feel the baby move. Even in the hagwon, mother’s would come to talk to me and touch the baby.

At night puppy and Minx played games about touching my tummy where the baby poked and kicked. Jiyeon would them join too. Each night’s winner got an ice cream next day. Heechul was just as crazy about feeling the baby move during the day.  

Honestly, the whole thing was becoming too touchy feely for me. I wasn’t this social when carrying Minx and I wasn’t sure whether I was happy about such a public pregnancy or wanted to hide in the corner of a closet.

The ultrasound showed the baby to be a boy, not that the gender made any difference to our love. We just wanted to have an answer when asked by everyone. Minx and Jiyeon started thinking up baby names. They were a little disappointed about not getting a live doll to dress up, but when I pointed out how much fun they could have with a baby boy in a houseful of girls, they cheered up.

I decided to be happy being accepted publicly and have a great time with my pregnancy the second time round. In food, I had a wider range to choose from as long as it was sweet and sour. We began adding a touch of honey to the portions meant for puppy and me.  

Heechul insisted on taking me shopping for fashionable maternity clothes. When I refused to buy anything for one reason or another once in the shops, he threw his hands up in the air and went shopping with umma, imo and Kibum instead. Soo tagged along to keep them in line. I had warned that I wouldn’t wear anything pink. I ended up with reds, maroons, yellows, whites and some greens. And they fitted perfectly. With Kibum along, I knew they would get the right sizes. With the right-sized, loose fitting clothes, I looked overweight instead of pregnant.

Soo was a college student majoring in English, by that time. She attributed it to my tutoring her during her high school years. She took an evening part time job at the hagwon to earn her own pocket money. Uncle was happy with that. He had refused to get her admission in the same college as her school boyfriend. His logic was simple.

“Soo, anyone can remain in love when they are near on a daily basis. Real test of love comes with distance. If he still loves you after graduation, I will give my blessings. But let time test his love for you.”

Soo was very upset with uncle initially and had not spoken to him for over a month. But he was proven right within a few short months. She came to know through mutual friends that the boy was seen in constant company of another girl who was his classmate in college. This became a major bone of contention between them and he preferred to stop talking to Soo rather than break off his friendship with that girl. I told her to let him go, there was no sense in holding on to someone who did not want to be with her.

A heartbroken Soo was pampered by all of us. Puppy wanted to bash up the boy for hurting Soo, but I stopped him from embarrassing her. He consoled her with a regular supply of her favorite ice cream sundaes and flowers instead. Imo took her to movies and made special food for her. I made sure I always had time for her as she talked to me for hours when troubled.

She began planning her career. Heechul took her under his wings and began to teach her hagwon management. Uncle wanted her to join his office and learn his business. Imo wanted her to join education field and become a teacher.

Out of confusion, she turned to me for guidance. My advice was to be patient and give herself time to know what she wanted to do with her life. Life had ways of throwing curve balls at us. First step was to finish graduation and then decide what she wanted to do. Continue studies to become a teacher or join the two businesses that were open to her. But whatever she decided, it had to be her choice and it should make her happy.

My weekly ultrasounds showed our byong doing a variety of activities inside me. We found him peacefully his thumb one time, another week he was waving at us (that’s what his father preferred to believe) and he was dancing around once. His father continued to cry at all his antics and would play the recording many times at home. Now that the baby looked human, we allowed Minx and Jiyeon to watch the baby as well.

Our love life was rocking. I was in the mood for my puppy all the time. However, I couldn’t lie straight on my back for long, so we tried new lovemaking postures. We had loads of fun experimenting with what we found in the books and internet. Puppy eased off his demands on me due to my achy back and made me promise I would top for the first year after byong was born. Since meeting puppy, I was happy to be a bottom for the first time in my life and it was my luck that puppy demanded I top him. I pinched him hard for the promise but agreed happily.

I was sleeping on my side and I didn’t need a pillow under my knee as puppy insisted I use his legs instead. If the baby moved at night, he woke up both of us as my tummy was pressed against his father’s.

Our phone messages to each other became hotter than ever. Puppy took care to message me during his breaks only as he didn’t want his phone confiscated or anyone looking over his shoulder while we made ourselves breathless with our messages.

The only downside was my gestational diabetes which had reared up its ugly head again. I eased off on all fried food immediately. I couldn’t eat without honey, so that was allowed. Soo would pretend gag every time I ate noodles with honey pored over them. Puppy would open and force feed her some. She actually developed a taste for them and began demanding some of her own. We were a happy sweet and sour trio.

When I was in my seventh month, 31^st week, doctor set the date for delivery for 34^th week after implantation. That means going by the book, I would be in my 36^th week of pregnancy and the baby would hardly need any NICU time and we will get to be with him the same day as the delivery, barring any unforeseen complications.

I was turning everyone crazy with my nesting phase. I knew it was unnecessary, since everything was already in its place, but I had to do something. It was getting difficult to move around and I was waddling like a duck. Sehun and Minx would pretend to walk like me and get whacks from Mrs Oh for teasing me. I would just laugh.

Puppy insisted on showering with me. He didn’t want me falling down again. I was sure it was to make love with me in the shower every day.

Biggest drama was a week before the scheduled surgery. Everyone came to dinner at our house. Umma and Kibum insisted I should go home with them so they could take care of me and the baby after the surgery. On hearing that puppy began crying immediately. Heechul put his arm around him to calm him down but he began howling for me to stay with him. Seeing him cry, Minx began to cry too. He picked her up in his lap and both of them cried in sync. Puppy’s mother looked at him in shock as she had never seen him cry as an adult.

I hugged both of them as best as I could, “Stop crying please, I am not going anywhere.”

“Jinki you cannot mean that. You know how much care you needed last time. Please come home with us.” Umma tried to reason.

“Umma I can take care of him and the baby. I have been practicing baby care with imo every day. I know how to change diapers, feed the baby, and even bathe the baby. I have practiced on Jiyeon’s dolls.” Puppy tried to persuade her.

I looked at him in wonder. My sweet puppy would make a great father.  

“It is more than just baby’s care. Jinki needs special care as well.” Umma informed him.

“I can take care of him too. I have learned how to prepare all the food he will need to eat. I know how to prepare seaweed soup also. I promise you umma I will take very good care of him and our baby. Please don’t take them away from me. I cannot live away from him. I have taken leave from work for a month from the day of his surgery and imo will be on leave the next month. Jinki and baby are in good hands. I promise umma.” Puppy began crying again.

Appa put the matter to rest by agreeing with puppy. He told umma, “You can come daily during the daytime to help Jonghyun and rest of the time Dae Hei will be back from school. Jonghyun looks to have prepared well for the new baby. That is more than we can say for Taemin who did not change even a single diaper for Kai. I will put the chauffeur at your disposal for the next two months.”

Umma looked unhappy but agreed after seeing our hopeful faces. As soon as she nodded, puppy turned around and hugged me in front of all, Minx still clinging to his neck. I wrapped my arms around my little family.

Puppy’s mother came over and whispered to him, “You have turned into a real wuss.”

I glared and hissed at her, baring my teeth. She recoiled in shock. Puppy grinned at her through his tears. “Don’t upset my tokki, umma. He can bite when messed with.”

Kibum came over and told puppy, “Look out for hyung’s hands as they might pain him. Don’t let him use cold water for anything for a few months after the surgery. I will send over some special herbal oil I used for his hands last time. Massage his hands and joints with it.”

“Kibum hyung, he would still be here. Why don’t you come over and do it yourself?” Puppy offered.

“I think Jinki hyung may prefer you to do it instead of me. We are not exactly great friends since a few years ago.” Kibum turned pink as he tried to shrug off his embarrassment.  

“Aww Bummie. Don’t say that. We may not see eye to eye on many things. But you will always be my baby.” I tried to soothe him.

“Don’t you think you have punished me enough for my mistakes hyung? I have missed you so much. You don’t talk to me anymore. Not like before. I am sorry hyung. So, sorry. Please forgive me.” Kibum whispered miserably.

“Hush Bummie. There is nothing to forgive and I have not been punishing you. Come here and give me a hug you silly boy.” I open my arm to him. My eyes promised puppy his explanation later in the night.

Heechul came over, “Is it a group hug? Can I join in?”

We laughed through our tears and began our group hug, Minx crying out that she was being squeezed by crazy men.

Kibum and Heechul planned to give me a good spa treatment before I went for surgery. I balked at it. There was no way I would put on face mask and hair curlers. Heechul laughed, “Silly, we mean to give you manicure and pedicure. We can’t have you go to the hospital with such shabby hands and feet.”

“There is nothing wrong with my hands and feet. They are absolutely clean.”

“It was recommended by hagwon mamas. Now do you want the two of us to give you the treatment or should we let the mamas lose on you?”

My look of horror was taken as my agreement and both of them set about planning the date and time. They also planned the date for a sort of baby shower that hagwon mamas wanted to hold for me. They scheduled it for two days before the surgery. That would give us ample time for stowing away all the gifts.

I got the dreaded manicure and pedicure before hagwon party. I moaned, groaned and whined through them till Heechul threatened to gag me. Kibum had brought sweet and sour fried chicken as peace offering for lunch time and gave it to me to munch on just to shut me up. I was one very happy victim after that.

Puppy admired my newly shined and buffed hands and feet, even on my toes in a suggestive manner. The doctor had not put a halt on our life, so I told him to on better things than my toes. An eager puppy quickly complied. We were making sweet love through the nights before the surgery, sort of making up in advance for the barren two months that would follow.

JinHee Hagwon Mothers Club outdid itself in the party they threw to wish me good luck for my new baby. It was at the end of the puppy’s work day at the police station and they’d invited puppy, Siwon and puppy’s work colleagues as well. The food spread was amazing. They had planned and organized the baby gifts to make sure nothing was repeated and we had almost everything we would need for a new born baby.  

I cried happy tears soaking in their over-abundant love and good wishes. Their acceptance of our lifestyle and decision to have a baby was beyond my dreams. I was sure many a public protests had been stopped before they even began, by the husbands of these loving women and Jjong’s work colleagues. It was Daegu Police Agency at its best and united to protect its own. The words we used were insufficient to express our gratitude.

Next day, we packed my hospital bag. I made sure to pack some of the cleansing pads that I had specially requested umma and Kibum to buy for me when I fed the baby. I was not sure how imo would take that news, she still didn’t know I had fed Minx.

Minx slept with us that night and agreed to be a good girl for imo and Soo while I was in the hospital getting her little brother. Puppy made silent love to me and began crying worrying about my surgery. Umma had related to him how the earlier operation had begun while I could still feel pain and this really worried puppy. He made me promise that I wouldn’t permit any such thing during the surgery next day.

I gave him my destiny ring to wear. I didn’t want anyone else handling it. I looked at my bare finger and the mark of the ring on it. I felt stripped by just that one part of my life away from me. I knew I had to be strong as my puppy was already apart from worry. If I showed any weakness at that time, puppy would be worse off.

I told puppy to control himself as his worry would agitate the baby which was not good for him and baby needed to be calm for the surgery as did I. That controlled his tears.

He softly sang to me our songs on my request. I joined him. We both felt calmer after that. We spent the remaining night kissing and making funny plans for our children to keep our worries at bay.

Before the next nightfall a new chapter in our life would begin.