CHAPTER 35: BACK TO ME

“Ahem!” Someone cleared his throat making the two stopped their actions and Mark jumped out of the couch to see Joey coming out from behind the living room door with a sly grin plastered on his face. Sae Mi felt embarrassed but she kept on a steady expression as Joey strides over to them casually like nothing happened.

“I swear I wasn’t eavesdropping!” He put up a hand like an oath to indicate that he’s serious before Mark could ask any further.

“I was just hearing… Hahaha…” Joey laughed evilly. Mark fumed up in anger as he balled up his fist to pretend to punch him. Joey made a run to the front door to escape from his fierce brother and luck came to his side when his parents came inside.

“Papa! Mark wants to abuse me!” Joey complained as he hid behind Papa’s figure when Mark’s red face was still in his view.

“What are you guys doing? Oh! Mark, where’s your wife?” Mama asked with handful of plastic bags, considering that she’s back from shopping with her husband, as soon as she saw her oldest son’s red beet face. Mark held in his anger and pointed to the living room where Sae Mi was still seated.

Mama walked over to her daughter in-law who is like her own biological daughter already and sat next to her, filling the empty seat that Mark left vacant just now. She found Sae Mi with an album in hand and also the box she kept the couple’s belonging on the ground near her feet.

She placed the plastic bags on the ground and took Sae Mi’s petite hand in hers and that’s when she noticed something different on her fingers. All these while, her fingers had been totally empty and Mama figured out that Sae Mi haven’t accepted her son into her heart just yet, so she just let it be.

Seeing the ring on Sae Mi’s hand seems to lighten her hope up even though she knew just how much Sae Mi had faced the ups and downs in their marriage life.

“Honey, did you make up with Mark already?” She asked with a sweet motherly voice. Sae Mi nodded with a smile. Mama became too excited that she pulled Sae Mi in for a hug that instant and trapped her right there. Sae Mi gasped a little and that’s when Mama broke the hug.

“I knew this day would come! I’m so happy for you, honey…” Mama patted her shoulder this time and held herself back from pulling Sae Mi in for a hug... again.

“Thanks, Mama… But, I’m not very sure myself. What comes first to me now is just my baby and I don’t want to let my child have no father yet I still love him. He’s done too much to me but I em, I don’t even know how to say this… I don’t know, this is so complicated, ma…” Sae Mi said as she hung her head low and stared at her bulging stomach. She accepted Mark but his previous cold actions and all seemed to be flashing back through her mind and that’s what made her think twice.

“Honey, you shouldn’t think like that. Mark really loves you, I know he does! I’m his mother and I know everything about my two sons there. They are my precious and I’m not saying what he did to you in the past is right and he does deserve a beating for that. Now, now, don’t you think I didn’t notice you two being cold and awkward around us because it’s obvious…” Mama stopped Sae Mi from replying when she seems shocked by her outburst about the married couple’s awkward atmosphere.

“Sorry…”

“Don’t be sorry to me or anyone. I hope you two can last forever, I really do... so that I won’t worry of who’s going to take care of him when I’m gone, sooner or later.” Mama said as she blinked a few times, refraining the tears from dropping.

“Ma! What are you saying??” Sae Mi seemed shocked that she raised her voice a little bit.

“Nothing. Now, don’t be sad. I don’t want to leave the world yet before seeing my cute first grandchild.” She laughed to end the sad atmosphere lingering in the air as her hand traveled to Sae Mi’s bulging stomach, her warmness of her hand seeping through the fabric of her pregnant dress.

“But--”

“Did you do the ultrasound test? What’s the result?”