I still cannot believe that I’m home. I’m back to where everything started, back to the people who cares a lot about me.

“I wonder who’s at the door” Dami Unnie said, after Jiyong stood up to check.

Minutes passed and Jiyong has not come back yet. Omma had a feeling that maybe he is preparing a welcome surprise for us, but I feel different. I don’t know, but deep inside I feel something is not quite right. That’s why, after finishing my second bowl of kimchi fried rice, I excused myself to check on what’s going on in the living room.

“What” I said under my breath.

Lena is here. Great!

This woman can really annoy me without even saying a word. Her presence is enough for me to lose my sanity. There’s nothing about her that I like, I despise her. As much as I want to keep my cool, for some reason, I can’t. I have so much to say to her, things I should’ve said years ago but too naive not to. I swear, I’ll give her a dose of her own medicine.

“Oh Lena, you haven’t changed. You’re still the I ultimately hate”. Woah! For the first time in a long time, I feel like fighting real good, “I’m here to get your HUSBAND. No. Let me change that…I’m here to get back the man you snatched away from me. The man that is originally mine. The man that’s never yours to begin with. THE MAN YOU NEVER OWNED”

Oh gosh! This feels good.

“Areumie…” it’s clear in Jiyong’s eyes that he doesn’t want a scene, but his wife seems like she wants to and I’m not going to back down. With our eyes locked at each other, “Let me handle this the way I know how, Jiyong” I told him and he nodded nervously, giving me all the right to this moment.

“You shouldn’t be here” Lena is not going down without a fight. This woman has nothing but anger for me and I, the same to her. “Sure, I snatched your guy away from you…but let me remind you…” she smiled like a with so much confidence “He is tied with me. Yes, he is yours. I know that for a fact. He was never mine…” she looked at Jiyong and scoffed, “I didn’t even try to own him and I couldn’t care less. But, there’s no way out of this” she pointed at her and Jiyong “He’s in prison and I’m the law. As long as I’m here, there’s never going to be you…” she then pointed at me  “…and him”

I don’t know why, but her words don’t hurt at all. Maybe because they’re partly true or I’m just so assured that one of these days, she’ll go down. I laughed out loud, “You are not the law Lena” I moved even closer to her. This woman has got so much make-up on, I’m tempted to run my fingernail down her cheek and remove the layers of powder on it “You are his worst nightmare that he cannot wake up to. You are the monster he’s been trying to run away from for YEARS!”

“Mom…” I froze the moment I heard Ethan call me. The three of us looked at his direction. Emma is standing beside him, holding a lollipop that is as big as her head. Dami Unnie must’ve given it to her even when Jiyong and I told her that it’s too big for her to consume. “Who are you?” my daughter walked over to us, sassy as ever.

Jiyong cleared his throat and pulled her to him, “She’s….” he cannot find words for the introduction. We haven’t even talked about how we’re going to break the news of him being married to someone to our kids yet. Lena walked to them and bended down to Emma’s level, “I’m your Stepmother kid”

What the heck! How can she be so insensitive?

“Huh?” Ethan rushed beside me, and next thing I know it, the whole family is in the living room, all holding their breath and waiting for what’s to happen next. “What is that again?” Emma innocently looked at me and all I can do is fake a smile.

My children don’t know what a stepmother is. One, they haven’t met a kid that has one. Two, it never really crossed my mind that we’ll have to deal with Lena when they’re this small. Three, I’m yet to explain to them about their Daddy’s current situation, which I should’ve done earlier for them not to be as confused as they are now.

“Lena…please” Omma stepped in and as much as I want her to get involved, I’m thankful that she’s getting in between all this. Maybe, just maybe, Lena will tame down in respect to her in-laws. “I’m your Daddy’s wife”. And I’m wrong. She really respects no one. “He’s my husband” she is talking to my kids like she’s talking to a grown up. Doesn’t she know how kids work? Oh! Of course she doesn’t! This woman doesn’t have a brain!

Fed up, I roughly pulled her up to stand and faced her to me, “Look, my kids are not for you toy with” I now turned into a protective Mom, ready to rip heads off. “Also…” I moved so close to her, too close for comfort “You’re so dumb” I whispered and got the kids out of the living room swiftly.

This day turned out to be bad. I don’t know why, but I’m suddenly afraid of what might happen. I know things will go mad and crazy, I just hope I can get myself ready for it all. And my poor kids, I pray for them to not change how they see their Daddy.

“What’s going on Mom?” Ethan is worried, I can see it all over his face. Emma on the other hand, is silent, sitting at the foot of my old bed. Composed and somewhat calm, I his cheek, getting a small smile from him, “Nothing” I answered. “But…that girl…” he is not backing away from this. I know my son, he will not settle until he gets a more elaborate answer. And because I think there’s no right time to tell them about Jiyong’s marriage anymore, I kneeled in front of them to meet eye level, took a deep breath, exhaled long, and give in “That woman is Aunt Lena”. The kids are all ears. I cannot stop now even when I want to. “She is…” Oh dear! “She is…”

Emma chuckled, “What Mom?”

With short but strong prayer to give me strength, I finally continued, “She’s Daddy’s wife”. Ethan looked at me with a blank expression on his face, “Why is that? I thought you are his wife, Mom. Like Mrs. Thompson to Mr. Thompson. And that’s why you have us, because you are husband and wife. Aren’t married people only got to have babies?” and now I’m more in deep . “Does this mean we’re not your kids? Is she our real Mom?” Upon hearing this, Emma panicked. She’s near to crying and I’m losing control over the situation.

Trying to calm the two down, I hold their hands and looked deep into their eyes. “Guys, I’m your real Mom” I smiled and what I said somewhat gave them relief “You see….people can have kids outside marriage. It’s a choice. Although it’s better to have kids after marriage” I’m not that sure if what I’m saying register in their minds, I’m just going with whatever is in my head as of the moment. Emma raised her hand and I pointed at her like we’re in class, “Then what are we to Daddy?” I swallowed hard, “You are his kids…kids that he loves so much”. This time, Ethan raised his hand, “What are you two then?” this question punched me in the face. As much as I want to tell them that I’m their Daddy’s real love not Lena, and that he just made a dumb decision to marry her, that it was a mistake, I can’t, because there’s no point in explaining too much when they cannot understand most of it anyway. “We are…” you can do this Elle. You can do this. “The best of friends”

Really, I think I messed up, BIG TIME. My kids still has a lot of questions in their minds, that I’m sure they will throw at Jiyong and I one day.

I waited for close to an hour to go out of the bedroom, leaving the kids inside watching a movie. The moment I stepped out, I instantly looked for Jiyong but he was not there. Dami Unnie told me that he decided to leave with Lena and went back to their house just so he can take her away from us.

“She is worse than before, Areumie. WORSE” Dami Unnie and I are in the kitchen, washing the dishes while Omma and Appa are with the kids. “That girl has lost her mind completely”. I cannot agree more. Lena’s brain is at her feet. “I cannot believe how she just told the kids about her. I mean, she can just lie for the meantime. Doesn’t she know how sensitive they are?” Unnie is really mad. All I can do is sigh, I suddenly don’t have the energy to talk and even think.  “If you only know how many times I told Jiyong to just leave that girl”

Well, leaving Lena is going to be a challenge for him. Not only is she so dependent on him, she’s also suicidal, which is not a shock for I really think she’s not stable even before.  All I want now is for her to at least spare my children from her craziness. The last thing I want is their lives messed up by some woman who cares for nothing but herself. To be honest, I fear for Jiyong. He may have all figured this out, but with someone like Lena in his house, not to mention have her Mother there as well, I can’t help but be afraid for whatever they can do to him.

“Is there another way for me to get in touch with Jiyong?” I’ve been pacing in the living room for a good fifteen minutes now, worried sick “I really can’t get through his phone”. It’s been a couple of hours since he and Lena left, and he hasn’t been back, Omma and Appa are starting to worry for him as well. Dami Unnie made a few calls and they haven’t heard of him too. “Is it a bad idea if I go to his house?” Ok. Burn me. I know it’s a bad idea, but I’m desperate. I need to know he’s fine. Omma shook her head, “No Areumie. You’ll stay here”. Dami Unnie stopped me from another round of walking, “You there is just going to make that girl lose her more. I’m telling you, she’s not the only beast in that house, her Mother is there too. We don’t want you to be feasted by them”. “But…” I’m about to say another word when my phone rang.

“Jiyong!” I am beyond relieved “Where are you?”

He sighed, “I’m at home” he answered and from the sound of his voice, I can tell he’s exhausted, “Lena almost got us into an accident. She and I are fighting in the car and all of a sudden, she got hold of the wheels. Good thing, I was able to recover, if not, I’m sure we’ll be in the hospital by now”

Oh gosh! That woman has gone nuts!

Much more worried than I am before, “You need to get out of there, NOW!” I demanded, not willing to take any reason why not. “But Areumie…Lena is going to fire up once again if I leave. She’s now on watch, like a dog”. This is what I’m talking about, he is never going to be safe in that house. “NO! Go here. I WANT YOU HERE!” I’m never the kind of person who demands, but I’m not capping this night off without him with me “Don’t give a damn about her Jiyong! You are not safe in there!”

                                                                                                         *****