Tree House IV

She panicked the day after, when she woke up inside the tree house and felt him spooning her.

"G'morning," He whispered at her, his hand on her waist tightening. She jerked herself away, taking their shared blanket to wrap on her unclothed body.

"You need to leave," was her first sentence at him.

"Okay, this isn't what I actually expected to hear from you first thing in the morning." He muttered, getting up from the cot and gathering up discarded items of clothing from the floor. "How's your head?" He asked softly as he faced her. "Any hangover?"

"Let's not pretend what had happened actually changed things for us." She said, turning around to wrap her robe around her.

"Something happened between us, Dara. That changes things."

"No. We both got drunk and had . What happened between us was a meaningless one night stand—no, don't interrupt me—and I'd like to keep it that way. We're both healthy adults caught up in the heat of the moment and we…enjoyed each other's company. That's all there was to it."

"I think we should talk about it."

"No. I'm not going to pretend it never happened because it did but I'm not going to be that kind of mother who sleeps in a tree house with a man she hasn't seen for half her life and make her hungry daughter wait for an already late breakfast. No, I am not that kind of mother. So, if you won't leave right now,by all means, don’t. But I'm going to leave before you."

No one left her the morning after.

She left first this time.

And boy, did she feel like a big idiot.

"You're an idiot." Bom shouted from her kitchen.

"Yes, a big idiot." Joohyun agreed as she voiced out her opinion on the matter.

"Idiot is a bad word," Haru butted in, "Jiyong-appa told me to never call any person that." Joohyun, who was then braiding little Haru's hair, gently said, "Sorry, baby. Why don't you go to the backyard and play with your sister? Us ladies need to talk to your aunt Dara, okay?" The little girl left and Joohyun asked Dara to sit down.

"So why am I the idiot? Why do I feel like an idiot?" Dara slumped on Bom's couch, lifted her legs and sighed.

"Beats me. You tell us." Joo answered her, waving a hand to call Bom from the kitchen. "Didn't you say you were going to punch him the face when you finally see him?"

"Well, she didn't punch him in the face… but she did puke on him," Bom said, matter-of-factly as she plopped beside Dara.  "She goes into extremes." Her friend explained to Joohyun.

"I suppose that makes sense. Even slept with him right after." Joo added. "I thought only boys do hit-and-run."

Dara looked at her in confusion. "Hit-and-run?"

"Oh yeah. Dara did him the classic but dirty hit-and-run." Bom agreed, shaking her head in disappointment.

"What are you two talking about?"

"You, Dara, hit on him and ran when you realized things are complicated." Joo explained, now looking at her friend's horrified face.

"I did no such thing!"

"Sure, you did. I agree with Joohyun on this one. You invited him to the tree house, took him because you wanted him, and escaped when he wanted to talk. You hit and you ran."

"No. I did what I did because that was a one-time thing. I—we—had fun at that moment but even Cinderella had to go home when it struck midnight. The fun was done and I needed him to leave. He didn't so I did. I left because I had to resume being the responsible mother that I have been all these years—"

"You did exactly what you didn't want to be done to you. Isn't it ironic?"

"I didn't—"

"Don't you think? No, don't answer that. You already know it is ironic, Dee." Bom said and Joo even nodded again."Why couldn't you be more adult about all this, Dee? Face him like the responsible adult that you are and talk to him. I mean, if you'd let him enter into your spread legs, I reckon—"

"Watch your mouth, Joo. The children are outside—"

"I mean, he's already entered your life again because you let him in again at your own will.  Tell me, why did you find it so wrong to talk about had happened between you both the morning after?"

"One night stands don't normally end with morning conversations in an unmade bed." Dara answered her friend's question defensively. "And yes, that was all he was. A stranger I spent the night with. A one-night-stand."

"Oh, come on. Don't act as if you're just some blithe spreading her legs for a complete stranger in a filthy nightclub. You know better than that.  You knew you were with Donghae all night. He's not a stranger—"

"He might as well be. I haven't seen him for—"

"Fifteen years. I know. Joo knows. We all know. But you knew he had to leave. You knew why he left. You knew why he cannot return as often as you'd like him to. You knew because he didn't only write to you. He even called you to tell you. But here you are now, still behaving like the same person I befriended fifteen years ago. Stubborn and selfish."

"Stubborn and selfish?! Is that what you really think of me, Bom? I have been nothing but selfless—"

"You are a good person, Dara. You're a selfless mother but Bom's right. You can be stubborn and selfish. And do you want to know why I agree with her?"

"No…no, I actually don't." Dara said, raising up both her hands in mock defeat. "To think I came here thinking I'd have my friends on my side…" She muttered before standing up and raising her voice. "Ahreum, honey, would you come here please? We're going home—"

"That's what you're good at, Dara. Don't think we haven't noticed. We aren't the kind of friends who would always take your side all the time. Yes, we are loyal to you but as your friend, we are also given this…this unspoken responsibility to help you avoid having stupid decisions over and over again. This is what you're good at, Dara. Ignoring truths and reasons because they don't align with whatever reasons you convince yourself as truths."

"Are you saying—"

"Yes, I am saying the problem about him disappearing on you wasn't his fault. It was yours."

"Bom, stop now…The children would hate to hear us raising our voices and being upset—"

"No, Joo. We've been patient for more than a decade. It's time she hears what we think."

"Mommy, why are we leaving?" Little Ahreum asked while waddling her way to Dara. Joohyun had taken matters in her hands after hearing what Bom just said. "You're not leaving, honey. Auntie Bom is going to make dinner for us later." she cooed, scooping up Ahreum from the floor and carrying her to the backyard where the other children are. "I'll leave you two alone. Don't worry about the kids. I'll watch over them."

There was silence for a minute before Bom sighed and sat down. Dara stood, still not willing to back down. But after a few minutes, she realized she just couldn't storm out and just leave her daughter. That would be inconsiderate and irresponsible of her.

"I know you aren't leaving only because we still have Ahreum here. But you should know I'm only this hard on you since I'm your friend."

"I'm listening."

"Good."

"Go on…"

"You have got to stop convincing yourself that the curse you made up in your head. There is no curse, Dara. Jae didn't leave you. You broke up with him. You were just upset because he didn't chase after you practically threatened him about calling the police if he ever tried to con you into giving him money. He was a good riddance. Joongki left but that was because he wasn't man enough to take responsibility for his actions. And you know as well as I do that Donghae didn't disappear on you. He told you he was leaving and he told you why he can't return just yet. You didn't want to listen to him, saying that you didn't want to hear his excuses. He tried so much to tell you what was going on with him but you refused to know because you'd convinced yourself what he was saying