The mother was finishing up dinner when she heard the key being used on the door and stopped to look over the counter to see her daughter walk in, “Hey baby why are you home early?”

The girl threw her bag on the floor before curling up on the couch.

Knowing something was wrong the mother quickly went to her daughter's side, “Winter what happened?”

The girl went to put her head on her mother's lap, “This girl was mean to me.”

The mother’s heart broke hearing this so she calmed her daughter down by caressing her hair, “High school girls are the worst and I can’t say they get much better with age. You will have to learn to stand up for yourself.”

“I am not as brave as you mom.”

“I didn’t get this brave without being kicked down once or twice myself. Did you want me to talk to her?”

Winter sat up quickly, “No! I mean that would be embarrassing!”

Determined to help her daughter, the mom offered to give her daughter a ride to school, hoping to catch a glimpse of this girl that wronged her daughter.

“Mom can you be more embarrassing! I am not a kid that needs a chaperone to the front door.”

“I know I know. Just making sure you get here ok.”

Winter rolled her eyes at her mom ready to tell her to go to work or something before someone she knew saw her, but it was too late. Just then the girl she wanted to avoid most walked by coldly. A knot in her stomach formed and she lost all the words in .

Her mother saw the change in mood and assumed that was the girl that hurt her daughter.

“Karina! Karina wait, your lunch.”

The other girl marched back to her mom while Winter slipped into the school without saying goodbye to her mom.

Standing up straight with her arm’s crossed, Winter's mom waited until the other girl went into the building to pursue the other mother, “Karina is your kid?”

The other woman turned looking at who was asking, “Yes, and you are?”

“I am Winter's mom, Jessica Jung.”

Reaching to shake the women’s hand, “Taeyeon Kim.”

“I know it is sudden but do you have time to talk? It is about our kids.”

Taeyeon looked at her watch, “There is a nice café at the corner.”

Jessica sighed in relief, “Thank you.”

Taeyeon smiled brightly, “My pleasure.”

Once at the café, Jessica purchased 2 iced americanos and brought them back to the table, “I hate to bother you like this but Winter came home distraught yesterday and I believe your child to be the cause.”

“Karina looked unhappy too but she wouldn’t talk about it.” Taeyeon sipped her coffee.

Jessica thought for a while, “Would it be too overbearing if we got involved? Like force them to make up or whatever. You know high school girls are so secretive, even if I ask, she won’t tell me what is really happening.”

Taeyeon nodded, “Karina is even worse. She just locks herself in her room when she is unhappy. There could be days that I don’t see anything but a shadow come out for food.”

Jessica laughed, “Right! So over-dramatic at that age. Although I was probably the same then.”

Taeyeon chuckled, “I dare say that I can still be that way at times? Karina got all my horrible qualities, even my height.”

Jessica laughed along, “I can’t say that I am too much taller than you.”

“I say we do it.”

Jessica rose her brow, “What?”

“You know get our daughters to be you know adults about this. They need to learn early to talk it out and not keep things in like this. I am sure they will appreciate it later.”

Jessica nodded, “It wasn’t until I wanted to advance in my career did I find that out. You are right. Let’s be overbearing mothers and get them to figure it out.”

Taeyeon reached out her hand, “Alright, Operation Daughters commence.”

Jessica giggled as she reached out her hand to seal the deal, “It’s a go.”

Jessica was sipping her wine when the doorbell rang. Quickly putting down her glass, Jessica patted over to let Taeyeon in, “I thought you were bringing Karina?”

“I normally pick her up from the subway, but your place is so close, I will go get her closer to the time. I thought we should talk a few things over.”

Jessica started pouring another glass of wine for Taeyeon, “do you drink?”

Taeyeon didn’t but she didn’t want to be rude, “Just a little.”

Jessica handed the other woman a glass, “The plan was to get them both here and we leave.”

Taeyeon nearly spit her wine out in laughter, “That isn’t much of a plan!”

Jessica shrugged, “They are avoiding each other so let’s make them figure it out. We can barricade the door so they don’t leave.”

Taeyeon shook her head, “You are evil.” Jessica stood behind the counter letting her index finger trace the side of the glass, hypnotizing Taeyeon as the alcohol took effect, “t-this wine is strong.”

Jessica stood up and read the bottle, “Humm a little higher than usual.”

Taeyeon shook her head, “this place feels a little warm.”

Jessica laughed as she took Taeyeon’s jacket, “I apologize, I forgot to take your jacket.”

Taeyeon handed Jessica her jacket and made herself comfortable on the stool at the counter, “Why did you name your daughter Winter?”

“Funny story,” Jessica started as she topped off her glass of wine, “My nickname in high school was Ice Princess and it was a horrible nickname.”

Taeyeon found herself smiling at the story already although she wasn’t sure why, “You are pretty like a princess.”

“I don’t think that name was supposed to be a compliment. They said I was rude and whatever because I had a neutral face, to tell you the truth, I was never good at focusing so I would gaze off into space. It came off as rude I suppose. So anyway,” Jessica took a huge sip of her wine, “I hated the name, but after a while, you know how you get so used to people calling you something, that you start to like it? Well that happened and I became obsessed with the cold theme. Winter sounded like a beautiful compliment to me. Winter is my warmth in the coldest times. I know it is contradictory but that name fits her.”

Taeyeon didn’t know why she wanted to give Jessica a round of applause but she found the story enduring, “That was much more thoughtful than most other names I have seen kids get.”

Jessica waved it off, “the thing is you need to know me to know why I called her that. Otherwise people think I named her after the time of year she was conceived.”

Taeyeon busted out laughing, “Well is that true?”

“No! Not at all!” Jessica threw her head back, “I married young. I wasn’t sure what I wanted in life at the time and you know how when you are the most confused, you go for the thing everyone else is doing? I did that. I wasn’t in love it turns out and he was a ty dad and left.”

“But he left you with a beautiful girl.”

Jessica hummed into her glass, “She made me better so that is what came of it.”

Taeyeon didn’t ask for her glass to be refilled but she found herself drinking more, “Karina was by IVF.”

“Did your husband have trouble having kids?”

Taeyeon shook her head and laughed, “It is a secret but I was never married or had a guy.”

Jessica formed an ‘o’ with , “No need to go any further. There is nothing wrong with that you know.”

“Not everyone feels that way and you know how it is here…I just don’t want Karina to suffer from this type of society because of my choices.”

Jessica frowned at that statement, “That is messed up.” Reaching forward, Jessica took Taeyeon’s hand for comfort, “you deserve to be happy too, what all the haters think.”

Taeyeon threw her head back in laughter, “Yea them.”

Jessica walked around the counter, “I think I drank too much, I can hardly stand.”

Taeyeon giggled as she tried to get up from her chair to ‘help’ Jessica but she fell down to the floor too laughing hysterically, “This wine is going to kill me.”

Jessica fell to the floor laughing too, “ this stuff is strong.”

Taeyeon rolled onto her back, turning her head to see Jessica, “Even if our little brats don’t make up, I like this.”

Jessica was on her knees looking over at Taeyeon with a huge ing smile on her face, “I am glad they fought.”

Taeyeon laughed, “Now I feel like a horrible parent, glad my daughter is suffering.”

Jessica slowly collapsed the rest of the way on the floor with Taeyeon, “They will get over it.” Not sure why she felt so comfortable with Taeyeon like this, Jessica knew it was the wine that made her brave enough to reach up and caress her face, “you are more beautiful than a princess.”

Taeyeon giggled hypnotized by Jessica’s eyes, “I thought you were the princess?”

Jessica scooted closer and guided her face closer and closer until their lips brushed.

“Eww! Mom!”

Quickly snapping out of their moment, Jessica and Taeyeon tried to rush to their feet only to fall back down on their , “W-Winter?”

Taeyeon looked over to her daughter who was right behind Winter, “Karina? What are you doing here.”

Karina was trying to cover her face and purge her mind of seeing her mom put the moves on some other woman, “You didn’t show up at the subway stop and Winter saw me waiting in the cold…in case you forgot that it is freezing out and offered for me to stay here while I called you.”

Taeyeon rubbed the back of her neck embarrassed, “Sorry…umm Jessica and I had one too many drinks.”

Jessica was pretty high on her buzz as she finally made her way to her feet and helped Taeyeon up, “Ah yea I invited Taeyeon over. Winter this is Karina’s mom.”

Winter rolled her eyes, “I figured that out. Gosh you are both embarrassing!” Storming to her room, Karina followed like a puppy, also trying to get away from her mother.

When the door slammed shut, Taeyeon and Jessica peeked over to the closed door, “Did they make up?”

Taeyeon found her seat again at the counter, “Maybe they found a mutual enemy? Us?”

Jessica laughed, “Well that turned out better than I thought.”

Taeyeon reached over to her empty glass and lifted it up for a toast, “Operation Daughters success?”

Jessica clinked her glass, “A success in more than one way.”

~END~