The Red Bow [Chaelisa]

26. When everything falls

January 23, 2015. – First year of college.

It was morning when Lisa felt a slight discomfort in her body and opened her eyes feeling completely sleepy. She scanned the room in which she found herself, realizing that she never left the living room of the Park house, and that the sensation of a bad dream was, in fact, the reality. She was lying on the sofa with her back against the back with Chaeyoung curled up in her arms in a deep sleep; they were embraced with legs intertwined, but the discomfort of the furniture caused a beautiful pain in the back for the Thai girl who felt her spine locked. Her mind worked eagerly to resume everything that had happened before they reached the couch, and then she remembered. Chaeyoung cried like a child needing to be held, she clung to Lisa’s shirt as if she was afraid that the Thai girl would abandon her. After a few more conversations in the middle of crying, they ended up falling asleep due to the exhaustion of the blonde. Lisa studied her girlfriend’s swollen face and felt like crying again, Chaeyoung was curled up in her arms like a baby that needed all the care in the world.

Lisa managed to free herself from Chaeyoung’s arms without waking her and covered her with the little red blanket leaving a soft kiss on her temple. Damn it, she needed a long bath and pain medication in her body before going to the internship. She walked with her right hand on her back to the kitchen thinking about what would happen when her girl woke up, but her thoughts could hardly be consummated when she came across a crestfallen preparing breakfast, the woman looked up when she noticed Lisa’s presence offering her a sad smile when she saw the surprise on her daughter-in-law’s face.

"I arrived just now, I didn’t want to wake you." She explained and Lisa shook her head in understanding. The Thai girl raised her left hand to her hair in discomfort, she didn’t know what to say or even to ask about Mason. “Lisa, first of all I would like to thank you."

The woman sat at the dining table indicating the chair in front of her so that Lisa could follow her gesture. The dark circles were visible under the woman’s tired face, her calm face had been replaced by something more obscure, as if she knew it was a difficult time for her family.

"I really don’t care”

"No, listen to me. “ she asked tiredly. Lisa agreed. “You have been caring for Chaeyoung all this time with such affection … I even thought that she would be sick if she remained locked in that music room, but you appeared in her life and changed that. And yesterday you took care of Alice, spent the night on that uncomfortable couch watching over Chaeyoung’s sleep …“ She paused and poured her coffee the way Lisa liked. “We love you as a daughter, Lisa. Never less than that."

The Thai girl didn’t know what to say. She hadn’t thought very well when she stayed with Alice at home, she just knew it was right, just as she stopped going back to the dorm to take care of Chaeyoung, it wasn’t an option to leave them alone in that difficult time, because she also suffered Mason. Having Rosalie tell her that she had her as a daughter was like being officially integrated into the family she loved and was so proud of.

"I was speechless, sorry …“ she smiled embarrassed. “I didn’t do anything I wouldn’t do for my family, Rosalie. Chaeyoung is my girlfriend and you are the parents that I never had."

The woman held Lisa’s hand across the table and offered her another smile in understanding.

"Chaeyoung must have told you about chemotherapy.“ She said. Her voice was now shaky, her eyes were fixed on the coffee cup. “I find myself in a dark alley, to be honest. I thought about mortgaging the house, but Mason made it clear that he will not do that, that this house belongs to Chaeyoung and Alice. We can’t risk losing it now, and our situation with the bank is not at all good … How am I supposed to watch my husband die doing nothing, Lisa? We have two daughters and I need to be strong for both and …"