The Christmas Elf (Jenlisa)

Chapter 9

"What happened?" Lisa asked again.

"I don't know what I'm going to do," Jennie said, running a hand through her hair. "This is a disaster."

"Jennie, what's the problem? Talk to me," Lisa said, leaning over and rubbing Jennie's arm.

"This organic chemistry class I need only has two sections and the daytime section filled up before I could register. All that's left is the night section. I don't know how this happened, registration just opened today! If I don't get into that class it could delay my graduation and I'd have to take an extra semester, or take like five classes in the fall semester. I don't know how I'd manage that!" Jennie felt her chest tightening and tried to get herself under control.

"So...take the night section," Lisa said, then picked up a french-fry from the remains of their dinner and popped it in her mouth.

"I can't! I'd have a class on Tuesday nights and a lab session on Thursday nights. There's no way I can manage that. Soomin has made it very clear they'd only watch Ella for me one night a week."

Lisa looked thoughtful. "Can they do Thursdays?"

"Maybe, but then what?"

"Hang on a second, let me check on something," said Lisa as she pulled her phone out of her own backpack and made a call. "Hey Andy, it's Lisa. How'd you make out Friday night? No? I didn't make shit on Saturday either. Yeah, business sucks during intersession. Listen, question for you...would you mind switching your Wednesday nights for my Tuesdays for the summer? Yeah...it's a school thing. Really? Cool, thanks. I'll tell Rich when I'm in tomorrow and put it on the calendar. Okay, thanks man, I owe you one."

Lisa put down her phone and smiled at Jennie. "Problem solved."

Jennie stared at her. "You...you're just gonna do this? You'd commit to an entire semester of babysitting, just like that?"

Lisa laughed. "It's not babysitting, Jen. It'd be more like getting some one-on-one Ella time that I'm sorely missing. Hey Ella! C'mere!"

Ella walked into the kitchen, carrying Lili-Unicorn. "Yes, Miss Lisa?"

"How would you like it if this summer, Tuesdays were Lili Nights, as in 'with me', so Mommy can go to school?"

"Lili Nights? With you, Miss Lisa?" Ella asked.

"Sure! You and I can hang out by ourselves! We'll do all kinds of fun stuff. You can teach me to make your mom's pizza dough. Maybe we can go skating or see a movie or something. Anything you want."

"Yes! Mommy, can I? That sounds like so much fun!"

"I...sure baby, you and Miss Lisa can do Lili Nights together if you want to."

"Yay! I want to go to the zoo! And the park! And the playground! And make pizza! And-" Ella kept up a litany of things she wanted to do with 'Miss Lisa'.

Lisa grinned at Jennie. "Seems like we're good to go Mommy. Go ahead and get registered for that class before the night section fills up too."

"Thank you," Jennie whispered while her daughter kept rattling off more and more elaborate plans.