Dear Bodyguard | jenlisa

Chapter 41

LISA

"Never again!" Jennie just grinned to herself. 

"That was the worst humiliation of my life so far!" 

"Oh come on, that movie was really funny." She grabbed my arm and pulled me back on her lap.

"Totally. I'd love to be laughed at by a 5 year old! That's really funny!" Rolling her eyes, she continued walking. 

I thought the movie could be quite funny. I used to love Maya The Bee and no one could ever stop me from watching an episode, but today... that finished me off. Never again Maya the Bee! 

Everything had actually started quite well. Jennie and I walked to the cinema together because it wasn't as far away as we actually thought. 10-15 minutes on foot and then you were there. 

Anyway, when we got the tickets, the cashier looked questionable, but I didn't really care. When we sat down in the cinema, a somewhat proportionate woman sat down next to us with, probably, her child.

At first everything seemed completely fine, the movie started and I was excited to see what the movie would be like. When this nuisance turned to us and screamed in complete astonishment: "LOOK, THESE ARE BIG CHILDREN, ARE THEY MUTATE TOO?" 

Jennie didn't mind at all, but I found it a little discriminatory for a small child to be called a 'mutant'. 

"Now don't feel like that. He's probably seen too much of these mutated turtles." 

"Still no reason to insult us like that." 

"You're just mad because he called you something supernatural." 

"Yes! Don't you think that's bad?!" Jennie then grinned and put an arm around me. 

"Being different is not a bad thing. On the contrary - it's beautiful because you are even more unique. The boy basically paid you a compliment." I rolled my eyes.

"You are amazing! You're trying to manipulate me!" 

"Actually-" There was a brief theatrical pause.

"I'm trying to stop you from being angry with this poor little boy." Poor and small, exactly. 

"Maybe you're just too self-absorbed that you don't even care because you think too much of yourself anyway." I said my thoughts and looked into a face with raised eyebrows. 

"Me and self-absorbed? Only you believe that." 

"Oh, and back then? I quote: Done staring or should I position myself differently?" She raised her eyebrows, impressed. 

"Do you remember that?" 

"It's not like that was maybe a few weeks ago." 

"Time goes by really quickly." She said as if in a trance. 

"Is everything okay?" I wanted to be on the safe side. 

"Yeah, I'm just a little preoccupied." I smiled briefly. 

"I see that, but why?" Jennie exhaled and shook her head. Was everything really okay with her? 

"The past isn't that important." She said simply, leaving me to jump straight into the deep end. 

Past? What does this mean? What was in her past that made her wonder so much? To be honest, I didn't know as much about Jennie as she did about me anyway. I didn't know anything about her. Nothing at all. How come? - She never said anything, so I didn't know anything. But why didn't she say anything? 

It seems to me like she's forgetting her family. I didn't have the best family either, certainly not, but I didn't deny them. Jennie's family couldn't be that bad. Surely they were normal people like us.

When I got home, I lay down in my bed exhausted. Jennie came over a few minutes later and lay down next to me. 

"May I ask you something?" She said carefully, as if she was about to ask a question that might make me angry. 

"I suspect evil." Jennie laughed nervously and cleared her throat. 

"Back then, I saw the pictures on your dresser. I noticed that you had some pretty dirty pictures anyway, but what was the deal with the two women? Well, if you don't mind me asking." I sighed. 

I wished she hadn't seen the pictures. She would never have asked. 

"The woman alone in a picture was... my mother." 

I still remember the day well. We were in the Maldives and dad took the photo of her... 

"The other woman in the other photo with me and my dad is my mother's sister... and my father's new wife." 

Jennie looked at me in shock, even though she tried to hide it. 

"She's a bitch in a nutshell." 

Apparently Jennie was still bothered by something, I sensed it immediately. 

"And your other question? Tell me - I'll answer it for you." I said hesitantly for a moment and already prepared myself for the question that I think scared me the most. 

"Who- who was the boy next to you?" 

"That- That was Liam. Liam is my- my brother. I was about 14 at the time, Liam was 17. It was just before he- he left." Jennie looked forward sadly. She didn't look at me anymore. Her warming looks were gone.

"Liam ran away. My aunt took advantage of the loss and dad's vulnerability to get to him and be seen as a blessing. She just wanted his money anyway and was always jealous that mom got him and not her then it went on like that for 9 years. Liam hated her. Miserably. She behaved like our mother, except that she beat us on top of that. Liam couldn't bear to see me being beaten by her until he ran away at 17 and left me with her. I haven't heard from him since then, it's been about 4 and a half years." 

"Why didn't I see her? I was with you after all." I laughed briefly. 

"She was in Paris. Having fun. At dad's expense." 

"Why did you never talk about him and why did I get the impression that you were an only child?" 

"Because I am. He wasn't there when I needed him. He just walked away. He's not my brother. Not anymore."