your hands are tough (but they are where mine belong) | JENLISA

Epilogue

“Mom when is mama getting here?” Ellie whines, leaning against her mother.

Jennie glances up at the clock as she strokes Ellie’s hair. She’s been in the kitchen with Jisoo, flattening burgers into patties and making small snacks for the all the kids that’s littering and running around the house.

“Well, she’s finished her class about an hour ago so she should be here any minute now,” Jennie tells her 8-year-old. “She’ll be fine.”

“But how soon?” Ellie asks, her tone impatient as she rocks on her feet. “She’s taking so loooong.”

“Go play with your cousins,” Jisoo encourages. “Soon, your mama will be here and you can scream at her face.”

Ellie pouts but goes back to playing with the other kids in the backyard.

“I feel like this is a bad idea,” Bona murmurs as she strides into the room, perching herself on one of the stools at the counter.

“She’ll love it,” Jisoo assures Jennie as she helps Jennie with finishing up the food.

“Yeah because everybody wants to be ambushed for their birthday.”

“It’s a surprise birthday party,” Jennie says.

“It’s because she cried when her parents threw her a surprise party when she was nine,” Jisoo tells Jennie. “It traumatized her.”

“Hey, it was dark and people that were much bigger than you were yelling at you, what kid wouldn’t be traumatized by that?” Bona argues. “That’s why we’ll never throw a surprise party for any of our kids.”

“Oh, how’s that going by the way?” Jennie asks.

Before Bona can answer, Asher runs back inside the house, trying to catch his breath. “Mama’s car is pulling up!”

They scramble from their chairs, the kids and adults from the backyard coming inside the house. They go to their hiding spots, grabbing confetti and the horns. Someone turns off the light, plunging the room into darkness and quieting it all at once. She can hear the little kids giggling as they held each other, ready to scream at Lisa. The only time their parents are encouraging them to be loud as ever.

They hear the slam of the car door, the anticipation rising in the room as they held their breath trying to be as quiet as possible. They can hear the heavy footsteps of Lisa’s and voices…?

“...that sounds great Luca…”

“SURPRISE!!!” They scream, throwing confetti at Lisa and blowing their horns. Some of the kids just outright screamed and yelled their voices mushing together.

“Holy shit!” Lisa screams clutching the crying toddler in her arms. “Aw you guys made him cry.”

“Woah dude I thought Kim’s kids were your final foray into kidnapping,” Jisoo says as she looks at the toddler in Lisa’s arms.

“Hey, guys, uh, can you go to the backyard for a second?” Jennie asks her friends and their kids.

“Yeah,” Minnie says as she ushers her three kids to the backyard. Not wanting to be in the same room a screaming match could happen.

“Ooh, Mama, you’re in trouble,” Riley sing-songs.

“Just say you’re wrong for kidnapping a kid,” Asher says to his mother, patting her on the back.

“Out you two,” Jennie says, as she shoos them to the backyard.

Lisa watches nervously as Jennie ushers their kids and guests outside. She bounces and rubs the little boy’s back as she tries to soothe him. Her eyes never leave Jennie’s form as Jennie closes the door, takes a deep breath, and faces her wife. Lisa gives her the most charming smile she could muster.