The No Kiss Contract (Jensoo)

25

Jennie put the finishing touches on the coral reef that now teemed with life on Louis's bedroom wall. The main attraction was Jeff the octopus, serenely overseeing the many reef dwellers that poked out from the various nooks of his domain. Even though whale sharks preferred open water, she managed to sneak one up near the top of the wall, telling Louis he was off in the distance.

"What do you think?" She put her brush down on her palette with an air of ceremonial finality. "It's done."

"I love it, Ma. I want to look at it forever." Louis leaned against her side.

Jennie squeezed his shoulder but didn't say anything. She would've liked for Louis to have forever in his new room, but she honestly didn't know if they would finish out the month, much less the year. Things were strained at 14 Darling Drive, at least between Jisoo and her.

Their charged conversation that Sunday afternoon had led Jennie to believe that Jisoo would resume her late nights at the office, but the opposite had been true. She left the house impossibly early, changing her routine to make the 5:00 a.m. train, but now she'd been home before six every night this week, bringing home takeout for dinner, helping with the dishes, stretching out on the sofa to watch TV with Louis, and inviting Cherry and Pam over every chance she could. The one thing she wasn't doing was talking much to Jennie, except for inconsequential things like adding toilet paper to the shopping list and passing the potatoes, please.

Maybe she was coming home early as part of some post-Summit work strategy, but Jennie couldn't understand how coming home early would help her get the partnership. She was glad to have Jisoo around, contributing to their family, but it hurt that she had withdrawn emotionally from Jennie. She honestly didn't know what to do about it. And tonight they were supposed to meet at the country club with Becca Kleinman and her girls, but despite what she had told Jisoo, Jennie didn't think she had it in her to playact this false relationship anymore. At least this part of their contract was ending soon.

"Okay, Lou. Get your bathing suit on."

His eyes got huge. "We're going to the pool?"

"Yes. You have a lesson, and then we can swim for a while before dinner. But before that we have to swing by your new school with some papers."

"Papers?" He was already rooting through his drawer for trunks. "For Ms. Mobley?"

"Yeah, I guess. Indirectly." She was impressed he remembered his new teacher's name. "But we probably won't see her, bud. We're only going to the office."

"Okay. Hurry up! Why aren't you ready yet, Ma?"

***

The hallway leading to the admin office of Elmdale Elementary was filled with at least two classrooms' worth of child-sized desks pushed against one wall, and their accompanying chairs had been stacked into leaning columns so high they looked as if they belonged in Pisa. The whine of an industrial floor polisher could be heard somewhere deeper within the building. In the office, a woman made photocopies while she talked on a landline that had an extra-long cord.
When she finished, she greeted Louis with a smile. "Hello, there. School doesn't start for another week and a half. You don't have to be here yet."

Louis took a step back and gazed at her warily.
"This is Louis. And I'm Jennie Kim. I called earlier. He's starting first grade."

"Great. Welcome, Louis." She stepped to a computer and clicked a few times, and then clicked a few more. "I'm afraid I don't see a Louis Kim. How do you spell it?"

"Oh, sorry. His last name is Bowerchuck, not Kim."

"Ah. Here he is. Did you bring the documents listed on the paperwork?"