Young and Surviving

Jess

*50 YEARS LATER*

The car pulled up outside the small cottage, smoke billowing out of the chimney. Suzanna, the young child, did not wait long after the car came to a halt, undoing her seatbelt and jumping out of the door in a instance.

Suzanna ran, her small feet sending the pebbles on the driveway this way and that, bounding up the steps to the front door. She knocked politely, before hearing her mother, Min-Ji, call out to her from the car.

"Just open the door Suzie, granny and grandad will be waiting inside"

Just as Suzanna turned away from her mother and father, who were unloading suitcases, her younger sister balanced on her mothers hip, the front door opened.

"GRANNY!" Suzanna exclaimed reaching up to embrace her. Jess smiled down at her, feeling her shiver against her chest. "Come inside, Grandad is waiting inside for you, along with hot chocolate and cookies"

This was all that was needed to send young Suzanna barreling down the corridor, heading to where "Grandpa Minghao" always sat, next to the roaring fireplace.

"GRANDAD!" Suzanna yelled jumping onto the armchair in which he sat. He laughed, ruffling Suzannas hair. "Careful now, don't get too close to the fire. Granny has left your hot chocolate in the kitchen.."

By then, Jess had already greeted her daughter Min-Ji, along with her young granddaughter and son-in-law. "How's Grandad doing?" Min-Ji exclaimed, walking into the front room with her husband, bouncing her daughter on her hip.

Minghao's face lit up from the corner of the room, and he stood slowly, embracing his daughter and her husband. As they all took their seats on the sofa round the fire, Suzanna came running back into the living room, throwing herself on the floor in front of the Christmas tree.

"Can we open the presents now?" She said, eyes wide at the large array under the tree. Jess had walked back into the room, holding a tray full of hot chocolate and cookies.

"Not yet Suzanna.." She hummed, setting it down on the coffee table. After a few minutes of staring sadly at the Christmas presents she'll never get to open, Suzanna turned to her grandad, sitting at his feet.

"Grandpa Minghao, can you tell me a story?"

Minghao chuckled, setting down his drink. "Like what?"

Suzanna looked upwards, sticking out her bottom lip, in deep thought. "Can you tell me about how you met Granny?"

Min-Ji readjusted her sitting position on the sofa, "Ooh! Me too! I haven't heard this one either, surprisingly.."

Jess laughed, "Oh god, where could this be going..."

"Well.." Minghao cast his mind back, "Me and your granny have known each other since year 7, just a few years older than you."

"Really?!" Suzanna chimed, obviously captivated by the story already.

*FLASHBACK*

The bell rang, signaling the end of the school day. Minghao was quick to push back his chair from his desk, shoulder his bag and make for the door.

He sighed, the warm summers air hitting his face. He had to walk home again. "Oh!" He thought, his face instantly lighting up, "I might see that pretty girl from the girls school again"

Minghao had noticed this girl a few months back. They both walked the same path home, and today was the big day. The day Minghao was going to ask to walk with her.

He turned the corner, his eyes instantly meeting with a swaying ponytail a few meters ahead. Just as he was about to quicken his pace to meet with her steps, his foot scuffed the pavement.

The girl span around, scared as to who was following her. Minghao smiled sheepishly. "Sorry to scare you-" he began, rubbing his kneck, "But do you mind if I walk with you?"

The girl blushed, looking down at her shoes. "Sure.. I'm Jia-" she shook her head, as if changing her mind, "It's too long, just call me Jess."

Jess stuck out her hand, glad that it was happily taken by Minghao, who shook with a grip.

*END FLASHBACK*

"Awh, that's so sweet.." Min-Ji spoke from her corner of the sofa, passing the baby girl to her husband. Suzanna was still looking up and her Grandad with wide eyes, before she snapped out of her thoughts.

"OOH! TELL SOME MOREE!!" She squealed, jumping about. Jess coughed. "OH GRANNY TELL ME ONE PLEASE!" Suzanna exclaimed, spinning round to face Jess.

Jess smiled briefly, before beginning her story. "So along time ago..."

(In Bethlehem, so the holy bible says. MARYS BOY CHILD, JESUS CHRISt, WAs BORN oN cHRISTMAS DAYY)

"There was these two girls called Sophia and Suzanna, yes like you.."

Suzanna squealed happily at the mention of her name, before falling silent for the story. Jess continued, "And they were very good friends. One day, they decided to start a band, seeing as Sophia could play the guitar."

Minghao laughed when he realized what story this was, "Ah, classic stories from when I was a child" Min-Ji chuckled.

"However, they needed someone to sign them. After months of searching and searching, being kicked out of one large record label at one point, they finally came across a label that was willing to sign them. They were called, "JYP entertainment""

"Life was going fine for Sophia and Suzanna, who had adopted the name "Lasso Gurls" after their debut song was a country and western cover, until JYP found out about their relationship with the previous large record deal. They immediately kicked them out, wiping all evidence of them from S.Korea"

Suzanna gasped, her hands flying to her face. "How could they?!" She exclaimed.

"However..." Jess lowered her voice, "Legend has it that if you shout "Seungkwan's English is low-quality", while looking at a ginger cat and holding a glass of warm milk and a lit candle, Suzanna and Sophia will come and visit you for tea, and perform their debut single, "LASSO""

Min-Ji chuckled, reaching down to pull Suzanna from the floor.

"That's enough stories for tonight. It's getting late. Plus, you wouldn't want to not have Santa pay you visit, would you?"