Loving You

Forty Eight

Jihyo was surprised to see the breakfast spread laid out on the table when she woke up the next morning. She walked into the kitchen and found her mum scooping out the side dishes into a few small plates. She helped her to take the plates out then sat down at the table.

"Omma, did you make all these?" She picked up her metal chopsticks and took a piece of pickled radish.

"Ne. Now that you're pregnant, you need to eat even more nutritious food." Jihyo's mum said, scooping some shredded chicken into her bowl of rice.

She looked at her mum and thought about how she wanted to keep the pregnancy thing a secret until she managed to confirm it. Her initial plan was to tell Gary first but with the sudden passing of her dad, she didn't have the time nor the mood to do so. Besides that, she was also afraid that her mum might do something foolish, hence, she decided to tell her. And she was glad that she did. It was as though the news had brought another hope for her to live on. Five days after her dad's passing, she has never seen her mum looking better than before.

She smiled at her and replied, "arasseo omma. Gomawo."

***

Gary came at the time when they were just done with their breakfast. He went in and greeted Jihyo's mum before bringing Jihyo's stuff into the car.

"Omma, are you sure you don't want to go back with us? There's a spare room that you can use." Jihyo asked as they walked towards the gate. Since the previous night, she had been persuading her mum to live with them but she wasn't willing to. There were too many memories held in the house that she has been living in for the past forty years.

"Don't worry. I'm fine now." She told her daughter. Seeing that Gary wasn't paying attention to them, she whispered to her, "leave that room for my grandchild."

"Arraseo," Jihyo smiled and reach for the car door handle.

"Hold on, there's something that I need to pass to you before you go." Her mum went back into the house and came out a few minutes later carrying a plain brown box. Jihyo looked at the box curiously as she received it from her mum.

"This is from your dad. It was meant to be a gift for your child back then but he didn't had the chance to pass it to the little one. Take it with you."

Hearing that it was from her dad, a small tear slipped down her cheek. She wiped it away with the back of her hand, then hugged her mum. "Saranghae, omma." She mumbled. Her mum give her a few light pats on her back before pulling away from the hug and told her to get inside the car.

"Drive safely," Jihyo's mum said.

"Ne, eomeoni. Take care." Gary replied before driving off.

He glanced at Jihyo from time to time as he drove. She was holding the brown box tightly while looking out of the window. As he approached the intersection where the traffic light has just turned red, he stopped the car and looked over to Jihyo.

"Are you alright? Do you want to get some sleep? You can leave the box at the back seat." He said, reaching out to grab the box but she jerked it back.

"It's fine. I'm fine. I will just hold on to it." She said, then look out of the window again.

Without questions, he withdrew his hand to the steering wheel and continue driving. She said that she's fine but he know that she isn't. He wind down the window at the passenger side without telling her, causing her to jerk back slightly from being startled by the sudden movement.

"Just thought you needed some fresh air," he said, watching her reaction out of the corner of his eye. Her face was expressionless. She didn't say a word, and returned to gazing out of the window.

When they returned home, they both headed into the bedroom. Gary opened the wardrobe and took his clothes and a towel before heading into the bathroom for a shower. Jihyo sat down at the edge of the bed, and set the box on her lap. She heard the shower water being turned on. She run her fingers over the black wordings at the corner of the box cover.

From: Grandpa

To: My lovely grandchild

She closed her eyes, and swallowed the lump in her throat. She wasn't sure if she was ready to open it, to see what was inside, and to acknowledge the fact that this would be the first and the last present given by her dad to her child.

She kept her eyes on it a little while longer, then finally removed the lid of the box. Inside was a little plush in the shape of a cloud resting on a pile of shredded papers. Laying next to it, was a card printed with stars all over. She picked up both items and flipped the card over to read it.

To our precious little one,

Welcome to this world. Here's a small present from grandpa. It wasn't easy for your omma to bring you out to this world. Grandpa hope that you will grow up healthy and well, and most importantly, be filial to your parents. Grandpa and grandma loves you!

Lots of love, grandpa.

She suddenly felt tears sting her eyes. She could vividly see the image in her head - her dad speaking to their child in a gentle voice. Him looking at his grandchild and then looking at Jihyo with a wide smile on his face.

The soft tugging in her heart has turned into a pain that was too much for her to bear. The box fell to the ground and she found herself clutching the plush against her chest, and her other hand covering her mouth, hoping that it will somehow help to muffle the sound of her sobs. It was of no use. The bathroom room door swung opened with a loud thud, and the next second, her trembling body was wrapped in a pair of strong arms. She cried into his chest, and he hugged her closer whispering, telling her to let it all out.

Gary had been watching her the past few days, and he knew it was only a matter of time before she collapsed from suppressing her emotions. During the funeral, she didn't show any emotion. She was pretending to be okay; putting on a strong front, choosing to place her mum as her priority, comforting her as much as she could when she was also the one who needed it.

He stroked her head, listening quietly to her sobs until it eases into silence. He continued to hold her in his embrace for a while longer. He gently loosened his grip around her, and tipped her chin up so that he could see her face. Her tear-streaked face.

He wiped the tears away, and kissed her softly on her forehead. "Are you feeling better?" He asked in a soft, gentle tone.

She nodded her head. 

"Then, have some sleep first, okay?" He ran his fingers through her hair and stroked her temple with his thumb.

She swallowed a sob and nodded again.

He helped her lie down, and tucked the blanket around her. "I need to head to the office to get some documents. I will be back within an hour. Call me if anything happen, okay?" 

And again, she nodded her head before closing her eyes to get some rest.

He picked up the cloud plush that had fallen out of her hands, and found the card laying underneath it. He took a look at it, and realised that it was dated a year back.

"Abeonim, don't worry. I'll take good care of Jihyo and eomeoni." He thought to himself. He kept the plush and card inside the box, put the cover back on, and placed it on the dressing table. He went to change into another clean shirt before leaving the room.