Precious Things || Jensoo

Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

It's Jennie who gives me the courage to ask my grandfather in the end. I completely feel like chickening out but I remember her words and it's okay. She gave me an out. I can ask my grandfather and be the good little girl at accepting his negative as an answer. I can be respectful and understanding and that will abate his anger.

And then I can work my ass off on the rest of the project so that I don't feel like I'm letting Jennie down. I'll do the poster and the essay and she can just work on the film. She'll probably end up writing the script because I have no idea what I'm doing.

This time I approach him while we're taking our afternoon walk. Not because I was building up to it but simply because, with my violin lesson and his conversation on the way home, I haven't had a chance yet.

We're ambling up the lane where the poplar trees are pretty when I spring it on him.

"Sir, I have a request to make of you."

"Oh?"

"It's regarding this history project."

"Yes?" It's his way of saying 'continue'.

"As required by the history teacher, we must include a multimedia part of the presentation." I wait, hoping that it being sanctioned by our history teacher will allow this to pass.

"What does multimedia entail?"

God, he's so living in the nineteenth century!

"We have to include a portion of sound and video pertaining to our relevant century."

"I suspect recordings from the seventeenth century will be hard to come by." To my relief there is distinct humour in my grandfather's voice. This is going well.

"Indeed," I chuckle. "We think we might be able to pull resources together from various sources and make a small documentary on the subject." I fail to tell him that members of our class have been recruited to act in it, and in fact it will be more mockumentary than documentary. That piece of information would surely lead to an immediate denial of privilege. This is working quite well, so I'm keen for it to keep doing so.

"I see." Now his tone is turning less amused. Not unamused as such, just heading back towards neutral.

"Jennie – that is, Miss Kim, my project partner – has suggested that Saturday might be a good time to work with footage. The school had given us permission to be there and, well, I was wondering if I could have your permission to attend." I hold my breath. He doesn't answer for so long I have to let it out and instinctively add another sentence to my request. "For a few hours."

I keep asking him for so much. For other people it might seem like nothing but I barely request anything from my grandfather. This is the third time in two weeks that I've asked to change our routine, to do something out of the ordinary, to ask for anything really.

I wouldn't be surprised if he explodes.

Serious explosive grandfather stuff.

"I can't see why you can't go for a few hours on Saturday. The garden is coming along quite nicely. So long as you keep up with your other homework and violin."

I'm so shocked that he's so agreeable that I nearly trip over and it takes me a minute to be able to say anything. In the end, I just reassure him as vehemently as possible that I'm on top of all my work and that I'll do extra practice on my violin.

Not only am I getting to spend a few hours with Jennie this weekend but I get out of having to do gardening as well.

Wow, my luck is sure changing!