JENNIE

It Saturday when everything ends.

I wakes up in Lisa's arms. my back was pressed to Lisa's chest. Saturdays have always been my favourite day of the week. I gets a little bit of Lisa's attention before she disappears for the rest of the day. I had learnt not to ask questions and now that I knows where Lisa is going, I don't ask because I don't want to hear my wife make excuses or worse, lie to me.

Lisa peppers kisses all over my bare shoulder. My shirt had slipped off one shoulder at one point during the night. I smiles as I look at Lisa over my shoulder Lisa smiles back at me and I feels okay. Times like this, everything seemed perfect.

"Morning, beautiful." Lisa whispers, pressing another kiss to my shoulder and one to my hair.

"Morning Priya."

Lisa lets out a loud groan and playfully pinches my side. "You know I hate that name." She says, falling back against the bed. I lies flat on her back and pulls me, who rests my head on Lisa's chest, my finger drawing abstract shapes on Lisa's stomach.

"You love it when I call you that." I chuckles. Playfully digging my finger into the skin of her stomach. Giggling as she lets out a faux moan of pain.

"I love everything about you." She runs her finger through my hair as she spoke and I couldn't help but feel ecstatic. I knows I shouldn't believe everything or anything my wife says but I had made a vow, an oath on the third of September 23, 1999. In sickness and in heart, for rich or for poorer, till death do us part. Lisa might have forgotten about that but me hasn't.

"You staying home today? The kids want to spend more time with you, especially Luca. I think he has forgotten your voice even." I says and it seemed like that was the wrong to say because Lisa goes still. Knowing a fight was on the horizon, I shifts away from Lisa and gets out of bed.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Lisa says, glaring at me as she also gets out of bed. Unlike me who had on a top and bottom, Lisa just had on a sports bra and pajama bottom that hung low on her waist and for a boxer moment, I wants to pull it down and see my wife's pens because I don't even know what it looks like any more, what it feels like anymore. Instead, I just checks the time from the clock on the wall. 7:15am.

"What I mean is. You haven't been home in a while and your kids. The ones I brought into this world. The ones raised for you. Your children, remember them? Well they miss you and want to spend time with you." I yells. I tried to make my way to the door but Lisa grabs me by the elbow and pulls me back. She looked angry and had her eyes had this glint in them that the funny part of me wishes was guilt.

"I work long hours of the week to pay for the house you live in oh-so-comfortably, to pay for the food you buy with the card I give, to pay for the school fees for all four children and I come home and expect to rest but you keep NAGGING! YOU KEEP COMPLAINING!" Lisa takes a step forward but I stands my ground. Lisa's words were a slap to the face.

I walks over to my bedside table and grabs my wallet. I pulls out my card and throws it at Lisa. I pulls out the two Atm cards Lisa had given me and slaps it against her chest. "I have a masters in English language. I gave up my job at Goodwill publishing for you and this is how you repay me! I cook, clean and wash! I take care of OUR kids by MYSELF and this is what you say to me. I have no life outside this home, outside this marriage and this is what you want to say to me this morning!" I scream. I walks up close to Lisa. "Well you can kiss my ass goodbye as I walk out the fucking door."

I walks as fast as my legs could go out of the room. I finds Kuma, Lego and Lily right outside the room. I takes one look at them and guilt settles in. judging by the look on their faces they had heard everything.

"Guys..."

"Can we go to Aunt Rosé's?" Kuma asks, a levelled look on his face that tells me not to argue. I wants to but I looks at Lego and Lily, I sees the fear in their eyes and decides. Yes, they need to leave. I wanted them happy for the rest of the day, for the rest of their lives. And I knows they'd be devastated when Lisa leaves by noon. So yes, leaving now would be better.

"Grab a bag and toothbrush. I'll get Luca and meet you downstairs."

Luca was still asleep in his bed when I walks in. I packs a small bag for Luca as well as some diapers before picking up my baby. To make matters worse, Lisa hadn't walked out of our room. I shakes my head as I carefully walks down the stairs. Luca didn't wake up but I does as me straps him into the car seat of the minivan. The drive to Rosé's house was silent and I spent the entire time pushing back my tears. My children already hear our argument, they don't need to see me cry now. Luca began fussing when we were halfway there and Lego had to pull off his glasses and make funny faces at his brother until the little boy was laughing. I pulls into Rosé's driveway a few minutes later and one by one they get down from the car. It was when I was at her door that I realised I hadn't warned my friend I was coming. I rings the bell but doesn't get any reply, so I pulls the key from one of the flower pots and let myself in.

"ROSÉ!" I screams, my voice breaking at the end. "ROSÉ!" I screams one more time but doesn't get a reply. Rosé lived a stylish three bedroom, four bathroom bungalow. I never really climbing stairs and if I were to have one in my house it'd be an escalator not stairs.

"Wait here a bit. I'll be back." I says and proceeds to check the bedroom, making sure to knock before going in but the house was empty. I pulls out my phone and hits the speed-dial for my friend. She picks after two rings.

"My darling best friend."

"Rosé, I'm in your home. Can we stay here for a day? We'll go back home in the evening." I asks her. She must have heard something in my voice because she goes all serious.

"Did something happen? Is it Lisa? Is it serious?" Rosé asks. "I can be back in a few hours, I have a meeting with a client who needs my help."

I shakes my head absentmindedly until I remembers she could not see me. "It's okay. We are good. We'll talk when you get back."

"Take care of the kids. Take care of yourself too."

"You too, Rosé."

I push my phone back into my pocket and walks back to the sitting where I found my kids waiting.

"Kuma, Lego, can you two go and freshen up while I do the same for Lily and Luca? Afterwards I can check what Rosé has and make us breakfast. Is that okay with you?"

"Sure." Kuma says with a shrug, his face stoic and it scared her how much Kuma looked like Lisa. "Come on, Potter." He says, pulling Lego by his hoodie.

Jennie chuckles at the nickname, it's what Kuma uses to show Lego he cared. Harry Potter was one of Kuma's favourite character, the other was Pennywise. I felt a chill run down my spine as I tried not to think about what Kuma thinks he has in common with the killer clown.

I lifts Luca from where I was sitting on the chair and grabbed the bags with one hand. Lily holds onto the bag, together they walk to the closest bathroom. Lily had her bath first while Luca played with his toy train that I had thankfully packed. I helps Lily put on a pair of jeans and a white shirt with the words my pretty princess on it. I blow dries her hair and weaves her hair into her choice a French braid.

"Do you want to wait while I get your brother ready or do you want to wait outside?"

Lily taps her cheek with a finger as she thinks. "Hmmmm...I'll wait outside, Mommy."

"Alright." I smiles at her. "Why don't you go and see if you can put on the television? The remote's on the table."

"Okie, Mom," She closes the distance between us and pressed a kiss to my cheek. I blows her a kiss before walking out of the bathroom. I pulls off Luca's pants, all the while calling out each item she pulled out so my son would be familiar with the words.

"Okay, Luca. Let's get you ready for the day. We're going to spend time with your brothers and sister today and it's going to fun." I says as I picks Luca and places him in the tub. I kept talking to Luca as I showered for him and continued as I pulls on his clothes and shoes for him.

"Well, aren't you a cutie?" I coos as I peppers kisses all over Luca's face laughing as my little boy giggled and grab my face. I holds Luca's hand as we walk to the sitting room. I finds Lily and Lego sitting and playing a very intense game of rock, paper, scissor, lizard, Spock.

"What about Kuma?" I asks Lego as I lets Luca run to the couch. I keeps an eye on Luca as my little boy struggles to climb onto the couch, my little bum sticking out in the air. Adorable.

"He's still in the shower."

I looks worriedly in the direction Kuma had gone to a few minutes ago. I knows I had to talk to my eldest but I don't even know how to start explaining it. Should I start with your dada is cheating on me? She found someone better than me? Than us all? Is that what I should tell my fifteen year old who had always looked up to her dada?

"Can you take care of your little brother while I make breakfast?" I asks and my kids nods.

"But Momny, can we watch Gumball? It'll soon come on." Lily pleads, begging me with her big blue eyes and I feels a pang of pain in my heart because they look so much like Lisa's.

"Mommy?" Lego asks, pulling me out of my thoughts before I could go any deeper.

"Sure but watch your brother."

"We promise." Lily and Lego chorus.

Rosé's kitchen was thankfully stocked. I grabbed the pack of bacon and the pack of slice bread resting on the counter top. A few minutes later, I had made toast, bacon and had fried some scrambled eggs. I also made five cups of hot chocolate, making sure to add a pinch of salt in them.

"Kids! Your food is ready!" I yells and soon I hears it, the familiar sound of my kids running. "No running! Are you running with Luca?"

"No!" Lego screams.

Lily comes into the kitchen first, Lego coming in a few seconds later before her and my heart calms when I sees Lego hadn't been running. The kids all take their seat on the small dining table in the kitchen. Kuma still wasn't out yet and I was getting more and more worried by each passing second.

"Is Kuma st-"

Kuma walked in just as I was about to ask about him. He looked like he had been crying. His eyes were a bit red but his eyes were definitely red rimmed. I felt like I had stabbed in the heart. I couldn't hold back and I ends up running to my baby boy, pulling him into a tight hug. I runs my hand through Kuma's hair and tucks my son's face into my neck as I hugged him as tight as I could.

"I am so sorry, Kuma. I will try my best to fix this." I promises my boy. I don't really know what I promising but my baby boy, his fifteen year old boy had cried and it was literally killing me.

"You didn't do anything." Kuma says.

Maybe that was the problem. I didn't do anything. I feels little hands wrap around my legs and then on my waist and I looks down to find Lego, Lily, even Luca hugging me too. This was my family and it'd be complete but someone was missing, someone who I had lost. I feels guilty. Because of me, the children had lost their Dada.

"Okay, okay! Let's eat before everything goes cold." I says as I pulled away.

"Did you bring a change of clothes? You're still in your pj." Lego says as we pull back and make our way to the dining table to take our seat. I looks down at myself and blushed all the way to the root of my hair. I had forgotten to pack somethings for myself.

"I saw a shop a few blocks away. I can stop by and get you some stuff."

I shakes my head. "After you eat. I can wait a little."

"But I c-"

"Nope. I'm not hearing it, I can wait a little and besides i can borrow your Aunt Rosé clothes." I says, my tone telling my eldest that was the end of the discussion.

I feeds Luca I feed while the others eat while chattering about the apparently new episode of power rangers we had watched.

[AN]

True to his word, Kuma had taken a bus to the nearest shop to get Jennie some things. He comes back a few minutes with a bag containing a pair of sweatpants, a pack of white shirts, another pack of panties, bras and an extra tooth brush.

I was just so grateful to have Kuma. I takes the bag from my son and gives him a kiss to the cheek. I'm going to shower, eat and just spend time with my kids and not think about what could have possibly made Lisa look elsewhere, what could have made Lisa look at someone else.

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