We stop for ice cream, frozen custard, to be exact. Clearly, Kookie needs something cold on his swelling lip. Thank God, this time there will be no scar to mar my baby’s face.
We decide to go through the drive-through. A few moments later, Kookie, seated next to me, gingerly licks his cookies ‘n’ cream cone before resting the ice cream against his swollen lip.
“Does it feel any better?” Janna asks as she also downs some cookies ‘n’ cream. They may not agree on much these days, but they both still share the same favorite flavor.
He nods his head before leaning back against the headrest and closing his eyes. I gaze at him for a moment, still a little stunned that this beautiful boy is now my son. His long, raven bangs are parted in the middle, creating two wings that frame his face charmingly. His charcoal eyelashes are fanned out against his cheeks. My eye slides down the straight slope of his nose rounding chubbily at the tip. His mouth is obscured by the ice cream he’s still treating his lip with.
But more than his lovely outward appearance, I am noticing the sweet spirit sitting next to me. He really is a darling. Quiet, unassuming, you’d never guess that in a parallel universe he was a shining star before tens of thousands of fans. There is not a single sign of JK in the silent boy seated next to me. But the precious heart behind the popular persona beats beside me still. Always jumping in to defend what’s right and to help others. Even when he goads his sister, I can see the affection he has for her shining out of his eyes. He’s really very fond of her, and he proved it today. Running into peril for her sake.
We ride home in silence, everyone absorbing the shock of the last hour. Jimin’s Serendipity is playing in the van, but something still isn’t quite right about it. But I can’t put my finger on it.
Kookie climbs out of the car first, shoving the remainder of his ice cream cone into his mouth as he pushes the door shut, leaving me and Janna alone in the van.
She turns towards me, her jade eyes wide. “Mom, I wish you’d seen Kookie! He was so brave! He grabbed that guy and slammed his fist right into his nose! There was so much blood! In fact,” she looks down at her shirt. “I think some of it sprayed onto my shirt.”
I see the stains. “We’d better do another load of laundry immediately or that won’t come out later. Hey, by the way, do you know where Kookie’s green hoodie is? Did you borrow it?”
She shakes her head. I get no indication that she’s lying. It’s probably on the bottom of the stack under a pile of clothes on Kookie’s bed. Even in this universe, Jungkook isn’t the best at keeping his clothes off his bed.
I suddenly recall one morning that I wandered out to the kitchen to make myself a cup of tea before the sun rose. Passing through the living room, I found my eldest son sound asleep on the couch. Curious, I planted myself in a nearby recliner once my tea was ready. I sat reading quietly until he suddenly rolled off the couch and woke himself up. Staring down at him lying flat on his back on the carpet, I asked him, “Kookie, why were you sleeping on the couch? Your bed not good enough anymore?”
Shaking the dark hair out of his eyes, he sat up before pushing himself up onto his feet and promptly planting his bottom into the couch cushion again.
He shook his head. “No. I couldn’t find the bed last night.”
“What?! What do you mean, you couldn’t find the bed?”
“Under all my clothes. There was nowhere to sleep. I tried to convince Everett to let me share his bed, but he wasn’t having it. And you know how he can be.” Kookie looked at me, his gaze speaking volumes, and I smiled.
He meant stubborn. He meant that when Everett made up his mind about something, it was difficult to move him away from that decision. It was true. Though, being his mom, I have an advantage in those situations.
But I was privately thinking that Kookie was the pigheaded one. All he had to do was toss those clothes into either his hamper or the washing machine. But rather than take that easy step, he had tried to convince his “stubborn” little brother to let him share his bed.
“So you slept out here because you were too lazy to do your laundry?”
“Too busy, Mom,” he corrected me. “I was too busy. I had a term paper to finish and taekwondo practice.”
I nod my head sagely as I consider the empty laundry hamper in his room. Why he doesn’t just put his clothes there still remains a mystery to me. It’s one of the seven wonders of the world, as far as I’m concerned. He doesn’t want to transfer a pile of laundry, but he’ll run into the breach, exposing himself to physical pain, to save his sister from harm. Which thought brings me back to the present.
I meet her gaze. “Were you scared? When that guy grabbed you?”
“Yeah. A little. Which was weird because we were surrounded by people. Mostly though, I was shocked. I couldn’t believe he’d be that brazen in the middle of the hallway! There was a teacher standing a few feet away. He saw the whole thing apparently. He just didn’t act as quickly as Kookie.”
“Thank God your brother wasn’t suspended this morning!”
Although, upon further reflection, I realize the teacher would have put an end to it, and Kookie wouldn’t have been hurt or suspended for the day. If only I’d taken my time returning him to school. But then I wouldn’t know how very much my older set of twins still cares for each other.
