The next day did not look promising for Mr. and Mrs. David. The couple said little to each other that morning. Jackson did not say a word to his wife after yesterday's incident when he came home later on. Plus, this morning he got dressed for work early and left the house with "goodbye" as the only word he spoke to Jennie, the entire morning they were together.
Jackson stopped at the Harper bakery. He knew that although the bakery had not opened yet, Mr. Harper would be awake and baking his signature donuts. When Jackson knocked on the door, Mr. Harper heard his knock and came to unlock the front door. Mr. David entered the bakeshop and greeted Mr. Harper.
"Louis, is Julie up?" Jackson asked as they walked toward the kitchen.
"No, my daughter is still sleeping. It is five o'clock, son. Why are you here?" Mr. Harper stated.
Jackson felt awkward. He knew that it was inappropriate to be at
Julie eventually opened her eyes when her alarm rang for the fifth time. She knew that it was Monday, and the interview was today. Julie took a deep breath and removed the sheet from over her. And when about her morning routine. After Julie's shower, she sat in front of the mirror in a white robe and did her makeup.Julie first used a Fenty Beauty Pro Filt'r Soft Matte Long Wear Foundation on her face, applied her mascara neatly, and rubbed some lip balm on her lips.Next, she dusted a lightweight mineral powder over her foundation, drew her eyebrows with a Pencil Eyeliner for a Softer Look, added a brown slightly gleaming shade on her lids then blended some depths brown tone on the outer corners of her eyes.Lastly, Julie wore a navy blue blazer with a gray blouse, khaki pants, and black heeled shoes.She did her finishing touches by plaiting her hair into two braids, grabbing the
Steven gazed at Julie and thought she was the most troublesome woman he has ever met. What was he going to do, there was no position open in his company? But Julie did not know that."Here is the situation. Our human resource manager's mother had an accident. Her accident was not major, but she's in the hospital. So he needs to be with his mother to help her recover. Therefore, he will be absent for six months. His position is open if you are willing to be a substitute worker at the company." Steven explains to Julie, hoping his voice sounds convincing to her."That's acceptable to me. Then, I will come again tomorrow for the interview." She replied.He took his eye off her and placed his focus on the paper on his desk. Steven felt mad that he expressed his feelings, but got no answer, and he had to lie again to please her. Yet, Julie feels more distant than before.
Julie watched nervously as the conference room fled open. She saw a hairy guy with black whiskers and beards walking in. His thick eyebrows and long eyelashes rose as he gazed at her. He did not seem friendly, nor did he smile. Julie sat up straight, making sure that her sitting position was professional. He steps closer to Julie and views her from her head to her shoe."Hello, I am Melvin. And I would be the one interviewing you." He spoke to her casually with intense resentment in his tone as he drew his head away with disgust in his eyes.Julie thought his behavior was rude, but she kept calm. Julie reached out and extended her hand to shake his hand. "Hello Melvin, I am Julie. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance." She said.However, Melvin kept his hand in his pocket until Julie withdrew her hand to her side.'Why is Melvin behaving mean? I don't think I have offended or met him before.' J
Jackson sat on the sofa with Jennie's head resting on his lap. She had fallen asleep when they were in the middle of an action movie. He carried Jennie into the bedroom and kissed her on the forehead after laying her on their bed. Then Jackson went outside for fresh air.A car stopped at the bakery. Jackson watched Julie getting out of a cab. He saw that her face seemed gloomy and wondered why she looked dispirited. Jackson jumped over his balcony and ran toward her."Julie, why a troubled appearance? Please, tell me who's the punk that bullied you, and I will beat him up. Was it that rascal, Steven?" Jackson said with heavy breath when he reached Julie, attempting to make her laugh and relieve her stressful expression.Julie gazes at his worried and sweaty face and laughs."I passed my interview at your company. Do you want to celebrate with me? We can eat all the pastries and sweets in my father's
Jackson stares at Jennie and rolls his eyes. "Was that satisfying? Honey, before you speak words that you will regret later, this is not what you think. Why don't you relax? Then, we can leave here and discuss it at home." He said smoothly."I will not stay calm. I walked in, saw my husband hugging another woman, and you asked me to be cool. Would you feel relaxed if this was a reverse situation?" Jennie screamed."Do you hear yourself, babe? You are not making sense, hubby!" He said, reaching out to hold her hand."Why don't we go home and talk about this calmly and stop making an issue out of nothing? Please, babe?" Jackson pleaded as he rubbed her hands gently.Jennie pushes him in the chest, and Jackson steps back a little. "If you guys are not lovers, then did she become best buds with her next-door neighbor husband out of pure intention?" Jennie said, pointing her finger at Julie's face.
"Bang!" Jackson slammed the door as he entered his home. He met Jennie sitting in their bedroom after searching for her for a while. Jackson's phone buzzed in his pocket. When he took a look, it was his mother calling. Jackson swiped the screen to cancel the call, then placed his phone on the table at the corner near the door. She lifted her head and met her husband's glance."What?" Jennie asked when Jackson did not speak for about five minutes."Do you have any idea what you have done?" He replied, striving to keep himself calm and avoid another senseless argument with her. All Jackson wanted now was for Jennie to realize her mistake and feel sorry about how she treated Julie."I know what I did. I removed a thirsty chick off my husband's back! You are welcome." Jennie responded with a harsh tone. She would not allow him to feel that he's right again. If Jennie does, then there will be too many apologies she owes her h
"Honk!" Jackson jumped out of his sleep when he heard the noise of a car outside their house. He turned to wake Jennie up, but she was not in bed, nor was she in the room."No, no, no! Please don't be doing what I think you are doing!" Jackson said, getting out of his bed with a pair of white socks, a boxer, and gray underwear.Jennie heard her husband's footsteps running toward the kitchen."Good morning, babe!" Jennie said with a whisk in her hand and some tomato paste on her cheek when he enters the kitchen."What are you doing, honey?" Jackson asked.Jennie thought he was kidding with his silly question. "I am making breakfast for mom!" She replied.Jackson rushed to Jennie. He took off her apron, removed her hair cover, put some saliva on the tip of his finger, and cleaned her cheek. Jackson then fixed her messy hair and fastened the two loose buttons on
Jennie kneels on the floor and picks up the broken glass."Leave it, babe. I will clean them up." Jackson said.However, she did not stop. He squatted next to her and gently took the broken glass from her hands. Jennie glanced at him with her teary red eyes and tried to get the piece of glass from Jackson's grip. But her husband closed his hand tightly."I said I would handle this mess." He said as blood dripped from his fist onto the floor."Son, you are bleeding." Rose cried.Jennie started hyperventilating. She was sweating and trembling. Her limbs felt weak, like she was about to fall."I can attend to my injury, mom. Please get my wife out of here. She's experiencing a panic attack." Jackson pleaded with his mother.Rose knew if she refused and attempted to assist him, Jackson would get mad. Plus, he would neglect his health and make sure Jennie i
Jackson walked into the dining room, fully dressed in a suit, and Rose and Miya gazed away from their food and awkwardly stared at him. “Dada!” Milo shouted, jumping in his seat. Then Mila and Milu followed his lead and started yelling, “dada.” Those words brought a smile onto Jackson's lips even though he had heard it countless times for the past few months. Beaming with joy, he walked over to his kids' seats and took Milo, Mila and Milu out of their chairs one after the other, playing with them for a moment before putting them back into their seats. “Where are you going in a suit?” Rose asked, setting her fork down on the table. “Today is Miya's final trial date, and I'm driving her to the courthouse?” Jackson said, adoringly staring at Miya. Taking her focus off her son, Rose gazed at Milo, Mila, and Milu and said, “Can you guys say ‘Nana?” “Mom, you've been trying to make them say ‘nana’ for six months now. Th
“Mom, bride, where we at?” The wedding planner said, walking further into the room.Mrs. Harper pulled up her daughter's gown zipper and smiled.“We are ready.” She mumbled, gently rubbing Julie’s arms as tears ran down her cheeks.“Awesome, bride, please come with me. Your father is waiting for you at the church door.”The wedding planner said.A look of hesitation crossed Julie’s face. Then she turned around and tightly hugged her mother.“I love you so much,” Julie said, sobbing softly.“I love you too, sweetheart.” Mrs. Harper mumbled, gently patting her back.Now that the bridesmaids were in the church hall, everyone was impatiently waiting for the bride, except Jackson.He was too focused on staring at Miya to care for the stuff going on around him.“Everyone please stand! The bride is about to enter.” The preacher said.
“Groomsmen, Groom, you guys got to be out of here in the next twenty minutes and be in the church.” The wedding planner said as he walked into the room.Jackson stopped buttoning his shirt, gazed at him, and said, “Oh is the bridal party ready?”“No. I got words from the ladies' planner, and she said that the bridesmaids and the bride will be ready and in the church within the next one hour.”“Oh! Okay. We will be out in ten.”After the wedding planner left, Jackson turned to gaze at Steven, and a frown settled on his face.“Steve, breathe,” Jackson mumbled, walking over to his friend.“I'm getting married today,” Steven whispered, holding in his breath.“I know. But you have to exhale to release the tension building up inside of you.”“There's so much ‘what if’ questions going on in my head. Like what if Juli
“Hey, mom. I'm heading out to meet with Steven.” Jackson said, walking into the living room. Rose took her eyes off Mila for a second, gazed at her son, and said, “Okay.” Then she focused back on her granddaughter. A look of disbelief crossed Jackson's face. Then he stared at Miya and whispered, “It's like I am invisible to her. Is it legal for a mother to replace her son with her grandkids?” “I think I have lost my rights as their mother,” Miya mumbled, chuckling softly. Rose rolled her eyes at both of them, and said, “Haha, fun… my grandbabies needs their nana.” “How long do you plan to stay here?” Jackson mumbled, struggling not to laugh. “Until they are old enough to call me Nana.” “Well. That's some plan. Anyways, I got to go. Steven is planning to invoke my right as his best man if I don't show up.” In a rush, Jackson kissed the babies on their foreheads and turned to stare at Miya, striving to say the words
The wind blew aggressively against Miya's face, sending her hair in every direction as she stared into Jackson's eyes.“What do you mean?” Miya mumbled, digging her fingers into the sand.“Well… Ummm… Milo and Milu are men. Well they are babies now but they won't stay like that forever. And they love you even though they can't say it.” Jackson mumbled, taking his eyes off her and focusing on the ocean.“Oh,”“I know how much my mother means to me, and the love I have for her is endless. I think they feel the same way even though they can't speak now.”“How would you know that?”
When she heard footsteps approaching the living room, Rose lifted her head and her gaze rested on her son and Miya. “Mom, we are going out. I just hired a nanny to come over, but can you stay with the kids for a few hours until we get back? Also, there will be a few other people coming over, would you please supervise them as they carry out their task?” Jackson said. “Sure, you two run about your business, and I will be right here with these adorable cuties,” Rose mumbled with a smile as Milu’s tiny hand grabbed onto her finger. His lips curved into a smile as Jackson watched his mother's face glowed with joy. Then he breathed a sigh of relief and said, “Thanks, mom.” “You don't have to thank me. These are my grandbabies, and I would do anything for them.” Rose said. The corner of Jackson's mouth raised as he watched the bright smile on Miya's pinkish lips. After a few minutes, Jackson drove out of his yard with Miya in the front seat
The moment Jackson and Jennie came back into the living room everyone tried to act natural.Without looking up for even a second, Steven was intensely staring at his blank phone screen while Julie clutched onto Steven's arm and rested her head on his shoulder, gazing down at his phone.Swaying his sight from the entrance, Chris hastily stared at his watch without taking his eyes off it even though he already knew the time.Suddenly, Mr. Harper took the box off the table and began eating the donut that was meant for Jackson while Mrs. Harper tried to get him to stop.And Rose, well, she continued playing with grandbabies like she had been doing all these while.However, Miya was the only one who made eye contact with Jackson, and when their gaze fixed on each other, Jackson looked the other way.“I'm leaving,” Jennie mumbled.For a second she stood quite still as a feeling of embarrassment held her hostage.Then Jennie walked out
After Jennie entered Jackson's room, he followed her in and shut the door behind him.“You and her?” Jennie mumbled while sadly staring Jackson in his eyes.It took a moment of hesitation for Jackson to stiffly smiled and said, “We are just co-parenting.”It grew silent between them. Then Jennie walked over to the bed, sat down on the mattress, and mumbled, “You are a dad. That was something you always wanted, and it hurt so bad that I am not the one who made you a father.”“Believe me, that's exactly how I felt when I walked into that room and saw you with your son. It hurt, it hurt so bad that I felt like I couldn't breathe, like the air I was inhaling was suffocating me.” Jackson calmly intoned.As her hand gently caressed the sheet, Jennie ushered her eyes closed and took in a deep breath. Then she stared at Jackson and said, “But you don't feel that way now.”“What?
No one in the room was prepared for Miya's response, not even Chris and Jackson, and as silence settled in their midst, everyone had different emotions on their faces.Suddenly Steven's heartbeat began to increased and his mouth opened, but no words came out.Then he took a long stared at Miya and angrily said, “You are the lady that Chris brought to Jackson's hospital room that day. When did you two hook up?”The anger raging through Miya suddenly ceased, and panic had her in its grip as she nervously stared at Jackson and thought, ‘Why did I say that?’Then she bowed her head and her nails dug into her palm when she felt them staring at her.Feeling completely betrayed by his best friend, Steven looked at Jackson with sadness in his eyes, and coldly asked, “Were you cheating on Jennie with her before the accident?”Although Jackson had already answered Steven's question in his head, his body didn’t know how to react, and he froze to a poin