60 : Weight Of A Single Mom

Eun Young swiped the key card to open the door. The suite she reserved was huge and luxurious that the kids were really excited when they got to see the place. There was a chandelier by the living room, a huge wide screen TV and an expensive French wine sitting on a bucket of ice atop the coffee table. The floor was softly carpeted and the suite had two bedrooms for Eun Young and the children to rest in. However, this was just temporary. Until Eun Young finds a permanent place were they could stay in, this should be enough.

"Mommy! It's so pretty in here!" Little Jung Hyun exclaimed, in awe of his new surroundings. Eun Young gave a generous tip to the bellboy who helped deliver their items. Afterwards, she closed the door and began dragging their heavy suitcases to unpack little by little.

"You like it?" Eun Young asked her son.

The little boy nodded his head in agreement. He particularly loved the huge window. He could see all the stars and the city lights from where he was standing! After a few moments, little Jung Hyun had a thought. "Mommy... can we live in hotels forever?" He curiously asked. He loved his home, but the hotel wasn't that bad either. Especially with this killer view!

Eun Young chuckled. "I'm afraid we can't." She honestly answered. "Don't worry though, mommy will look for a prettier place we could stay in. I'll definitely consider getting us a penthouse or a unit with a great view. Would you like that?"

"Yeah!" He shrieked excitedly.

While the kids were busy exploring the place, Eun Young began to take out some of the things they would use during their stay. She hung some of her clothes in the closet and she also took the opportunity to take a quick shower after the long exhausting day that she had. After settling her things, she went to the kids' bedroom to arrange their things too.

When she opened little Jung Hyun's suitcase, a pouch fell and the crayons inside it flew to different directions. She immediately picked them up and secured them back inside the pouch. Her son really liked to draw and so aside from his crayons, he also brought with him his sketchpad that was sitting on top of his clothes. Eun Young curiously scanned through his drawings. For a six-year old, he was pretty talented! She saw that he practiced drawing flowers first, then animals and for the latter part he began drawing people.

She was just happily looking through the pages at first. It wasn't until she realized that the most of the people little Jung Hyun drew were their family. The last page struck Eun Young's heart the most. It was a drawing of her marriage with Min Jae. It was a western version of a wedding where in Min Jae was wearing a tuxedo and she was in a white gown with a long vail behind her. Her parents and in-laws were there. Even little Jung Hyun was there! The little one drew himself in a blanket that was being carried by a stork [1].

Eun Young laughed upon seeing this. But seconds later, her emotions took a sharp turn and suddenly, she was feeling sad all over again. Images from the events earlier came flashing back in her mind. No matter how much she keeps preventing herself from returning to that depressing state, pain and sadness kept resurfacing and exploding in her chest. She wiped away the tears that were beginning to form. No. She can't let the children see her like this.

As if on cue, little Hye Soo pushed the door open with her small hands and ran to Eun Young. She placed her hands on her mother's knee before looking up at her with puppy eyes. "Mommy, I'm hungry." She softly mumbled.

Eun Young couldn't help but melt at her daughter's cuteness. "Aww, my baby's hungry." She cooed as she cupped the little girl's cheeks. "Let's go get some food, okay?"

They ordered food from the menu provided by the hotel. They were rated with five stars so Eun Young was convinced that their culinary skills would be top notch too. The food were delivered after a few minutes and true enough, the dishes definitely looked appetizing!

The three of them enjoyed their dinner together. They still need a lot of adjusting to do especially with their new set up and environment but in the meantime, they'll definitely try to enjoy every precious moment together. "How's the food?" Eun Young went ahead to ask the little critiques.

Her daughter still had her mouth full so instead of responding, she simply showed Eun Young a thumbs up. On the other hand, little Jung Hyun was a mess. Nonetheless, he still proceeded in giving his verdict. "It's amazing!" He said with a charming smile. "Your cooking and Dad's cooking are waaaayyy better but... this will do!" He added.

After they finished their meals, Eun Young cleaned up while the children were distracted by watching cartoons on the TV. It had only been just a few hours yet Eun Young was already feeling the weight of being a single mother. It'a really a tough job! She also realized that in order to raise them well, she can't stop the flow of her income. She had been away from work for a few days now and that's not a good step if she wants to get her paycheck on time. Because as much as possible, Eun Young didn't want to risk troubling her parents since it was her decision to leave in the first place.

After a while, Eun Young realized that she wasn't hearing the children anymore. They were laughing earlier and they were responding to the program. When she went to the living room to check, there she saw her son and daughter knocked out on the sofa. They must've drifted to sleep after the sumptuous meal.

One by one, she began carrying them to bed. First little Jung Hyun and then her youngest daughter, Hye Soo. She carefully tucked them into bed and lightly gave them kisses on their forehead. Eun Young turned off the lamp. She turned to leave the room but before closing the door, she spared one last glance at her children. "We're going to make it. I promise." She vowed. They survived the first day. Hopefully, the next days will get better.