The tips of Jennie's ears turned red, and she huffed in rage. She wanted to crumple up the note and throw it away, but she put in the end, she put it securely in her bag.
Jennie's family lived about 10 minutes away from the store, so she decided to walk there from her apartment. When she arrived, her mother was making food in the kitchen, and her brother was still at work. Her sister-in-law greeted her at the front door with a baby in her arms.
"Sister-in-law."
The baby heard her voice and grinned, reaching out his arms towards her. Jennie set her bags down and lifted the baby.
"Mother is going to lecture you. You bought too many gifts again, it's just a house visit." Mina, her sister-in-law said playfully, "Mom's been in the kitchen all morning, since she heard you were coming, cooking up all kinds of food. Talk to her later."
"Ok." Jennie replied, "I know."
For the past few years, Jennie rarely visited home. She and Mommy Kim didn't agree on a lot of things, the mother and daughter pair could barely say more than three words to each other. Jennie disliked having to argue with her mother every day, so she had moved out to live on her own. Now, she only went home about 1-2 times a month.
However, despite the distance, nothing has changed between the two.
Before Mommy Kim married to Daddy Kim, she came from a wealthy household and was brought up on more traditional education. Although she could be gentle or kind, Mommy Kim was rather stubborn about traditions and rules.
After Daddy Kim left, she never remarried and had single-handedly raised her children. When they were kids, she never had to worry about them, and they never disobeyed her. Later, her son had become a prosperous young man with a good wife and a child, but it was her daughter that gave her headaches. Her daughter's preferences completely clashed against Mommy Kim's traditional values; this was unacceptable to her.
Mommy Kim thought it might've been a phase and that Jennie would eventually return to normal, but every time she saw Jennie, she would just get more frustrated.
"You should stay for dinner. Your brother has been busy recently and hasn't seen you in a while." Sister-in-law said.
Jennie patted the baby's back, and paused, "We'll see...."
Her sister-in-law couldn't say anything more to persuade her and walked away to go clean up the baby's things.
Jennie sat on the sofa and put the baby in her lap, and teased, "Cutie, have you missed your aunt?"
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The baby giggled at Jennie, and drool started dripping from the corners of his mouth.
Jennie reached for the tissues on the table and then looked up to see her mother at the kitchen door, staring at her.
