Twelve Little Brothers

He Looks Like A Baby Doll

"Kim Minseo, are you ready to see your new cousin?" I nodded so hard at my mother I almost lost my balance and fell on the floor.

She opened the door and I instantly ran in the moment the gap was big enough. My Aunt was laying in the hospital bed and my Uncle Seungcheol was sitting next to her. However there was someone else in the room and I couldn't place a name to the unfamiliar figure in my Aunt's arms.

"Minseo, this is your cousin Jeonghan." So this new being is my baby cousin?

I walked over to where my Aunt was and peeked over her arms to see Jeonghan. He looked kind of like one of my baby dolls that I love to play with.

I felt a pair of arms wrap around me and pull me onto their lap. I looked up and smiled at my Uncle Seungcheol. "Would you like to hold him?" I nodded vigorously again as the baby was picked up and placed in my lap. I smiled at him and placed a kiss on his forehead like Mommy does when she tucks me in at night.

After a couple of minutes of just sitting there and staring at the baby in my arms, my Aunt started up the small talk.

"You've gotten so big Minseo! How old are you now?"

I smiled at her. "I'm eight."

"Eight?! I thought you were four!" I pouted at Uncle Seungcheol as he ruffled my hair.

"I haven't been four in a long time."

He smiled jokingly. "I know. You just act like you're four."

My Mom frowned at him and leaned over to whisper something in his ear. "Sorry Sis, I forgot."

I was about to ask what he was sorry about when Jeonghan started to cry very loudly. "Here, let me take him. He's probably hungry."

I handed him over and Mom told me we were going to go and let them be. "Bye Auntie! Bye Uncle Seungcheol! Bye Jeonghan!"

"Bye Minseo." I laughed since they both spoke at the same time, but their attention was on Jeonghan.

Once we got out of the hospital and entered the car, I remembered what I was going to ask Uncle Seungcheol. "Mommy, what did Uncle Seungcheol forget?"

"Nothing darling. Look! A cow!" My Mother's quick distraction unfortunately worked and I forgot all about the mysterious 'nothing' that my Uncle forgot about.

...

By the time my Mother and I had got home it was extremely late and I had school the next day. I had fallen asleep on the car ride home, so I got out very sleepily and did my nighttime routine quite slowly.

"Mommy, I'm ready now." She started to walk with me towards my room when all of the sudden the kitchen door slammed open to reveal my drunk Father.

"Why don't you just wait in your room for me, okay? I'll be right in." I nodded and quickly ran for my room.

I tried not to listen to the screams and shattering of the many pieces of furniture around the house. I covered myself in all of my blankets, pillows, and stuffed animals to create my own safe environment so I could cry myself asleep once again.

Except this night... Mommy never came in to say goodnight.