pie in the sky // JENLISA

Chapter 7

Jennie clocks in and walks tentatively into the kitchen, trying to gauge Jiyoung's mood. He's scowling down at the grill as usual, but Jennie knows she has to talk to him. She's put off this conversation for months.

"Hey Jiyong?"

Jiyong just grunts.

"I wanted you to know that I'm - well, I'm pregnant. Due in about eight weeks."

"You're what now?" Jiyong asks, turning around to look at her.

"I'm pregnant." Jennie puts her hand on her uniformed belly, glaringly obvious now.

"Huh," Jiyong grunts, glancing down at where Jennie's hand rests.

"I'll need to take some time off."

"Why?"

Jennie stumbles. "Because - it's gonna be harder for me to be on my feet all day towards the end. And after it's born, I have to heal for a while-"

"I don't need to hear all that," Jiyong interrupts, as though any kind of women's issues makes him anxious and threatens his manliness. "As long as you clear it with Dara and someone comes to get the plates when I say order up, I don't care what you do."

Jennie feels slapped away and replaceable. She and Jiyong may not be friends, but they see each other every day and it seems like he doesn't care about her at all. Jennie is tired of feeling insignificant. She storms out of the kitchen, wishing her belly didn't make it so difficult. She whirls around the corner, not bothering to calm herself before walking to one of her tables to take Dara's order.

"What's eating you, Kim?" Dara asks, tipping her menu down and squinting at Jennie.

"Nothing," Jennie lies.

So many things are gnawing at her: Jiyong, Josh, waiting tables, the baby, her guilt about Lisa. Sometimes she feels like people are literally sucking out any nourishment she can scrounge up for herself. She's so hungry lately. She ate almost an entire leftover pomegranate chicken pie the other night and didn't feel stuffed in the least.

"I'd take you at your word, but I don't believe it," Dara says, looking back at her menu with annoyance.

"I just told Jiyong I'm pregnant and I'll need to take some time off and he got annoyed."

"You had to tell him?" Dara says, looking half appalled, half amused. "He think you're smuggling a mixing bowl under there?"

Jennie closes her eyes, praying for patience.

"How's the lipstick smudge?" Dara asks, smirking.

Jennie feels her anger drain into shame and worry. She hasn't sorted out what's really happening with Lisa. She doesn't respond, hoping Dara will move on to ordering.

"You better figure it out soon," Dara says. "Especially since you never made it to that pie contest."

"Can I take your order, Dara?"

"It's only gonna get messier," Dara says. She looks up at Jennie, then behind her. "Oh, Christ."

Jennie turns to look at what Dara is reacting to.

She's met with Lisa's sad, serious eyes staring at her from one of Jisoo's booths.

Before her is a slice of True Love Pie.

Jennie freezes, order pad in mid-air, mouth open.

Lisa is here. At her job.

She forgets Dara, forgets the conversation they're having and rushes over to Lisa, desperate to prevent what she's sure is a disaster waiting to happen.