Trials and Tribulations [Chaelisa]

Chapter 64

Having descended the stairs, Lisa and Chaeyoung entered the kitchen to find Jules sat eating a bowl of cereal at the counter. Amy was stood at the sink washing up her own breakfast things whilst humming to herself tunefully as she glanced through the window and observed the traffic passing by outside. Lisa paused just inside the door in order to hand Luca over to Chaeyoung before continuing towards where her sister sat.

“Hey Jules,” Lisa said, placing a hand on the young girls shoulder and drawing her attention immediately. “Chaeyoung and I are going to take Luca down to the park for a walk and we were wondering whether you wanted to come with us.”

“Me?” Jules asked, pointing to herself uncertainly.

“Yeah,” Lisa laughed. She reached up a hand and stroked the dark hair at Jules’s temple affectionately. “You are Jules aren’t you?” Lisa asked feigning confusion and she scrunched up her face so that her eyebrows knitted together.

“Yes silly,” Jules answered glancing over at her mom who had turned around and now stood facing them, her back resting against the counter behind her. Her posture was relaxed and she smiled warmly at her daughters, her arms crossed over her chest and the tea towel she’d been using to dry up the dishes still in her hand.

“Ok good,” Lisa said as she moved her hand down to rest against the side of Jules’s neck. “I wasn’t sure. You look a little different this morning compared to yesterday. Have you grown?”

“No,” Jules said grinning broadly. “You’ve shrunk.”

“I have?” Lisa asked sounding surprised. “I guess I should make sure I eat more vegetables in future then.”

“Vegetables don’t make you grow taller.” Jules responded, sounding highly unconvinced.

“Of course they do,” Lisa said as she leant closer to her sister and whispered in her ear conspiratorially. “Why do you think they taste so bad?”

“I hate vegetables,” Jules complained, making a face.

“Me too,” Lisa whispered to her sister once more before straightening back up again.

“You’re going out?” Amy asked Lisa, wiping her hands with the dish cloth that she held in them.

“Yeah, is that ok?” she asked turning around to answer her. She placed her hands on the kitchen counter for support.

“Where were you thinking of going?” Amy asked, dropping the dishcloth on to the counter next to her having finished with it.

“We were just going to go down to Simpson Park.” Lisa answered. “It’s only a few blocks away…” Amy pushed away from the counter and stepped across the kitchen so that she was standing opposite Lisa.

“You’ll take your phone with you?” Amy asked and Lisa nodded her head.

“Yeah and Chaeyoung will be there if anything happens,” Lisa reassured her. “I know that you’re worried about me now with my heart but the doctors said I was alright, they would have admitted me otherwise.”

“Have you at least thought any more about having treatment?” Amy asked, lifting an eyebrow questioningly as she rested one of her hands on top of Lisa’s. Lisa cast a quick look in Chaeyoung’s direction and met her girlfriends’ brown eyes for a brief moment.

“I’m going to do it,” Lisa told her mom, returning her gaze back towards her. “The doctor said cardioversion was the best treatment for it so it makes sense for me to have it.”

“Really?” Amy asked her unconvinced but squeezing Lisa’s hand in her own. “You will?”

“Yeah,” Lisa confirmed. Amy took hold of Lisa’s hand properly and brought it to her lips so that she could kiss it.