"You know... we can still decide not to go, if you're not feeling up to it." Freen said as she put on some lipstick, standing beside Becky before the mirror they were both using to get ready.
"For the 100th time, babe, I'm fine na. Mothers things, remember?"
"Cai... but we don't need to do mothers things at the house of a man you hate." Freen said.
Becky applied the finishing touches to her make up, then turned to Freen who was looking at her like she could break.
"I'm okay doing this, Freen. Now, if you're not okay doing this, I'll understand, then we can stay home."
"I'm fine na." Freen said.
"Great, let's do this. I'm going to check on Beckett." Becky said and moved away from the mirror.
She came back in and asked, "Does my lipstick say 'I could kill you' loud enough?"
Freen looked at her, horrified.
"I'm kidding na, ease up, babe." Becky chuckled, winked at Freen and left.
Freen continued with her make up but she couldn't get her mind to shut up. Becky was clearly uncomfortable when Seng was around, and she had good reason to be. So why was she forcing herself to do this? Freen felt bad. If Becky felt she was doing this for Freen, to make things seem normal for them, Freen felt guilty for putting Becky through it.
//
They arrived at the Seng's new home and was welcomed warmly by Baifern. Beckett ran off to find Mei and his friends.
Freen linked her hand through Becky's and Becky leaned in to kiss her temple.
"What's gotten you all nervous?" Becky asked.
"How can you tell?" Freen asked, shocked that Becky was able to pick up on these nuances. She was such an expert lover, people should be jealous.
"Your body's tense, babe..." Becky said as they walked on over to a bunch of other parents Becky recognized.
"It's just... I never socialized much with Beckett's friends' parents before. So they too made their own assumptions about me. But ever since you've come along, they seem to have opened their minds a little bit."
"Aw? So you're nervous to socialize? Social queen Freen Sarocha? I cannot believe what I'm hearing na." Becky teased.
Freen stopped in her tracks then and Becky turned to look at her.
"A lot of me changed after you left, Becky." Freen said very matter of factly.
"Hey... I was just teasing na... I didn't mean to upset you." Becky's felt she needed to make sure Freen knew. "And I don't care what has changed, all that matters to me is that you still love me the same, because I know I do. And if you're uncomfortable talking to people here, then we don't have to at all. We can go entertain the kids playing outside..."
Freen realized she may have acted on impulse, her nerves getting the best of her. "No no, let's go talk to them... lets be... mommies na?"
Becky smiled at that. Kissed Freen warmly on her lip and then took her hand and led her to a group of parents fussing over something.
"Hey guys!" Becky said when she approached 6 human beings. She recognized Billy and Babe, Mint (Seng's sister) and her husband Brahm, and another couple she was seeing for the first time.
"Hey, Becky!" Mint said and Billy gave a small wave saying, "Glad you guys made it na. It's been a while since we've all come together like this."
"Ka, well, kids can do that to you." Becky said and the 6 of them chuckled and went on to talk about how their children really take up so much of their time. And Freen felt a little pride filling up in her heart.
Becky was good at this. Socializing. It made up for how much she hadn't done in a while. This was good for Beckett. It would mean he'd get to make more friends, spend more time with them.
They suddenly hear the sound of a baby wailing, and turned around to find Baifern carrying a little baby and bringing her over to Billy.
"She's missing her daday na..." Baifern said and Billy took the little one from her and started cooing at her trying to get her to stop crying.
"OMG! Congratulations na ka!" Becky said. "I had completely forgotten you guys were adopting!" Becky said.
Freen watched with amusement as Becky took a step forward and cooed at the baby too, allowing her to hold her little finger and was making senseless conversation with her. The baby had stopped crying and was starting into Becky's eyes.
"Wow Becky... she's taken a liking towards you instantly na kub!" Billy said.
Becky chuckled. "Can I hold her, phi?"
"Kub, sure na."
Freen watched as Becky took the little one in her arms and walked a few steps away from the adults to have a little time on her own playing with the baby. She spoke to her and seemed to be getting her desired response too because she was gleaming playing with the little one.
"Babe ka, you have to see this, come look!" Becky said when she spotted Freen staring at her from afar.
Freen walked over and stood by Becky, putting an arm around her.
"Just look at how she reacts to this! Who's a strong girl na? Who's going to show this world what little ladies can do?!"
And the little one threw a punch in the air.
Freen and Becky laughed out loud. It was truly the cutest thing ever.
"I'm afraid of Emi's capabilities now, bebe..." Freen joked, looking at Becky.
"Oh... she's a fighter I'll tell you that. I didn't even have to teach her anything." Becky said.
Freen was staring at the little baby's cute little face and thinking deeply. Becky caught on to it. "Penny for your thoughts?"
"I can't help but wonder how amazing you'll be when we decide to have one more of our own."
A sweet smile came upon Becky's lips. And she couldn't help but be drawn to Freen's lips for a passionate kiss.
"When we have our third, we're going to do it right. He or she will have both her parents looking out for her from day 1." Becky promised.
"I know. You'd be wonderful." Freen said. Kissing her once more.
They were then distracted by some noise from the backyard where the kids were all playing. They moved outside to find Seng and Brahm in an arm fight on one of the kids picnic benches, a friendly one no less, just to get the kids excited. The kids had split up into 2 teams.
Freen and Becky both noticed Beckett was on Brahm's side and Mei was obviously on her daddy's side.
The other parents too started hooting and cheering to see who would win. Freen stood by Becky, and felt Becky's arm go mindlessly around her waist. She wasn't amused by the fact that Seng seemed to be winning. Then Brahm, in a sudden bout of energy, pushed harder and defeated Seng. The kids roared with excitement that he had won.
Seng told his team, "Don't worry na kub, don't worry na, I'll get the next one. Who's up next?"
The little kids ran up to their parents forcing them to do it. And right enough Beckett came over to Freen hot on his heels.
"Mama mama, you've won arm fights before! Come on! You can totally take him down!"
Freen looked nervous. She had no doubt she could give him a run for his money, but she had no intention of having any interaction with Seng. She didn't want to cause any feelings of insecurity in Becky and more importantly, she was more than happy with the way Becky was holding her so possessively.
"Not today na, baby..."
"Oh, come on na kub! We need to defeat the other team, Mama! We just need one more win! Pleeeaaassseee na kub!"
"You can go you know, it's okay na." Becky softly said.
"I don't want to. Really." Freen said to Becky.
A moments pause and Freen heard Becky said, "I'll do it na!" and Beckett bounced on his feet in pure happiness and ran over to tell his team that Becky was going to do it.
Freen's eye widened at Becky. "Becca!" She said with a tone of warning.
"Don't worry na, I got this, babe." Becky said relaxed, and winked at Freen.
Becky sat opposite Seng on the bench and lined her arm up before him.
Seng himself looked a little nervous when he sat before her. Knowing that they had a history. That Becky had unresolved anger for him that needed to be vented. He wondered if this was her way of doing it, a woman defeating him right before his daughter's eyes. Cai! That would be a moment of pride for her.
"Come on, Daddy! You can do this!"
"Becbec is going to take the trophy! I know it!"
Becky heard Beckett say to his friends behind her and she felt a boost of confidence. Right before Brahm could count to three, the cheering got louder from the parents and the kids, and Becky saw from the side of her eye, Freen was still standing at the porch, looking a little tensed.
The match began, and Seng had already pushed her hand close to the table. She was losing. But she was using all of her strength. She could do this she told herself. She had a lot of practice with Mind when she was a kid, and P'Mind was a strong kid. P'Mind would run circles around Seng.
She managed to push Seng's hand a little, enough that her hand was not as close to the table as before. It unnerved him that she was able to push back even that much. She saw it the moment panic reached his eyes and took advantage of that and pushed harder.
"You're not winning this, Seng. I am!" She said with a strangled tone, still pushing hard. Her arm would not forgive her for this later tonight, she's going to have to ice it.
"Na kub?! You and what army?!" He teased.
"Come on Mami! Just a little more na! You can do it! I know you can do it!"
That was Beckett's voice behind her, Becky recognized it. She was shocked. Good shocked. Beckett called her Mami.
Then another voice beside her, she realized Freen had moved from the porch to stand by her side. "Bebe ka, you got this! Just a little more. This is yours!" Freen said.
"Me and my family!" Becky said, loud enough for only Seng to hear, and with a renewed determination and energy, she pushed his hand all the way to the other side and it hit the table. The crowd erupted in cheers.
Becky got up from the bench and turned around and kissed Freen. And even before Freen could say anything, she spoke, "He called me Mami, babe. Beckett called me Mami."
"He did?"
Becky nodded with a smile on her face. She saw Beckett run towards her and hug her legs!
"YOU DID IT! YOU DEFEATED THE EVIL TEAM!!" Beckett said with pride.
"Is that the name of the team?" Freen asked in shock.
"No Mama, we just call them that."
"Okay good." Freen carried him up in her arms.
"Did you see how Mami totally beat his ass, Mama?"
"Wow, that does sound good na." Freen said to Becky.
And Becky leaned in and kissed Beckett's forehead. "It was a friendly match, baby. Don't get too excited na. Khun Seng is still your dear friend's dad na."
"Cai, cai, I know all that. But you still won. And I can go brag about that to all my friends!" Beckett said. Becky laughed.
"Dinner is served guys, come inside na." Baifern said from the porch. And all the parents and kids made their way inside the house.
Freen noticed Becky waiting back, she put Beckett down and told him to go inside and wait for them. "Hey, everything okay?"
"Babe ka, go inside na, I'll be right there."
"Why... why won't you come with me?" Freen asked as she now noticed that Seng was clearing up the snack plates and punch glasses in the backyard.
"I have something I need to talk to him about, babe. In private."
"Becky... when did you start keeping things from me?"
"Freen, can you just give me 10 minutes? Please." Becky snapped.
Freen looked upset. "Ka." She said and she walked off into the house.
Becky would have to make it up to her later. But she needed to do this.
"Hey..." Seng said to Becky when he realized she was waiting for him. "So ... I guess I should have seen that coming na?" Seng said.
"My victory?" Becky asked.
"Kub. That kind of anger you have towards me could light a town on fire."
"You're right." Becky said more seriously. She then continued.
"But it has to end somewhere, more so because my son and your daughter are really good friends." Becky said. The conflict in her heart was showing on her face. Seng could see it. Hear it loud and clear.
"That's difficult for you, I can tell." Seng said.
"You have no idea." Becky said. Then continued, "But it'll make Freen feel a little more at ease whenever we're in the same premises. She's always fearing we'd get into a quarrel, or we'd create a scene. Because as you can tell, and for obvious reasons I can't deal with the thought that you had sex with my lover while you were both drunk. While I understand you were both equally part of it, I've made my peace with her about it. We're started a new, we're back together again, hoping to have the future we've always wanted."
"That's great news, Becky. I hope you know that I am sorry for whatever happened, and if I could change the past, I would."
Becky nodded. Looking away then. Her arms folded across her chest.
"So we're good?"
"As much as we need to be. For the kids. For Freen." Becky said.
Seng nodded and reached out to shake Becky's hand. She obliged. She turned around and took a step forward, but then remembered she had to do this one thing.
"There's just one last thing though, Seng, before we get started on this 'peace'..."
Seng shut his eyes tight. "Kub... I think I know what's coming, I'd rather you get it done with now than later. Party's almost over anyway."
Becky threw her hardest punch ever, letting the anger of all the years she's missed in this town through, hitting him straight in the gut. He almost flew back with the impact, and doubled over in pain.
"I deserved that...." He choked out. And she turned and walked away, her eyes red from anger and pain.
//
When Becky rejoined the rest of them in the room, she spotted Beckett sitting on Freen's lap while she fed him. She figured Freen hadn't served lunch for herself yet. She went up to them, ruffled Beckett's hair and spoke.
"Beckett luk... how about I continue feeding you, and you let Mama get herself some lunch too na?"
Beckett almost hopped off, but Freen stopped him. "Sit right there, baby. We're almost done."
Becky realized Freen wasn't talking to her directly. She sat by Freen then and leaned in and kissed her cheek. "I'm sorry I snapped at you, babe. There was just something I had to do."
"Do? You said you had to talk to him." Freen asked, her eyes widening again. "What did you do?" Freen asked.
Becky was about to say something when Baifern came to explain to some of the guests who were leaving that Seng can't come say goodbye cause he's suddenly not feeling too well.
Freen looked at Becky with a raised eyebrow. "Did you have something to do with that?"
Becky made a face and then told her, "Ummm... he may have rammed his gut into my fist."
"What!" Freen said. "Wow...." she finished.
"I needed to do it. You know that na... he saw it coming too." Becky kissed her lips.
"Ewww Mami, Mama that's disgusting!"
"Where did you learn that word from?" Freen asked in disbelief. Then fed him some more food.
"Anyway, you don't have to be worried any more about what I'll do next every time we're around him. We've decided to be civil. At least for you and the kids, babe."
Freen heard her. But waited until Beckett was done with his food and ran off to find his friends again to react.
"You didn't have to do that, Becky. You're allowed to be angry for what happened. You're allowed to feel that." Freen said, taking Becky's hand in hers.
"I know... But I really want us to be able to move on, and I don't want to hold on so tight to our past that it doesn't let us have a future."
Freen nodded, she then let her forehead rest against Becky's. "I've never felt so strongly about anything in my life, the way I feel about how much I want to spend the rest of my existence with you and our kids."
Becky chuckled and said, "Our kids. He called me Mami!" She said, still so amused by it.
Freen laughed and kissed her lover. She got up, pulling on Becky's hand and telling her, "Come on na, let's get lunch and then get out of here, I want to go home and make out with you."
"Sounds like a plan!" Becky said.
//
When they reached home around 4 pm, the house was dark and smelled of popcorn.
Beckett ran into the living room and squealed. His Auntie Nam and Auntie Mind had set up a huge fort of pillows and bedsheets and were lounging inside it with Emily, watching a movie.
"Woah! You guys seemed to have had just as much fun as we did." Becky said as she entered the room and put on a few lights.
"Oh come on nong! Ana almost reunited with Elsa!" Nam whined.
"Let it go! Let it goooo..." Becky said.
"Erh, funny..." Mind deadpanned.
"Honey ka... you had homework to finish na?" Becky said to Emily, pulling her up from her cozy spot in the fort.
"I know, I remember." She said sadly. Becky kissed the top of her head.
Freen sent Beckett up to his room, telling him to go upstairs with his sister and get a short nap before dinner.
Once the 4 adults were alone in the living room, they sat on the couches and updated each other on the day's events.
"So you punched him?! Straight in the gut!?" Mind asked. "Like I showed you?!?!" she added.
Freen looked at her wide eyed. "You guys have been planning this. I should have known."
"Ah.... it was a long time coming!" Mind said.
"God, nong! You just got so much hotter in my eyes!" Nam said to Becky, who pulled Freen in closer to her side.
"Quit ogling at my bebe! You have your own!" Freen said, leaning in to give Becky a sweet kiss on the cheek
"Cai ka! What the fuck, Looknam!" Mind said.
"You haven't beaten up any dudes for me yet!"
"Tell me which dudes, I'll beat them up!" Mind said.
"Awww... so romantic na... " Nam said with a smile and kissed Mind straight on her lips.
"Erhh! That reminds me, can you guys stop sticking your tongues down each other's throats while babysitting Beckett?" Freen asked and Becky laughed.
"Aww? Why? What did the little Beck say?" Mind asked.
"Doesn't matter..."
"It was one time! I'm sure we didn't scar him too much." Mind said and then began to kiss Nam again, this time not stopping for anyone.
Freen looked at Becky then. "I better get started with dinner."
"Aww? I thought we were going to come home and make out a little..."
"What is this? A make-out party? We've already got them on our hands... just look at them!"
Becky did look. And it was like watching soft porn. "Ewwww! You're right na." she said.
"You think that's what we look like?" Freen asked, still staring at Nam and Mind kissing like no one else was in the room.
"No way...! I'm sure we look prettier. Aesthetically pleasing soft porn." They stared with their heads tilted.
"Our eyes are closed. Not our ears na.." Mind exclaimed before getting right back into the kiss.
Freen laughed then turned to Becky. "Come, chop some veggies with me?"
"Sounds more entertaining than watching my sister make out with your best friend!" Becky got up from her seat on the couch and followed behind Freen.
To be continued.