Italic = inner thoughts

***

When Sunday came, Wendy dragged a sleepy Seulgi to the used vehicle shop for a physical inspection. Since she had to meet Lily in the afternoon, she didn't waste her time and quickly checked the cars that she had been eyeing.

"Compared to other cars, this one looks better with just a few small scratches on its back bumper." Seulgi pointed to a silver Hyundai Tucson, a five-seater SUV, 2018 model. "Dashboard system and all signal lights work well, and based on its maintenance records, this car hasn't suffered from any major issues. The previous owner surely took good care of it."

The young woman then squatted down to pat the front left tire, "This shop had changed all the front tires with the new ones and fixed the AC system. With the price they offered, I think you can consider this car."

“Sounds like a good deal to me.” Wendy nodded and then turned to the shop owner, "I'll do a test drive now."

…

…

Wendy put on her seatbelt and started the car. After setting the AC temperature to medium and turning on the radio, she slowly drove the car out of the garage to the main road. Seulgi sat on the passenger seat while bobbing her head to the rhythm, while the shop owner sat in the back conversing with the young novelist.

In her real world, Wendy also had an SUV car. The newest model from a famous brand. It was a gift from the publishing company after she won the prestigious best author award. Sadly, she rarely drove her car because she was flooded with work as soon as she made her name well-known in the industry.

Now that she thought about it, her previous life was so dull. Whenever the deadline was tight, she would spend a whole week without stepping out of her apartment! As the top writer, she was not required to go to the office daily. People came to her instead. She didn’t have many friends so her frequent visitor was only her editor and the cleaner aunty. Hence, her spacious 3-bedroom apartment often felt deserted.
 

Why did I live like that? Wendy thought to herself. Like I have no will to enjoy my life other than working.

Maneuvering the car back to the garage, she fell deeper in thought. I wonder if anyone misses me there … as a person, not as the famous novelist Wendy Son.

…

…

"I'll take this car with a 3-years installment." Wendy smiled. She felt even more satisfied after taking a test drive.

The silver car was within her budget, but since the shop facilitated installment, she decided to take the opportunity. Who knows if Lily might need something for her school? She has to be thoughtful in spending money now.

After giving her ID and bank card to the shop owner, she waited in the spacious waiting room with Seulgi until the payment was through.

"Don't you have to meet-up with Lily after?" Seulgi asked curiously.

"Yeah, in an hour. We'll meet at a Chinese Restaurant today. Irene told me that Lily wants to have wonton soup."

"You have a car now. Why don't you pick them up?"

The young novelist scratched her head. "Well, I thought about it, but I'm afraid that Irene would disagree."

"Wendy, my friend, you never know until you try. You have her number, don't you? Call her now."

"I do, but I'm prohibited from calling her unless it's an emergency."

"You only have less than an hour left. Just call her." Seulgi shook her head after seeing how obedient her friend had become now. The old Wendy would never listen to her wife like this. "Tell her you just bought a car and want Lily to be your first passenger."

"Hmm … okay. I'll call her."

Wendy also wanted Lily and Irene to be her first passenger. She just needed a push, and Seulgi did a good job convincing her. Not wasting her time any longer, she pulled out her phone and dialed Irene's number. On the third ring, Irene's soft voice finally greeted her. She initially thought Irene would scold her for calling, but the woman didn't.

"I bought a car today, well, a used one. So, can I drive you and Lily to the restaurant in my car? I want Lily to be my first passenger." Wendy bit her lips while glancing at her friend, who gave her a thumbs-up. Cheering on her.

She heard Irene ask Lily if the child wanted to ride her car, and the latter squealed in joy. Lily took over the phone and said she would put one of her bunny dolls in the car to keep Wendy company whenever the woman has to drive alone.

Wendy's smile bloomed after hearing her daughter's words. "Okay! Mommy will see Lily soon. Now, can you give the phone back to Mommy Irene?"

As soon as Irene's clear voice reached her ears, Wendy thanked the woman and told her not to worry about the car's condition.

After disconnecting the call, Wendy cheerfully said, “Irene agreed!”

"See? You just have to try." Seulgi patted her friend's back. "You better go now. I'll stay here and take care of the rest for you."

"Thanks, Seul! I owe you a lot!" Feeling energized, the young novelist quickly grabbed her key and jumped into her car.

"Yeah. Careful on your way!" Seulgi's eyes disappeared as she waved to her friends.

Do your best, Wendy. Make Irene trust you again. Don’t ever give up on your marriage. Don’t!

…

…

"Mommy, I like your car!" Lily hopped into the back seat and wandered eyes around the car. "Where should I put Mimo?"

"Oh. Give Mimo to mommy."

Wendy reached over to take the plushie and was surprised that it was smaller than the child's other dolls. It even had a strap around its body. Now it would be easier for her to attach the doll somewhere.

"I told Lily to bring the smallest one. I also attached a strap around its body so you can just let it hang under your rearview just like in my car." Irene stretched out her hand. "Let me help you."

Wendy watched Irene hang the doll and thought this woman was really considerate. She just bought the car, so she wouldn't know where to put the doll. The dashboard is out of the question since she didn't like things to be placed there. It would distract her while driving. Irene helped solve her problem just like that without her even asking. She really appreciated the older woman’s thoughtfulness.

(Mimo)

"Good enough?" Irene turned her head and asked her. "Want me to shorten the strap?"

"No, it's fine. Looks good to me."

"What about Lily? Are you satisfied?" The young manager then asked their daughter.

"Yes, Mommy!" Lily nodded her head enthusiastically. "Mimo looks really cute hanging there. But why does she look a little bit like a pig? Mimo is a bunny, right, Mommy?" The child tilted her head and wondered if Mimo was actually a pig, the doll was chubbier than her other dolls.

"A pig??"

Irene laughed crisply and let her back rest on the seat before buckling on her seatbelt.

"Mimo is not a pig. Can you see her long, floppy ears? A pig has shorter ears than a bunny." Then the young manager showed a picture from her phone, "This is a piggy doll. Can you see the difference?"

"Oh! Lily gets it now. Thank you, Mommy," Lily answered cheerily and continued admiring Mimo from the back seat.

On the other hand, Wendy was stunned by how Irene made sure that the doll's position was up to their liking. Well, it wasn't a secret that Irene always considered Lily's feelings before anything, but the woman also asked her opinion today!

It feels like we are a real family. Me, her, and Lily …

Blushing at her own thought, her hand accidentally the windshield wiper.

"Eh? Eh!!" Flustered, she tried to find the wiper button.

"It's on the right side of the steering wheels," Irene told her. "I've seen you driving a few times. Why are you acting like a rookie? Want me to drive?" Her tone was teasing, and it made Wendy even more embarrassed. But then she realized something, the woman now can joke with her. Isn't it a big improvement??

Her mind was instantly in shambles. Instead of turning off the wiper, she accidentally put it into high-speed mode.

*Gasp* "Mommy, why is the thing moving so fast?!"

"Ahaha." Wendy laughed awkwardly and quickly turned off the wiper. "I can handle this car just fine. Don't worry, Irene!"

"Obviously." Irene crossed her hands. Doubting her. "Why are you so distracted today? Should we swap seats?"

The young novelist could see that the woman was no longer joking around. Her tone was serious, and she understood why. A good driver should always be on their best focus. Otherwise, it would be dangerous for their passengers.

Sporting guilty eyes, Wendy replied, "I’m sorry. I will keep my focus now."

The young manager eyed her for the last time before nodding. "Okay. Drive Slowly, then."

Wendy sighed. Ugh. Why do I always make a fool of myself at the wrong time??

She was dissatisfied with herself. But the fact that Irene still let her drive brought a warm feeling to her. Undoubtedly, Irene had put more trust in her now, so she should do her best to not disappoint the latter. Even if it’s just driving her around.

…

…

After pulling the parking brake, Wendy unbuckled her seatbelt. Her attention was entirely on the road, so she didn't realize Irene and Lily had been sleeping along the way. It surprised her.

They … they trust me this much?? She almost teared up in her seat.

"Mommy, have we arrived?" Lily was the first to wake up.

"Yes, we just arrived. Did Lily sleep well?"

"Uhm!" The child yawned before rubbing her eyes. "Can we let Mommy Irene sleep more? Lily saw Mommy working until late at night when I went to the bathroom to pee."

Wendy put her hand over her heart. She was so touched by how these two were taking care of each other. To think that Lily was still a kid and she was not even Irene's blood-related family. It proved that their affection toward each other was really deep, and honestly, they didn't need Wendy at all. But somehow, it made the young novelist want to be part of their family even more.

"Yes. We can let Mommy Irene sleep for another 15 minutes."

The young child nodded and then sat quietly at the back. Playing with her hands. Meanwhile, Wendy lowered the radio's volume and adjusted the AC system so it wouldn't be too cold inside. Both of them didn't want anything to disturb Irene's sleep.

…

…

Irene felt her name being called softly, so she slowly opened her eyes. She didn't get much sleep last night because she got a late call from the company to revise a report.

"Have we arrived?" She asked Wendy.

"Yes." The young novelist nodded. "Umm ... Do you want to sleep more? I can take Lily inside to meet with Mr. Go."

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