5
The bread was all gone; I could only drink water.
I was still hungry after drinking water, and Mom still hadn’t woken up.
I thought Mom was sick. When I was sick, I also slept a lot, but Mom would feed me medicine and I’d get better.
I found the medicine I took when I was sick and tried to feed it to Mom.
Mom wouldn’t open her mouth. I struggled to get it in.
I was sleepy again and fell asleep next to Mom.
When I woke up, preschool was already over. I squatted on the balcony and looked down. Leo was on his dad’s shoulders, and his dad’s other hand was holding his chubby mom’s.
Leo said his mom wasn’t fat; she was pregnant. He was going to have a little brother or
sister soon.
I wanted a little brother or sister too, so we could play with toys together and go to preschool together.
When Ms. Davis came over to visit, she also said to Mom, “Lily is three now, you and Julian can have another one. He’s the only son in the family, and he’s got good connections, so people might target him. It’s safer for you to have another baby.”
My mom said, “A relationship held by children isn’t strong, and he’s been very busy with work lately.””
Ms. Davis laughed, “Busy? Nonsense! Last month, I saw you two in the car in the underground parking lot…”
“Sister,” Mom’s face flushed instantly, and she covered my ears, “Lily’s right here.”
Ms. Davis said, “It’s fine, kids don’t understand anyway.”
I really didn’t understand. After Ms. Davis left, I kept asking Mom what she and Dad were doing in the car. Were they secretly eating something tasty without me?
But Mom asked me, “Lily, do you want a little brother or sister?”
I nodded hard, “Yes, Mom, please have one soon! I want one tomorrow.”
Mom stroked my face. “That’s good. If Lily has a little brother or sister, she won’t be all alone.”
Mom told me she was an orphan from a young age and was very afraid of being alone.
She also told me she was gravely ill in her own world and was close to death.
A fairy–like being called the “system” sent her here. As long as she could make Dad love her, she could stay here healthy and be with Dad and me forever.
“So, does Dad love you?” I asked her.
Mom didn’t answer me. She seemed not to know either.
