Chapter 14
Jennie was 38 years old when she told Lisa about her namesake…
Lisa had always been a curious child. Which is why it surprised Jennie that it had taken the six-year-old this long before she’d asked her about who the girl in the photo on her nightstand was. The photo in question showed two girls, both about 16, standing in front of the statue of liberty. The brunette was looking up at the blonde one, a surprised look on her face while the taller girl was beaming at the camera, an arm thrown around the shorter girl’s shoulder, ignoring the questioning look on her face.
Jennie remembered the day it had been taken as if it had been yesterday. Her mother had taken both her and Lisa on a week-long trip during the summer. Jennie had been especially excited about going to see a Broadway show while Lisa had wanted to do all the usual tourist stuff. It was their second day in New York and Lisa had woken her up early to drag her to see the statue before it got too crowded. Her mom had decided to let them go alone, preferring to use that time to go shopping.
After taking the ferry to Liberty Island, both girls finally stood in front of the monument. Excitement started bubbling in her stomach at the sight of the huge statue as they eagerly walked over to buy tickets so they could go up. Her excitement, however, had diminished significantly by the time they got to the top, the exhaustion from the climb combined with the searing sun leaving her wanting nothing more than to be back in their air-conditioned hotel room.
In contrast, Lisa looked excitedly out at the view. Jennie smiled at the happiness in her gaze but started getting impatient as half an hour had passed and Lisa still was not ready to go down. “Come on Li, it’s too hot. Let’s go get something to eat”, she complained.
“Right after we take a picture”, Lisa assured her. She went up to a woman who looked to be in her twenties and asked her if she minded taking a picture of them.
The woman smiled at them and nodded and Lisa made her way back to the edge, dragging Jennie along with her. Both smiled at the camera as the woman took the picture. “One more please”, Lisa told her. Jennie started complaining about the sun in her eyes but her whining was silenced abruptly by a pair of lips meeting her own in a chaste kiss. Jennie was shocked, immediately on alert, ready to face at least a few disgusted glances or jeers thrown their way. She was taken aback when she realized that, aside from the smile the girl taking their picture threw at her, there were no reactions at all. Nobody cared.
She was so used to having to hide their affection in the privacy of their homes that it had slipped her mind that it wasn’t like that everywhere. The camera had captured the exact moment after the kiss, the alarm clear on her face along with the carefree look on Lisa's face who had clearly come to that realization before Jennie.
Jennie remembered that moment as the first time she truly felt free. It was why she quickly went along with Lisa after she declared that they would move there after high school to go to college. She smiled fondly at the picture frame her daughter was pointing at, memories flashing through her mind.
“She’s my best friend”, she told her, knowing there were no words that could truly explain what she had been to her. Especially to a six-year-old. “I thought aunt Jisoo was your best friend”, Lisa stated, a confused look on her face. “Well, she is. Lisa was a different type of friend”, she said. Jennie laughed as the look of confusion on her daughter’s face grew bigger. “But I’m Lisa”, she told her, looking at her as if she had forgotten her name. “You both are. You’re named after her.”
“Why is she never here”, she questioned. Jennie thought about it for a few seconds. She didn’t want to lie to her daughter but she also didn’t want her to know the truth, wanting to protect her from the harsh reality they lived in. “She had to go away, for reasons beyond her control”, she told her, trying to be as vague as possible. Lisa noticed her mother’s sadness and was confused. “Why don’t you just visit her?” she questioned.
Jennie smiled fondly at her daughter’s innocence, still too young to know of the horrors in the world, and vowed silently to do whatever it took to make sure she retained it for as long as possible. “I hadn’t thought of that, what a good idea”, she told her. Lisa smiled at the praise, looking proud of herself. “I want to play now”, she told her before running out the room, the conversation already forgotten.
Jennie took one last look at the framed picture, a silent tear making its way down her cheek.