"Mommy?"

Rosie's presses pause on her work keyboard and turns to her daughter. "Yeah bub?"

"Can- can you help me out?" Ella awkwardly stood by her mother's oak door with her unicorn pj's and huge bunny fluffy slippers. "It's for school."

"Come here bub." She taps on the beat box right beside her where her daughter settles herself in. "What is this school problem all about?"

"It's my final paper for Literature; my teacher wants us to write something about love." Rosie chuckles at how Ella rolled her eyes as soon as the word left her mouth. "I swear Mrs. Thompson is such a hopeless romantic. I mean- why can't we write about our high school experience, social issues, political or how we can make the world a better place because if we don't do something about it in the next twelve years, might as well say good bye to our home!"

She looks at her daughter with a smile. "You sure got those mannerisms from me."

"Sorry about my rant I-" she sighs. "There are a lot of important topics to be discussed than love."

"You sound like you hate the word love."

"I don't hate it; I just don't know anything about it."

Rosie's eyebrows rise up. "Despite your age?"

"I'm eighteen mother what do I know about love?" Once again her mother finds herself chuckling. "But it's not like my rant can do anything right so what do you think I should do for my paper?"

"When is it due though?"

"A month from now."

"What would you like to know about love?"

"Mommy, when you were eighteen what did you know about love?"

"Hmmm..." She taps her fingers against the wooden table, trying to think of an answer to her daughter. "When I was your age, I was just eager to enter college. I've had casual flings before but it was nothing but- I like you, you're pretty, you're pretty too wanna hang out some time type of fling you know?" She says. "School was my number one priority because I get to spend four years doing the thing I love the most with the people who share the same passion as mine... love wasn't part of the equation back then."

"But then mæ̀ came." She smiles knowingly.

She lets out a short series of brief nods. "Then your mæ̀ came."

"So what made you include love in the equation?"

Rosie moves her lips animatedly while thinking back at the memory. "We were doing a department get together for the summer and your mæ̀'s course were one of the organizers. By the start of the night we had this huge bonfire event and just barbeque everywhere. It wasn't the first time I saw or heard about her but there was something about that night that when I look at her all I could think is wow- I have to make this work. I have to try it with her."

"And from there I made a list why she should go out with me and I hand it onto her the next day." Ella's laughter echoes through the entire room. "She was totally surprised but she was pretty famous in our batch and it would be dumb of me not to try right?"

"You seem to be pretty whipped back in college." She teases her mother and lets out a chuckle. "But thanks mommy, I think I know what I would write for my paper."

"Really? What is it?"

"That's a secret." Ella smirks and gives her a quick kiss. "Good night mommy."

"Bub I thought there's no secrets between us?"

Her teenage daughter smiles and goes back to hug her real tight. "Mommy this isn't a secret but a surprise. I promise you'd be the first one to read it when I am done."

"Hmm... you better make it up to me tomorrow. We'll pick you up tomorrow to have dinner at our favorite restaurant."

"Oh but-" Rosie's phone suddenly buzzes off and she immediately checks the message.

"Bub change of plans. Your mæ̀ and I have to attend something important tomorrow- is it alright if we go and rain check on this one?"

"It's fine mommy. I have to do something with the music class anyways."

"You sure?" Ella nods in response. "Alright bub you take some sleep now."

"You too mommy."

After her daughter leaves the room, Rosie returns her attention back to her working desk and amongst the hundreds of music sheets and other scratch papers, was a 8.5 x 13 paper size of list of why she should divorce Lisa attached to it is a list of things that she hated about her wife.

Funny how ten years earlier- she was making an entire list of the total opposite of the things she's writing now.

"Rosie are you sure about this?"

"Well I think I am. Do you think I am being irrational?"

"Reckless would suit you well right now." Jisoo shakes her head. "I still cannot believe you're just going to walk up to her and hand her a list of why she should date you."

"Maybe I am."

Her college roommate scoffs and then turns her attention to the people on the other end of the hallway. "Fine, if you're so confident- then why don't you go ahead and hand it over to Lisa over there?" Rosie turns around and sees Lisa goofing off with her friends. "Go on then."

"Alright."

Jisoo's eyes widen when she saw her friend approaching the latter but could only scoff and shake her head. "What. An. Idiot."

"Hey." Rosie interrupts their talk all of a sudden, totally catching everyone off guard. "Lisa right?"

Lisa looks at her friends who gave her a knowing look before turning to the chick with pink hair. "Alright guys I'll catch up with you later."

"Byeeeeee." They said in those teasing tones but obviously Rosie didn't mind."

Now that her friends are gone Lisa turns to her. "Rosie right?"

To say that she was surprised was a total understatement. "Y-yeah- wait, you know me?"

"It's pretty rare to find someone with a pink hairstyle." She says. "I might've spared a few glances with you at our department's summer party."

"Oh. Well, thank you... for looking my way or whatever that is." She comments making the blonde girl in front of her chuckle. "Great, I'm making a fool out of myself now am I?"

"No, no, no... you're doing a pretty good job at making people laugh." Lisa smiles. "So, what's up?"

"I just want you to have this." She immediately hands the paper and waits for Lisa to read a portion of it before continuing her talk. "As you can see, that's a short list as to why you should date me. If you ever find something that we share in common- I left my number down there so you can contact me and we could hang-out. It's a date for me, but it can be a hang-out too if you'd want."

"I..." Lisa purses her lips and biter the lower part before looking up and meeting Rosie in the eyes. "Why?"

"Because if I try to ask you out personally I'd probably faint so making a list was the second option."

"You're not fainting right now are you?"

"I am." She forces out a cute chubby smile. "On the inside that is."

Lisa finds herself chuckling for the third time. "You know what Rosie you're really something else."

"What's interesting about being ordinary right?"

"Facts only." She agrees with a smile before looking at her in the eye. "Tell you what, I'll finish reading this list, and by the end of the day you'll hear from me. How does that sound?"

"Sounds like I'll be fainting by the end of the day."

"Oh no... please no." She giggles this time. "But it's nice talking to you Rosie... I'll be sure to be seeing you around more often."

"Alright. I'll be sure to be seeing you around too."

She turns around to leave and go back to the other end where Jisoo was still waiting for her. "What happened? Is everything okay? Did she humiliate you?"

"Jisoo, I need you to hold me very tightly and make sure I don't do something stupid."

"What? Why? What's wrong? Rosie speak!"

"She told me that she would be texting me by the end of the day after she read my list." Jisoo's eyes widen. "Please don't give any reactions yet because I might faint or pee on the spot right now."

"But... you can smile right?" Jisoo asks. "I mean- she's like saying she's half-way convinced of your list already." Hearing and realizing that made Rosie's knees week but she was just thankful Jisoo's reflexes are quick enough to hold her. "HEY!"

"I think I need to take a seat before I can smile Jisoo."

Rosie's smile lingers as the memory of yesterday fades away... She turns to the list once again her heart slowly getting crushed by the fact that it was so different to the list that she had made ten years ago. A decade ago, she was writing a list on why they should date... A decade after, she is writing a list on why they should break up.

Never in her life has she seen this drastic change coming in her life. But if a lot can happen in a year- then seven years of marriage would bring her to places that she didn't believe that existed in the first place.

"Good morning ladies." Jisoo greets them. She pulls out two medium-sized boxes and hand them over with a small pocket notebook. "You two take this."

"What is this notebook for?"

"This is where you will write about your feelings, thoughts and just everything about this entire journey. By the end of the seven weeks, I'll be collecting all of your inputs to further improve this newly-invented therapy is that alright?" Both of them nodded in response. "Now I want the both of you to place all of your favorite items there throughout the entire relationship and I'll be there to safe keep everything."

The married couple nod their heads. "Good, we shall proceed to the official start of this therapy. I've already said that week 1 will be a series of blast from the past so I want the two of you to go back to the place where the two of you met."

The two of them look dumb-founded. "Jisoo, you do realize that Rosie and I met in Sydney right?"

"Yes I do. That is why I am gonna babysit Ella for a few days and get to live like a millionaire." She grins. "When you arrive in Sydney or to the place where you two met, you will have to talk about each other's first impressions, how did you manage to grab each other's attention and what lead you to pursue one another."

"But I have work to do."

"And I have deadlines." Rosie adds. "Can't we do something that we can do while we're in Queensland?"

"I actually knew you two would do something like this again which is why I will tell you this. If you want your relationship to work, if you want this to work- you would actually make an effort to do so. Good things don't happen because you wait for them to but because you work hard for them."

"We have been trying for months now Jisoo you both know that." Lisa argues. "But to actually go back to where it all started won't help our situation."

"I hate to say it but Lisa's right. Maybe you can think of some alternative way?" Rosie adds up.

"No, this is the only way. I am not giving you other options however I am giving you time to think. I know it's a lot to take in, and it's hard but you have to trust me on this." She says. "I will be waiting for your call later on."

After the short session with their marriage therapist, Rosie drives Lisa towards her office before going home. The latter's office was located at the tenth floor along with the other high-ranking employees of a financing company. She had a big leather swivel chair along with the plaque that says LISA M. PARK Director of Financial Operations. Though this really wasn't her dream job, the pay was definitely bigger and better for her and for her family and with a kid going to college, all she wanted was for her to be able to feel the luxury of life just like she had.

She used to be a free-lance photographer, which was her first course. She loved the job, loved her workmates and while the pay is come and go, she was happy with it and Rosie was pretty supportive of it. Well, she used to.

But then Ella came into their lives and suddenly the panic and worry starts to kick in. She loved her job; yes it was a rhetorical question but was it good enough for her daughter? Definitely not. It was totally hard for her to give away because it was her passion, but sooner on she realized that everyone gave up on supporting her, even the one who promised to be there for her through thick and thin. So with the help of her father she enrolled herself in business school, proved everyone wrong and now she's the boss of everyone who belittled her in the first place.

Shrugging off the thought of the past she opens takes a look at the box at her coffee table and remembered that she had prepared the items needed to be placed within the box right underneath her drawer. Opening the last part she looks back at all the things they had together from the very first moment that they became official.

But amidst everything one thing caught her attention and it wasn't even on the things that she had piled up. It was a crumpled envelope that looked like it aged inside the drawer. Lisa forgot what was the content of it so grabbing the envelope, she slumps back onto the swivel chair and opens the letter.

Hey Lisapoop! J

How are you holding up? If you opened this letter, it means you're having a hard time. Oh how I wish I could be there for you. I know how you love cuddles whenever you're down or maybe I could send over warm chocolate milk? Just text me and you know I will send them. Just so you know, I will be whining because you chose chocolate milk over my cuddles :'(

Kidding!!!! We may not be together when you open this letter but I hope you realize that I am just here for you- always. Things in your life may not go your way but remember that in every end of the storm is a rainbow, filled with good times and unicorns! So please, don't frown because the world already has so many people upset and frowning and I don't want you to become a member of their population. Plus, I know for a fact that your smile can brighten up someone's (that someone is me hello) day so I hope that's enough reason for you to remain smiling despite of feeling down.

Remember that I will be waiting for you at the lobby, holding onto that favorite snack you would always have whenever you're done from work or I will be waiting for you at home with a Thai set meal because I know how much you like to eat Thai food to lift up your mood. Wherever it may be, remember that my arms will always hold you tightly and I will give you the most powerful forehead kiss to make you smile. J

I love you Lisa!!!

R.P.

"Hey Lis do- Lisa? What's wrong?" The person intruding stops. "What's that letter?"

"Do you know that Rosie made me a set of feeling letters?"

"Feeling what?"

"She wrote me a set of letters to read whenever I am happy, sad, angry or just falling apart." Lisa shares. "They were given to me on our first anniversary as a wedded couple. She realized that we weren't going to see one another that much because of the demand of our jobs back then. But she made such effort to make me one while I got her that favorite guitar she has been eyeing at the mall."

"I read all of those letters repetitively. I've always found comfort in her words whenever we're apart and in her actions whenever we're around each other. I remember crying to her while I was in Sydney because I had to attend to business school and then the next day she arrived at my dorm room. She gave me chocolate milk but for the first time I disregarded the milk and just melted in her arms."

"So what changed?"

"A lot..." She whispers as she trails off and looks at the crumpled envelope. "Just like this paper- we were so slowly crumpling away."

"Lisa..."

She lets out a small smile before turning to the woman beside her. "So, what meeting are we having for today Jen?"

                                                                                           ---------------

"Mæ̀? Mommy?" Ella's weak voice made Rosie stopped preparing the meal for cooking and Lisa turns her head to the front door where she saw her precious daughter bursting into tears.

Immediately abandoning her current position she rushes towards her little bear who crumbles further in her arms. "What's the problem Mee noi?"

"Ella?" Rosie's voice echoed from the kitchen and then she sees her wife hugging their sobbing kid which made her panic. "Ella? Bub what's wrong?"

"It's... it's Luke's parents." She says through the tears. "They're... they're getting divorced." Lisa and Rosie shared a look with one another before turning their attention back to their daughter. "We were practicing for our music show then he suddenly breaks down and leaves the practice. I went out to comfort him but I ended up being the one comforted."

"I just don't understand.... We were at their house last week and everything was so perfect. His mom was accommodating us like always while his dad crack jokes like he would usually do whenever he's around. A lot of us even got jealous because he's living the perfect life."

"How can they just do that...?" She trails off as she was being comforted by her parents. "How can they wake up, look at each other's eyes and not see the rest of their lives together?"

"Bub, not everything goes in our way... sometimes-" Rosie swallows the lump on her throat. "Sometimes love is not just enough... There are times where you just realize things and then you look at the eyes of the person you married and wonder- is this still the same person I said I do to? There will be times where you stay still, evaluate the things from what they used to be to what they are now- and if you prefer to choose the way things used to be, then it's time to move on."

"But they should stay together! It's a special vow they made right? For better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, through thick and thin, 'til death do us part."

"Not everyone can live up to that vow mee noi." Lisa decides to speak up. "Just like in the promise of 'til death do us part, when the relationship is dead, then it is time for them for part ways... you can't keep on watering a dead flower Ella. You simply wish it well, you apologize for not caring enough but you would have to let go. You need to let go of the things or people at some point in your life."

"I'm sad for Luke... but I am kind of happy and relieved that you two managed to stay together after all the hardships." She wiped her tears and look at her parents. "Can... can we skip dinner and just watch Disney please?"

Lisa smiles at her precious child and kisses her on the forehead. "We can also include the pizza and the popcorn."

So off to the theater room the family went and with Ella in between them, they comforted their child through kisses, hugs and cuddles with a little mixture of popcorn, pizza, milkshake and ice cream. By the time the Little Mermaid ends, Ella was already lightly snoring in Lisa's arms. Rosie takes a good look of the connection between her daughter and wife and she felt the tug in her heart as she remembers the events earlier.

Lost in her thoughts she was unable to realize that Lisa already carried their precious little one towards her room where she whispered the words 'I love you mee noi' and kissed her forehead once again before returning to the theater room where she sees Rosie still remaining frozen in her seat. With the reflection of the screen light against her wife's face, Lisa took the time to just stare at the woman in front of her and thought of how many times she promised to never get tired of looking and appreciating the perfection in front of her.

But now, despite of still having that perfection, Lisa could no longer bring herself to appreciate the form of art in front of her. She could no longer feel the crazy beating of her heart and that's just the first reaction of her body whenever she sees Rosie and that was years ago...

Now, she looks at the perfection and all she could feel was- blank.

"Did she wake up when you were putting her to bed?" Rosie asks, breaking the silence between them.

"No." Lisa answers and makes way on the other end of the couch, settling herself there. "She must've been tired today."

"Imagine being mentally and physically drained." She says. "Not to mention she had an emotional encounter with her friend."

"Yeah... today must've been hard."

"Lisa... I can't do that to Ella." Lisa turns to her wife whose eyes were still glued to the screen. "I can't put that weight on her shoulders."

"But we can't just fly to Sydney."

"And we can't just wait around for our marriage to be fixed." She counters, making Lisa dead silent. "You saw how broken she was when she heard of the news of the divorce of her friend's parents. It's just her friend's parents Lisa and look at what she had to go through... imagine her knowing that we're going to do the same thing if this experimental therapy won't work."

Lisa sighs out loud while looking through the screen too. "...okay."

"What do you mean okay?"

"Let's go to Sydney."She says and then turns to Rosie. "Let's go back to where it all started."