通过写入父div来删除Div

I am building a javascript calculator for a project. I wanted a red "E" to appear top left of the "#Total" div. I put a small div("#hint") inside the total div, styled the Total div with position: relative, and "hint" div position:absolute. But, as soon as I write any thing ( e.g. a digit) to the Total div ( with JQuery ), the hint div disappears. And since the program starts by writing a "0" to the Total div, you can never see the "E".. I've tried setting the z-index of the hint div( to 99 ), but doesn't seem to work.I am building a javascript calculator for a pro