I wrote this short story as part of the 7 days writing challenge. The challenge for the 2nd day is “writing a short story about someone’s going on a trip”. Same like the first day, I took this challenge as my way to learn how to write and enriched the characters in a book I currently write. Hope you can enjoy it! Oh, any comments, insights and inputs will be very well welcomed 🙂

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Hugo laid wide awake that night. He kept changing position tried to look for a comfortable one, shut his eyes off, and only ended up let his mind wandering around to any random things happened in his life. Sometimes he let out a grunt in a hope to sweep away a bad memory such us that time when he should raise his hand when his drama teacher sought for a volunteer to demonstrated how people walked at the desert, so he could have another chance to get his teacher attention to cast him for the next fall school play. Or, about his latest failure on his attempt to talk to Gina, a girl from his English class who was always in his mind these past months, when he only managed to let out a foolish grin after calling her name as all of her friends looked at him with disgust. Or, the anxiety caused by his text to Gina that seemed like successfully being ignored since last night he sent her.

With a sigh, he looked at his phone and saw it was 5.15 AM already. He only slept for 2 hours when he suddenly woke up at 2 and hadn’t slept since then. The sticky summer air didn’t help to let him to get back to sleep as well. He decided to be fully awake, open his window to let some breezes in, and continued packing his things for summer break he would spend with his mom and her new fiancée.

Ever since his parents divorced, Hugo and his brother Andrew had lived in many houses. The first 2 years, they lived with their mother whose jobs at the UN that made them moved from a city to another. After their father finally won the custody, they could finally settle down in a small city where he owned a small yet respectable gallery. He was so happy when he finally could live with his father because it seemed like he really needed companions in his life after the divorce. During the divorce and custody process, Hugo could see how devastated his father was. He could finally see him smiling a lot like he used to after Hugo and Andrew moved in. This thing that he noticed made it always difficult to leave his father alone every summer break, when he usually spent with his mother in any country where she stationed in that particular year.

Hugo stared blankly to his belongings. Most of his clothes were still messy in his suitcase as he just threw them in all last night. If his father saw this, he would definitely scold him and asked him to repack the suitcase. Still not in the mood to tidy his clothes, he decided to pick which books and homework he should bring and whether he should bring along his ukulele or not. When he was in the middle of choosing his socks, he heard a soft knock on his bedroom door.

“Hugo? You’re awake, aren’t you? Want me to help you to pack?” Hugo heard Kai’s whisper outside.

Kai was his father new gallery assistant who had been living with them for couple of months. His father told his sons that Kai needed to live in his house about 6 months until he sorted things off as he just recently moved into the city. But, ever since Kai moved in, Hugo and his brother always wished that Kai could just stay with them forever. They never felt so complete and like a normal family until Kai brought out some lights to the house.

“Kai, you’re my savior,” Hugo whispered while opening his bedroom door. He never truly understood how Kai could know exactly anything what they needed every single time.

Smiled, Kai stepped in and started helping out Hugo tidying his clothes. “Come on, boy. We only have 30 minutes before your father wakes up.”

***

“Eat your watermelon, Andrew! It’s summer, you need as much as water you could get. Hugo! There you are! Have you showered? Breakfast now! Quick!” Milo gave ordered to his two sons while busy preparing some sandwiches to be brought as their snacks during the trip.

“Now, you eat your breakfast. Let me prepare those snacks, Milo”, Kai swiftly took over Milo’s job and somehow could get Milo sat down at the dining kitchen bar facing his own breakfast.

“Thanks, Kai. You need to make a chocolate sandwich as well, Andrew’s allergic to…”

“Nuts and berries. I know it very well, Milo.”

“Also, boys, you need to bring along your water bottle. Kai, could you please take the tumblers I put on the shelf…”

“There you are. Hold it closely, boys. Don’t lose it.” Kai already put the tumblers on the bar even before Milo finished his sentence. Andrew couldn’t help to let out a giggle.

“Mind him, Kai. Papa always gets anxious every time he’s preparing anything. ANYTHING,” said Andrew still giggling and teasing his father.

“Oh, don’t worry, Andrew. I’ve seen worse at works,” winked Kai. Andrew laughed and only stopped until his father gave him his stern look.

“You seemed in a very good mood. I hope you finished your summer homework already,” said Milo to his youngest son.

“Of course! I’ve finished it all, Papa. I can’t wait to spend all of my summer break to the fullest. Mom said she’s going to bring us to one-day camp where we can learn how to do archery and where we can stay on the tree house! Have you ever stayed on the tree house, Kai?”

“No, Andrew, I haven’t. Sounds fun, eh?” answered Kai to Andrew’s excitement.

“Also, Mom promised me new boots for the camp! I’ve been wanting trekking boots for ages! Do you like to go trekking, Kai?” still excited, Andrew asked Kai.

“You know I’m more to a beach person, Andrew,” grinned Kai answering Andrew questions.

“Ah! Speaking of beach, Mom said, if we still had time, we could go to the local beach where Mom’s friend can teach us how to surf! Kai, can you sur…?”

“SHUT THE HELL UP ANDREW! I’M SICK OF YOUR VOICE RIGHT NOW!”

Andrew stopped abruptly in shocked. Milo and Kai looked bewilderedly at Hugo who just screamed to his brother suddenly. Hugo face turned red. His breath was so fast that the rest of the guys could see his chest went up and down. He clenched his jaw and looked at Andrew whose eyes were teary as he became terrified.

“I’m…sorry. Andrew…I am so sorry. I’m done…I…I’ll finish my packing right now. Excuse me,” holding his own tears, Hugo ran back to his room and slammed the door leaving his father, his brother and Kai confused.

***

“Hugo, may I come in?” Milo knocked his son’s bedroom door and opened it slowly. Milo saw Hugo sitting on the edge of his bed. His suitcase and backpack were ready besides the door, definitely been already there quite some time. “I see you’ve done packing as well, buddy,” said Milo.

“Yeah….” Hugo weakly replied to his father. He kept looking down, afraid to look at his father.

“Want to talk about what’s happened during breakfast?” Milo approached Hugo and kneeled in front of him.

“How’s Andrew?”

“He’ll be okay. You just need to talk to him. He’s with Kai now,” said Milo to his son. Putting his hand on Hugo’s knee, he smiled and asked, “So? What’s happened, buddy?”

“Are you…mad at me?” asked Hugo, braced himself up to look at his father’s deep green eyes. Exactly similar eyes with his.

“No, I’m not. Instead…I’m worried. Is everything okay, Hugo?”

“I…I don’t know.” Hugo looked away again from those eyes.

“Aren’t you excited for the summer break? Seems like you can learn a lot this year. You always love to learn something new, don’t you?” Milo smiled to his son while saying this and moved to sit beside Hugo and hug him around his shoulders.

“Yeah…no. I don’t know.”

“Yeah? No? I don’t know either then,” smirked Milo.

“I just…I don’t think we should be so excited leaving you alone…and to learn something from…. you know,” Hugo couldn’t have heart to mention his mom’s fiancée name in front of his father. Milo suddenly understood what Hugo felt that morning.

“Hey, buddy. Look at me,” Milo pulled Hugo’s head, so his son’s eyes met his once again. “Let me tell you something.”

“Look, what I’ve done to you and your brother is awful. The worst thing a parent could do to his children. This is the only thing your mother and I could do to give both of you the best experiences and learnings in your childhood.  Not perfect, I know. It’s hard, I understand. But we still want the best for you and Andrew. Please, buddy, my feeling is not the most important thing right now. You. And your brother. You are the most important and precious thing that we, your mother and I, promised each other to be prioritized. No matter what.”

“So, go enjoy your holiday. Enjoy every moment. Learn everything. As long as it’s great for you and Andrew, I don’t mind you learn it from…. who’s that shit name again? Don’t tell your mother I said “shit” word in front of you. Twice now,” grinned Milo.

“Tony…” whispered Hugo, still tried not to hurt his father feeling. But hearing his father mocked his mom’s fiancée casually eased his feeling a bit.

“Yeah. Him. Well…” Milo continued talked to his son, “Look. You’re afraid to leave me alone, you said? I might be alone, but I won’t get lonely. I’ll call you every night…Ha! What’s with that face?” teased Milo when he saw his son’s face turned panicky imagining his father keeps calling him every night during the summer break.

“I promise I’ll be okay, son. Now will you promise me to enjoy your holiday, take care of your brother, love your mother, and not to get too close with that shit…” Milo couldn’t stop himself chuckling. Hugo also let out a small laugh listening to his father’s effort to comfort him.

“I promise you, everything you just said,” said Hugo, smiling now. Then he hugged his father saying, “I love you, Papa.”

“I love you, too, Hugo. Now, get your suitcase and backpack out. I’ll call the taxi.” Milo kissed Hugo’s forehead left his son’s room.

Hugo let out a long sighed. He then took his jacket, grabbed his ukulele and backpack, and dragged out his suitcase. He just wished his summer break went well. And that his text to Gina got replied.

END.