Gonzales

28

The next morning, the sun had already begun to rise, its golden rays peeking through the blinds and casting warm, soft light across the living room. Marco was the first to wake, the faint echoes of his laughter from the night before still lingering in his mind. He stretched and yawned, feeling the slight stiffness in his legs from the sprinting session with Aurelio. He smiled to himself. It had been a long time since he'd felt so alive, so connected to the simple joy of childhood games.

He glanced over at the clock on the wall and sighed. It was still early, but he knew Aurelio would likely be awake by now, bouncing around the house like a little whirlwind. Marco pulled himself out of bed, grabbing his worn-out hoodie from the chair by the window, and padded quietly down the hallway.

As he reached the stairs, he heard the unmistakable sound of small feet racing across the wooden floors below. Aurelio's excited giggles filled the air, followed by a thud as something – or someone – hit the floor.

Marco's lips curled into a grin as he reached the bottom of the stairs, only to find Aurelio, wide-eyed and grinning ear to ear, trying to juggle two of his favorite toy cars. They were little plastic race cars, bright red and blue, each with their own set of decals that made them look like the kind of machines that would zoom around a racetrack. But Aurelio wasn't interested in pretending they were race cars. He had already turned the living room into his own makeshift racetrack, zooming the cars up and down the couch cushions, across the floor, and even attempting to launch them from the coffee table.

Marco chuckled softly. "What are you up to, little man?"

Aurelio looked up in surprise, his big green eyes lighting up when he saw Marco standing in the doorway. Without missing a beat, he held up both cars proudly. "Racing! Look, Marco, I made my own racetrack! Watch this!" He set the cars down in front of him and, with an exaggerated motion, sent them flying across the room, making race car noises that sounded more like a rocket ship's blast-off.

Marco leaned against the doorframe, crossing his arms and shaking his head. "You're something else, aren't you?"

Aurelio grinned and continued his play, completely lost in the moment. Marco watched him for a while, thinking about how much had changed in his own life since Aurelio had come into it. As the older brother, he had always been the one to look after Aurelio, but it was moments like this that reminded him how much he had learned from his younger brother too—like how to have fun without worrying about anything else, how to be fully present in the moment, and how to embrace life with such enthusiasm and energy.

"Can I play too?" Marco asked, unable to resist the urge to join in on the fun.

Aurelio stopped his car antics for just a second, looking at Marco with a skeptical expression. "You want to race with me?" he asked, his voice full of disbelief.

"Of course," Marco replied, grinning. "I think I can handle it."

Aurelio nodded slowly, as though assessing whether Marco could truly keep up. Then, after a few moments of dramatic hesitation, he scooted over on the rug and patted the spot next to him. "Okay, but you have to be really, really fast. I'm the champion here!"

Marco chuckled. "Don't worry. I've got some speed left in me."

He sat down beside Aurelio, taking one of the toy cars and giving it a quick inspection. It was surprisingly well-crafted, for a toy, and Marco had to admit, it looked like something a race car driver would be proud to own. Aurelio handed him a second car, his little face full of excitement as they prepared to race.

"Ready, set—go!" Aurelio shouted, and before Marco could blink, Aurelio sent both cars skidding across the floor, each one darting for the edges of the makeshift racetrack.