Sentimental Chances (On-Going)

Chapter 28 : A Cafe and A Bar

That was another emotional day. Good thing I didn't cry. Okay, almost.

It was nice to see Mr. Aki again. He was Topher's boss, but he was like a second father to him since his Dad was in the Marines and didn't see him much. Losing Topher was like losing a child.

Anyway, we went to Barcon main park later on. I rarely go there, or any other parks, even before when Topher was alive. I mean, I'm a fashion photographer, not a street photographer, or whatever suitable name for that field.

Regardless, we all took a lot of pictures. You know, for memories. It was a fun day.

There are a few other parks in Barcon, but that is the biggest park in the city, which is why it is the main park. So, it was wide enough to have five playgrounds in different areas, wide enough to jog, wide enough to bike, and wide enough to have restaurants somewhere in the middle. 

Most importantly, that one has a huge lake for a boat ride, which Fallon wanted to do for Ada after we had lunch. It was one of those boat tours that goes around the reservoir.

But before going on a boat ride, we happened to come across a small theatre play that was open to the public. I never knew that there could be a play there until that day. It seemed kid-friendly, so we decided to watch until the end. 

There was a funny part that happened, and we all laughed along with the audience. I heard Ada laughing as she sat on Alden's lap, and it was the cutest thing I had ever heard. 

You know, it made me look back at the time when I was a little girl. My dad used to take us to a Peter Pan play on Broadway. It was one of the happiest moments of my life.

Oh, to be a kid again.

About more than an hour later, it was over and the thespians all bowed while we applauded at them. They were really good. I enjoyed it, and I looked forward to watching another show in the future.

After that, it was time for the boat ride. We went to the lake and walked over to the guy in charge. "Hey, is there any boat available for five people?" I asked.

"Sorry, there's only one and it only fits four people," the guy said.

Well, I didn't feel like going on the ride anyway. I only agreed to do it for my niece. So, I turned to my brother, "Well, you guys go on ahead then," I said. "I'll just stay back."

"Are you sure?" Alden replied.

"Yeah, I'm good."

"You know what, me too," Jake interjected. "I'll just stay back here too with Audrey."

"Alright then," Alden said.

Once my brother and his family sailed away, I was sitting on a bench facing the lake. I could see them getting farther away.

Jake bought a small paper bag of roasted salted cashews from someone selling them with a moving cart. "Want some?" he offered, then sat next to me.

"Sure, thanks." I took a nut and ate it.

"Get as much as you want."

"Don't mind if I do. So, what do you think of Barcon, so far?"

"Barcon is so wonderful," he remarked. "I get why you love living here. Everything is such a breath of fresh cold air."

"Yeah, it is," I responded, then took another cashew and started chewing it.

"Maybe I should invest in a property here."

After hearing that, I nearly choked on the nut I was eating. "Ahem... Ahem... Sure, you do that."

Jake saw me coughing. "Whoa, you okay?"