How Jack Wrote The Universe (Revised)

5.00 - 5.25

Day seven

"MOM, why the hell did you not wake me up?!" Jack asks irratatedly as he runs for his bag in the living room, eager to go to school.

"Because, you're not going to school today." Immediately, Jack looks up from his bag to his mom who's sitting on one of the stool seats in front of the counter in their kitchen.

Standing up properly, he asks, "What?"

After drinking her coffee, Aria settles it down on the island. "We're going to visit your grandma."

___

Jack settles properly inside the car as his mom drives quietly on the road. The stereo blaring some 80s song he hasn't heard about. Though before Jack can put on his earphones, his mom, Aria, suddenly speaks up.

"Jack, honey."

He looks at her, "Yeah?"

"Listen, I know you're busy with your school but can we slow down a bit with it later?"

"What do you mean?" He asks now while he tries to get a good look at his mother.

"I mean, don't bring up school works or the likes-"

"-but mom-"

"Jack," Aria looks at him intently now. "We barely talk in the house because we're both too busy, I want this to be our bonding, okay?"

Jack sighs, finally giving up as he admits to himself that yes, he did get way busier with all these article problems so with a nod, he smiles to his mom then says, "Yeah, alright."

___

It is now three in the afternoon on Forksville, an hour after their so-called feast at his Grandma Ethel's house. After being bloated by her grandma's pies and casseroles, He decides to walk for a while to digest all the food he ate which, in return, him ending up in a park, laying underneath a shade of a tree, below the blue sky.

He loves this weather; the calmness, the birds, and how lively it feels.

The afternoon prior consists of him, his grandmother and mother just talking to one another over pies, lasagna and some devil eggs. A couple of hi's and hello's to Grandma Ethel's knitting friends (He got an early knitted sweater from his grandma, a mittens from Dolores, and a cellphone pouch from Lolit.)

And right then, he realizes that, he wants this. He want this kind of life. How peaceful it seems; just baking and knitting for the rest of his life. He'll sell it as he writes his debut novel.
I'm crazy. He thinks to himself.

"Jack?"

Suddenly, a head pops out from his peripheral view. Jack immediately sits up and greets the thirty year old woman.

"Um, do I know you?" He asks while looking up to the seemingly tall figure.

The woman laughs. "Oh, I'm sorry, I haven't quite introduced myself, have I? I'm Fatima Phillips. Ari, your friend interviewed me."

"Oh."

Then the two starts talking. Tima sits beside Jack first before explaining how she knows it's him since Mark showed a picture of him and Ari when he asked her for an interview, and how she saw him earlier walking around the park.

"So, what are you doing here?" Tima asks.

His eye sight still settled in front of him, he answers her. "Oh, we're visiting my grand mother. She lives here.