Over The Rainbow (COMPLETED)

Champ

As requested by @ysabelalianza12 on Twitter. 😊

February 2024, Faulkerson home:

"Kuwa, yet's goooo!!!" Charm yells from the bottom of the stairs to her Kuya Thirdy.

"Sweetheart, don't rush your Kuya. He'll be right down." R smiles at their little girl.

"But Papa..."

"I know you're excited, baby girl, but your Kuya needs time to prepare for the big game today. And you need to get ready to cheer for him."

"I am weady, Papa. See?" Charm says as she twirls around while showing her Dad the yellow and white cheerleader costume she has on with her hair tied up in high pigtails with yellow ribbons.

R laughs and picks their little girl up in his arms. "Well, it looks like you are adorably ready, Charm." He says before kissing their daughter's cheek.

"Here we are!" M announces as she goes down the stairs with Seb in her arms and Thirdy trailing behind them.

"Wow, Kuwa. You wook gwapo in your uniform." The little girl beams to compliment her brother's Yellow Team uniform for their school's Sports Fest.

"Thank you, Charm." Thirdy smiles and "You look very pretty too."

"Are you ready, Buddy?" R asks.

"Yes, Papa. Thank you for helping me practice."

"Of course. Anytime, Buddy. You did great and I have no doubt that your team will win and you will be their best player." R smiles at his son encouragingly and ruffles his hair.

"Okay, Faulkersons, time to go. Kuya needs to be in school in thirty minutes." M announces as she passes Seb to Yaya Pe. "Bye, baby. We'll see you later." She says as she kisses their baby's nose and cheeks.

R, Thirdy and Charm also kiss Baby Seb goodbye before going out the door.

//

"Okay, Buddy. This is it. Give it your best. Remember what I told you, alright? You are a winner. You can do it." R tells Thirdy at the sidelines before their game starts.

"Love, it's a sack relay game. Don't pressure Kuya." M chuckles. "Just have fun, Honey. We'll be cheering for you." M smiles at their son and kisses his forehead. "Good luck."

"Yes, we are. Go Kuwa!!! Woooh!" Charm excitedly shrieks from the bleachers with yellow pompoms in hand.

Thirdy determinedly nods his head. "Thank you, Papa, Mama, Charm." He says and runs off to join his team.

A few minutes later the start of the game is announced and the school gymnasium is filled with cheers from teachers, preschooler and their parents and family. There are four teams in the competition: Red, Blue, Green and Yellow.

R and M stand at the right side of the court near the Yellow team bleachers as they cheer for Thirdy and his team mates. M holds up a camera to take a video of the event as R carries Charm over his shoulders who waves her pompoms up.

Four little boys in each team line up with little determined faces and legs ready to race. Thirdy is the last runner from Yellow.

Ready...

Set...

Go...

The whistle blows and the crowd's cheerful roar fills the the venue, yelling names of opposing teams and encouraging the kids as they jump in the sacks and hop to the pole where they will turn to go back to their group.

Red and Yellow are head to head, with Read leading the race. The families and classmates, including the Faulkersons, shout louder to encourage the kids.

The second members jump off and when they return, Yellow takes the lead.

"Go Red!" and "Go Yellow!" dominate the cheers by that time.

The teams send off their third team members and by then, Green has caught up and overtook the Red Team racing the Yellow Team to the lead.

It is neck and neck between the three teams and the crowd are on their feet cheering and jumping by the time the fourth members take off.

"Go Thirdy!!!" R and M scream from the top of their lungs to cheer for their son.

"Go Kuwa! Go!" Charm chants as she waves her pompoms.

And the whole Yellow crowd shout the little boy's name, "Thirdy! Thirdy! Thirdy!"

R&M's little boy leads the race, completely dominating his competition as he purposefully hops to the the finish line after swiftly taking the turn. With eyebrows furrowed, sweat on his forehead and nose, keen eyes to the end goal and a strong determined spirit, Thirdy springs off to win the race when he suddenly takes a misstep and trips.

M gasps, frozen in place with a hand on her chest while R is about to stride to his son when Thirdy gets up and finishes the race but it was already too late to win it. Bryan for the Green Team has crossed the line before Thirdy did.

Disheartened, Thirdy sobs and runs to M who immediately collects their little boy in her arms. She carries their son away from the noise and excitement of the venue to the school garden. M sits on a bench under a tree with the crying Thirdy on her lap.

"Mama..." The little boy sobs as he buries his face on M's shoulder.

"Hey... It's okay, Kuya. Ssshhh..." M gently strokes Thirdy's back up and down and rocks from side to side as she holds her son tight to comfort him.

R and Charm join them shortly and quietly sit beside M as they wait for Thirdy to be ready to talk to them.

"I'm sorry, Mama." Their son finally says. "I did not win the race. I messed up. I wanna go home." He pouts.

"No. You didn't, Hon. You did your best and that's all that matters. You don't have to apologize for that." M tells her little boy as she wipes his tears away.

"But I'm a loser, Mama. We did not win because of me."

"Oh, Honey... That's not true. You went out there as a team and you all gave it everything you've got. You reached the finish line and you continued the race even after you were hurt."

Thirdy looks up at M.

"Yes, Kuwa, I know you were hurt. There's a bruise on your knee and a scrape on your elbow. Mama is so proud because you are so brave and strong. You still got up and hopped to that finish line determined to win the race for your team and that is what I call a champion." M smiles.

"I'm a champion?"

"Yes. You are, buddy. We are all very proud of you. Aren't we, Charm?" R says and hugs Thirdy.

"Yes, we are. Go Kuwa! Go Kuwa! Go Kuwa!" Charm cheers, jumping up and down and waving her pompoms.

"You see, Kuya? You are a champion to all of us." M tells their son.

Thirdy smiles and with one more sniff, wipes off the last teardrop on his face. "Thank you, Papa, Mama and Charm. I love you."

"And we love you so much." R says as he wraps his wife and kids in his arms. "Now, how about we go back there and get our champ's trophy."

With a renewed spirit, Thirdy confidently nods his head and gets down from M's lap then starts walking back to the gym. "Come on. Let's go. I have more games to win." He beams.