Our Eyes Intertwined

Chapter 2 : The Arrival

Sam brushed the imaginary dust off his hands after he finished loading the luggage at the back of his Dad's Ford Ranger. He never felt so relieved getting the job done.

"Everything ready?" Dad shouted, his head bobbing out of the driver's window.

"Yeah, all done."

A girl with long straight hazel hair walked across the lawn with a woman in her forties with the identically same hair. It was Anne, his sister, and his Mom.

"Thought you won't see me off," Sam raised his eyebrows mocking his sister.

"See you off? No, no, I'm here to torture you until we've arrived at the airport." her mouth crinkled into a devilish smile.

Sam stared at her sister in a blank expression.

"God please help me," he muttered.

Sam opened the rear door and her sister hopped in.

"Why thank you my good sir," she imitated a British accent.

Sam let out a sigh and closed the door.

He went in through the other door. Mom was already warming up her seat up front while reading some sort of a book. The car cranked to life and Dad drove us out of the neighborhood after warming up the engine for a few moments.

As the car glided on the highway, Sam was bemused watching his Mom grin while setting her eyes upon the book.

Sam glanced at the book.

"That looks rather familiar," Sam thought.

"Mom, is that-"

She answered, "Your old diary? Yes, I found it laying on your bedroom floor. Mind if i read it?"

"Nope. Go on but I want to show you something in the diary though."

He flipped the pages until he reached the part with the dirt smudges.

"

Sammy, I hope you won't forget me.

Eat lots of pineapple!

I'm sure by the time you start to like pineapples,

I'm already near you.

Love,

"

Mom read it out aloud. Which in turn made Anne transform into poetic mode.

"O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?" she voiced while suppressing her laughter.

They burst into a mass guffaw with the exception of Sam banging his head on the window.

"Just kill me now."

Sam saw a sign board promoting the way to the airport 'O'Hare International Airport, 10 miles'

They lived near Little Italy in Chicago and the drive to the airport would be around 20 minutes without traffic. Sam gazed at the urban american scenery that he'll be leaving soon.

A piece of childhood memory came to his mind.

A vision of the five-year-old him and a short-haired kid playing in a sandbox.

"His name.. It was Jake right?" Sam thought, still looking out the window.

Mom was talking with another woman which seems to be the Jake's mother.

Jake dumped a handful of sand on Sam's head.

"What are you looking at?" Jake asked.

Sam turned his head to Jake and disgustingly yelled, "Gross!"

Jake grinned cheerily showing his two missing front teeth. Sam lunged at him and they both rolled in the sandbox turning like a chocolate banana coated with sprinkles.

They both laughed looking at each other's faces.

The mothers came to them.

"It's time to say goodbye sweetie."

Jake's expression changed a whole lot after his mother said those words.

"See you tomorrow!" Sam said.

Jake waved at Sam with a blank expression on his face.

Mom glanced at Sam and Jake's mother to and fro.

"I'll tell him later" she mouthed.

Jake's mother nodded and offered a hand to him.

They both went home.

"Who's ready for pizza?" Mom said in an excited tone.

"Count me in! But no pineapples!"

Mom smiled.

"We've arrived at the airport," Dad announced making Sam go back into reality.

Sam shook his head.

"That was the last time I saw Jake. Where did he go?" Sam thought.

Questions wander through Sam's train of thought. Did something happen to Jake's family? Why didn't he say something?