The Best Dreams Happen When You're Awake

Ervin

ERVIN

Germany, 2016.

"Philippines? I'll have to go to the hilippines? Why?" Ervin Bear asked his parents who were looking suspicious in that moment. He raised his eyebrow when his father just drank his tea and shrugged off his shoulder. Something was brewing, he was sure of it. His mom was not being helpful as well. She was trying to act cool while reading the newspaper but cool has never sit well with his mom. She was a shy woman whose facial expressions can be easily read by a five year old kid. Nevertheless, he tried still.
"Mom, can you please stop pretending you are engrossed with whatever you are reading on that paper because your eyeballs are not moving, which means you are not reading and you are just staring at that."
"Oh you're very smart."
"Of course, I'm your son."

The Bear parents laughed at their handsome son, who was not even aware that he was turning into a head turner. They wondered if their son knew that the girls in his social circle looks at him differently now. Gone is the innocent look. Their boy was getting taller and maturing nicely. Truly, he was growing into a fine young man. Any parent would be proud. Mommy Bear surely was. But Daddy Bear was wondering if good looks and fine manners would give the boy the advantage to find the right girl for him... or maybe his almost perfect boy would fall for a girl whose only intention was to snatch the golden boy for shallow reasons. He hoped not. He wanted the best girl for his only son.
"You are my son. Remember you got your charms and wits from me, not from your mother.", Daddy Bear said.
Ervin joked, "We both know that's not true, Dad. I got my good looks from you, but I got my intelligence from Mom. Let's not take credit that we don't deserve."
"If I knew you'd grow up to be this ungrateful smart mouth, I wouldn't have gotten you the right education, boys your age, deserve."
"Too late," Laughter filled the Bear's kitchen.
"Where is Lorin?" Mommy Bear asked.
"Last I saw her, she was in her room. But that is not the thing I want to talk about. Let's go back to my question, which I happen to notice my dear smart parents, the question you didn't really answer..." Ervin snatched a piece of bread from the table and bit into it. "... Why will I go to the Philippines?"
"Did I teach you to speak while your mouth is full?"
"Mom."
"Alright, alright." Mommy Bear shared a glance with Daddy Bear.
"First of all, it's not only you. Your father and I and your sister will be with you."
"Uh-huh,"
"We are going to the Philippines because your grandmother wants us to spend the summer with her."
"Why? Last I heard, Gran Gran doesn't want us there."
"She changed her mind."
Ervin swallowed a large chunk of bread and raised his eyebrow, "Uh-huh,"
"Stop that, it's annoying." Mommy Bear snatched the bread from her son. "Your Gran Gran is getting old. Maybe she's having some realizations, a change of heart. "
"I doubt that." Daddy Bear whispered.
Snickering, Ervin snatched another bread from the table.
"I heard that. Stop it, my Nana is not that bad. She allowed me to marry you, didn't she?" Mommy Bear castigated her husband with a smile.
"She did. Only after I broke so many bones in my body after fixing that little wood house she intentionally ruined. And may I say, intentionally repeatedly ruined."

Mommy Bear threw her head and laughed merrily. Ervin noticed how his Dad suddenly went quiet while staring at his Mom with a blissful smile on his face. He does this everytime her Mom laughed at something he said. He looked very proud that he made his wife laugh. His Dad was surely smitten with his Mom, Ervin thought, and he was happy about his parents being in love even after so many years of being together. Ervin wondered if a day will come when he will look at a girl with the way his Dad looked at his Mom. There were so many gorgeous girls in his school and in his neighborhood and some of them even blatantly showed him that they were interested in something more than simple friendship, but Ervin was sure that he never looked at any one of them the way his Dad looked at his Mom. Sure, he'd been attracted to some of them but no one were able to hold his interest for long. He knew he was finding something... fascinating. Maybe someone as fascinating as his Mom.

"She still allowed me to marry you." Mommy Bear broke into Ervin's inner dialogue.
"Sure, sure." Daddy Bear replied.
"Ervin, are you okay with our plan to spend the summer with your Gran Gran in the Philippines?" Mommy Bear asked.
"I made plans with Luke but I could cancel it. I'm sure he'll understand. It's just one summer, right? Nothing life changing could ever happen there that will make me want to stay with the ever charming Gran Gran forever, right?"

Daddy Bear smiled. His son, he thought, didn't know that he said those same words before, that nothing life changing would make him stay in a small island like Camiguin forever. Camiguin, the island, where he met his wife and the mother of his children. He looked at his son and he realized that this summer may be good for his golden boy.