I love it when the sky is on fire. The bright hues of orange, red, and yellow intermingling with each other just like paint in one big canvas. This scenery is one reason why I love being in The Palms, being in this small beach town. The sunsets are to die for.
"Boys, dinner is almost ready!" my mother called out from the summer house.
I quickly rose from the comfort of the sand. "Okay, I'll go fetch Kevin and the others!" Dinner with Erika's cooking is another thing to die for.
I directed my gaze towards the great horizon. There I saw the golden giant descending, darkness following its trail and the three special boys in my life, riding the waves skillfully as if they're treading through silk — their hair soaked and messy, skin as gold as the sun.
"Hey! Get your arses over here, dinner is ready!" I cupped both of my hands on my mouth.
Kevin's expression immediately brightened as if his eyes were glowing. It has been three years since we last tasted Erika's Sinigang and her other Filipino dishes that's why I understand his excitement.
The waves brought them to the beach quicker than I expected. They immediately carried their wave boards once they made it to the beach. From this close distance, the realization of how different my body was compare to theirs was like a punch in the guts, muscular bodies wet and basking in the golden light of the setting sun compare to my slim, pathetic physique.
Eeth was the first one to approach me, his hand held high. I high-fived him and it really felt awesome, as if a little bit of masculinity was passed onto me. Our hands made contact in the air, droplets of water falling from his arm from the impact.
"Did I look awesome out there?" Eeth asked, showing his bright, white teeth in a huge smile. That type of smile where his eyes would disappear and wrinkles would appear right beside them.
"You wished!" I lied. He did look awesome.
Maybe I have imagined it but for a brief moment, I saw a little glint of disappointment in his brown eyes. "Just kidding, you were like a Greek god out there!" I admitted.
I just hate to see him upset.
His eyes suddenly turned brighter and more transparent. His smile appeared once again like a morning glory unraveling in the dawn of a new day. I just love seeing my happy pill, happy.
"If you're done, maybe we can go to the house already because it's getting dark," Alec said walking pass us, a little trace of annoyance evident in his tone.
"What's his problem?" I turned to Eeth for answers.
"Don't mind him. Maybe he's just hungry." Eeth shrugged. "Come on Kenny, we don't want to piss him more."
"Sure. I'm starving anyway." I said, placing my hands on my stomach involuntarily.
I tried not to think about Alec's tone earlier but I just can't shrug it off. Even after entering the house, the question as to why his mood shifted kept on running through my mind. What broke me from my daze was the smell coming from the dining area.
I followed the scent like a hound dog hunting for its prey. The tinge of tangerine in the air only means one thing — Sinigang. Before I knew it, I was inside the dining room, drooling over the bowl of tasty stew on the table.
The mahogany table was filled with familiar and unfamiliar dishes that made me and my brother take our seats first. Their colors barraging the brown, smooth table made it even more appetizing. My eyes are already getting full.
My brother as a pig he is already picked his spoon and fork almost getting a piece of meat from his Sinigang bowl. He never succeeded though because what followed was a slap on his hand, a slap that would make any kung fu master proud because of its speed and precision.
Kevin dropped his silverware immediately. "That hurts! What's that for?"
My mother clicked her tongue. "Remember the tradition, my foolish son."
I nodded in agreement. One tradition we have in this summer house is that we all should be present for dinner. Or else, no one's getting a bite. The tradition started when Alec began to stop taking dinner at home and a way to get him was by pestering his conscience.
"Aw, come on! I'm starving!" Kevin pouted.
"No." My mother ended the conversation and won like the boss she is.
After a few seconds of me enduring Kevin's childish pouts, Erika and his boys finally arrived. Alec and Eeth came back with fresh and matching pajamas. It was adorable as always but what destroyed the image was the evident pressure between the two that for some reason, I'm the only one who could sense the climate.
"Kev and Kenny, before taking a bite, change into these." Regina handed a pair of matching blue pajamas with whale patterns towards us. "Knowing the both of you, forgetting to change clothes because of food is quite a common phenomenon."
We quickly grabbed the pajamas and hurriedly changed upstairs. I think my brother and I could agree that food is much more important than to not wear Regina's ridiculous matching outfits.
And of course, they were too big for me. The sleeves extended to my fingers and to my ankles, my collar bone revealing because of these silly pajamas that I was forced to wear. The moment I entered the dining area, I literally could feel the stares of Erika's boys.
This is embarrassing. They are probably judging me by how skinny I am compare to them.
"Finally, time to dig in!" Kevin sat next to Eeth, quickly grabbing a piece of meat and a spoonful of rice to his mouth. "I missed this!"
I followed next to Kevin. I grabbed a piece of pork from my bowl and poured the stew on the rice. The tangy flavor of the stew, combined with the soft, sticky rice and rich flavored pork felt like heaven on earth.
It's amazing how food affects people. It brings memories, a wave of nostalgia back to my soul. Echoes of my youth spent on this summer house came back and felt as if they all happened yesterday. My first everything —first scratch from learning to ride the skateboard, first catch of fish using a rod, first time camping on the beach, feeling the warmth of the campfire on my skin, first time seeing a shooting star, first time in almost everything. They all came back to me just because of one dish. It's magical.
"I'm glad you're back home, Kev and Kenny." Regina smiled, his eyes wrinkling reminding me of Eeth's smiles.
Kevin and I glanced and each other and grinned with rice between our teeth. "We're finally home!"
•
First of all, before all of you murder me. I'm sorry. I know it's almost 7 months since I last updated any of my stories but that is because of my tight schedule. Let me tell you how tight it is.
My class starts at 6:30 AM and with that I have to wake up at exactly 5AM. Then my class ends at 4:30PM and I have to go to my part time work on 5PM. My work ends at 11PM. And spend the rest of the evening doing my school activities and homework. Keep in mind, I'm a graduating student so I have lots of school requirements. School is literally hell.
Anyways, I wrote this chapter little bit during my vacant time that is why it came out so late. I'm trying to free as much time as I can to write. I intended this chapter to be longer, explaining the mood swings of Alec in the process but I want to reserve it for the next chapter. Sorry for that.
I hope all you will stay until the end and I hope all of you are safe and doing well. And as always, if you spot any mistakes please do point them out. I wrote this on a whim and I haven't got the time to proofread the chapter. Sorry once again.
What is your favorite foreign dish?
Love, Jun.
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Summer Stain | Ongoing
JugendliteraturKen and his family always go spend the summer in the summer house that his mom and best friend built. But it all stopped when his family got torn apart by his parents' divorce. Now, after three years of not seeing the summer house, together with his...