When You Know

32 - Bro, we're going to Hawaii!

"You're always welcome to come visit me whenever you want," said Bree, holding out her hand to me at her front door twenty minutes later. She had already shook Jet's, who was now standing on the lawn, holding his hand above his face to shield the sunlight. He had been silent most of the time we were there, except for when he said thank you to Bree just now for helping his family's dream come true. It was the first smile I had seen her give him.

"I know," I said, reaching past her hand to hug her instead. It felt like the right time and the right thing considering she had given me what I wanted. "Thank you, Bree."

"You're welcome, Madden. Just be careful, and don't get into any trouble, or get kidnapped or something. Sadie would never forgive me." She laughed and gripped me tight, bending down to look at me in the eye. "You're a beautiful boy, Madden, and I'm sorry for any pain I've caused you over the years."

I didn't need her apology because, really, the only pain that I ever truly felt was for Mum when she was sad and lost and distressed about things. The only thing Bree made me feel was confusion, but pain was never a part of it. Mum always made sure of that. Except for when I broke my arm. There was nothing she could really do about that kind of pain.

"I'm okay, Bree. You don't need to be sorry." I hugged her back and felt some kind of relief wash over me.

This was over, and we got what we needed without any more drama, and things seemed be resolved with no hard feelings. She seemed to understand, and proved that she was a real, feeling person after all.

She looked she wasn't content with my answer, but didn't push it. Instead she just wished me a good time in Hawaii with my family and hoped it was everything I dreamed it would be. I have a pretty big imagination so I have dreamed of a lot, but only now can I actually start doing it with purpose, knowing that it is all going to be real.

Me, my mother, the love of her life and his son. Together in paradise. Not in a million years would I have ever imagined such a thing happening, but I'm not complaining. This turned out more perfect than I could have ever dreamed of.

"Jet, can you boys go wait for me in the car? I just want a couple minutes to speak to Bree and thank her myself," said Ruben, patting me on the shoulder and handing me his car keys. "Just a few minutes, buddy. I'll be there soon," he added to me with a smile.

I don't know what Ruben wanted to talk to her about that I hadn't already covered in all my thanks, but I wasn't about to argue him. His trust in me and my decision to see Bree was the reason we were all now going to be heading to Hawaii. The least I could do was trust him back.

"Sure thing. 'Bye, Bree. Thanks again," I waved at her, wondering what they were going to talk about. They had less than nothing in common, as I learned in the remaining time I had spent in Bree's house. Bree was rich and knew it, and Ruben had what he needed and never wanted for more. Bree was kind of uptight and didn't joke around, and Ruben was one of the most funny and laid back people I knew. Ruben was an only child, Bree made herself into one. Ruben works hard every day for what he has, Bree works when she wants to because she can buy just about anything she desires without any issue. Bree cares about her appearance, with her fake nails, unnaturally orange fake tanned skin and expensive shiny jewellery, and Ruben is just himself, dirty fingernails from working hard, a free dye job on his hair courtesy of salt water and a lot of sunlight, and he only ever desired to wear one piece of jewellery that linked him to my mother for life.

The only thing they really had in common was me, and I wouldn't even go that far because Bree didn't ever really have me. Mum did. And now, by extension, Ruben kind of did, too.

Jet and I walked out the front gate to Ruben's car and jumped in, closing the doors behind us. Jet looked back at me sitting in the backseat and started rocking back and forth with excitement. "Bro, we're going to Hawaii. We're actually going to fucking Hawaii!" It would have surprised me if Ruben and Bree and all her neighbours didn't hear Jet practically screaming his lungs out with excitement.

We were going to Hawaii, and I was beyond stoked. "We did it, Jet!" I squealed back to him, barely able to contain my happiness any better than he had. "We did it. We're actually going."

The weight of everything we had all been through to get to this point was finally hitting me, and it was getting caught in my throat as I tried to swallow and look up at my brother's joyous face.

"Nah, little bro. You did it. All you. You were amazing in there." He reached back at grabbed my knee with his big, growing hands. "I'm super proud of you, Madden."

"I'm not even going to deny it. I kind of was, wasn't I?" I laughed, enjoying my gloating probably more than I should have. This was another Mum quality I had inherited. She loved being right, and usually made a big deal of it when she was, only in a much more quiet and subtle way compared to how I'm doing it now.

"Because you're the reason I now get to go to Hawaii, I'm not even going to attempt to burst that ego bubble right now. I'll let you cruise along over that wave for a while yet." Jet grinned at me mischievously, tapping my knee impatiently, like he wanted to drive straight to the airport now and be there as soon as possible.

"Seriously though, you were so impressive in there with her. I never would have been able to say any of that and definitely no where near as articulate or confidently as you just were. It was like you had all the passion and love and gentleness of Sadie, and the confidence and charisma and assertiveness of Boss Man Dad all in one. It was a beautiful thing, Madden, and I'm so goddamn proud of you," Jet said, almost bringing me to tears thinking about how I acted with the qualities I loved and admired most in both our parents. It meant so much to me that he thought I was all those things, and that I learned it from Mum and Ruben. "I know he is, too," Jet added, looking up at the window as Ruben walked to the car.

Ruben opened the driver's side door and jumped in, a folder of papers containing my ticket to Hawaii folded and crunching in his back pocket on the seat when he sat down. His gaze travelled from Jet in the passenger seat to me in the middle on the back row, and I watched as his smirk grew bigger and bigger with every half-second that passed.

"Get up here, you little legend," he said, pulling me over the centre console and into his lap. There was absolutely no room in which to do this given Ruben and Jet are both huge and take up a lot of space anywhere they sit; but we made it work, and he hugged me tighter than ever, urging Jet to join in. People walking by must have had some very weird thoughts about what was going on in this car, but I didn't care at all. Nor did I care about the gear stick digging into my leg, or the steering wheel pressing into my hip uncomfortably, or the scorching seat beat buckle pinching my leg between the chair.

All I cared about was that Ruben and Jet were proud of me, and that the three of us worked together to successfully be able to give Mum something she deserved more than anyone. That there was actually something I could do to make her and Ruben's dreams come true like they had both done for me.

I couldn't wait to surprise her, even though I know there'll be questions about how we achieved it. I'm just hoping she'll be so happy that she'll forget to ask about it; or forget to be annoyed by it at least.

When the celebrations ceased and the praising of me subsided, I slid back to my seat and the three of us stared out of the windscreen in front of us to the fancy street lined with large, ancient trees and expensive cars. As much as I loved the old trees swaying in the wind and the shade they cast on the car, I missed my home by the ocean, and the smell of salt water and seaweed floating up the hill to our house. The house that Ruben and Jet welcomed us into not all that long ago, even though it feels like forever. Like we've known each other our whole lives and were always supposed to be together.

"Can we go home now, Ruben?" I asked, desperate to be back in the family home he gifted me and Mum with, and for which I will be forever grateful to him.

"Almost. Gotta make a small pit stop on the way back," said Ruben, firing up the engine on his big Hilux and turning back to face me. He had the look Jet wore on his face when he was up to something, the one that said he was excited, and he wanted me to be a part of that excitement right along with him.

"Travel agent."

- - -

a/n:
Hey there, lovely readers!
Just a quick thanks so much for sticking with this story (I hope so much that you've enjoyed it), and a heads up that there are only four chapters remaining, though there are three that should probably be read together. So, basically there are only two chapters remaining haha.
Hope you stick around to read the rest, and as always, I would to know your thoughts!
Ash
xo