Madrid Squad

Nothing Sweeter Than Home

It's been a good year of NYC goodness full of solo cups filled with vodka, frankfurters, yellow taxi cabs and college life. The past semester has been great and all but nothing felt as good as home. Amir sighed heaving with his lean 19-year-old, almost 20-year-old, arms to place his baggages into the Ford's trunk. He loaded the last of his luggages into the trunk and slammed the door down onto the lock. The young adult clapped his hands together and let out a small smile.

"Hey, bud, better hurry up. Your siblings are waiting," Ruru hollers from the driver's seat and honks jokingly at his firstborn.

Amir chuckles and jogs to the shotgun.

--

"Silas, stop licking the spatula and wash the dishes properly. Noelle, check on the brownies. You know kuya likes them crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside," Kylie yells over the sizzle of the pan against the stir fry she was cooking up.

"I'm not licking the spatula!"

"Are too," replies the teasing sister.

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am-"

"I'm gonna whack you both straight to Timbucktoo if you don't stop arguing," came a now deeper and manlier voice from the threshold.

All three heads present in the kitchen whipped towards the direction of the voice and there stood a lean, tall, raven-haired, doe-eyed young man with a thin and growing mustache and the brightest, dimpled smile plastered on his face.

"Hello, whackos," he smiled.

Whilst Silas basically projectile himself onto his big brother, Noelle took one good look at her brother best friend and bit back a smug smile.

"You're two hours late for lunch."

Amir gasped dramatically, "Seriously? No 'Oh, Kuya, I haven't seen you in ages! I missed you so much! I'm so glad to see you!'? Nothing?"

She stuck her tongue out to him before giving her brother a tight hug.

"Missed you, kuya," she mumbled against him.

"Of course you did."

"Shut the fuck up, loser," she playfully smacked his arm as she pulled away.

"Mom, Ate said a bad word!" Silas tattled.

"Noelle," Kylie warns, giving her daughter a look.

Noelle smiled innocently, "I'm a big girl, Mommy. Shouldn't I be able to use any word I want?"

Ruru crept behind his children and playfully shuffled his only daughter's hair.

"Not under this roof, sweet."

"Yeah, Ate. Not under this roof," Silas mocks.

"Don't talk to your ate like that, bud," Amir chortles, rubbing his knuckles against his brother's head.
-
Amir stashed his bags in his now roomy closet. Then, he remembered one of those bags contained a few small presents for his family. He pulled the green trolley bag out and carefully unzipped it, revealing all the knickknacks he bought with the money he earned writing essays and doing homework for other people. Inside were the vinyl records for his mom's collection, a few perfume bottles for his father, Broadway playbills, and the new ps5 controller he promised Silas, among other things. The one thing that he was most excited to give was the Early the robin beanie baby he found for Noelle.

He smiled at the memory of him having to deal with her three-year-old self's tantrum when Dadda couldn't find the only thing she EVER will want forever and ever.