Tripping| Van McCann

13. Ordinary

Sammy's POV

The next day we'd spent half of the day sleeping and resting our mind. Bond was never up early so as all of us did. Tiredness conquered us and took us away.  It was already three hours past noon when I woke up and took a look at my phone screen.

I went downstairs to meet the empty air. The natural light blissed the room around with brightness. I made myself a cup of tea, freshening up my brain cells for another day. I sat by the kitchen table, scrolling through my phone. Nothing interesting, I thought to myself. Then I plugged in my earphones, randomly played some songs, continued the gaze I held at this place, especially of this sunny afternoon.

In the distance I heard footsteps through the beats and melodies transporting themselves from the device into my eardrums. I let that someone approach me, and he didn't disturb me from this short moment of solitude I had, which was definitely pleasant.

After some moments I decided to break off from my inner peace, and stepped back into the world filled with voices, voices of people. So loud that you couldn't hear yourself thinking. But then none of a thing happened between these days were loud and deafening, very much on the contrary to my previous life I'd been immersed into for some years. It was all about clattering and clashing of glasses and porcelain, and the loud thuds my head made when it was slammed against the wall by an alcoholic who thought he did held some place in this household— in a place he never had a place for.

I looked around me just to see Van standing some feet behind me, his left hand cupping around a mug with tea. He smiled at me the instant that we were making eye contact. "Thought you want to be alone for some moments," he explained, moving his way towards the table and sat next to me.

"Yeah, and it's over," I shrugged. "Bondy's still sleeping?" I asked out of concern.

"Yeah, he's such a sleeper," his lips were pressed into a fine line. "Anyway we're leaving today."

"Now?" I exclaimed in astonishment. My stomach was empty. And I needed some refill before I got on the road again.

"No, not now," he let out a few chuckles, presumably at my bluntness, then carried on, "I told him about it. But we'll just wait till he gets up and we'll make some food together." He took a look at his mug to see if there's any tea left. With one shot, he finished whatever that was leftover in the mug.

We sat together in silence for some time. Our heads both snapped towards the stairs as we heard Bondy's approaching us. "Good mornin', people," he greeted us cheerily. "Oh, it's afternoon already," he added after a short glance over the clock hanged on the wall.

"So to start with," Van cut in. "We're gonna eat something first." He looked at Bondy blankly, waiting for him to make the call.

"Sure. What about some macaroni?" Bondy suggested, sorting out stuff in his fridge. "I've got some broccoli and cheese, and we've got some salami and bacons and...oh well, just take a look yourselves. I do have strong belief that you'd be a better chef than the two of us," he shrugged at me and I looked at Van, who's busily trying to avoid the duty. "I've gotta have a cig. Let's leave the lass for the meal will we?" He winked at Bondy with a wry smile. Then they stepped outside to the pool where I could still spot them from the inside.

I opened the fridge door and I was astounded to see how it's stuffed more by cans of beer instead of food. I shook away the thought and took out the broccoli and some mushrooms, so on with the bacon and some shrimps I found in the freezer. I rinsed through them in the sink and chopped them into pieces and slices respectively. Then I went over to the stove and let the water boil, added in a full bowl of macaroni and softened it, while busily heating up some butter and adding the ingredients into a pan. I added in some carbonara which I found it somewhere in the room, and thanks to it which saved up millions of seconds that could have starved us even to death.

"So brunch's ready!" I yelled at them for the attention. The both of them paced back to the room, their noses stiffened at the flavoured scent in the air, mouths pulling up to forming smiles.

"That smells bloody nice," Van's eyes widen at the three dishes placed in front of the three of us, while I was cleaning up some of the mess on the cupboard surface.

"Come join us, lass," Bondy called from behind. "I'll clean that later. You've already cooked for us."

"Okay," I shrugged and joined them at the table. Within minutes, the three plates were emptied even though I bet it had more to do with the hunger instead of the flavour. Cooking was not my area of expertise. I was merely an amateur.

"That's full," Van commented, sitting himself back, revealing a bit of his tummy under the brush of his black shirt. "Shit," he mumbled as he sensed that our eyes were fixated on his new found fat. "Gotta keep meself slim later on," he sighed, shaking his head.

"It's alright mate," Bondy reassured. "I've got one as well. We've still got some time till tour season. Nobody's gonna see us real fat," he said jokingly.

"Mate, what a nice word of comfort it is!" Van exaggerated. I felt like I could spend days and nights just by watching the two of them saying things about this and that, which could already entertain me.

"It's my pleasure," Bondy replied, smirking at him. "Are you guys leaving now?" He asked suddenly.

"Yeah mate. Gonna leave you alone," Van whistled, a smile plated over his lips. "Anyway you could phone me if you're too lonely to be an old wise man as you are, for which I totally understand," he put on a stern look and kept his mouth pressed together as long as he could. Then we all burst into laughters without notifying one another. "I was tryna not to laugh, you idiots," Van said in defeat, the corners of his lips were still curved upwards.

"Farewell my friends," Bondy said as we took all our luggage and fitted them nicely into the boot. "I'm gonna miss you, lass," he pulled in to give me a hug which I smiled weakly at him. Inevitability to say goodbye to people. That's life.

"So mate you're not gonna miss me. I'm very miserable by now," Van pulled a sad face, trying to make himself look as innocent as he could. "I'm gonna meet you next week for writing anyway. Nothing's special," Bondy hinted at some sign of annoyance, but then he pushed it away with another hug.

"Bye," I said to Bondy, fixing my seatbelt and rolling the window down. "Same to you!" He yelled back, "Goodbye!"

People only ever said goodbye to you if only they wanted to see you again, wasn't it?