German Boy

Chapter 16: Chit-Chat

While drinking my coffee, I found my uncle glancing at me and then at Ven sitting all alone outside. First to me, then to him. Me again, then to him again. At me for the third time, then to him for the third time. At me again for the fourth time, then to him again for the fourth time.

He followed that pattern with an attractive smile plastered on his face. And I don't get why in the world is he still single despite being in his mid-40s and maintaining such a good look.

Well, I am not sure if he's really in his mid-40s. I think I exaggerated a bit.

It doesn't matter though.

He doesn't know what I am thinking about stupidly.

I put the cup of coffee down back to the small table in front of us as it got empty. "Don't you want to spend some time with Ven?" I shook my head.

I knew this was what he was thinking of.

"Why not?"

"Do I have to repeat it? I already told you earlier. We're not kids anymore to play as we used to!" I sarcastically rolled my eyes. Then crossed both my feet and arms.

"I'm not asking you to play with him, I was just wondering why you're being like this..."

"Being like what?"

"This!"

"What do you mean by this?" I wasn't confused. I knew what he was trying to come up with.

But I had to play dumb.

"You're not acting like yourself. Back then, I even have to call you from afar because you were playing with him. And now, look at you. Woke up late, telling me that you're not a kid anymore, and not even trying to approach Ven. What happened?"

"Maybe the old Jaraiah died, and I couldn't attend to her funeral."

"Did you murder her?"

"Maybe?"

"Why did you do that?"

"To have a new one. Who would live a life better than she did."

"She lives a good life."

"She didn't."

"How can you say so?"

"Because hers was boring."

"Does that make a difference to the new one?"

I thought of what he said.

Not at all.

Because I was there sitting beside him, trying not to look at Ven, and still was miserable like the older version of myself. And most of all, I was dying to look at him. I was feeling the same thing I felt before.

And here I am, trying to stop myself from walking to him and having a small chit-chat. Because I don't want him to see me as the old me.

But everything I grew up with is still inside of me.

"Come on, let's be honest. You can change yourself. But not completely. Just partially. You can get rid of a few things but not everything. There will still be a few left. And most of all, no matter how many versions of yourself you show off for people, the real you would always be the same."

This is what happens when you have a writer uncle.

He gives you an infinite amount of words of wisdom. But it's a good thing though. I tend to carry them around and end up adding them to my essays for school projects.

"Yeah, right."

"You're too young to think of those things right now. You should enjoy being who you really are." I wanted to. But Ven never looked at me that way. So I had to do what I didn't want to do instead.

"Maybe." I don't know why I was that speechless.

"What are you waiting for?" His deep voice surrounded my ears.

I plastered a small smirk on my face and immediately stood up as I made my way to the window and rushed to Ven.

He felt I was running to him so he looked at me with a wide smile.

The moment his eyes were laid into mine, everything around me... felt magical. It was the change I was longing for, for a long time. And I found it there with him.

"Hey," he energetically said. Never been that way before.

"Hi," I greeted back.

I parked beside him and began looking at the leaves of the tree above us.

It was the same old tree we used to climb when no one is looking at us. But ever since we turned to high school, we stopped. Thinking we were too heavy to be carried by its thin body.

"How are you now? Still got a hangover?"

"Nah, I don't think so," I answered.

"I see," he said. "What happened there at the party?"

I gulped as I rewind in my mind what happened last night.

I can barely remember anything.

The last thing I do is the time I got in his car and began driving off.

But it wasn't the highlight of it.

"I don't know." I was honest.

"Before you ended up that way?" His eyes were promising. He looked so concerned for me.

"Well, there was this one game where I had no choice but to join. We were given a number each on a scale of two to twelve. And whenever the number of the dice rolled points at ours, we have to take a shot. And mine was out there several times."

"That's insane." I don't know if Germans are just not used to those kinds of things or maybe it was just him. I met a few people from his country before, and they are familiar with big and loud parties. Even had some of those in their country as they said.

"It was," I stated. "Well, umm... thanks for picking me up. If you weren't there, then probably I ended up sleeping in the streets." I joked making the both of us giggle in happiness.

"Nah, no problem. It wasn't my idea anyway. It was your mom's." When he mentioned all those words, I was able to glance back at the conversation we had in the car.

Finally! I realized it.

We had a small argument...

Wait, was that even supposed to be called an argument? Or maybe not? I don't know. But I consider it as one.

As I was saying, we argued about why he picked me up.

I was drunk.

And I know how stupid that thing I did there. I regret it.

Totally. I totally do.