TCOTRB: The Case of The Red Bubble

🔔 Chapter XVI: Susume

Chapter XVI: Susume

[RECORDING]

Hey there! It's Milo again.

So it's been a while since I returned home. It's kind of crazy that my friends and family keep asking if I ever remember anything that's happened last month. Nothing but TV static.
However, I kept convincing them that I know nothing at all because I don't wanna go back to it anymore.
It has prevented me from ever living a normal life. Jasmine once told me how I might have a hard time getting into a good college because of my involvement in the country's tragic cases, but she promised to recommend a good place where I can pursue my higher education.
Now it's not the time to dwell in the past. It's already Christmas Eve and I wish to continue living a happy life from now on. I watched my dad put up the lights around the little boat models we've made inside the living room. Too bad we didn't have a huge lawn to hoist a bigger one like we do back in Greece.
  We also have a combination of Filipino and Greek cuisines for "noche buena'' (Christmas Eve dinner). We have Christopsomo bread, carbonara, spaghetti, melomakarona and barbecue sticks.
   Despite Kaira and Jin not celebrating the holidays due to their respective faith, my mom suggested that we share some of our food with them. I had to carry a huge food delivery bag so they stay hot and fresh.
     Upon arriving at the Faez household, I was greeted by the smell of roasted garlic, steam, Arabian jasmine and the sight of dazzling, colorful Turkish lamps handcrafted by them. I took out the huge tupperware of meatless carbonara.
Kaira and her brothers all ran excitedly towards me, saying how their mom wasn't able to cook due to a terrible flu. Meanwhile, their father is still tending their new coffee shop.
Kaira then went to take me to the coffee shop that's right next to our school and met Jin along the street. His parents went out on a dinner date to celebrate their wedding anniversary so it was just him at home and he tagged along. Once we got to the shop, we saw the long, orange neon sign that read 'The Brown Arabica Café.'
For a new business, Mr. Faez sure is getting a lot of customers. They not only serve coffee, but also different types of tea, sundaes, shawarma and pastries. Malik is also there rollerskating towards every table.
    He wore a long-sleeved brown shirt under a dark vest, slacks and wheeled leather shoes. It's amazing how he could swiftly spin around without dropping those round wide trays from both his hands.
He winked at the two female customers on his left and ended up being turned down by them. He just made a fool out of himself trying to attract them. He then slowly moved away until he spotted us.
     I told him that I have to get back home after checking out their new Café and he rushed off to give us free takeouts. He insisted there is no need to pay them. Jin, Kaira and I thanked him before running along.
   On our way back home, we were surprised to see "snowflakes" falling from the sky. We looked up and saw a team of people on top of the dome dropping fake snow over town. A chorus of Christmas carols and children spinning around in excitement.
Leo and Irene are both at home celebrating with their families. Jin and Kaira later joined me and my parents on our noche buena. I looked up at the window where there is this bright star in the vast indigo sky ,wishing for a long happy life with friends and family.

[END OF RECORDING]