Family Visit

Chapter 1

He was at the top of the world. He stared through the airplane window, looking at the green-colored country. his dark brown eyes looked cold and empty. His mind was wandering to another land, another country.

Then his ears started ringing. The chattering voices began to fade to muffled mumbles. Among those voices was from the pilot informing the passengers that the plane was about to land. Even as a sleeping elderly man sitting beside him slowly slipped from the chair and had his head on his shoulder he still wouldn't budge. He just kept staring at the land as the plane got closer to it, landing at Cap International Airport.

A driver sat in his car by the arrival area of the airport. He was waiting for someone. And he seemed to be waiting for quite a while; he kept glancing at the doors of the airport and at the setting sun in between the five-second window.

Then he saw a man with a brown jacket, blue jeans, and black boots. A leather duffel bag slung over his shoulder. The driver stepped one foot out of the car and waved at him. The man noticed him and approached him. Though he didn't seem all too thrilled nor even a tad glad to see him.

"Hey, John," said the driver in an Australian accent.

"Hey, Lucas," John replied. "How long have you been here?"

Lucas had been waiting for hours. "A while, cousin." John noticed the lie. But he never bothered about it. "Welcome to America, mate."

John looked around his new environment. It had people wearing classier outfits and much fancier cars and buildings. He looked unimpressed about them.

"Come on, let's take you to our place." John came to America to visit his cousins. Though not by choice. After his time serving the Special Action Force in his hometown, he had nowhere to go. So Lucas offered him to stay at their place in Capital City.

Lucas went back into his car and John sat beside him. "Is this a cab? It looks like a cab."

"Yep." Lucas started the car's engine. "And it's on a shift. So we better get you home before time is up."

They drove away from the airport. "Don't worry. Our house isn't as far as you think. It's near Hollick Beach which is a one-hour drive away from here. Depending on the traffic of course. Zelda and Katy are there by the way. They're preparing a spare room for you. So, how have you been..." The rest of what he had been saying was unclear. His voice was becoming muffled and faded. John wasn't paying attention to any of his words because he was distracted by staring out into the open. Staring at the tall buildings and skyscrapers and the busy city.

"Hey..." the voice suddenly became clear again, snapping John out of it. From the corner of his eye, Lucas noticed that something was off with John. "Did you hear everything I said?"

"No," John said, dryly.

Lucas got visibly offended. But he immediately shrugged it off. He knew what his cousin's been through. He had to be patient with him.

They finally reached the suburban area near the beach. "Here we are," Lucas said, "Hollick Beach."

They stopped in front of a two-story house. The house that belonged to Lucas and his siblings. Lucas turned the engine off and stepped out of the car. John followed him and they both headed into the house.

Lucas opened the door. He and John were greeted by two women; one was a young adult, Zelda, and the other was in her late adolescence, Katy. But John just looked at them with his bland face and blank eyes.

Lucas walked inside, and as if by instinct, John followed him while he was looking around the interior of the house. "Make yourself at home, mate," Lucas said, brightly. "What's ours is yours."

"Do you need help with your bag, John?" Zelda said.

"No thanks," John said without even looking at her. Not even a glance.

"Oh. Well, your room is upstairs—"

"Thanks." John headed up the stairs to his room.

The three siblings stood beside each other and watched John ascend the stairs and turned to a corner.

"I don't remember him being this edgy," Katy sardonically said.

Lucas heaved a sigh and said, "He's just tired. Let's give him time to rest up." He smelled something pleasant coming from the kitchen. "You're making dinner already?"

"Yeah," Zelda replied, "so John could join us for dinner early. But..."

"Well, let's just leave some for him."

John's room was simple in decorations and furbishing. It was fairly small but he seemed alright about it. Though he still felt uncomfortable. Everything was just too alien to him. Perhaps he needed time. But there was something inside him that refused him a hint of relaxation even when he was just sitting on the bed.

He buried his face with his hands as if he had lost all hope and will. Then there was knocking on the door. John slowly lifted his head and looked at the opening door which Lucas slipped through.

"Hey," Lucas said in a calm voice as if trying to calm an anxious horse. "Are you hungry?"

"Nope," John replied in a clinical note, "I'm good."

Lucas nodded his head a bit. It was awkward but he kept trying. "Well, if you wanted to eat, feel free to visit the kitchen."

John nodded his head as if comprehending a command. "Okay."

"Oh, and, I don't want to sound like a jerk or anything, but if you want to do something out there, you should drive a cab."

"Like you?"

"Yeah. It'll be easier for you to get familiar with the city that way. And you could get to earn money while you're at it."

John lifted his right foot and grabbed his boot. "Duly noted." He took the boot off, then removed the other boot. "I got nothing else to do anyway." He lay down on the bed with his jacket on.

"Aren't you going to remove your jacket?"

"No. So I wouldn't need a blanket."

"Alright, then. Have a good rest." Lucas turned the light off and closed the door.

John was left lying on the bed in the dark, his eyes wide open and staring blankly on the ceiling. Though he couldn't see it. He was seeing something else in his head. Something from the past he couldn't run away from.