Imperfect Life: Arc 5

Chapter 4

The next morning, Brandon and Crys were up around nine in the morning. Even though neither of them said anything about it, they both quietly agreed not to bring up their awkward conversation from last night. The two of them ate a quick snack to tide them over, then it was off to the nearby city, with Brandon's parents driving them. Today was going to be a day out. Crys and Brandon were tourists for the day. The car ride itself wasn't all too special. It was about a twenty, almost thirty, minute drive to the nearby town. Brandon and Crys just looked out the windows of the car to see the scenery change from beach shores to concrete sidewalks. Brandon's parents drove to a quaint little restaurant that was in town. They parked the car nearby and everyone went in for brunch.

Brandon's parents got an omelet to split, which was a good decision since the omelet was fairly large. Brandon wound up getting a breakfast platter with a little bit of everything. Two scrambled eggs, a few strips of bacon, some toast, a small bowl of grits, and some fresh orange juice on the side. Meanwhile, Crys ordered, and ate, five entire blueberry pancakes with syrup and butter. She also had some orange juice to drink. It would've been a little shocking that she managed to eat that much food in one sitting, but it wasn't too uncommon for her to eat a lot. Overall, everyone really enjoyed their brunch. Afterwards, everyone left the restaurant and went back to the car.

Brandon's parents drove a little further into the town and found a good parking spot, one that was a little better for being able to explore the town. Everyone got out of the car and ventured off to see what was around. The town itself was lovely. It looked like it had been around for a while, but wasn't old or broken down. Most of the buildings were brick of some color that complemented the homey aesthetic of the town, though there was the occasional architectural exception that still managed to fit in well enough. It was a lot of stores, small local shops for the most part, with varying other businesses mixed in. There were a couple of restaurants sprinkled about. An ice cream store or candy shop every once in a while. Lots of places to explore, and quite easy to walk from one place to another. Brandon, his parents, and Crys went from shop to shop checking out what each place had to offer. Brandon and Crys stuck together for the most part, exploring while Brandon's parents fell into more of a chaperone role, though they still looked around as well.

"Hey, check out this hat!" Crys said eagerly as she tried on a wide-brimmed sun hat.

Brandon looked over at Crys. "Looks nice!" Brandon replied with a smile.

"You think I should get it?" Crys asked.

Brandon shrugged. "That's up to you."

"Hmm..." Crys pondered. "Maybe I will." She said, taking off the hat. She kept looking around to see if there was anything else she might be interested in. "You think we should get anything for Emma and Tomas?" Crys added on after another moment of browsing.

"Maybe?" Brandon replied, not really having an answer. "I mean, what would you even get them?"

"I don't know." Crys replied with a shrug. "I just think it'd be nice to bring them back something."

"Well, we can look, I guess." Brandon said. He liked the idea, he just didn't know if Emma and Tomas would even like any little tourist-y knick-knacks they would find.

"Doesn't have to be anything super big or fancy." Crys continued. "Just, something."

Brandon shrugged. He could accept that. It was the thought that counts.

The two of them kept browsing around.

After another brief moment, Crys spoke up again. "I wish they would've joined us." She said. "I invited them, but Tomas said he didn't want to get in the way."