In a good mood, Julian stared out the window. Even though he only lived in Vancouver for two years it had started to feel like, leaving it when he was fourteen was a big step for him.
As they left downtown and headed towards the restaurant in Kerrisdale where he spent most of his nights eating sushi and doing his homework Julian stared at the familiar buildings and parks.
After unrolling his window, Julian stuck his head out the window and breathed in a deep breath of the sweet air. Even though he was not right next to the beach, the ocean still carried the fresh air inland making everything smell fresh.
As the car pulled up to the sidewalk, Julian reached to open the door. When that car had reached a full stop, he got out and walked inside the restaurant while feeling nostalgic.
He hesitated slightly in the eave before stepping forward and opening the door. The bells twinkling as the door brushed by them. The inside was quiet and warm. Passing by an unfamiliar waiter standing at the front desk, Julian walked towards a short, plump woman who was facing away from him.
"Aunty Cao, do you have a table?"
Turning back to look at the kid who asked such a pointless question in a familiar tone, aunty Cao slightly frowned. There was only one boy who would come into her empty restaurant and ask if there was a table open, but it couldn't be him as he had long left Vancouver.
Squinting her eyes and looking at the boy in front of her she gasped. Rushing forward and grabbing his face she studied Julian carefully.
"It really is you after all. I knew no one else would talk to me like that."
Smiling with joy, aunty Cao quickly reached forward and gave him a hug. Squeezing his body with a tight embrace she asked.
"You must be hungry, do you want to eat all your favourites or have your tastes changed?"
Smiling at the energetic woman who had practically raised him during his stay in Vancouver Julian felt quite emotional.
"People change, but some things never do. My love for all of your cooking if one of the things that will never change"
When she released them they both decided to ignore the slight wetness that had come over both of their eyes. Smilingly widely at his response, aunty Cao rushed to the kitchen while yelling at her employees to get out of the way.
Finding his way to a seat near the back, Julian went and sat down. While aunty Cao was in the kitchen busily preparing the meal, he waited for his friend to show up.
After just two minutes of waiting, the door opened again and a tall boy around sixteen years old with a head full of puffy hair walked in hurriedly.
After saying hello to the woman sitting at the front desk, he quickly looked around the room. Immediately locking eyes with Julian, the boy shuffled past the waiter as fast as he could before running towards Julian.
Slightly touched at the enthusiastic response, Julian got up out of his chair and caught the boy in a bear hug. Although he was a year older, the boy in Julian's arms was about the same size as him with the same delicate features. Instead of dark hair and green eyes though, the boy had blue eyes and blond hair. Letting go of Julian the boy lightly punched him in the chest.
"Why didn't you tell me you were coming back? I could have at least gotten you a gift. Perhaps you actually like appearing and disappearing without telling anyone huh? After all, you didn't even say anything to me when you left. If you had, we could have gone together."
Staring at him with eyes full of blame, the boy rapidly fired off some questions.
Looking at his friend that he hadn't seen for over two years, Julian couldn't help remember the old memories of them growing up together. In just a blink of an eye, they were both leading their lives in the way that they thought that they never would.
He had gone to work for his mother, and his friend had also succumbed to the pressure to join the family business. Although he was smiling, Julian could tell that his friend was also conflicted and in pain. It was the both of them after all, that had proudly proclaimed that they would never grow up the same as their parents.
Cruel and heartless, doing everything for profit and not caring for the long wave of suffering the cause in their wake.
Unfortunately, even though the reasons for their ambitions are pure, there is no telling what could change them in the future. Their parents did not one day wake up cruel and heartless. Instead, they changed slowly over time. From the sweet innocent children that they were into the people that they had become.