The next day at nine in the morning Gabby ran over to Michael's house. The girl could see Michael reading a book on the porch of his house.
"Michael!" Gabby called excitedly, "I'll have a vacation at my father's fishing site! Do you want to come with me?"
Michael looked up and could see Gabby running while holding the hat she was wearing. The girl wore white jeans, her head was covered in a straw hat, and her hair was braided in twintails.
'Gabby sure looks like she's going on a long vacation.' Michael thought.
Michael thought for a moment then nodded his head, "Is your father okay if I come?"
"Don't mind him!" Gabby sat next to Michael, "You will go there because I invited you."
"Okay, I'll come." Michael replied.
-
"The fishing spot is cool, you know! Especially at night, but there are lots of mosquitoes." Gabby explained while the boy was busy arranging his luggage in his room.
"But don't worry! I've brought four bottles of mosquito repellent lotion, I'll give you two bottles later!" Gabby stepped up and sat down on Michael's bed.
"Maybe we'll be on vacation for a week or maybe more, I don't know." Gabby continued excitedly.
"I guarantee you can eat grilled fish and shrimp, there are also shells! My father is good at cooking those." Gabby stroked her stomach then moistened her mouth with her tongue.
"Haa I'm so hungry…" Gabby shook her head, "It's all fresh! Because it is taken directly from the fishing sites."
From earlier, Michael had just nodded his head, indicating that he was listening to everything Gabby said. Often he closely watched Gabby's face as she spoke and smiled back at her.
"Should I accompany the young master?" Asked Adam who was standing near the door of Michael's room.
"No need!" Gabby replied quickly, "He's going on vacation with me anyways, so you take it easy Adam."
Adam restrained himself from laughing when he saw Gabby's panicked face, "Okay, I'll entrust the young master to you, Miss Gabby."
"Young master will be safe with me." Gabby teased.
Adam carried Michael's bag and descended the stairs, following Gabby and Michael from behind. Right in front of Gabby's house, a black foreign car was parked. They saw Agnes was engrossed in talking to the person behind the wheel.
Seeing someone walking closer, Agnes looked up and smiled. Her face showed that she already knew Michael was going on vacation. Agnes pulled Gabby's hand closer to her.
"When you are there you have to obey your father." Agnes scooped Gabby's face with both hands, "Don't swim in the fish pond, don't eat after eight in the evening. You and your father must not disobey mother's orders, okay?"
Gabby tried to nod her head, "Yes, ma'am."
Agnes kissed Gabby's forehead then let go of her grip, "Get in there."
"Why don't you come?" Gabby asked after she entered the car.
Agnes shook her head and then handed Nara's cage to Gabby, "I've been there many times."
Michael saw the interaction between Gabby and her mother. When he found out that only Gabby and her father were on vacation, Michael could feel his heart dropping. How would Gabby's father react to him?
"Shelly, be careful on your way. Don't go speeding!" Agnes warned her sister.
"Of course!" Shelly replied.
When the engine started, Adam bowed, "Be careful, young master."
Michael nodded his head and closed the car window. When the car had not left the housing, Gabby already opened her bag. She took out small cookies and placed them at Michael's lap.
"Try this, it's really good." Gabby said.
Michael looked at Gabby and then the cookies at his lap, "What's this?"
"What do you think?" Gabby opened the plastic wrap, "Of course it's cookies!"
Michael rolled his eyes and then took off the plastic wrap. He took one and then put it in his mouth. It tasted sweet like chocolate, just not like the Belgian chocolate he ate last night.
"Delicious." Michael nodded his head and went back to eating the cake.
"Obviously." Gabby finished the cake, "I have high taste."
"Including taste in men, right? No wonder you like me." Michael teased.
Gabby's face turned red and she turned her gaze towards the street, "Hey, don't try me. Don't be too confident."
During the trip, Gabby's mouth never stopped chewing. After eating a small cake, she opened the plastic container filled with strawberries. After that she opened some gums and chewed it all the way.
The trip to Gabby's father's fishing grounds took about three to four hours. That, if it was not jammed. After she stuffed too much food to her stomach, Gabby fell fast asleep.
On the way to Gabby's father's fishing site, Michael could see a green scenery. Whether it's weeds or rice fields. No one spoke in the car. Only the sound of the car tires in direct contact with the asphalt could be heard.
Michael suddenly felt something heavy on his shoulders while he was enjoying the green scenery outside. The man turned his head and could see Gabby sleeping on his shoulder. Michael smiled a little, closed his eyes and placed his head over Gabby's.
Shelly caught their adorable action in the rearview mirror of her car. The woman felt there was something odd about them. She shook her head and thought that they were just good friends.
The sun sank slowly causing the sky to turn orange. Shelly turned on the radio and turned the volume down. Her finger tapped lightly on the steering wheel, following the song.
-
"Hey," Shelly turned off the engine, "We're here, let's get up."
Gabby opened her eyes, rubbed them and then looked around. The girl looked at her surroundings and found the place was filled by fish ponds. The sky was getting dark, but there was still some lingering orange color in the sky.
"We have arrived!" Gabby turned and shook Michael's body, "Let's get out of the car!"
Michael looked out the window and nodded his head, "Come on."
After they got out of the car, Michael instinctively grasped Gabby's hand. Since they had been holding hands so often, they didn't feel awkward. In fact, they found it strange if they didn't hold hands all day long.
"Father!" Gabby called from outside the fence.
Hearing the voice of his daughter calling himself made Daniel leave his job. With a little haste the man looked for the key to the fence. His steps stopped when Daniel saw Michael holding his daughter's hand. In this state alone the boy would still take a chance!
"Father!" Gabby waved her hand.
Daniel opened the fence with a flat face. The man wore shorts full of mud and rubber boots for gardening. After he had managed to open the fence, Daniel narrowed his eyes at Michael.
The man welcomed his daughter with a smile, "Hello, don't touch daddy!" He pulled away when Gabby wanted to hug him, "Daddy is covered in mud. You guys come in then wait at dad's office. Later dad will follow."
"Alright then!" Gabby said.
Gabby grabbed Michael's hand, "Come on in."
This could not be tolerated! His daughter grabbed the strange man's hand in front of him? Really outrageous! But of course Daniel couldn't scold his daughter, he preferred to glare at Michael instead. As if telling the man to let go of his child's hand.
Michael saw Daniel's face and let go of Gabby's hand, his ears flushed. The boy took his hand out of Gabby's reach when she wanted to grasp his hand again.
"What are you doing?" Gabby frowned and tugged at Michael's wrist.
Michael pried Gabby's hand and walked ahead of her. Even though the boy didn't know where Gabby's father's office was, he still walked ahead. Not long after, he saw Nara running ahead of him.
Somehow, Michael felt like he was not welcome here. It was as if he was a stranger interrupting Gabby's family vacation. He followed where Nara ran and it turned out that the dog took him to Daniel's office. The boy wanted to sit on the sofa but didn't dare, so he chose to stand by the door.
"Gosh..." Gabby was surprised to see Michael, "What are you doing standing here? Come on, sit down."
It wasn't long before Shelly walked in with her luggage. The woman sat on the sofa opposite them and took off her sunglasses.
"Now, what do you two want to drink?" Shelly straightened her hair, "I'm sure your dad has all kinds of drinks."
Gabby took off her hat and sat next to Michael, her thigh touching Michael's thigh, "Don't bother! Auntie has driven a long distance, now auntie needs to rest."
"Fine if you insist." Shelly smiled as she stood up and carried her things, "Get your own drink and help yourself, okay? Auntie wants to take a shower."
Gabby and Michael nodded their heads.
After seeing Shelly leave her father's office, Gabby got up and turned on the air conditioner. The girl sat back down next to Michael and looked at the man.
"What do you want to drink? I'll bring it for you" Gabby took off her braid which made her hair wavy.
Michael couldn't take his eyes off Gabby's hair, "Anything, I'm with you."
Gabby nodded and took a fizzy drink from the fridge. Before returning to the sofa, the girl took a few packets of beans on her father's table.