Jake looked at the passed-out Andy in his arms and gently caressed his face. He wiped the tears from his face, got him back up, and sat him straight in his chair. Alice had been observing her father's changing demeanor as he was reunited with his friend. Tears had taken hold of her as well at this joyous moment. Two friends had met up, her father had changed a little and she could only hope that he will continue to do so, her uncle was back which meant only happy things for her and her friend Ellen. If there ever was a joyous occasion this would be it.
"I did not know that you both met at an orphanage. All I knew was that Uncle was an orphan as well, like my father. He never talked about it before. At first, I was too little to understand and then he was too out of it for such a conversation." Alice looked at her dad with a heavy heart and regret on her face. She loved her father very much but for the last few years after his accident, he had not been the best of fathers.
"Maybe that is why you guys are such good friends because you have been together since childhood. You grew up together, and went through life with each other."
"Uncle? Do you believe me now? I thought I was some weirdo who was trying to kidnap you." Jake smiled as he teased her.
"After what happened here, how can I not believe you? I just saw my father go from angry to nostalgic to sad and to happy again. Trust me when I say that he has not changed that many emotions over a few years. He spends a year angry and sad, he gets happy for a few days and then back to it. Now he fainted smiling in your arms, that will not happen if you were not my Uncle and some weirdo kidnapper. Plus now that I am looking at you closely I can see the resemblance. It must be because of the beard that I did not recognize you right away."
"Well, I am happy that you finally recognized me. Did you have a hard time recognizing me because of the beard? Maybe I should shave before I go meet them. Anyway, let's go inside and put him down somewhere to rest." They were standing on the porch with the front door open with Andy passed out. They decided that it would be best if they went inside.
Alice closed the door and led Jake, who pushed Andy inside. They entered the living room and Jake stopped the wheelchair in front of the sofas. He gently picked up Andy and laid him down on a sofa. He made sure that he was comfortable and that he would not roll down and fall.
Jake took a seat in front of Andy and sat down comfortably. He let himself sink deep into the soft cushions of the sofa to relax. After all, a big weight had been lifted from his shoulders and now he could allow himself some reprieve. He felt light and happy as he leaned back into the sofa. So happy in fact that he could not believe what happened. The journey of twenty-five years had brought him to this one moment.
It was a complete change from a few hours ago. A few hours ago Jake was having a complete mental breakdown. He was sitting in a park crying as he was reminiscing. Now he had finally found what he was looking for.
He had met his friend, Andy. Andy had suffered a lot during this time but Jake promised that he would see to it that he is well looked after. He found out that his family was alive and well. He would later go and meet them when Andy woke up. He was running a marathon in his happy place when he was brought back to reality by Alice. She came back from the kitchen and brought with her a glass of cold water.
He took the glass and kissed it as the water poured down the valley of parched throats. Only after he drank the water that he found out how thirsty he was. This glass of water was so refreshing that he asked for another glass. A thought came to him by the second glass which was the taste of water.
When he first went to the other world he was always a little bit off-put by the taste of water. The taste was not weird in any way but it just never agreed with him. Now that he was back and drinking water here, he found no difference in the taste. It was refreshing as hell but no significant change that he could register. This was strange for a moment until he buried the thought of where it came from.
Alice took the glass back to the kitchen and he just sat there waiting for her, looking around the house. The state of the house was disheveled; it looked like it has not been kept properly. He wondered where Akari was. If she had been at home she would have come out by now but she didn't. Alice then came back and sat down with him, and they both started talking.
"You know I said it before but you have really grown up haven't you, little Alice? Wait I guess I can't call you little anymore can I?" Jake sat up straight and started talking.
"Of course, I am not little anymore I have grown up since then. I was ten, the last time you saw me and now I am fifteen. It would be a problem if I had not grown up since then."
"How about Ellen, is she as tall as you now? I mean both Sylvia and me are tall so she would be tall as well I think."
"Ellen is a little bit taller than me but not enough that it would be that obvious. Speaking of which should I call her or tell her now that you are back? You didn't know about them so I don't think you have met yet right?" Alice asked Jake but had to wait for an answer as he got quiet.
Jake gave it some thought but decided against calling her right now. This was not news that should be given to someone over the phone, face to face interaction would be best.
"No don't call her or your aunt. I have not seen them yet and I think it would be best if we talked face to face. Where are they right now anyway? I went to our house but someone else was living there and they had no idea who they were. Are they close to somewhere around here?"
"Yeah, Aunt Sylvia sold the house a few years ago and moved into an apartment in a town. It was closer to her job and it was pretty cheap. The town is actually right next to us so it is close by. It should take us maybe half an hour to get there."
Jake looked at Andy and he was still sleeping, so he continued his lovely conversation with Alice. He had found his friend, his family was safe and he was getting more information about the time he was not here. There was no need to rush now, Andy will wake up, and then they would go and meet his family.
"I am not boring you with my questions am I?" Jake smiled a little, worried she might be finding these questions bothersome or weird.
"It's fine really. I know it's been a long time since you left and are curious about our lives. So ask anything you want to and I will answer if I can." Alice understood Jake's curiosity and was willing to answer his questions.
"Don't mind if I do then. Let's see, how about school? You guys must be entering High school pretty soon right? Maybe you have already, I think so. How are your studies going?"
"They are great, I am not at the top of my class but I do fine in the middle somewhere. Ellen is always in the top ten but it goes up and down for her. We both attend the same high school in the city. In fact, we have our finals on Monday."
"That's great, little one. Both of you are doing really well. Your father and I were always last in our class so you guys are obviously better than us. I have always said it before and I will say it again but don't really worry about getting the best results. Just go at your own pace and you will reach where you want to go."
"Thanks, Uncle Jake, I am not really someone who is aiming for the top in anything, believe me. I am the type that will get by with whatever I have and can get."
"What about your Aunt? How has she been? What has she been doing? Did she go back to work for her old company?"
"She has been well, I think. After you were gone things were a little out of place but slowly she put things together again. Better than my father at least. I am not sure which was her old company but about six months ago she was working in a company. I don't know what it was but there were some problems and she left the job after that. Now she is working in our school."
Jake was happy to find out that most of the things had worked out well. Of course, there were problems but none of them were as bad as Jake had imagined before. Ellen was going to school with her friend and was doing great in her studies. Sylvia had started working at a company which meant that they must have had a stable income. Although Jake was not sure how much debt and burden Sylvia had to shoulder in his absence. One more curious thing was why did she suddenly stop working at a higher-paying job and started working in a school.
"Where is Akari?"