24 Going Home

November 15, 2010, Monday. Rains in Tengueb have gotten lesser. Smacked dab in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, Teungeb's climate can roughly divided into two seaons; Dry and Wet. This year, Teungeb is lucky to only have afternoon and early morning rains from June to October and was not affected much by the Typhoons that usually start at West Teungeb Sea and make their way to wreak havoc to east and Southeast Asia. This November marks the start of Teungeb's dry season. This also meant that there are less vehicular accidents in highways due to dryer roads.

A week ago, Tayaw finally got his driver's license and bought himself a 2010 Hilux Double Cab for 50,000 BGC which he paid in full price. He knows how installments work, and he did not like how car dealers get too greedy with the interests. Tayaw always preferred to drive pick-up because of their practicality. Better fuel efficiency than sedans and SUVs, better visibility, the multi-purpose cargo bed in the back, better strength and toughness of the body and engine, and some more. He also liked the heavy feeling while driving a pick-up as he feels like he's really driving something. The main reason Tayaw chose to buy a pick-up is the hilly and mountainous terrain of Nabla Province. If one wants to stay stuck in Ouigab, a city in the middle of mountains and hills, one could simply make due with a sedan. Tayaw wants to drive often to his hometown of Okuba and the steep, long and winding terrain on the way can be endured by a pick-up truck. Because Nabla province is in the middle of Northern Teungeb, one does not have a choice of traveling through a straight sea-side highway those provinces and cities along the coasts are blessed with.

Today is the start of Ouigab's Inter-collegiate sports festival week. Due to this event, classes from all the universities attending the festival will be suspended, which means basically a free week to students who are non-sports fans. Tayaw is a baseball fan, but because baseball and cricket are not big in Teungeb, there is no event he is planning to watch. What he wants to do, on the other hand is to go home to Okuba and spend time with his family for the week. After waking up at 7am, he went out to shop for things he wants to bring back home to Okuba. He bought things like shoes and jeans for Payew, Agew, and Liboo; and a handbag and a purse for Kilat. He also bought two laptops, each for Payew to use for school and for Kilat to use for her teacher stuff. He stopped himself in buying mobile phones for Payew and Agew because he knows that smartphone addiction is a thing in the future and he does not want them having it early. He also bought some of Ouigab's famous local candies and snacks for Agew and Payew to enjoy. Finally, through Chala, he bought the best bottles of Whiskey and Scotch for Liboo. After shopping, he started packing his clothes, two boxes of his Fairy Tales, and the stuff he shopped, and fastened them in the back of his pick-up truck and went to his favorite diner for lunch.

At 1pm, he started his drive to Okuba. Tayaw has plenty of experience in his previous life driving for long distances, especially so with the driving to Okuba and back. Currently, however, he is anxious because his current self's body is not used to it. Thankfully, two hours into the drive, he realized his body is healthier than his previous life's self, thanks to his self-imposed endurance training. On the third hour, he started feeling tired because of the shopping he did in the morning so he pulled up to the first convenience store that he saw. He bought a bottle of water and a can of energy drink and went back to his car to take a nap for an hour. Feeling refreshed after the nap, he downed the water and the energy drink consecutively and resumed the drive while singing passionately along to the songs he is playing on the cars stereo.

It was already 7pm when he reached his neighborhood in Okuba. He arrived at the perfect time because everyone in his family is already home and probably just had their dinner. He pulled up the pick-up truck in front of the house, beside Liboo's van and turned off the engine. Tayaw has not exited yet the pick-up truck to prepare himself on how to explain his sudden fortune.

With the loud engine of the truck and the headlights, it prompted Liboo from inside the house, to lift the curtains in the living room to peek at what's happening outside. He saw the pick-up truck but because the windows of the vehicle are tinted, he has no idea whose truck it was that just parked in front of HIS house. As he opened the front door to talk to the driver of the truck, the pick-up truck's door also opened and saw, to his surprise, Tayaw. Tayaw just walked to him. "Good evening, dad." Tayaw greeted Liboo and gave him a bear hug. Liboo who just got out of his confusion also returned the embrace. "Long time, son. Where did you steal the nice ride from?" Liboo joked to Tayaw. "It's mine. Haha.." Tayaw chucked in reply, to Liboo's shock. "What???" Liboo's exclamation was heard from the inside and Payew ran out through the front door with a Chinese knife, as if ready to fight. "Hey! Put that thing away! There's no meat for you to chop!" Tayaw reprimanded Payew also surprised at the apprehension Payew displayed. "Bro! What are you doing here?" Payew also asked in confusion as he put the hand holding the Chinese knife down. "What? I can't go home? Let's talk inside." Tayaw replied as he walked towards back of the truck and picked up the box of his books and locked sealed the cargo bed once again. He then entered the house followed by the confused Liboo and Payew. "Hey mom! Guess who walked in the kitchen?" Tayaw announced himself when he saw Kilat sitting by the dining table. "Who?- Tayaw?! What are you doing back here?" His mom blurted out in confusion. "Am I not welcome at home anymore?" Tayaw said amused at Kilat's confusion. "Oh? Bro." Agew who just walked out of the bathroom said in his coolly when he saw Tayaw.

After a few seconds of getting their confusions out of the way, the family sat around the dining table, complete for the first time after three months. "How about school?" Kilat asked first. "It's inter-collegiate sports week, and there's no baseball so I decided to just come home for the week." Tayaw replied. "How about that pick-up truck? You said it was yours?" Liboo asked next, to Kilat and Payew's surprise. "You have a car?!" "That ride's yours!?" They exclaimed at the same time.

"That's actually one of the reasons why I came home." Tayaw said as he opened the box he carried inside and pulled out two copies of his fairy tales. "I earned big from these." Tayaw said as he pushed the books toward Kilat and Liboo. "Oh! I know this book. T.L.D Grimmau -- " Kilat said and suddenly something in her head clicked. "YOU WROTE THESE!?" She exclaimed also to Liboo's surprise. "How?" Liboo also asked. "Well, you both know about my English proficiency. I was already writing these for years as practice for my English writing. Someone from work spotted me writing it and he suggested me to publish it. So I did. I just did not expect it would become famous and sell well." Tayaw replied with the lie he prepared beforehand. It's easier to say than the truth that would make him look crazy. "T.L.D. Grimmauld. Wait. Tayaw L. Dagem Grimmauld?" Payew who was examining the book was late in the uptake and asked rhetorically.

"I understand that you earned some money. Why didn't you save it, and instead even bought a pick-up?" Liboo who had too many surprises tonight, tried to reprimand Tayaw. "Yes. These books also will not sell forever so I think you should also start saving early." Kilat also followed. "Mom, it's only been two months since my book was released and the publishing firm estimated that my books will still be in demand for at least two more months." Tayaw explained. "Still. Unless you're writing another book, you should not be complacent." Liboo said, still adamant that Tayaw save his money. "I understand your worries, mom and dad. You both noticed that it says Volume – 1 in the title, right?" Tayaw asked his parents. "So you're planning on writing a second volume? Are you sure it will sell just as well as the first volume?" Liboo asked skeptically. "The thing is I already have the second volume in store. The stories I have in the second volume are just as good as the ones in the first volume, so if the public responded well with the stories of the first volume, I'm also confident in the stories I have not published yet." Tayaw replied, his point silencing the couple.

"But what if it doesn't? Look, our only concern is that this is a rare opportunity for you to save up. You're young so you don't understand much yet, but you should save as much as possible." Kilat expressed her concerns more. "Alright. However, let me do something for the family for once, will you hear me out?" Tayaw said. His parents are just scolding him out of love and concern for his future. Knowing this Tayaw knows they will disagree with him spending big.

"Payew and Agew, please go to your rooms and do your homework." Kilat ordered the two kids as its better if she and Liboo to talk to Tayaw alone. After Payew and Agew disappeared to their rooms, Kilat looked at Tayaw as a gesture for him to Talk. "I have actually earned pretty big this month, so please leave mine, Payew's, and Agew's college tuitions to me. The full four years. I have enough for the three of us. " Tayaw did not go around the bush and proposed directly. This came as a shock to both Kilat and Liboo. "No. That's too much, Tayaw." Liboo said and held Kilat's hands on the table that were trembling as she tries to control her emotions. "No, dad. I think it's just right for me to do so. Just like you, there's nothing too much for me when it concerns my brothers' futures. Even though making a college fund for us three will wipe my current savings, it's worth it.�� Tayaw said as he reached over the table to hold his parents' hands.

His parents could only look at him, and then looked at each other as if reaching a mutual understanding. Tears started flowing from Kilat's eyes and she nodded. "Very well, son. Do as you please. Thank you." Kilat said in her trembling voice while trying not to sob. Kilat's simple words of thanks carry a lot of both her and Liboo's sentiments. Liboo also held Kilat in a firm embrace. "You've grown up, son. But, we're still your parents so you're welcome to ask us for help anytime." Liboo who is also starting to tear up, choked up and expressed his acceptance for Tayaw's intentions.

After the couple finally calmed down, they were now both full of smiles as they asked Tayaw about his life in Ouigab. Tayaw talked about his grades, his daily routine, and if there is a girl he likes. As they ran out of things to talk about, Tayaw decided to bring in the stuff he bought for the family. "Payew! Agew! Come out here for a second." The doors to their rooms soon opened and they stepped into the kitchen. "Eh? Did Tayaw make you cry, mom?" Agew asked Kilat when he saw her reddened and slightly puffed eyes. "Yes. But mom is happy." Kilat replied. "What did you say to mom?" Payew also asked. "I told her I brought GIFTS! Follow me outside." Tayaw said as he walked out of the house to his truck.

When Payew and Agew reached the truck, Tayaw already climbed up the cargo bed and sorting out the stuff he bought. "Come, help me carry these" Tayaw said as he handed heavier boxes to Payew and the lighter bags of snacks to Agew. He then picked up the remaining stuff like clothes and the liquors.

That night was full of smiles, exclamations, and laughter.