Connections

The mother, father, son, and foreigner were now all in the kitchen, waiting for dinner to be prepared.

Selena Bracker, Ace’s mom, cooked the dinner, while the other three sat at the table, none of them speaking a single word.

It was as if the word “awkward” infected the oxygen in the kitchen, forcing everyone inside of it to be taken over by the emotion.

The main source of the emotion was the mother, and the receiver was the son, both of them not knowing how to speak to the other after everything that happened.

His mom accepted his story, so everything should’ve been fine, but she was being comforted by her husband as she was accepting it, so the two of them didn’t have time to talk with each other.

Now that they did have the time, they didn’t know the right first words to speak, resulting in the birth of this awkward silence.

Ace’s father and Aliza also both sat there in silence, knowing that the next conversation should be between the mother and the son.

Ace’s mom finished cooking and set the food on the table, then took a seat next to her husband.

After a few seconds, the silence was broken...

“I...”

It was Ace’s mom, Selena Bracker, who let out the first words.

“---!”

Ace was expecting her to say the first words, but it still gave him a slight shock and forced all of his attention on to her.

She opened her mouth once again to speak, restarting her sentence.

“Once again... Ace... I’m sorry for not believing you. I should’ve been the one to believe you... but I wasn’t...”

She apologized once again, hating herself for doubting her son, who was hurting the most.

The next one to open their mouth was Ace, needing to respond to his mom’s apology.

“It’s okay... I wouldn’t have believed myself either...”

After responding to the apology, there was another few seconds of silence. No one knew what to say next.

The one to break the break the silence was Ace, not wanting the awkward silence to continue anymore.

“Mom, I know it’ll be hard to hear, but will you listen to the rest of the story tonight? I didn’t get to finish it last night.”

“Oh... yeah... you didn’t get to finish, did you? Mm... we can finish it tonight; I know you’re still going through a lot so take your time.”

She said, with a small nod accompanying it.

Now that Ace got confirmation about finishing the story, he wanted the rest of the day to be as normal as possible.

He wanted to do a regular day activity, such as watching a movie, like he did on the day before he left.

That’s why he delayed telling the rest of the story. He wanted to finish it right now, but if he did, he wouldn’t be able to get the normal day he wanted.

“Okay... it’s been awkward between us for a while, but I think we’re okay now. Don’t worry about apologizing anymore or feeling guilty, let’s just continue on.”

He said to his mom, wanting to exterminate the lingering pieces of awkwardness.

His mom stayed silent, hesitant to just return to normal, but the next one to speak was Aliza, feeling that it was okay to speak now.

“Mrs. Bracker, this food is amazing! What is this dish called?”

She realized that Ace’s mom needed a small push to return to normal, and that’s exactly what she gave.

She switched the topic over to the food and how she was a foreigner who knew nothing about this world.

His mom was now focused on Aliza and how she neglected to treat her like a proper guest while she was here.

“Oh, I guess you don’t know these dishes since you’re from another world. This is called pasta. The little swirls are made using flour and the sauce is made from tomatoes.”

“I see! This is delicious! Do you do all the cooking in the house?”

Aliza said, continuing the conversation as the four of them ate dinner.

“Thank you.”

Ace whispered to Aliza, who took on the job of helping him eliminate the unpleasant, awkward feeling.

“I’m a traveler, I’m genuinely interested.”

“Even so, you really are a big help.”

Aliza stayed silent for a few seconds before speaking once again.

“You’re welcome.”

She gave a small smile in Ace’s direction, feeling a sense of fulfillment.

Ace was not the only one who was grateful.

Aliza watched Ace go through these swirl of emotions as he reunited with his parents and friends, and yet, he allowed Aliza to join in the various activities that she would never be able to experience.

She had no idea what type of things he was going through, but he continued to allow her to participate. Whether it was basketball or video games, these are things that she would never even dream of trying, because she never even knew what they were before coming to this world.

She was truly grateful to Ace for that, so she thought it was only necessary that she helped him as much as possible while she was here.

And so, the conversation continued to flow, along with time, the clock saying it was 6:50 PM.

“Thank you for the food.”

Ace finished up his dinner and made his way upstairs towards his room. Aliza also finished up and followed Ace to his room. She thought it would’ve felt weird if she was alone with his parents.

"*sigh* Only a few hours left...”

He said, dropping himself onto the bed.

“...”

Aliza didn’t know the right words to say to him right now. Comforting words? A push of encouragement? Reassurance?

She decided to stay silent, letting Ace think to himself of what he wanted to do for the last few hours of his last day.

Ace sat up from his bed and nodded to himself, seeming as if he was resolving himself.

“Yeah, I’m sure. I’ve wanted this day to be normal, and that’s what I’ll make it.”

He didn’t want any regrets when returning to the other world, so he decided to be selfish and let himself decide what he wanted to do.

“I’ve done everything I normally do. Go to school with Isa, go to the convenience store, play video games, play basketball with dad, and I think I’ll be able to have some time with mom. Everything is fine...”

“Haha... I can’t really... say that.”

These events were everything Ace wanted to do from the bottom of his heart, and he got the chance to do them, but he’s still not in a situation where he can feel more happiness than grief.

The events took away his sadness for a short period of time but... once they ended... he really was leaving. He doesn’t get another day, nor does he get a redo.

The feeling inside of him was unavoidable.

How could he feel anything other than this horrible feeling of misery?

The time he spent with his friends and family numbed the pain and gave him the ability to smile, but the feeling still lingered and would forever continue to linger unless a miracle occurred that allowed him to stay...

But that was not going to come true.

He accepted that and stuck to his plans of having the ideal day.

The next thing that was on his list for the day...

“A movie.”

A piece of entertainment that was commonly enjoyed in the Bracker household.

Ace has watched countless movies with his parents, and it has become a common occurrence which is why it was the first thing to come to mind as the last activity he would do with his mom.

After finishing thinking to himself for a few minutes, Ace got up from his bed and made his way towards the door.

He stopped before leaving his room and looked over at Aliza, who was sitting at the chair in front of his monitor.

“I’m going to watch a movie with my mom, you want to come?”

“I don’t know what a movie is, but it sounds fun. I’ll keep asking but... is it okay?”

She would continue to ask, not wanting to intrude on Ace’s final moments with his parents.

“Yeah, you’re already here, I can’t just leave you bored. Also, my mom will probably force me to bring you downstairs, so it’s fine.”

“Ok... if it’s fine, then I’ll take you up on your offer.”

She said, twiddling her thumbs, now more focused and interested on what a movie was.

“Ok, let’s go downstairs.”

Aliza nodded back, following behind Ace.

They made their way downstairs and into the family room, where Ace’s parents were sitting.

Ace’s mom was the first to notice the two enter the room.

She immediately tensed up, thinking Ace was here to finish his story.

“Mom, you want to watch a movie? I wanted to show Aliza since she hasn’t seen one before.”

Her shoulders started to relax once she found out his plans were different from what she imagined.

“Oh... sure! It’ll be fun to see how she reacts!”

“Yeah, I was thinking the same thing.”

“Here, Aliza, sit down, I’ll bring some hot chocolate.”

She said, pointing to the unoccupied couch.

“It’s fine, you don’t have to do all that Mrs. Bracker...”

“Yes I do, you are an important guest in this household!”

“Ok, if you insist...”

She said as she sat down on the couch, followed by Ace, sitting next to her.

Ace’s dad was sitting on the other couch, fiddling with his laptop.

Ace’s dad noticed that they were here to watch a movie and got up from his seat.

“Sorry Ace, I have some work to do... call me down when you want to talk.”

His dad got out of his seat and moved towards the stairs, not wanting to be distracted by the movie.

“Yeah, that’s fine. I’ll make sure to do so.

His dad nodded back and went upstairs.

Ace then grabbed the remote and started searching for a good movie to watch.

He found the movie he wanted to watch and waited for his mom to come back, not wanting to start without her.

After a few minutes, she came back to the family room and placed some cups on the coffee table in front of the couches.

“Don’t drink too quick, it’s hot.”

She warned Aliza before making her way back to her seat on the other couch, where her husband was sitting a few minutes earlier.

“What’re we watching?”

His mom asked as Ace finished fiddling around with the remote.

“I decided on... House Alone! A masterpiece of a movie!”

House Alone is a movie about a huge family who goes on a Christmas vacation, but they accidentally leave one of their kids at home. They cannot take a plane back home due to complications, so they are stuck on the vacation. During the family’s absence, burglars try to break in, but the boy who was left behind uses his brains to repel the burglars. It’s a comedy with an ending that leaves you with a warm feeling as the family reunites.

“That’s perfect, I’ve been wanting a nice laugh for the past few days.”

“Yeah, me too. I’m starting it now.”

He said, as he pressed play on the remote and moved to sit beside his mom.

It felt a little weird sitting beside Aliza when there was a free seat beside his mom.

He didn’t know if it was because he wanted to spend as much time near his mom or if it was just the lack of time that him and Aliza have spent together, but it felt natural.

The movie then started to play, Aliza’s eyes lighting up at the sight of it, but her not letting it show too much in consideration of Ace’s situation.

She didn’t want to draw attention to herself so Ace could properly enjoy his moments with his mother.

The movie then continued to play, Ace savoring the time he has left.

15 minutes passed...

30 minutes...

1 hour...

An hour and a half...

The movie started to reach its end.

So far, it fulfilled its goal in making the three laugh and now started to conclude.

The boy repelled the burglars with his tactics and his family returned home from their vacation.

He now stood in the doorway of his house and saw his mom standing in front of the car.

She turned around to face the house and their eyes met...

Her son... was alive. He was standing there in front of her eyes, free from harm...

She started running, sprinting, as if her life depended on it, just to reach her son.

She made it to the doorway and dropped to her knees, not worrying about the snow, as she captured her son in a warm embrace.

They may just be actors, but the scene truly portrayed a mother relieved to see her son alive and well.

As Ace’s mother watched the scene unfolding in front of her eyes, she pulled Ace towards herself...

And started to cry.

She was reminded of the day before today, when she was running around town, searching for her missing son.

She felt a connection to this movie on an insane level, one that felt as if she was the mother in the film.

When she received the call from Ace, it was shocking at first, but after picking up the phone and hearing his voice...

Relief forced its way inside of her from all angles.

Relief that she could hear him breathing...

Hear his voice...

And feel his emotions through the phone.

All those were factors that told her that her son was alive and well.

It may not have been face-to-face like in the movie, but the feeling was the exact same.

This connection that she made to the mother was what brought her tears and caused her to pull her son towards herself.

She was truly glad that she still had the opportunity to be a mother towards her one and only son.

She was glad that she could still cook him dinner.

She was glad that she could still talk to him about how his day at school was.

She was glad that she could see his clothes in the basket when doing his laundry.

She was glad that she could see him playing basketball when coming home.

She was glad that she could watch movies with him.

She was glad that she could hold him in her arms...

This movie reminded her of how much she loved her son and how sad it would make her to see him in any sort of danger.

She wanted to continue being his mom and now that he’s safe, she can do that.

She can be his mom forever and that will not be taken from her.

The movie left the mom with a feeling of sadness at first, but that emotion gradually changed into one of gratitude, for being such an amazing movie, and providing her with connections that reminded her of moments of relief and comfort.

The movie did leave soft emotions in one person, but there was one other person that made a connection to it...

And that was the son.

Ace Bracker also felt a connection to the movie, placing himself in the main character’s shoes.

Ace Bracker knew the reality of the situation...

What his parent’s thought of as the end of the story...

Was just the beginning.

This was not an “I’m back”, but a “farewell”.

They didn’t know this detail yet, but...

Ace Bracker did.

The movie just started for him.

He would be the one going on vacation, leaving his parents behind.

His movie would last 365 days, allowing no contact with his parents or friends.

It was because he knew the reality of the situation that he also...

Started to cry.

His cry wasn’t one of relief and a soft feeling like his mother’s, but one of sadness and misery.

As his mom pulled him towards herself, he also stretched his arms around her and dug his face into her.

The tears streamed on to his mother’s shirt and his mother realized that he was crying.

Once she realized, a soft, motherly smile appeared on her face.

She believed that Ace was feeling the same feeling that she was, so she sat up and hugged Ace softly, just as any mother would when a son was in need of their help.

They were both hurting when Ace was away, but right now, she couldn’t prioritize herself when her son had a flurry of emotions mixing inside of him.

It was rare for him to hug her, so now was the time when she needed to act like a mother and support her son.

Not only did she want to act like a mother, but she also wanted to pay him back for not believing him when he trusted her.

She truly hated herself for not believing in him, but she let that emotion of hate go, to support her son who was crying into her chest.

Ace continued to let his tears flood on to his mom’s shirt, thinking this would be the last time that she would hold him like this for a year.

He continued to cry, a quiet one where he kept his mouth closed and sniffled his nose every few seconds.

He didn’t think about anything right now except holding his mother, who he still had the opportunity to see.

He didn’t care about being embarrassed or making the situation awkward.

He just wanted to hold his mom and be able to receive her embrace.

And so, that’s what he did.

He wrapped his arms tighter around her and hugged her, as if his life would be at risk if he let go.

His mom continued to cradle her son with a soft touch, one only a mother could achieve.

And the two let their emotions intertwine...

Time ticking down as they did...