Within the following forty-eight hours, Leilani, Trevor, and Hannah had all embarked on a cab ride back from the airport after bidding Herbert farewell.
Leilani and Trevor amused themselves in the back seat, cracking jokes left and right, while Hannah sat in the passenger seat next to the cabbie, appearing rather glum.
“Alright, alright, Trevor. If you can get this one right, I owe you a pair of Nike sneakers,” Leilani teased, a smirk playing on her lips as Trevor perked up with interest.
“What does a house wear?” she quizzed with a sly grin.
A wide smile spread across Trevor’s face as he sat up, “Wear paints?”
“Wrong! The correct answer is address,” Leilani revealed, causing Trevor to double over in laughter. She joined in on the fun, her own laughter echoing in the cab.
“That’s not fair, Mom. How can a house wear an address? It should be paints because that’s exactly what they wear,” Trevor complained. “Does that mean I don’t get the sneakers?”
Leilani chuckled and proposed another riddle, to which Trevor eagerly nodded in agreement.
“Why do ducks have feathers?”
Trevor furrowed his brow, deep in thought. “To fly?”
“To cover their butt quacks!” Leilani burst out amidst giggles.
Trevor couldn’t contain his laughter and stuck a knuckle in his mouth, giving in to the hysteria. Even the cab driver couldn’t help but chuckle at the mother-son banter.
However, Hannah’s expression remained unchanged. She looked like she was about to cry.
Leilani’s laughter gradually died down as she noticed her best friend’s unchanged demeanor amidst the lively atmosphere.
Sighing softly, she leaned in closer to Hannah in the front seat. “Babe, can you please stop being so sad? Herbert will be back before you know it. What’s there to be sad about?”
But instead of responding, Hannah simply allowed the tears to cascade down her cheeks.
Seeing her friend’s tears, Leilani nudged her playfully. “Who would have thought you’d be head over heels for Herbert this much?”
Hannah let out a miserable sniffle and wiped away her tears. “You just don’t understand, Lani,” she said with a heavy sigh. “Herbert and David are completely different in every way imaginable. Herbert makes me feel like I am the only treasure in his life. So tell me, why would he leave me like this?” Her words were punctuated by a fresh wave of tears.
Leilani responded cogently, “Come on, Hannah. Herbert didn’t actually leave you. He went to visit his sick father because there was no one else to take care of him.”
“I know, Lani. But what if he doesn’t come back for me?” Hannah cried even harder, while Leilani simply sighed and leaned back in her seat, remaining silent.
Trevor, who didn’t fully understand the situation, felt the need to comfort Hannah. “Don’t worry, Aunt. The person will surely come back for you,” he said reassuringly.
“Do you really think so?” Hannah looked into Trevor’s eyes, her own filled with hope.
Trevor nodded confidently and patted his chest. “I am sure. He seemed to really love you too.”
A grin spread across Hannah’s face and she wiped away any remaining traces of tears. “I believe you, Trevor,” she said, holding his hand tightly. Then, she turned to give Leilani a cold glare.
“I hate you, Lani,” she seethed, causing Leilani to burst out laughing.
“You weren’t listening to me and I left you,” Leilani managed to say between laughs.
“Stop laughing, you bad friend!” Hannah’s screech of frustration only made Leilani laugh even more.
However, in just thirty minutes, the three of them were in the reception area of Ethan’s hostel. As soon as Ethan appeared with a wide grin on his face and spotted his sister, he ran toward Leilani and jumped on her.
“Oh my God!” Leilani yelped, but she couldn’t help laughing as they hugged.
“I missed you so much, sis,” Ethan said tearfully as they pulled apart from the hug.
Leilani’s eyes glistened with tears as she smiled and playfully ruffled her brother’s hair. “I missed you more, baby. Now tell me, is life better here than with Hannah?”
Ethan then pretended to just see Hannah for the first time in years. “Hannah!” he exclaimed and lunged playfully at her, causing her to scowl even harder.
“Don’t act like you miss me now. Let go,” Hannah snapped, but Ethan only tightened his grip around her, laughing.
“ETHAN!” Hannah cried out, finally breaking free from his hold.
He looked at Hannah with the same loving gaze he had for his sister. “You know I missed you a lot, Hannah. You know that, don’t you?”
Hannah couldn’t help but smile at his words before hugging him. “I can’t believe I missed you so much. Who would miss a brat like you?”
They all laughed, and Leilani took the opportunity to introduce Trevor to Ethan.
“I never thought he could be this cute. Look at him,” Ethan beamed at Trevor and extended a handshake. “What’s up, buddy? My sis has told me a lot about you, trust me.”
“But she didn’t tell me much about you,” Trevor replied.
Ethan shrugged nonchalantly. “Well, that’s because there’s not much to tell about me. I used to be in a wheelchair, though.”
Trevor looked at Ethan with sympathy, but he just chuckled. “Come on, pal. That’s in the past. My legs are better now, thanks to your dad,” Ethan said, winking at Trevor.
“That’s enough now. Here are the things I bought for you,” Leilani pushed a large shopping bag towards Ethan, who was grinning ear to ear.
“That’s why I love you, sis,” He said, beaming as he eagerly opened the bag to reveal new clothes, shoes, and accessories.
Later that evening, Leilani and Trevor arrived back home and headed straight to the dining room. Leilani had already called ahead to have the cook prepare some food for them.
When the food arrived, Leilani and Trevor exchanged confused glances as they realized it was different from what they had expected.
“Why did you choose to prepare pasta for him while serving me with baked chicken and salad?” Leilani inquired, her brows furrowed in confusion.
“Miss Ariel specifically requested for some pasta for Trevor as it happens to be his preferred dish,” the cook woman responded.
“Then you should have spared yourself the stress and served us both pasta. Now I’m craving for it,” Leilani grumbled, blinking her eyes in disappointment.
“And I want to have some baked chicken as well, Mom,” Trevor chimed in, also expressing his dissatisfaction.
In response, they exchanged plates and eagerly indulged in their respective dishes.
“Mmm, this salad is so yummy!” Trevor exclaimed with a smile spreading across his face after taking a bite.
“No, Trevor. The pasta is more scrumptious,” Leilani countered playfully.
As they neared the end of their meal, Ariel suddenly stormed into the dining room and let out a shrill scream.
“What on earth have you done?!” she yelled in surprise.