15 Summer Road Trip

Karlo's Coven assembled in the White House 's driveway. All of us brought an overnight bag. The girls' bags were brimming to the seams. 'Overnight meant bringing our toiletries too, right?' I think the boys just bought their toothbrushes and that was it. Except for Alexis' bag. It was the biggest! We reminded him that the invitation for us was for a night only.

"You know nothing country bumpkins! Haven't you heard of emergencies?" Alexis said, slightly irritated.

"Stay as long as you want, Alexis," Mr. Huang said without teasing.

"Thank you, Mr. Huang, " Alexis said. 'See?' He seemed to be saying.

A black Land Cruiser pulled over. Mr. Frederick Huang and his son Gary rode on it. We were surprised that Gary was not riding with us. We asked Mr. Huang to let Gary join us in our ride. He looked at Gary, letting him decide. Gary said we would travel in convoy so we would still be travelling together. We were disappointed at first but we figured that Gary just wanted to be polite with his dad.

The personal Mercedes Benz van of Grandpa Anton pulled over. That elicited oohs and aahs from the coven. We were delighted that Grandpa Anton let us use his van. His personal driver was even the one driving. 'But of course, only the best for his grandsons.' On second thought, I suspected that even if it was just us farm kids, Grandpa Anton would still let us use the van. We just haven't had the chance to ask him. He was generous like that.

We all climbed to the luxurious van. I was seated of course with who else but Justine. Mel made sure Karlo can't escape her clutches. Marion and Via sat with Auntie Aida who was already having some headache with our noise. Victor couldn't care less where he sat. He just wanted to sleep, he said. Alexis sat in front. He declared that he'd take care of our road trip playlist.

The farm was one hour away from the nearest expressway. It was a scenic winding road. Rice fields and orchards blanketed each side of the road. The crops signaled the beginning or end of the season. It was summer so the rice stalks were golden yellow and heavy with grains. The smell of ripened mangoes filled the air too. I could almost taste that sweet-tangy flesh of my favorite tropical fruit. This was the road of my youth. Traversing it always gave that giddy feeling of adventure and possibilities. That no matter how long and winding it was, the destination was always full of surprises.

There was a favorite clearing where my father and I would often stop on our rare trips to the city. I wanted to show it to Justine and the gang. I requested Uncle Danny, the driver, to please make a short stop there.

Alexis chose a fantastic playlist. Soon, we were doing carpool karaoke. Victor who vowed to sleep didn't escape the gang's rowdiness. He was soon singing the loudest. The gang introduced the New Yorkers to some local bands. They absolutely loved them. One of the bands they adored was Eraserheads. It was actually our parents who introduced us to this band. It was a band that cut across generations. Our chaperones, Auntie Aida and Uncle Danny recognized the songs. They joined us singing in no time. Alexis and Victor played a game. The former would sing the Filipino lyrics and the latter would translate in English.

Alexis: Masdan mo aking mata.

Victor: Look at my eyes

Alexis: Di mo ba nakikita?

Victor: Don't you see?

Alexis: Ako ngayo'y lumilipad at nasa langit na

Victor: I am now flying and in heaven already

Alexis: Gusto mo bang sumama?

Victor: Do you want to come home to New York???

Victor's last translation alluded to me. I made face to him. Justine pat my head gently. But I must admit Alexis and Victor were so silly but funny. We couldn't help but joined in the game. We let the brothers sang in Filipino while the rest of us translate the lyrics in English. It was absolutely hilarious. We were rolling with laughter. Marion and Via wished Gary was with us. Yeah. He was missing this.

The van slowed down when we were near my favorite clearing. The Huang's Land Cruiser beat us to it however. I was happy to find that the BioFeed people knew of the spot too. They were already out of their vehicle. The van stopped and we rushed to get out. We walked to where the Huangs were. An unexpected scene greeted us. Gary was vomiting furiously on the ground. Mr. Huang motioned for us not to approach further. Justine silently led us away to give Gary some privacy. We walked a distance from where Gary was. We stood silently admiring the view from the clearing. I knew however that like me, everyone was worried for him. After some minute, Gary approached us.

"Hey," he said weakly. We turn about-faced. Gary looked pale.

"Hey, " said Justine

"Are you okay, dude?" Alexis said.

Marion and Via went to him checking his forehead for fever. Gary laughed.

"Hey, I'm okay. I guess I'm not used to having dinner under the stars. I'm a true-blooded city-boy you know." He chuckled. We just stood silently looking at him. "Really, guys! I'm okay!"

Mr. Huang called on us to continue our journey. We all went back to our vehicles. We all stayed silent. Our worries to Gary lulled us to sleep. I guessed we were a bit guilty for that under-the-stars dinner that caused him to get sick. We didn't notice when we reached the expressway. It was three more hours to the city.

Auntie Aida woke us up when the van stopped. We were in front of a magnificent building entrance. We alighted from the van. Two people in sharp uniforms helped us with our bags. Mr. Huang and Gary were already waiting for us inside. A handsome lady was with them. Gary introduced her as his mom, Mrs. Leticia Huang. He hugged us one by one. She thanked us for taking-care of her son. We hugged her back shyly thinking that we did not even do anything.

The condo was on the 44th floor. It was huge! The furniture and furnishings were exquisite. It was obvious that nobody lived there though. It didn't have the 'lived-in' look. Mrs. Huang showed us our rooms. Even Uncle Danny was assigned a room.

"I bet you are all hungry," Mrs. Huang said. "Freshen up first. After which, my EA* Jane will bring you to lunch. Can you excuse Gary for a bit? Today happens to be his regular PE*. He'll join you after."

"Mom!" Gary protested

"Listen to your Mom, dude." Alexis said, with a pained look in his eyes. He was maybe thinking of his own mom. Gary rolled his eyes but he didn't protest when his Mom took his arm and exited the condo unit.

We looked at one another wondering what was going on. But no one verbalized his or her thought. Also, we were really hungry by this time. All of us retreated to our assigned room to freshen up. Mrs. Huang thought of everything. There were fresh towels in the girls' bathroom. The toiletries smelled divine. I was tempted to take a shower but dismissed it because I knew the boys would be waiting for us.

As expected, the boys were already waiting with irritation and hunger written on their faces. Mrs. Huang's EA led us to our lunch destination.

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*EA - Executive Assistant

PE** - Physical Exam