Chapter 19 Clean Up

CHAPTER 19 Clean Up

I mustered the courage to thank my guests as my party drew close. "Thank you all for being here tonight," I said, feeling grateful for the new friends I had made. "Your presence and gifts mean a lot to me."

A smirking voice cut through my gratitude, "Man, how many times did you say that today?" The smartest kid teased, making everyone chuckle.

I smiled, feeling a bit embarrassed. "I just don't know how to express my gratitude enough," I admitted, scratching the back of my head.

"We know that," the kids chorused, their eyes glinting merrily.

As they bid me farewell, I felt a pang of nostalgia. "See you tomorrow, Justin," the beautiful girl said, her voice soft and sweet.

"See you tomorrow!" the rest of them echoed, their words filled with warmth and joy.

It was a rare moment, one that I had missed dearly. The last time someone had said those words to me, it was him - the first and last person to do so. But now, in the company of my new friends, I realized that it wasn't the last time.

As they waved goodbye and left with their families, I felt a refreshing breeze blow through me. It was a wholesome feeling that I knew I would cherish for a long time. "Take care," I called out, my heart swelling with gratitude.

"Hello Justin, did you enjoy this night?" My grandma greeted me with a warm smile.

"Yeah, words can't even describe how happy I am tonight," I replied with a smile.

"You're so cute, Justin~" she pinched my cheeks affectionately.

"Mom, you're gonna leave now?" My dad and mom approached us, interrupting our conversation.

"You can stay here for tonight if you want, Mom?" my dad offered.

"I would like to, but there's something I need to take care of in the school office, so I have to go back there," Grandma explained.

"But you should take a rest, Mom. It's already night," my mom suggested, concern etched on her face.

"I'm fine, I'm still young, you know? Hahaha," Grandma laughed heartily.

"If you say so, Mom."

"I'm gonna go back to campus now. Take care and have a nice evening."

As she was about to leave, I stopped her midway. "Wait, Grandma!"

"What is it, Justin?" she asked curiously.

"Is the security guard who picked me up earlier still there on campus?" I inquired.

"Mr. Guard? Yes, he is surely still on our campus," she replied.

After confirming that the security guard was still at school, I turned to my mom and asked, 

"Mom, do we still have food left?"

"Ah, yeah, we still have plenty of food. Why do you ask?" she questioned.

"Can we pack it? There is someone I want to give delicious food to," I requested, my excitement palpable.

"Got it, give me a minute," my mom said as she hurried to the kitchen to pack the food.

As my mom prepared some delicious food for us to bring along on our errands, my mind wandered back to an earlier moment of panic. I remembered dropping my backpack by the front door, and when I retrieved it, I found a pencil and paper inside.

Grateful for the chance to express my appreciation, I quickly jotted down a note of thanks to the security guard who had been so kind and helpful to me in the past. "Dear Mr. Guard," I wrote, 

"Thank you for everything you've done for me. Your kindness has made a real difference in my life. Please enjoy these delicious treats that my mom has made. And please, on my next birthday, come celebrate with me! I hope to see you soon. Sincerely, Justin."

Mom soon returned with the food neatly packed, and I thanked her before rushing to meet my grandmother, who was waiting for me in the car. As I handed her the bag of treats for the guard, 

I explained the reason behind my gesture of gratitude.

My grandmother was touched by my thoughtfulness and promised to deliver the gift, and my heartfelt thanks to the guard. "You're such a caring and considerate boy, Justin," she said, beaming with pride. "I'm sure the guard will appreciate this gesture."

"Thank you very much, Grandma. Please drive safely." 

"I will. Well then, I'm gonna go now." My mom and I bid a farewell wave to her. 

"You were truly like your Dad." Mom softly said. 

"That again? I... I told you that we were not similar at all." Honestly, I can only say that because this is the only day I saw my dad being like that. But somehow, I want to know whether it is true." 

Mom laughed softly and gently patted my head. "Let's go back now." 

My mom and I went back to our house. "Justin, you should go now to your room, change clothes and sleep. You must be tired Today, just sleep okay? I will go upstairs and help your dad, Okay?"

At this time, will they still be cleaning? They have already spent their day preparing for the preparations of my birthday party, and they are the ones who must be tired. Today, they should rest now. Without help, they will take it late at night just to clean up. 

"Yes, mom, I will go back to my room now." 

"Goodboy, goodnight and sleepwell our little prince." 

I nodded at her and went to my room. After entering the room, I changed my clothes to a much more comfortable T-shirt and returned upstairs. 

I pushed the banquet hall door open, and as I stepped inside, the sound of clanging plates and the rustle of chairs being moved echoed in the vast space. My parents were busy with the post-party cleanup, and I couldn't help but feel guilty about lounging around while they worked.

"Why are you here Justin? Do you need something?" Dad asked.

"Nothing, dad." Without saying anything after that, I started to pick up some plates. 

"What are you doing? I told you that you should sleep now." Mom asked in a concerned manner.

"I'm not tired or exhausted mom. Just let me help you." 

Dad approached me and knelt before me, "Today is your birthday so it is special, you should only enjoy and relax on this day, You don't need to help us because we will do anything for you okay? So just go to your room and take a good rest, It's already enough for us that you thought of helping us. That's the matter the most, so thank you, son." 

After hearing that, my resolve still doesn't change, and I insist on helping them, "I refuse, you said that Today is my birthday right? Then another perk of having a birthday is you can wish anything right? I'm using it now. After receiving a lot of things from you Today, I will make sure to use my birthday to the fullest. I will use my wish perk again, and my wish is to help you with cleaning. That's my last wish for Today." 

"So Mom, Dad, let me help you with this. I know my contribution can be little because of my body size right now, but I will do my best to not be a burden and help you with everything I can do." 

"But-" Dad tried to speak, but I interrupted him. 

"No 'but' anymore. Just grant my wish. Now just tell me what I can help you with. Don't stop me please." 

After hearing my absolute resolve, Mom and Dad looked at each other. Mom gives Dad a soft nod as a sign of approval. 

  "Seriously, how can we say no to our little prince here. Dad patted my head. "You and your mother are alike." 

"Eh?" Earlier, Mom told me I'm like my dad, and now Dad said vice versa. 

I replied, "What do you expect? I'm the child of both of you." 

My dad ruffled my hair and chuckled. "That's our boy. Alright, let's get to work, then." He rolled up his sleeves and gestured to the piles of dishes and chairs that needed to be put away.

We did a lot of cleaning tasks. I'm shocked at the mountain of plates that needed to be washed. Mom told me she could solo it, but I insisted on helping her, so I wiped the plates to dry. It's tremendous work, but after an hour, we complete the cleaning and sit on a couch. 

"Good Job everyone were finally done!" Dad said. "Thanks for helping us Justin, we probably took more hours if you didn't help us out." 

"No, I just did a little help." 

"Don't be modest now."

Dad looked at his clock, "Oh it's already late, let's lock up hon." "Yeah" Both of them left to secure our house. 

"What a day…." I let out a yawn. Oh no, I'm feeling sleepy now, but it's only 11pm. I am supposed to be awake at this hour, but I remember I'm on my child's body. 

I feel the drowsiness taking me, but I want to fight it. I… don't want to sleep yet. I don't know if all these are just a dream. What if I slept now and tomorrow? I'm back to my shitty old life. I don't want to wake up from this dream. I don't want to sleep it. I need to stay awake.

Finally, the drowsiness overwhelmed me. I can't fight it anymore. I tried to open my eyes, but I couldn't. No… I don't want to sleep.

Chapter 19 -END-

To Be Continued.

"Hon, I've already locked the gate and the door," the man said

"Ka'y, I'm just checking the windows and we are good to go," the woman replied.

"Yosh, let's go back Justin's probably waiting."

They walked to the living room and saw their son sleeping deeply on the couch. The couple exchanged a knowing look before the woman spoke. "We should bring him to his room."

The man gently lifted their son, careful not to wake him, and they neatly put him on his bed. The woman looked at her child with a mix of love and sadness. "He looked so exhausted," she said softly.

The man nodded in agreement. "Tomorrow we should give him a treat."

The woman's voice trembled as she spoke, "Yeah, but look, hon, our son is so cute while sleeping. He looked so peaceful and peaceful…unlike last week…Hon, have he forgotten what happened to him?"

The man's expression softened as he saw the pain on his wife's face. "Hon… Let's just save it for another day, okay? You also see it right? Justin was genuinely happy Today. That's the only matter. So please, don't bring yourself down like this."

The woman wiped away her tears and looked at her husband with gratitude. "I'm glad that we see his smile once again."

The man wrapped his arms around his wife, pulling her close. "Let's go back now, you're also tired for today."

The woman nodded, still feeling the weight of her guilt. "Goodnight, our little prince," she whispered, kissing their son's forehead.

"And happy birthday," the man added, kissing their child's cheek.