"Wow! Really? Thanks so much, Cass!" Helen was brimming with excitement as she chattered on the phone, receiving uncomfortable looks from her family. She was never this… excitable, for lack of a better term. Of course, she was loving and wonderful, but not this bubble of excitement she was now.

"Uh-huh. Yes of course-" Helen nodded as she spoke, raising an eyebrow at the kids and her husband, who gave her either a sheepish smile or a shrug. Bob could hear nonsensical babbling coming from the receiver.

"Of course we'll be there!" Helen exclaimed, then, "wait, how old are the boys now?" Bob winced as there was an audible gasp, sharp and shrill, "No way! He's in college!? Already? And what about Hiro, how's he doing?"

Violet brushed her black hair behind her ear as she watched her mom, leaning over the table, asking, "Dad?"

Bob blinked, looking up from his plate, "Yeah, hon?"

"Who is Mom talking to?" Violet asked, using her fork to push peas around her plate. They were eating leftovers- cold meatloaf and limp lettuce with a splash of dressing, thick potatoes that had a weird texture when sitting on the tongue too long. Bob shrugged, picking at the meatloaf on his own plate.

"An old friend of hers," he answered, shoving the food in his mouth. Dash blew a raspberry, receiving a giggle from Jack-Jack.

"Mom has friends?!" he exclaimed.

"I heard that young man!" Helen called from across the room, giving her son a pointed look before returning to the phone, "Sorry, that was just my son Dash. Tell me more about Hiro and Tadashi though…." Dash rolled his eyes once his mother's back was turned. Why was she so interested in these people?!

"What kind of names are Hiro and Tadashi anyway?" Dash grumbled as he stabbed his potatoes with his fork. There was a bang as Helen slammed the phone down on the receiver, crossing her arms as she ambled over and sat down.

"Japanese," she explained, ow eat your dinner, okay? We've got a busy day ahead of us." Violet and Dash exchanged glances.

"Uh, hon," Bob cleared his throat, noticing the kids confused looks, "what do you mean?" Helen sighed. Wiping her mouth with a napkin, she announced, "You guys don't remember, but my friend Cass-"

"What do you mean, don't remember?" Violet inquired snakily.

"You were four years old, young lady," Helen said abruptly, then, "Cass invited us to come see Hiro's showcase, so I agreed that we would go."

"A showcase?" Bob said nervously, "Helen, don't you think it might be a little crowded?" Helen gave him a glare. She knew he meant it would be boring. Bob often thought things were boring if they didn't involve anything super.

"It's not going to be boring, Bob," Helen said, "besides, Hiro is presenting a showcase, and I want us to go as a family to show him support."

"But we don't even know him!" Dash whined. Helen sighed, exasperated.

"Dash, you two used to play together all the time!" Helen said, "do you want me to break out the old photo albums again and show you?" Dash groaned, Violet laughing at his expense. All the pictures in the family photo alum were embarrassing and devastatingly funny. A lot of them were of the kids, but a few were of friends, old family gatherings and the like. Before anyone could say anything else, Helen was up and rummaging through a box sitting in another room. A few seconds later, she came back carrying a large red photo album with gold trim, slamming it on the table.

"When was the last time you opened that?" Bob joked, coughing as dust blew upward in a thick cloud. Helen ignored him, skimming the pages until she yelled out, "Found it! Here, take a look."

The picture she was gesturing to depicted Dash and Violet as young children, sitting idly on the floor as they played. Violet was reading a book, her legs crossed at her ankles, her black hair hanging in her face. Dash was seen sitting with two young boys, one the same age as himself. An older boy was sitting cross-legged with them on the floor, playing alongside them. He looked to be in his early teens, with black hair and brown eyes.

"Which one is Hiro?" Violet asked. Helen pointed to the boy the same age as Dash, with a mop of black hair and brown eyes like the other boy. He was wearing an extremely baggy green t-shirt, his arms looking like ski-poles as they stuck out of his sleeves.

"Here he is," Helen said, "you two used to play with superhero toys all the time, running around Cass's cafe-"

"Who's the older one?" Violet cut in, jutting her chin at the picture. Helen tapped the image of the older boy with her finger.

"This is Hiro's brother, Tadashi," Helen said, "he was much older than you two a the time, but Hiro was always hanging around him." Nostalgia had settled on her face as she stared at the picture with a smile, shaking her head solemnly.

"Honey, you okay?" Bob asked.

"Of course, why wouldn't I be?" she replied, "I'm just thinking how long it's been since we last saw them, is all." She flipped to the next page, and sadness immediately befell her features as she looked at the picture. Bob asked her again, "Honey, are you alright?" Helen slid the album over to Bob, and he let out a soft, "Oh."

The family was standing next to the brothers, but in this picture there were two other adults with them. Both the man and woman had smiling faces, proud to be with their children, with their friends.

"Mom? Dad?" Violet said, making the couple snap back to reality.

"Sorry, it's just, uh, a memory is all, nothing serious." Bob brushed off the question, coughing roughly. Helen shut the book, getting up from the table, "Alright, well, once you're done here, I'm going to call Cass again and tell her we're coming." Once she left the room, Bob was fired with questions:

"Who's in the picture?"

"Why is she so sad over a photograph?!"

"I think Jack-Jack just dumped his dinner on the floor."

Bb looked over to see that jack-Jack had indeed dumped his bowl of mashed baby food on the floor. He ignored it, seeing as his kids were asking so any questions, shooting one out right after the next, leaving no time to breathe.

"Kids, now, i need you to understand something," Bob began uncomfortably, "Hiro and Tadashi's parents-" He could gel sweat bead on his forehead, and he loosened his collar a bit to breathe easier.

It was always hard, talking about the Hamada's, since they had ben such good friends in the past.

It was especially hard for Helen to deal with Mrs. Hamada's death. Of course, after Cass, Mrs. Hamada's sister, reached out to her, they became fast friends, making it easier for the both of them. Violet and Dash were still looking at him, waiting for him to finish his explanation.

"So, what happened to them?" Dash quipped, resting his elbows on the table. Bob opened his mouth to reply, shutting it gratefully when Helen walked back into the room, happily announcing, "It's done! We leave for San Fransokyo tonight!"

Thankfully, the funny name distracted the kids, Dash asking, "What kind of name is San Fransokyo?"

"Yeah, Violet snorted, "is that even on planet Earth?" Helen frowned, ushering Violet and Dash out of their seats.

"Very funny, you two," she said, "now go pack. Cass expects us in the morning." Begrudgingly, Violet and Dash got up, grumbling about having to get up so early, meeting people they barely knew, and vice versa. Helen picked Jack-jack up out of his chair, carrying him to the kitchen with her as Bob helped her start to clean up.

"You know," Bob said, "I was just thinking, with the parents gone, how do you think the kids did?" Helen smiled painfully, bouncing Jack-Jack on her hip.

"I think they've been doing swell- at least, that's what Cass says," Helen replied, giving Jack-Jack a quick peck on his forehead as she began to hum a little tune to herself.

She could here Violet and Dash fitting about who got to use the bigger suitcase from upstairs as they packed.