Chapter 52
"Well I guess I kinda expected this would happen eventually." said Larry as Leonard sat in his office.
"Yeah, I'm sorry if I'm gonna leave all the work to you Larry but me and my family have been here for a long time now and I think it's time for us to go home." said Leonard.
"Hey don't worry about it. If anything else, I'm quiet glad that you're going back home with your family to California." said Larry.
"Really? Why?" Leonard asked.
"Well it's your home and at least Janet and the girls would be looking forward in visiting you guys there." said Larry making Leonard laugh a bit.
"No problem. You guys are always welcome with us. Besides, we lived in your house for four years so it's only natural for us to return the favor." Leonard said.
"I guess we'll just have to settle your share of the company huh? We started fifty-fifty, so I guess it's only fair for you to get half." said Larry.
"Larry you don't have to do that." said Leonard.
"Why not? I mean, we built this company from the ground up and it's only fair for you to get half of your share." said Larry. "Besides, you would need the money when you guys move, with all your stuff and such." he added.
"Well, the university is covering all of that and we're planning to sell most of our furniture anyway. I mean it's not really practical to bring them over to the States, right?" said Leonard.
"I guess you're right Leonard." Larry said. "Are you sure you don't want your share of the company?" he asked.
"I'm sure Larry. But if you really want, I guess I could take ten percent." Leonard said.
"Only ten?" Larry asked, surprised by what Leonard wanted for his share of the company.
Leonard nodded. "Yes Larry, only ten." he said. "I guess I could use that money to renovate my wife's house in California. And the kids are really excited to go to Disneyland." he added.
"Okay Leonard, if that's what you want then I wouldn't argue with you anymore." said Larry, making Leonard laugh a little.
"It's fine Larry, you don't have to worry about that." said Leonard.
After a few days, Larry and Leonard called in every employee for a meeting, telling them of Leonard and his family's upcoming departure from the island to settle permanently in the US. They also held a small going-away party for Leonard as each employee wished him good luck on the new chapter of his life with his family. All of them were saddened in seeing Leonard go but was glad to have worked and learned a lot from him. Leonard thanked all of them and assured him he would be calling from time to time to catch up and let them know how he and his family is doing in the states.
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"I'm gonna miss you baby girl!" said Justine as she hugged Sarah tight while kissing her cheek.
"I'm gonna miss you too." Sarah said while hugging her 'big sister' tight before Jamie took her turn to hug the young lady.
"I'll miss you Sarah." said Jamie, kissing her 'little sister'.
Janet went over as she gave Sarah a hug. "Don't worry girls, at least now that your uncle Leonard and his family are going back to the states, we can visit them when we finally go to Disneyland...or Coachella?" said Janet, knowing that her teenage girls have been wanting to go to the music festival for the longest time.
The girls suddenly became excited at the thought of going to California. "Really mom? We're gonna go to Coachella?" asked Justine.
"Yeah sure!" said their mother Janet.
Sarah became excited too even if it was the first time she has heard of Coachella. "Mommy let's go with them to Coac...what was that again?" she asked, making them all laugh.
"Coachella sweetheart." Penny said, amused by her daughter's enthusiasm.
"Right. What is it anyway?" asked Sarah.
Penny pulled her daughter close and sat her on her lap. "Coachella is a music festival sweetheart. Many people go there to watch singers and bands perform on stage." said Penny.
"Like Demi Lovato?" asked Sarah.
"Who's that?" asked Leonard.
"She's the one who sang the Frozen song daddy." Sarah said making them all laugh.
"Oh right! Well, we don't know if she's gonna be there or not honey. But I guess it's possible." said Leonard.
Justine scrolled through her phone and showed some pictures to Sarah. "We can even dress up when we go there...see?" she said while showing the pictures to the little girl making her excited.
"Mommy I wanna dress up and go there, please!?" said Sarah.
Penny smiled at her daughter. "Okay sweetheart, we'll go there with Justine and Jamie when they visit us in California." said Penny.
William faced his father. "Dad, can we go to Comic Con?" asked the young man.
Leonard gave his son a high five. "Good call buddy!" he said. "Do you have an idea of what costume you want to wear?"
"I don't know yet." said William.
Leonard pulled his son close and hugged him lightly. "Don't worry son, we can go there in normal clothes." he said.
"Daddy, what's Comic Con?" asked Sarah.
"It's a big event to see all the sci-fi and comic book stuff." said Leonard, hoping his daughter would get interested.
"Like your goofy space movies and laser swords?" Sarah said, making Penny and the girls laugh.
"Good call sweetie!" Penny said, kissing her daughter.
"Hey those aren't goofy! They're cool!" said William.
Sarah stuck out her tongue at her brother. "Fine...you go to your Goofy Con while me and mommy go to Coachella!" she said. "Right mommy?" she added, making the girls laugh.
"Okay sweetheart, but right now, all we have to worry about is our move to California. We have lots of stuff to pack." Penny said.
"Yeah, not to mention our travel documents, and Buster's as well." Leonard added.
"Okay mommy. I don't want to leave any of my toys behind." said Sarah, making them all laugh again.
"I wonder how many boxes it would take to pack all of her toys?" Leonard said.
"I bet it's more than her clothes." William said, making the adults laugh.
Sarah pouted. "You're just jealous because I have more toys than you." she said as they continue to spend the whole afternoon with Larry and his family, seeing that this would be one of the last times they would be spending with each other.
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For the next couple of weeks, Leonard and Penny wasted no time in settling their affairs to get ready for their move back to California. Penny went to William's school to get his records so he could transfer to a nearby school in their house in California. William's teachers were saddened when they heard the news that he would be leaving with his family back to the US. Almost all of William's teachers congratulated Penny at how brilliant her son was, always ahead of his classmates with his perfect test scores every time. Penny thanked them for watching out for her son and for being a second home to William.
Leonard for his part took his daughter to the American Embassy to update her passport since her first one has a photo when she was still a baby. Leonard also made sure that their passports was in order so their upcoming move won't have much of a problem.
Next on the couple's list was arranging and packing their stuff so that the moving company could take the boxes and send them across the sea and into their house in California - a trip that they said would take almost two to three months. Penny for her part has already contacted her manager Miranda and told her about their upcoming trip back home. Miranda cried happy tears when Penny told her that she was finally going home, and not alone but with a husband and two amazing children. Miranda told her not to worry and she would make sure the house is ready for them.
Next on Leonard's list was to make sure that their travel arrangements were in order. He contacted the university and told them of his preferred travel schedule not forgetting to add their dog's name on their itinerary. He smiled at the thought that if they forgot to bring Buster with them, his daughter would probably punch him in the face since Sarah and Buster were inseparable. He made sure to bring Sarah along when they took Buster to he veterinary clinic to get his shots and paperwork for traveling to the US. After getting the green light and papers for their pet, they went home with Sarah feeling anxious at the thought of leaving Buster at the quarantine section of the airport. Leonard assured his daughter that their dog already went through this a few times.
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A few days before the young family's scheduled flight to the US, all their neighbors and friends from the island threw them a farewell party. Larry and his family including a a few people from the office organized the party with Sammy and his family, Solomon and almost all of Leonard and Penny's friends chipping in.
"Guys, thank you for this...this means a lot to us." Leonard said, touched by his friends' and neighbor's gesture.
"Hey don't mention it Leonard, I mean you basically fixed every electrical appliance in my house so this is the least we could do before sending you off!" said Sammy, making them all laugh.
"It's really nothing...I like doing that stuff anyways." Leonard said.
"Yeah...especially if you do it for pretty girls, right?" said Sammy.
"So that's why you didn't want to accept my money when you fixed my laptop huh?" Penny said to her husband, giving him a suspicious look.
"Really!? We've been married for almost ten years with two amazing kids and you're still gonna throw that to my face?" he said to his wife.
"Well, you tricked me!" Penny said, making them all laugh.
"Mommy why did daddy tricked you?" asked Sarah, not wanting to be left out of the conversation.
"It means dad did a favor for mom and in exchange they went out on a date and got married, having us along the way." William chimed in, impressing everyone with his insight and ability to analyze a situation with just a few pieces of information.
"You really are smarter than your dad huh!?" Solomon butted in.
"My mom is smarter than my dad." William said making Penny laugh.
Penny pulled her son close to hug him. "Come here sweetheart." she said while kissing her son. "I love you so much." she added.
"What about me?" Sarah asked.
"What?" Penny said, raising her eyebrows at her daughter.
"Who do you love more, me or William?" asked Sarah, amusing everybody at the party.
"Why would ask that kind of question? Your dad and I love you all the same." Penny said.
"Your mom is right honey. We love you both equally." Leonard added.
"But I'm the youngest, and mommy looks like me." Sarah reasoned, surprising everyone with her sass.
"So only because you're our youngest child and you look like your mother means that we should love you more?" asked Leonard, finding his daughter adorable with her way of reasoning.
"Why not?" Sarah asked.
"You know what...me and your dad love you more sweetheart!" said Penny while kissing her cheek before giving William and Leonard a sly look, telling them silently to play along the young lady's 'game'.
Sarah gave them a huge lovely smile. "See that...mommy and daddy love me more than you!" she said to her brother.
"Fine...you win little sister!" said William with a hint of sarcasm, making his parents proud of him.
"Good job buddy!" Leonard said, giving his son a high five.
The send-off party continued until the night with no shortage of food and drinks being brought in by everyone. Leonard and Penny made sure to thank everyone for their friendship, assuring them that they'll keep in touch and if ever they would visit the States, they would be welcome in their home anytime.
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"Guys, thanks for dropping us off." Leonard said as he shook Larry's hand.
"No problem Leonard." said Larry.
"You guys have a safe trip alright?" Janet said while hugging Penny and her kids. "Ugh! I'm gonna miss you two!" she said to William and Sarah.
"Thanks Janet, we'll call you once we arrive home." Penny said before hugging Jamie and Justine.
"We're gonna miss you aunt Penny." said Jamie.
"I'm gonna miss you too!" Penny said.
Justine knelt down and pulled Sarah to hug her. "Bye little princess...we're gonna miss you!" she said kissing her cheek.
Sarah cried a little. "I'll miss you too!" Sarah said as she hugged her 'big sisters'.
"Hey, at least you have Buster to keep you company, right?" Jamie said to Sarah.
Sarah smiled as they looked at Buster in his dog carrier, feeling a little anxious with traveling. "Are you okay back there boy?" she asked her pet. Buster barked at his 'sister', trying to look brave for them. "I think he's gonna be alright." said Sarah.
"Okay, I guess that's it huh?" said Leonard, telling his family that it was time to go.
"Bye Janet...bye Larry...thank you for everything." Penny said, hugging them for the last time.
"Bye Penny, we're gonna miss you guys." said Janet.
Leonard and his family said their last goodbyes to Larry and his family before going into the airport. Leonard and William made sure all their bags are checked in properly while Penny took care of all their travel papers. They then went to check-in Buster through the airport quarantine section with Sarah reassuring him that it's going to be alright.
After checking in and going through airport security, the young family went to the boarding gate, buying a couple of drinks and sandwiches for the kids when Sarah told them she's hungry.
After waiting for a couple of hours, their flight was called in as the flight crew assisted the passengers in boarding the aircraft. The couple made sure that their kids were secure and comfortable in their seats before sitting down with Sarah in between them. Leonard squeezed Penny's hand, before smiling at his wife.
"How are you feeling?" asked Penny.
"Tired...and happy." said Leonard. "How about you?"
"Same...a little excited..." Penny said.
Leonard pulled her hand and kissed them. "I love you so much." he said, making Penny smile.
Penny leaned over and kissed him on the lips. "I love you too honey." she said. "I guess this is gonna be the new chapter in our lives huh?"
Leonard leaned over and kissed her back. "Damn right babe!" he said making his wife laugh a little.
The couple then saw their daughter looking up to them. "You guys are so gross." said the young lady, making her parents laugh.
"You young lady should always fasten your seat belt." Leonard said as he locked his daughter's seat belt, making sure it's not too tight. "Here, let me help you find the cartoons on the screen." he said as she showed Sarah how to operate the in-flight entertainment screen.
"Daddy look for the Disney channel." Sarah said.
"Okay, you just press this to navigate the menu and find what you want." said Leonard.
"Okay daddy, I got it." said Sarah making her father proud.
"Good. That's my girl!" he said, kissing his daughter's head before leaning back on his seat.
Leonard looked up at the ceiling of the airplane's cabin and thought of the time he left California without any idea of when or if he's coming back. He couldn't believe that it's been almost ten years since he left and to say that a lot has happened would be an understatement. He looked at his wife and kids and felt thankful in steering his life for the better. They may not have much in earthly riches, but as long as they're together, everything would be alright.
The aircraft then taxied along the runway and with the engine throttling to full power, sending Leonard, Penny and their family skywards and on their way back home to California.
Author's note: I still can't believe that this story went to where it is right now. When I started out, I was only planning on doing a handful of chapters, but as I uploaded one chapter after another, things kept popping up so I decided to take this story to as far as I can. And with this last chapter, I hope you guys enjoyed reading this story as well as I enjoyed writing it. Lastly, thank you to everyone who gave their honest reviews and opinions, your kind words and support surely made me strive harder in putting out good chapters. Thank you.