***Author's note: Just want to add a definition…
-Sawat dee krap = Hello in Thai for men.
Ch.3 – Then and Now
Utt took the exit on Los Feliz and Riverside. He lowered the windows of his new black and shiny CRV. A small breeze brushed over his hair as he drove down Los Feliz Boulevard. It was like driving down memory lane. He passed by the park where he, Khaley and other friends would loaf at. The park looked the same; the trees and the grass were completely green, kids were playing on the swing and slides of the blue and orange themed playground and the tennis team from the local High school was practicing for their upcoming match. He saw the same ice cream truck from four years ago; and like before, it was parked along the curb, waiting for its customers to buy their favorite Popsicles and sundaes.
Utt looked beside him and found Adrian fast asleep. Utt just wanted to laugh aloud because his friend was drooling over his shoulder. He came to a red light and then looked back, Tara slept across the entire back row with her own pillow and blanket. He looked at her sweetly and beamed an utterly charming smile. He felt excited about coming back home and living in Los Angeles once more.
As Utt drove down the street, he thought about what was waiting for him at Edgemont Avenue. The memories rushed through his head, and then his thoughts shifted to how Khaley was doing. He knew deep inside that all has been lost, and the cheerful friendship they once had was something extremely hard to restore. He hasn't faced or conversed with Khaley since the day he left. He tried burying the past without even consulting and resolving things in it. He just left that chapter in his life undone, and now he was scared to close it.
Utt took a right turn and found himself in front of his house, and he stared at the white gate that would lead him back to his unsolved past. Khaley's house gate was also open, and parked along the drive was Khaley's classic Mustang. Utt stroked his dark brown hair and placed his sunglasses on his head. He turned off the car engine and woke up his two friends. Utt told Tara about Adrian's nonstop drooling, and the couple teased the poor guy.
"Hey Adrian…if you don't control that runny faucet in your mouth, you might end up flooding my car." Utt laughed.
Adrian wiped off saliva from his chin and lightly smacked Utt's head. Tara cackled as she handed Adrian some tissue.
"I suggest you change your shirt if you don't want to smell like your dried saliva," Tara mentioned.
Adrian got out of the car and quickly changed into a gray short-sleeved shirt. Tara and Utt were laughing hysterically, and then, Adrian realized the comical situation and laughed at himself as well.
Utt got out of his car, looked up at his old room and found that the windows were open. Utt ran up to their brick steps and approached the front door. Everything in the house was spotless; the carpets were whiter than ever before, and everything was put away in a systemized manner. Utt took off his blue sneakers and ran up to his old room, while Adrian and Tara stood by the living room with their shoes off.
Utt found his mom cleaning and organizing some of the things on his shelf. The room was spick and span, everything was dusted and cleaned. Utt's former bed looked brand new and well straightened out. The walls were repainted the same color as they were before, sky blue. Utt hugged his mom and gave her a kiss.
"I thought you wouldn't be here until noon," said Mrs. Panichkul as she welcomed her son with hugs and kisses.
"I was excited to come home, and so I thought that it'd be a good idea to leave earlier." Utt answered as he looked around the room, and his mom subsequently continued on wiping the desks and shelves.
A picture frame holding a collage of Khaley and Utt's photos were positioned on his old computer desk. Utt held up the picture frame and observed it. The frame contained a few pictures of Khaley and Utt. There was half the whole strip of black and white pictures taken from a photo booth at the pier, a wacky picture of Utt, Khaley and Ashitaka taken at their local park, then another picture showed Utt and Khaley sitting by the pool with the water just by their knees. The last picture was at the corner of the frame, it was a childhood picture of Khaley blowing out Utt's birthday candles on his 4th birthday celebration.
Utt's mom spoke, "By the way, Cameron already picked up your old computer about two weeks ago," added Mrs. Panichkul as she grabbed the glass picture frame from Utt's hands.
"Oh Khaley, how cute!" she uttered as she pointed out how adorable the young Khaley looked as she blew out Utt's birthday candles. "You know Utt… I think Khristine mentioned that Khaley was going to move back next door. I miss that girl; I haven't seen her for quite a long time now."
Utt nodded and walked out of his spanking new looking room. He paused by his bedroom door and looked back at his mother.
"Hey ma, I've got someone I want you to meet, Adrian's also here with me. Can you come downstairs please? You know, you shouldn't be cleaning my room for me...I can do it myself."
Utt escorted his mother to go downstairs. Mrs. Panichkul distinguished two figures from midway of the white carpeted stairs. A male and a female were talking quietly by the corner of the living room. They both sat on the cream-colored couch, holding sequenced pillows on their laps. Tara's face was somewhat covered by the multicolored carnation bouquet that was placed on a wooden table by the end of the stairs. Adrian stood up from his seat, and Mrs. Panichkul recognized his boyish face.
Adrian walked up to Mrs. Panichkul and gave her a hug and a peck on her cheek.
"Sawat dee krap, Auntie," he greeted. She lightly cuddled his cheek, and replied, "Hey Adrian, how are you doing?"
Adrian had made a thumb up sign to Mrs. Panichkul, and she smiled and said, "Okay, okay, that's good..."
Mrs. Panichkul held the two guys by their waists and walked towards Tara who stood by the glass coffee table.
Utt introduced Tara to his mother, "Ma, this is Tara, Tara this is my mom."
Tara embraced Mrs. Panichkul, and then stood by Utt. Mrs. Panichkul analyzed Tara as a light wind blew from the open sliding door located behind Tara; the golden colored curtains flew up and danced in the wind. Tara tried to cover her bare back with her arms. She fixed her shirt and took a seat right next to Utt. Mrs. Panichkul continued observing Tara and all her moves. Tara wore a pink halter-top with some extra low-rise jeans; she clutched her tiny pink purse as she moved in closer with Utt. Mrs. Panichkul observed Tara very well, and Utt knew what was going on, so he brought up a conversation to break the ice.
*
Khaley parked her car across her house. Andrea, or as she prefers to be called Andy, stepped out of the Element the same time Khaley did. They crossed the narrow street and walked towards the contemporary looking house. Soap water ran from the driveway out to the street. Khaley broke out a smile and hoped to see her mom washing her old car, but to both Khaley and Andy's surprise, a young man in gray board shorts was hosing down the soap from Khaley's black mustang. Khaley quickly ran to the backyard, while her sudden appearance startled the young man.
A young girl wearing a Hawaiian print swimsuit jumped into the deep end of the pool, and a man who sat by Khaley's mom drank lemonade off a clear tall glass. The sun gleamed at Khaley's fair face; she held her hand to her forehead and stood still. She looked around and checked if she was in the right house. Everything looked the same; the white tiled pool looked sparkling clean, the fertile grass filled the other half of the backyard, the glass picnic table and chairs were in the exact same place since she last left, and the same plants and flowers that she used to water were still there. She let out a sigh as she examined everyone.
She had never seen the young man who was washing her car, the young girl who was swimming in her pool, and the man who was seemingly having an awfully good time with her mom. Just then, her 'baby' Ashitaka jumped up at her and tried to give her a wake up call, but the presence of Ashitaka only brought Utt to Khaley's thoughts. Then Ashitaka barked up at her, and she awoke from her odd vision
Khaley looked at her mom,
"Who's that guy washing my damn car?!" Khaley exclaimed in distress as
Andy stood in a confused moment.
"Hey to you too honey…" her mother, replied in shock.
The elder man stood up as the young man came through the back house door. The young man had a towel on his shoulder and he was wiping his arms and hands. Ashitaka ran up to him, and the young man cuddled the playful fellow.
"Uhm, that's my nephew, Luke," the elder man explained.
Luke shook Khaley and Andy's hands. The guy was absolutely gorgeous, his hazel eyes sparkled in the summer sun and his wet black hair made him look even more cuter than he already was. He also had an exceptionally toned body, not at all too buff, and not scrawny as well. Andy and Khaley snickered as he beamed at them.
"Your mom told me that you didn't like anyone touching your Mustang, but she told me to wash it anyway as a welcome home thing, it was, after all, pretty dirty," Luke told Khaley as both let go of each other's hands.
"Yeah, I'm sorry if I seemed stuck-up, but I'm really not, I just have an issue with people and my car."
"Well, you guys got off to a good start," Khaley's mom chuckled, "Welcome home honey, and welcome to your new home Andy!" Khristine hugged both girls.
"I'm glad you guys came in time," Khristine began to speak again.
"Sorry, but in time for what mom?" Khaley asked.
"Oh, Honey, I'd like you to meet…"
-Sawat dee krap = Hello in Thai for men.
Ch.3 – Then and Now
Utt took the exit on Los Feliz and Riverside. He lowered the windows of his new black and shiny CRV. A small breeze brushed over his hair as he drove down Los Feliz Boulevard. It was like driving down memory lane. He passed by the park where he, Khaley and other friends would loaf at. The park looked the same; the trees and the grass were completely green, kids were playing on the swing and slides of the blue and orange themed playground and the tennis team from the local High school was practicing for their upcoming match. He saw the same ice cream truck from four years ago; and like before, it was parked along the curb, waiting for its customers to buy their favorite Popsicles and sundaes.
Utt looked beside him and found Adrian fast asleep. Utt just wanted to laugh aloud because his friend was drooling over his shoulder. He came to a red light and then looked back, Tara slept across the entire back row with her own pillow and blanket. He looked at her sweetly and beamed an utterly charming smile. He felt excited about coming back home and living in Los Angeles once more.
As Utt drove down the street, he thought about what was waiting for him at Edgemont Avenue. The memories rushed through his head, and then his thoughts shifted to how Khaley was doing. He knew deep inside that all has been lost, and the cheerful friendship they once had was something extremely hard to restore. He hasn't faced or conversed with Khaley since the day he left. He tried burying the past without even consulting and resolving things in it. He just left that chapter in his life undone, and now he was scared to close it.
Utt took a right turn and found himself in front of his house, and he stared at the white gate that would lead him back to his unsolved past. Khaley's house gate was also open, and parked along the drive was Khaley's classic Mustang. Utt stroked his dark brown hair and placed his sunglasses on his head. He turned off the car engine and woke up his two friends. Utt told Tara about Adrian's nonstop drooling, and the couple teased the poor guy.
"Hey Adrian…if you don't control that runny faucet in your mouth, you might end up flooding my car." Utt laughed.
Adrian wiped off saliva from his chin and lightly smacked Utt's head. Tara cackled as she handed Adrian some tissue.
"I suggest you change your shirt if you don't want to smell like your dried saliva," Tara mentioned.
Adrian got out of the car and quickly changed into a gray short-sleeved shirt. Tara and Utt were laughing hysterically, and then, Adrian realized the comical situation and laughed at himself as well.
Utt got out of his car, looked up at his old room and found that the windows were open. Utt ran up to their brick steps and approached the front door. Everything in the house was spotless; the carpets were whiter than ever before, and everything was put away in a systemized manner. Utt took off his blue sneakers and ran up to his old room, while Adrian and Tara stood by the living room with their shoes off.
Utt found his mom cleaning and organizing some of the things on his shelf. The room was spick and span, everything was dusted and cleaned. Utt's former bed looked brand new and well straightened out. The walls were repainted the same color as they were before, sky blue. Utt hugged his mom and gave her a kiss.
"I thought you wouldn't be here until noon," said Mrs. Panichkul as she welcomed her son with hugs and kisses.
"I was excited to come home, and so I thought that it'd be a good idea to leave earlier." Utt answered as he looked around the room, and his mom subsequently continued on wiping the desks and shelves.
A picture frame holding a collage of Khaley and Utt's photos were positioned on his old computer desk. Utt held up the picture frame and observed it. The frame contained a few pictures of Khaley and Utt. There was half the whole strip of black and white pictures taken from a photo booth at the pier, a wacky picture of Utt, Khaley and Ashitaka taken at their local park, then another picture showed Utt and Khaley sitting by the pool with the water just by their knees. The last picture was at the corner of the frame, it was a childhood picture of Khaley blowing out Utt's birthday candles on his 4th birthday celebration.
Utt's mom spoke, "By the way, Cameron already picked up your old computer about two weeks ago," added Mrs. Panichkul as she grabbed the glass picture frame from Utt's hands.
"Oh Khaley, how cute!" she uttered as she pointed out how adorable the young Khaley looked as she blew out Utt's birthday candles. "You know Utt… I think Khristine mentioned that Khaley was going to move back next door. I miss that girl; I haven't seen her for quite a long time now."
Utt nodded and walked out of his spanking new looking room. He paused by his bedroom door and looked back at his mother.
"Hey ma, I've got someone I want you to meet, Adrian's also here with me. Can you come downstairs please? You know, you shouldn't be cleaning my room for me...I can do it myself."
Utt escorted his mother to go downstairs. Mrs. Panichkul distinguished two figures from midway of the white carpeted stairs. A male and a female were talking quietly by the corner of the living room. They both sat on the cream-colored couch, holding sequenced pillows on their laps. Tara's face was somewhat covered by the multicolored carnation bouquet that was placed on a wooden table by the end of the stairs. Adrian stood up from his seat, and Mrs. Panichkul recognized his boyish face.
Adrian walked up to Mrs. Panichkul and gave her a hug and a peck on her cheek.
"Sawat dee krap, Auntie," he greeted. She lightly cuddled his cheek, and replied, "Hey Adrian, how are you doing?"
Adrian had made a thumb up sign to Mrs. Panichkul, and she smiled and said, "Okay, okay, that's good..."
Mrs. Panichkul held the two guys by their waists and walked towards Tara who stood by the glass coffee table.
Utt introduced Tara to his mother, "Ma, this is Tara, Tara this is my mom."
Tara embraced Mrs. Panichkul, and then stood by Utt. Mrs. Panichkul analyzed Tara as a light wind blew from the open sliding door located behind Tara; the golden colored curtains flew up and danced in the wind. Tara tried to cover her bare back with her arms. She fixed her shirt and took a seat right next to Utt. Mrs. Panichkul continued observing Tara and all her moves. Tara wore a pink halter-top with some extra low-rise jeans; she clutched her tiny pink purse as she moved in closer with Utt. Mrs. Panichkul observed Tara very well, and Utt knew what was going on, so he brought up a conversation to break the ice.
*
Khaley parked her car across her house. Andrea, or as she prefers to be called Andy, stepped out of the Element the same time Khaley did. They crossed the narrow street and walked towards the contemporary looking house. Soap water ran from the driveway out to the street. Khaley broke out a smile and hoped to see her mom washing her old car, but to both Khaley and Andy's surprise, a young man in gray board shorts was hosing down the soap from Khaley's black mustang. Khaley quickly ran to the backyard, while her sudden appearance startled the young man.
A young girl wearing a Hawaiian print swimsuit jumped into the deep end of the pool, and a man who sat by Khaley's mom drank lemonade off a clear tall glass. The sun gleamed at Khaley's fair face; she held her hand to her forehead and stood still. She looked around and checked if she was in the right house. Everything looked the same; the white tiled pool looked sparkling clean, the fertile grass filled the other half of the backyard, the glass picnic table and chairs were in the exact same place since she last left, and the same plants and flowers that she used to water were still there. She let out a sigh as she examined everyone.
She had never seen the young man who was washing her car, the young girl who was swimming in her pool, and the man who was seemingly having an awfully good time with her mom. Just then, her 'baby' Ashitaka jumped up at her and tried to give her a wake up call, but the presence of Ashitaka only brought Utt to Khaley's thoughts. Then Ashitaka barked up at her, and she awoke from her odd vision
Khaley looked at her mom,
"Who's that guy washing my damn car?!" Khaley exclaimed in distress as
Andy stood in a confused moment.
"Hey to you too honey…" her mother, replied in shock.
The elder man stood up as the young man came through the back house door. The young man had a towel on his shoulder and he was wiping his arms and hands. Ashitaka ran up to him, and the young man cuddled the playful fellow.
"Uhm, that's my nephew, Luke," the elder man explained.
Luke shook Khaley and Andy's hands. The guy was absolutely gorgeous, his hazel eyes sparkled in the summer sun and his wet black hair made him look even more cuter than he already was. He also had an exceptionally toned body, not at all too buff, and not scrawny as well. Andy and Khaley snickered as he beamed at them.
"Your mom told me that you didn't like anyone touching your Mustang, but she told me to wash it anyway as a welcome home thing, it was, after all, pretty dirty," Luke told Khaley as both let go of each other's hands.
"Yeah, I'm sorry if I seemed stuck-up, but I'm really not, I just have an issue with people and my car."
"Well, you guys got off to a good start," Khaley's mom chuckled, "Welcome home honey, and welcome to your new home Andy!" Khristine hugged both girls.
"I'm glad you guys came in time," Khristine began to speak again.
"Sorry, but in time for what mom?" Khaley asked.
"Oh, Honey, I'd like you to meet…"