Kaeden stepped out into the hallway, not wanting to relive his "talk" with his mother. He could tell by the fadedness of the walls that he'd walked into another memory.
Twelve-year-old Kaeden stood by the door, talking to his sister as she lugged her suitcases outside.
"But you'll visit, won't you?" Younger-Kaeden had his eyes to the floor, looking crestfallen that his sister would be leaving so soon. "It's gonna be so dull around here without you."
"Of course." Tamara ruffled his hair playfully. Under different circumstances he would have shrunken away, but he was in too great of a bad mood to do so.
"Okay..." he mumbled, his eyes never leaving the floor.
Tamara sighed, shaking her head slightly. "You know how much this job means to me, Kaeby." She paused, noting that the sombre look never leaved his face. "I'll bring back lots of souvenirs, too."
They exchanged sad smiles before they were interrupted by impatient honking coming from outside.
"Time to go." Tamara picked up her bags, nodding to Kaeden and starting toward the cab waiting by the curb. After a few steps she half-turned to give her brother a final smile. "And, happy birthday, kiddo." Then she was on her way, leaving the Jack household feeling even emptier than it had ever felt before.
But older-Kaeden had already made his way to his room, hasty to see what Tam had gotten for his birthday.
There, in all its glory, was a brand new Union Jack Les Paul, which would later come to be known as Jack.
Kaeden had known it would be there all along—after all, this was one of his fondest memories—but the newness of his guitar left him amazed. He longed to pick Jack up and play a song for old times' sake, but it dawned on him that he was but a visitor in the time-suspended world. He didn't even notice when the younger-him passed through him and into the room that was rightfully his.
Seeing the guitar lit up the young boy's eyes instantaneously. "So she didn't forget." he exclaimed, chucking at the thought of having doubted Tamara, of all people.
There was no card, but Kaeden could tell it was a joint present from his mother and his sister. True, Tam had had a part-time job, but she could never have afforded something so expensive.
Both Kaedens looked affectionately over at their dad's old acoustic, faded with age but laden with memory.
The younger boy longed to try out his new guitar, but he turned to the acoustic instead. "For old times' sake," he decided with a nod.