Date: Tue, 15 Dec 2020 11:25:29 -0600 From: Billy Wright Subject: Us, For You (Chapter 10) Nifty is something great and for many years we've been enjoying everything it gives us. Please, if you can, have the means and are not in school, please consider donating (don't do it if you are in school, education goes first). This story is fiction, based on real events, but fiction. (I'm not that old so the events are still kind of fresh in my mind) If you'd like to talk to me about anything, here is my email: billy.alexander.wright@gmail.com or you can look for me in Wattpad (where this story will also be published) under the user @Billy_Alex_Wright Without further ado: Characters: Alexander - Me, a boy of 16 Christopher - My brother, 2 years older (still mad at me) Minakami - Japanese boy, same age as me (kind, daring and helpful) Ekrem - Turkish boy, 2 years older (warm, caring and sweet) -------------------------------------------- Part 3 Fairy Tale 1 (Czech Republic) Third plane, third trip, third adventure... my luck, for some reason, had always been good in foreign countries. This time, maybe, I could go beyond, be even luckier and find something other than just a bed or a date, maybe even 'something that lasts a little longer.' That's what my mind was thinking while I was boarding the plane. "Another plane," I sighed. "Third plane, third trip, third adventure... third one is the charm." Japan had been the first one. "Princes don't just arrive, you have to go get them." Be brave, things don't magically do themselves, I have to see them done. Then came Turkey, "seize Turkey." I had to live every moment, make the best of every opportunity, enjoy, just because it was different it didn't mean it was bad. And now, Czech Republic, Prague. "Third one is the charm." There was something different, however. The other trips had been family vacations, this was a school trip. Was it better or worse? I didn't know, we were almost forty students and four teachers were in charge of us, moving was almost as slow as with the tour. The trip, in theory, was only for the oldest in the institution, the ones on Chris' year, my brother. Yet, I was invited because I was his brother, so much so that our plane seats were next to each other. I smiled, you just needed to take one look at his face to realize he didn't like me being there. At all. I couldn't blame him. This was supposed to be his trip, a journey for him and his friends, his classmates, and there was I, interfering. "It doesn't matter," I told him in my mind. "I don't plan on spending much time with you." My eyes automatically moved to a boy of golden hair seated in the row opposite to mine. He was my same age and, judging by the blond girl ignoring him on the next to him, he must have also been invited because of her, his older sister, like me. I thought about going to where he was and introduce myself. "No," I stopped myself. "Be patient, this one must last longer, this one is serious." I took a deep breath, trying to relax. "Third one is the charm." In Prague, the airport wasn't particularly impressive, it was the smallest I had seen until now. I wasn't sure if that was a good sign or... I stopped, I was left speechless when we got to the hotel and my eyes saw the old part of the city. It wasn't technological like Tokyo, nor did it remind you of legends like Istanbul. No, Prague was different somehow, there was something else in the air. It was like smelling a loaf of bread just out of the oven, a sensation of strange warmth, new around us but old at the same time. The air in the city had a touch of cinnamon, mythical, hidden, and almost imaginary. The entire city was a soft bed, a glass of warm milk and a good book before sleep time. Prague looked like... "...a fairy tale," said Chris next to me, stealing the words right out of my mouth. "It all looks like one of those old Disney movies. Princesses and castles." That made me smile. A movie? A fairy tale? Not bad considering I had decided this city was going to be the one I'll find something more permanent. "Not a bad city to fall in love." I had never felt so ready in my life. When we got to the hotel I could see that very same magic in the lobby. The ceiling was wooden with ancient beams ornamenting it all, the light was warm, and it was full of carpets and tapestries. It was more a castle than something modern. Yet, it was all decoration, the rooms look just like regular hotel rooms but the view out the window had no equal. Waiting for the receptionist to give us the key to our rooms, I moved the suitcases to the elevator, impatient. Chris didn't seem happy to share a room with me, "when has he been?" And, of course, he would rather be with his friends. I looked away. Fortunately, the golden-haired boy was also there. "Breathe, Alex, easy," I told myself. I had never been nervous before, hadn't I? I didn't remember but the feeling danced around as if it was new. "Remember: don't think about it, just act. Don't think, act. Don't think..." I started walking until I reached his side. "Hey," I said. "You came here with your sibling too, right?" The golden-haired boy raised his head until his eyes met mine, surprised to find me talking to him. His cheeks flushed, he was shy, I could tell. "With my sister," he said and that was it, he went mute. "Alex," I gave him my hand. He took it somewhat timid. His sister was next to us, she wasn't paying us attention but maybe her presence was the reason he was so nervous. "Hey, I heard the teachers said we are going to a museum today but when we have some free time, would you like to eat something with me? I would mind being with someone my age." That took him by surprise, nervous he looked at both sides, his mouth slightly open without knowing what to say so he nodded. Weirdly, my mind read that as cute. "Perfect," I agreed smiling. "I'll look for you then." I went back with Chris and took my room key. While we were walking towards the elevator I could feel the golden- haired boy's eyes on my back. "That wasn't so hard, was it?" A part of me said. "Life isn't hard when you have a little courage under the sleeve." When I entered our room I couldn't help but notice how big it was. It wasn't huge like when I stayed with my parents but, for a school trip, it was more than I expected. "Which bed do you want?" I asked when we entered but Chris didn't answer, he just left his suitcase on the bed and, without saying a word, left the room. I rolled my eyes, I wasn't going to let his attitude ruin my mood. They had given us half an hour to unpack, yet, one look down the hallway, looking at everyone talking without worry, revealed we would take longer than that. I took out my phone and found I had a new message. It was Ekrem. I smiled, it was the Turkish boy from my last vacations half a year ago, he had been one of the guides of my tour and, besides going out on a date, he and I had a threesome with his boyfriend. I told him I was coming to Prague and, in response, he told me to send him a text when I arrived. I said I had arrived when, not an instant later, I saw his videocall enter my phone. "Alex!" He exclaimed. Why did people always greeted me like that? No hello, hey, how are you? No, he just said my name as if he had casually bumped into me on the street. "Are you in Prague? How was the flight?" "They just gave me the key to the room," I said, walking to check out the place. "And it was good, fortunately, no dizziness. The food wasn't as horrible as I thought it would be, you know? Well, to be plane food, I mean. But, what about you? I didn't wake you up? It looks pretty dark over there." Ekrem smiled through the camera. "That's because it's past midnight." If I had known how to count time zones, I would have noticed it before. But no, it didn't occur to me so I kept talking. "Really? Oh, sorry, if you want we can talk later, when..." "No, no, Alex," his voice has sure, sweet and warm. "It's alright. In fact, I was waiting for you to get there to show you something. Look, I want to show you this..." Ekrem seemed tired in the camera, he was in some kind of living room, maybe a restaurant with couches. Then, he turned to his side to focus a boy behind him, waving at me. "Hey, Baruk," I waved back enthusiastically. "Hey!" He said. "But sorry, wrong. I'm not Baruk." The moment I heard his voice my eyes opened all the way. It was true, that wasn't Baruk, Ekrem's boyfriend. His voice, his clothes, his gestures, his hair... he was, "Minakami? But how...?" "Surpise!" Ekrem appeared back in screen. "I'm in Japan!" "Japan? What?" My mind was unable to process that. The Turkish guide was with the Japanese boy. My two adventures, together, a continent away from me. It was odd, I mean, since we had that videocall in my room I knew they started getting along rather well and even started talking among themselves but that was something I hadn't seen coming. "Why didn't you tell me you were going?" "It was an improvised journey," Ekrem answered. "Me and my brother came, there was an offer and... I don't know, we seized it. It wasn't planned but I arrived three days ago. I didn't tell you because you also had a trip planned and I thought it would be a good idea to come see Minakami and surprise you." Minakami walked to the camera. "Are you surprised?" "A lot, I still can't believe it," I answered letting my body fall on the bed. "But hey, what about Baruk, is he...?" "In Turkey," Ekrem pointed the camera so only he would appear in frame. His voice lost the emotion it had a minute ago, his tone became more serious. "He, well, when he knew I was coming he didn't like it. You know, because Minakami and all that." "Minakami? But... don't you and Baruk have an open relationship?" "That's what I told him," Ekrem sighed. "But he said that it's different when we both do it in Istanbul than if I do it with the friend of a friend I've never seen in person. Besides, the fact that I've been chatting so much with you lately, didn't help. And I never said I'm going to sleep with Minakami. But it doesn't matter, let's not think about that. What I wanted was to surprise you." "Okay," I was unconvinced. Did Ekrem really expected me to believe that he and Minakami weren't going to sleep together? I could see why Baruk didn't believe him. "Well, you surprised me, a lot." I was speechless. Minakami and Ekrem? My Japan and my Turkey. I wasn't sure I wanted to think about that. It didn't bother me, of course, but I understood Baruk, especially considering he could be feeling left out with the three of us talking so much lately. Besides, Ekrem, Minakami, vacations... they were only missing a room and even I knew they would do something. "Third one is the charm but it looks like not only for me." We kept talking after that but the conversation didn't last, they were sleep deprived and eventually my time to visit the museum came. We promised to talk one of this days before we hanged up. Outside, it didn't surprise me that Chris didn't spend an instant with me. When I looked over my shoulder to the golden-haired boy I could see he was in a similar situation with his sister. I smiled discreetly. Maybe there was someone who could get me, after all. "Third one is the charm." The visit to the museum lasted far less that I thought it would. Turns out it's hard to control a group of young people in a foreign country. However, when it was done most opted to go back to the hotel or to go out to the city with their friends. I went looking for the golden-haired boy. "Hey," he said when he saw me in the lobby. I waited for him to say something else but he didn't, was he really that nervous to see me? It was cute. "Are you ready?" I asked pointing to the street with my head. We went out of the hotel and started walking over the old streets. It was incredibly how the simple act of walking in that place could feel so magical. The black of the stones under our feet, the façade of the buildings to our sides and the color of the roofs. Prague was so much more than I thought it would be. Soon, we found another of its secrets: the streets were a labyrinth. In the end, tired after getting lost twice, he opted for stopping on a café not far from the hotel. It was a nice place, small, it had the same fairy tale scent the whole city had. When we sat down, the waiter magically appeared beside us. I ordered a cappuccino, the golden-haired boy asked for a soda. "Oh, tourists," the waiter sighed. I hated when I was so easily recognized. "I recommend you the trdelník." We both looked at him, incapable of understanding what he had just said. The waiter then pointed to an image in the menu. "One of those, to share" I said. The waiter nodded. The golden-haired boy looked at me, curious. "I like to try new dishes," I explained. "It's something... characteristic of me? You could say so. Yes, I know, European food isn't as different from the food elsewhere but I think every country has its hidden feasts." "I think so," said the boy with something similar to a smile. There was silence for a moment, I could feel my fingers dancing on the table. Was I nervous? He seemed calm, too much even. Maybe his nerves stole his tongue. "What's your favorite food?" That was the only thing I could think to ask. He thought about it for a few seconds. "I'm not sure, I'd never thought about it. Pizza?" "Pizza?" I sighed. Now, I wasn't going to judge him. Of course not, the world is free so everyone's favorite food can be anything they want and, surely, pizza was delicious, convenient, and fast and almost everyone liked it. It was the savior of parties and the savior of those days when you had no time to cook. Yet, was it really the best dish in the world? Was it really so majestic to be deemed favorite? Pizza was like a Transformers movie, everyone liked it but surely it wasn't Oscar worthy. Maybe, just maybe, I was expecting something more from the person that was going to be my forever. "Here you go," the waiter brought us that exotic dish. The golden-haired boy looked at me and then at the trdelník. "Eh, not for me, thank you." "But you haven't even tasted it," I protested. "I mean, it looks delicious! It's like Prague in a dish." "I'm not liking Prague that much." "Not lik...? What are you talking about? Have you seen it? It looks straight out of a fairy tale, isn't the point of this trip to have new experiences, to try new things?" I heard my own words. New experiences. The third one was supposed to be the charm but, so far, Prague was turning out to be more of the same. Chris angry with me, me with a boy that probably wouldn't last much and a magnificent city. The difference, of course, was that this time, without my parents there, I had no one who really wanted me there. I left the conversation there. In the end we went back at the hotel. "See you tomorrow," said the golden-haired boy. I looked at him, confused. Tomorrow? Wasn't that hang out on the café not a disappointment to him? I raised my shoulders and told him "okay" before each went back to their rooms. I laid down on the bed, looking at the roof, asking myself if that was how my life was going to be. A series of never ending beds in foreign cities, nothing permanent, no strings attached, no real romance. Picturing Ekrem and Minakami together in Japan didn't help. It didn't bother me, not really, but then, why did thinking about the boys from my last two trips together made me feel this miserable? I sighed heavily, watching the city on the other side of the window. The entire place seem straight out of a bedtime story, yet, all I could feel was complete and utter apathy. It was then that I heard the door opening. It was Chris. "How are you?" I asked somewhat more enthusiastically that I should've. I needed to talk to someone. "Me not so well, to be honest." Chris raised his head. "Are you hurt?" "Eh, no I'm fine." "Did someone try to kidnap you, kill you or rob you?" I moved my head to the sides. "No." "Then I'm sure you'll be able to find the solution on your own," he said while looking through the drawers. His words had been sweet but the way he had said them left it very clear: I didn't matter. "Well," Chris walked to the door. "If everything is okay, good night." "Wait, where are you going?" I asked when he opened the door. "Aren't you going to sleep here? This is your room." Chris, for the first time, smiled at me. "This is a school trip, Alex. Did you really think we just came to visit museums? The real trip is in the hotel at night. You know what I'm talking about, right?" The door closed leaving behind a heavy silence. I stared at the wood for a long time until I fell asleep. It wasn't comfortable, I didn't rest that night. The city, me having the chance to be there, everything was so magical and special, yet... why didn't I feel it that way? What was I doing wrong? Wasn't the third time the charm? ------------------------------------- I hope this wasn't too down and different from the other but hey, always the same would be boring. Still, are you ready for more?