It's Our Time to Shine
The Last Meal.
’… Knock, knock.’
A soft knock on the door woke me up.
“Hey, are you awake?”, Bert asked as he entered the room, walking towards my bed before sitting down next to me.
“Nooo”, I mumbled, complaining while rubbing my eyes.
I was lying there with the covers over me, and I felt, according to my body, that I hadn’t gotten much sleep this night.
“Come on – wakie, wakie”, he encouraged with a childish tone in his voice, taking away the covers which so comfortably was covering my body.
“It’s almost 5 am and since I’m up, you need to get up too.”
“Why…”, I asked in a non-questionable way while mumbling incoherently.
I wasn’t even half-awake at that point.
“’Cause we gotta get ready for our big day today! We’re leaving to the airport in about an hour, so we just gotta eat some breakfast together and then we’re off, okay?”
I’d forgotten; we were going to Japan today. By plane.
“Yeah, I’m just gonna put on some clothes and then I’m ready”, I said, rubbing the last piece of sleep in my eyes.
“Good!”, Bert replied with a smile. “I’ll see you downstairs.”
As soon as he left the room, I got up from the bed and put on some clean underwear along with a set of fresh clothes.
For some reason, I also made my bed, something I usually never did.
I guess I did it to be polite and to show my gratitude towards Mrs. McCracken for her hospitality throughout this entire visit.
After a couple of minutes, I was ready and I headed downstairs where I met the other guys in the living room.
They all looked terrible, probably worn-out from last night’s board gaming.
I couldn’t blame them – I bet I looked even worse myself, wearing no make-up whatsoever.
“Oh, good morning, love! Did you have a pleasant night?”, Mrs. McCracken asked as I was met by her loving smile.
“Yes, as always”, I replied, greeting her smile.
“Wonderful! Now, let us all eat. I have made something special for you kids that I’m sure you’ll enjoy.”
“What is it, mom?”, Bert asked, eagerly wanting to know what his mother had made.
“Homemade egg rolls”, she answered, heading into the kitchen, before telling us all to sit down by the dining table.
“Awesome!”, Jepha burst out, having a huge grin on his face.
By the look of the other guys’ faces, they were as excited as he was too when Mrs. McCracken entered the living room and placed the egg rolls on the table.
“Yes, I thought you might react that way. It's just something to get you prepared for your big tour to Japan”, she giggled.
“Thank you so much, it looks delicious!”, he said, just waiting to dig in.
“Well, enjoy the meal, sweethearts”, Mrs. McCracken said with a smile as she took one step back.
“Aren’t you gonna eat with us, mom?”
“No, I’m afraid not, Robert. I’m terribly sorry, but I need to take care of the kitchen before I drive you kids to the airport.”
“Yeah, okay.”
As Mrs. McCracken left and let us eat the breakfast, an odd silence occurred.
I began wondering whether it was allowed for me and the guys to talk or not or if we needed to keep our silence even though Mrs. McCracken wasn’t sitting next to us by the table.
I looked nervously over at Bert as I took my first bite.
“So, it’s good, right?”, he suddenly said, making me believe that it was okay to talk.
“Yeah, really good.”
“Freakin´ awesome”, Jepha added before taking a mouthful.
Both Bert and Dan were now eating for the great gold medal and even though Bert had told me earlier that he never had much of an appetite, he always made sure to eat properly before he went on tour.
“Aren’t you gonna eat, Quinn?”, I asked, looking at him as he was picking on his food with his fork.
“Yeah, uhm, I’m just not that hungry right now.”
“Come on, dude. We don’t have time afterwards to stop at a gas station or somethin´ on our way to the airport, so you better eat while you have the chance.”
Quinn dwelled on it for a couple of second, but decided to follow Bert’s advice as he took a bite.
We were all eating our breakfast now, enjoying every little piece of Mrs. McCracken’s delicious egg rolls.
While I was eating, I kept thinking about how this day was going to be like.
The more I thought about it, the more nervous I got and before I knew it, I’d eaten up my breakfast.
“You done?”, Bert asked, peeking at me.
“Uhm, yeah… I think so…”
“Hey, what’s up? Are you okay?”
“Yes. Just became a little dizzy now all of a sudden.”
“Is anyone sick here?”, Mrs. McCracken wondered, coming out from the kitchen as she started cleaning off the dining table.
“I don’t know”, Bert answered. “Lina is-”
“I’m fine. Don’t worry. I’m alright”, I said, interrupting him.
I didn’t want anyone to feel sorry for me, especially not her.
“Are you sure?”
By the look on his face, he wasn’t ready to give up just yet.
“Yes, I’ sure. I’m gonna go pack the rest of my stuff now, so…”
“Yeah, you do that.”
“Where are you going, sweetie?”, Mrs. McCracken suddenly asked, seeing me head for the stairs.
“Just upstairs. I need to pack some more before we leave.”
“Good idea! And I suggest the rest of you boys to do the same. I refuse to drive any faster than 50 mph on our way to the airport.”
She was now eyeing each and every one of the guys as they were sitting by the dining table, almost done digesting their breakfast.
“Will do, mom”, Bert reassured her, smiling at her while I went upstairs and into my room.
I took a deep breath, sitting down on the bed before I started packing the small amounts of clothes that were spread on the floor.
I really wasn’t looking forward to that plane trip.
“I’m almost positive that I’ve forgotten something”, I heard Quinn saying from the hallway outside my half-closed door.
“Go check, then. I’mma go do that myself”, I could hear Dan replying as heard a door shutting.
“Hey! Are you packin´ too?”, Quinn asked me, peeking inside my room.
“Yeah…”
“What’s up?”
“What do you mean?”
“Is something up, like, botherin´ you? You seem kinda bummed out – is something wrong?”, he said, now entering my room.
“No, I’m fine. It’s just… I don’t know. I’m just so anxious about that plane trip.”
“Duuude, you really got it bad, don’t you?”
“What?”
“Fear of flyin´. ‘Cause you are scared of flyin´, right?”
“Yeah, you could say so.”
I was almost muttering, not wanting to confess at all.
Quinn quirked his head to the side, giving me a smile before he continued.
“Hey, don’t worry about it. Everything’s gonna be fine. We’ll be there with you all the way, so you won’t be alone, okay?”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
Despite Quinn’s effort of trying to calm me down, my anxiety wasn’t ready to let go at all.
“Uhm, I gotta go and check if I‘ve forgotten anything to pack now, but I’ll see you downstairs afterwards?”, Quinn said as he got ready to leave the room.
“Okay, see you then”, I responded, now fetching my red backpack and placing my bag outside my room before I entering the bathroom.
I must’ve looked like crap, being half-awake and with absolutely no make-up.
And I was correct; as I saw myself in the bathroom’s mirror, I quickly noticed that my face had seen better days.
So I put on some eyeliner along with some mascara before brushing my teeth and fixed my hair.
I couldn’t have used more than five minutes as I now was heading downstairs again and seeing that it was only 5:50 am.
“There you are, sweetie”, Mrs. McCracken smiled while I put my red backpack on the floor.
“Where’s Quinn?”, Jepha asked.
“Oh, I think he’s upstairs – in the bathroom or somethin´”, Dan replied.
“Well, he better hurry, or else we will be late for your flight.”
She had a worried look upon her face, but blew it off with a smile.
“I’ll go get him”, Dan said before heading upstairs.
“Oh, man – I almost forgot. Uhm, I gotta find my cell phone.”
“I think I spotted it in the kitchen, Jepharee. On the counter”, Mrs. McCracken said.
“Ahh, thanks. I’ll go get it”, he grinned, leaving me and her alone in the living room.
She looked at me with a comforting smile
A soft knock on the door woke me up.
“Hey, are you awake?”, Bert asked as he entered the room, walking towards my bed before sitting down next to me.
“Nooo”, I mumbled, complaining while rubbing my eyes.
I was lying there with the covers over me, and I felt, according to my body, that I hadn’t gotten much sleep this night.
“Come on – wakie, wakie”, he encouraged with a childish tone in his voice, taking away the covers which so comfortably was covering my body.
“It’s almost 5 am and since I’m up, you need to get up too.”
“Why…”, I asked in a non-questionable way while mumbling incoherently.
I wasn’t even half-awake at that point.
“’Cause we gotta get ready for our big day today! We’re leaving to the airport in about an hour, so we just gotta eat some breakfast together and then we’re off, okay?”
I’d forgotten; we were going to Japan today. By plane.
“Yeah, I’m just gonna put on some clothes and then I’m ready”, I said, rubbing the last piece of sleep in my eyes.
“Good!”, Bert replied with a smile. “I’ll see you downstairs.”
As soon as he left the room, I got up from the bed and put on some clean underwear along with a set of fresh clothes.
For some reason, I also made my bed, something I usually never did.
I guess I did it to be polite and to show my gratitude towards Mrs. McCracken for her hospitality throughout this entire visit.
After a couple of minutes, I was ready and I headed downstairs where I met the other guys in the living room.
They all looked terrible, probably worn-out from last night’s board gaming.
I couldn’t blame them – I bet I looked even worse myself, wearing no make-up whatsoever.
“Oh, good morning, love! Did you have a pleasant night?”, Mrs. McCracken asked as I was met by her loving smile.
“Yes, as always”, I replied, greeting her smile.
“Wonderful! Now, let us all eat. I have made something special for you kids that I’m sure you’ll enjoy.”
“What is it, mom?”, Bert asked, eagerly wanting to know what his mother had made.
“Homemade egg rolls”, she answered, heading into the kitchen, before telling us all to sit down by the dining table.
“Awesome!”, Jepha burst out, having a huge grin on his face.
By the look of the other guys’ faces, they were as excited as he was too when Mrs. McCracken entered the living room and placed the egg rolls on the table.
“Yes, I thought you might react that way. It's just something to get you prepared for your big tour to Japan”, she giggled.
“Thank you so much, it looks delicious!”, he said, just waiting to dig in.
“Well, enjoy the meal, sweethearts”, Mrs. McCracken said with a smile as she took one step back.
“Aren’t you gonna eat with us, mom?”
“No, I’m afraid not, Robert. I’m terribly sorry, but I need to take care of the kitchen before I drive you kids to the airport.”
“Yeah, okay.”
As Mrs. McCracken left and let us eat the breakfast, an odd silence occurred.
I began wondering whether it was allowed for me and the guys to talk or not or if we needed to keep our silence even though Mrs. McCracken wasn’t sitting next to us by the table.
I looked nervously over at Bert as I took my first bite.
“So, it’s good, right?”, he suddenly said, making me believe that it was okay to talk.
“Yeah, really good.”
“Freakin´ awesome”, Jepha added before taking a mouthful.
Both Bert and Dan were now eating for the great gold medal and even though Bert had told me earlier that he never had much of an appetite, he always made sure to eat properly before he went on tour.
“Aren’t you gonna eat, Quinn?”, I asked, looking at him as he was picking on his food with his fork.
“Yeah, uhm, I’m just not that hungry right now.”
“Come on, dude. We don’t have time afterwards to stop at a gas station or somethin´ on our way to the airport, so you better eat while you have the chance.”
Quinn dwelled on it for a couple of second, but decided to follow Bert’s advice as he took a bite.
We were all eating our breakfast now, enjoying every little piece of Mrs. McCracken’s delicious egg rolls.
While I was eating, I kept thinking about how this day was going to be like.
The more I thought about it, the more nervous I got and before I knew it, I’d eaten up my breakfast.
“You done?”, Bert asked, peeking at me.
“Uhm, yeah… I think so…”
“Hey, what’s up? Are you okay?”
“Yes. Just became a little dizzy now all of a sudden.”
“Is anyone sick here?”, Mrs. McCracken wondered, coming out from the kitchen as she started cleaning off the dining table.
“I don’t know”, Bert answered. “Lina is-”
“I’m fine. Don’t worry. I’m alright”, I said, interrupting him.
I didn’t want anyone to feel sorry for me, especially not her.
“Are you sure?”
By the look on his face, he wasn’t ready to give up just yet.
“Yes, I’ sure. I’m gonna go pack the rest of my stuff now, so…”
“Yeah, you do that.”
“Where are you going, sweetie?”, Mrs. McCracken suddenly asked, seeing me head for the stairs.
“Just upstairs. I need to pack some more before we leave.”
“Good idea! And I suggest the rest of you boys to do the same. I refuse to drive any faster than 50 mph on our way to the airport.”
She was now eyeing each and every one of the guys as they were sitting by the dining table, almost done digesting their breakfast.
“Will do, mom”, Bert reassured her, smiling at her while I went upstairs and into my room.
I took a deep breath, sitting down on the bed before I started packing the small amounts of clothes that were spread on the floor.
I really wasn’t looking forward to that plane trip.
“I’m almost positive that I’ve forgotten something”, I heard Quinn saying from the hallway outside my half-closed door.
“Go check, then. I’mma go do that myself”, I could hear Dan replying as heard a door shutting.
“Hey! Are you packin´ too?”, Quinn asked me, peeking inside my room.
“Yeah…”
“What’s up?”
“What do you mean?”
“Is something up, like, botherin´ you? You seem kinda bummed out – is something wrong?”, he said, now entering my room.
“No, I’m fine. It’s just… I don’t know. I’m just so anxious about that plane trip.”
“Duuude, you really got it bad, don’t you?”
“What?”
“Fear of flyin´. ‘Cause you are scared of flyin´, right?”
“Yeah, you could say so.”
I was almost muttering, not wanting to confess at all.
Quinn quirked his head to the side, giving me a smile before he continued.
“Hey, don’t worry about it. Everything’s gonna be fine. We’ll be there with you all the way, so you won’t be alone, okay?”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
Despite Quinn’s effort of trying to calm me down, my anxiety wasn’t ready to let go at all.
“Uhm, I gotta go and check if I‘ve forgotten anything to pack now, but I’ll see you downstairs afterwards?”, Quinn said as he got ready to leave the room.
“Okay, see you then”, I responded, now fetching my red backpack and placing my bag outside my room before I entering the bathroom.
I must’ve looked like crap, being half-awake and with absolutely no make-up.
And I was correct; as I saw myself in the bathroom’s mirror, I quickly noticed that my face had seen better days.
So I put on some eyeliner along with some mascara before brushing my teeth and fixed my hair.
I couldn’t have used more than five minutes as I now was heading downstairs again and seeing that it was only 5:50 am.
“There you are, sweetie”, Mrs. McCracken smiled while I put my red backpack on the floor.
“Where’s Quinn?”, Jepha asked.
“Oh, I think he’s upstairs – in the bathroom or somethin´”, Dan replied.
“Well, he better hurry, or else we will be late for your flight.”
She had a worried look upon her face, but blew it off with a smile.
“I’ll go get him”, Dan said before heading upstairs.
“Oh, man – I almost forgot. Uhm, I gotta find my cell phone.”
“I think I spotted it in the kitchen, Jepharee. On the counter”, Mrs. McCracken said.
“Ahh, thanks. I’ll go get it”, he grinned, leaving me and her alone in the living room.
She looked at me with a comforting smile
♠ ♠ ♠
the last meal in the mccracken house, guys.uhu, egg rolls. gotta love 'em. ;D
xo,
lina.