A man was hugging Jason out in the open as though they were long lost brothers. After a while, the man finally let him go. The man was smiling from ear to ear. He was tall, comparable to a professional basketball player and according to Jason’s estimations, his height was probably six feet five or six feet six inches. In another word, he was like a giant in front of Jason.

“How long has it been?” he said.

“Long enough. So, how you’ve been? I thought you would’ve been in the NBA by now,” said Jason.

Jason was tactless as always, but the tall friend of his wasn’t affected by his words. He replied with a smile, devoid of any ill-feeling.

“Nah, I gave up. Things just didn’t work out,” said the tall man while shrugging his shoulders. “So you just got back?”

“Yeah, just got back from New Jersey,” he said.

“New Jersey?” the tall man said with his jaw dropped down. “I heard from the news there’s a new crack over there.”

“Yeah, I know. That’s why I’m here,” he said.

The tall man’s gaze showed he was impressed. “You really didn’t waste time running from that future hell hole,” said the tall man.

“Well, I still want to live you know,” said Jason. “Hey Hakeem, I’m kind of short on money. So would you mind if I hitch a ride?”

Hakeem didn’t mind and Jason hitched a ride on Hakeem's car. While on the road, he and Hakeem caught up with one another. They talked quite a lot and Jason was more amazed by what he heard about this old friend of his. The basketball star of high school abandoned the path of going professional and now, he worked at Pearson Airport in the IT department of all things.

“You’re into tech right now? Sorry, but that sounds so weird coming from you,” said Jason.

“Nah man, It’s cool. People around me thought the same but tech has their own charm,” said Hakeem.

A while later, the car stopped by the side of the street. Jason turned to the side mirror, as he glanced at the two-story detached house. It had been a long time since he got back home.

“Hey, Jason. Here,” Hakeem handed him a piece of paper. “Call me up when you have free time. Let’s hang out like back in the old days,” said Hakeem.

Jason stared at the number written on the paper. He turned towards Hakeem and smiled.

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“See you later,” he said.

Hakeem waved his hand as he drove down the road. It was in the afternoon and the sun was at the top of his head. His whole body was facing the two-story house. He exhaled loudly as he tried to calmed himself down.

“Fuh, here goes,” he said.

Standing on the doorstep, his gaze was set on the unfamiliar digital door lock.

A new one, dad did it again. Mom probably pissed about dad’s spending habits.

He swiped up the cover of the door lock but his finger was frozen in the air. Jason tried to remember the previous digit code.

Shit, I forgot.

His hands were grabbing his hair as he was trying hard to thought about the code. But then, the door opened from the inside. A man entered Jason’s sight, the man was holding on to a bag of trash probably on his way to dump it into the trash can.

“Who?!” said the man.

But the man stopped as his feet shuffled a few steps back. He was surprised by the sudden appearance of a stranger. He was about to scream at his wife who was cooking in the kitchen but he stopped. The man took a closer look at this stranger who was standing still, after adjusting his glasses his eyes narrowed down.

Then the man’s eyes turned wide open. The trash bag fell on to the floor with a thud. The man was quick on his feet and hugged Jason who was standing still. Two men who were at the same height shared a hug.

“You’re back,” said the man.

“Yeah dad, it’s good to be home,” said Jason as tears dripped down his cheeks. His father silently cried as both son and father shared a moment together.

It was a big deal for Jason since he survived those terrible days with the thought of his parents kept on circling in his mind. He remembered the time before he blacked out completely, the image of both of his parents flashed by for a few seconds. Jason really missed them.

“Honey? Are you done? I need some help in the kitchen,” the voice of a woman reached the front door. She was oblivious about the current situation.

Both Jason and his father separated themselves. The father grabbed Jason’s shoulders while taking a good look at Jason’s face. His eyes were reddish and teary, even his face was a bit flush. Both of his father’s hands held on to Jason’s face as he lightly caressed it. Those eyes that were shown in his father’s face was unlike he had ever seen.

Jason was surprised by the caring action of his father. In his whole entire life, his father had never done these kinds of things before. In a way, he was touched by his father's gesture. His father didn’t say a word as he only kept on gazing at Jason. He lightly tapped one side of Jason’s cheek and turned around.

“Come on, let’s go see your mother,” said the father.

Jason nodded with a smile and followed behind his father. The moment they reached the kitchen, Jason saw the back of his mother. She was busied chopping some things on the chopping board.

“Honey, come here and help me stir the eggs,” said the mother as she didn’t even turn her back.

Jason's eyes turned moist once more after seeing his lovely mother. His lips were trembling as he tried to hold back from crying like a river.

“Mom,” he said.

The sound of chopping stopped, his mother stood still like a statue. She froze the moment she heard that familiar voice. Turning around she was already on the verge of tears.

“Jason!” she called her son.

A touching moment of mother and son as they embraced one another. His father stood by the side while watching his family with a smile on his face.

Later on, Jason spent time with his parents as he constantly tried to soothe their worries. He told about how he escaped the city through a lie since the truth would be too much for the hearts of both of his parents. His mother gasped a few times hearing the retelling of those dangerous moments. Again, Jason calmed his parents down and told them that he was safe now since he was back at home.

The three of them ate lunch after his mother cooked a feast to celebrate the safety of her son. What was supposed to be a simple lunch turned into a grand feast. They shared a few laugh and smile together, and in the end, Jason returned to his room on the second floor.

“Son, if you need anything just tell me,” said his mother who was still worried about him.

“I’m fine mom,” he said.

The mother who was about to close the door came inside the room and gave Jason another hug. He didn’t retort and accepted it with open arms. Then his mother left the room leaving him by his own self.

His head was moving around as he scanned the entire room. It was untouched as everything was the same as before he went to the states. Jason’s head dropped on the bed as he stared at the ceiling. He was calm and relax, being at home really made a difference.

But then a slight frown appeared on his face. He knew things won’t last even at home. He counted himself as lucky since Toronto wasn’t hit by the first crack. He knew he has to become stronger.

His first step?

He glanced at the piles of books on the bookshelves. Then he muttered.

“Identify.”