Chapter
3 – Today’s Another Day
The trip to the countryside finally
comes. Jennifer and I have the whole week planned out, and are excited to
introduce Lucas to it and the relaxation it will bring. One day, we go to the
farms, pick fruits, see the animals, and go on a hayride. Another day, we go to
the theater to watch a live performance about the birth of Christ and go to a
water park. The third day, we head to a theme park with characters from a kids’
show that Jennifer and I saw when we grew up, which is still on air, that we
watch with Lucas. Jennifer has a blast at the park, wears a shirt with her
favorite character on it, takes a picture with the mascot, and gets memorabilia
featuring the character. If anything, she enjoys and acts more like a kid in
the park than Lucas does.
On the fourth day, we visit a
crystal cave and go to museums, historical sights, and towns. The fifth day
comes, and we go to a nature trail with rest stops and snack stops along the
way. As we eat lunch and rest at one of the stops, Jennifer strikes up a
conversation with a superhuman woman in a pink dress, with red-and-gold eyes,
blonde and black hair, and black and white snakes on her back, her children
around her. Her husband walks away from the conversation to look at the view of
the city in the distance. The woman’s husband has blue and red eyes, looks like
a gunslinger, and has a crimson and black hoodie. That couldn’t be who I think
it is, is it?
Approaching him, he looks at me and
says, “Oliver, is it? How do you enjoy your life?”
“Huh? How do you know my name?” I
ask.
“My eyes can help me read souls.
Don’t worry. I’m a fellow family man.”
“I…I enjoy it as much as I can.”
“How so?”
“Huh?”
“How do you enjoy it? You’re a
simple vigilante, and most of what you do is mundane, while the rest is
centered around your family. Your life hasn’t changed for over ten years. What
I’m asking is if you are satisfied with living the rest of your life the way it
is until you die?”
“I am satisfied with my life,
despite how mundane it is. It’s the life that God gave me, so no matter how
boring or challenging it may be, I accept it and live it with gratitude. That’s
how I manage to enjoy it.”
“Heh, wise answer for a simple man.
That’s all there is to it, isn’t it?”
“Can I ask you who you are? If you
are who I think you are, what’s an important man like you doing here?”
“As I said, I’m a family man.
Sometimes, I need some time away from all the action and important things I
need to do and rest. To be honest, part of me is jealous of your life. I’d
rather have my days be like yours, spending them with my family, and doing the
hero stuff on the side when I have the time and energy, but I shouldn’t
complain, right? It’d be sinful and disrespectful to God.”
“Family and times like these make
it easier to bear. I’m sure it’s no challenge to a man like you.”
“You’d think that, but…no, you’re
right. I’m just a little exhausted. Having lots of power and influence is nice,
but it’s a lot to be responsible for, which can push you past your limits. You
have a nice city, Oliver. Believe it or not, it’s better than the one I grew up
in, so I’ll make sure it gets even better with the Dominion in it, and you get
your just dues.”
The man’s wife tells him his kids
want to keep walking, so he says goodbye to me and walks away with another man,
who is wearing half-black, half-white clothes.
“That was Kane Mundr, Idelle Mundr,
and their children,” I tell Jennifer.
“I didn’t think that at first, but
then it was too obvious to ignore. What’s a family like them doing here?
Shouldn’t they be in the far East, ruling over a country?” she asks.
“Yeah, but Kane told me that he
needed some time away from it. He also said that he feels partially jealous of
me because of the time we spend together.”
“I guess we can chalk that up to
one of our lives’ accomplishments, something to be proud of, and tell our
friends and family.”
“Eh. I guess so, but I’m prouder of
us, and the life we’ve built together.”
“You think so? It’s not much.”
“What we have is all we need, and I
wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
“You’re right. I love you, Oliver.”
“I love you too.”
I hold my family close to me and
enjoy our embrace more than I have in a while after being reminded of its
value. God bless this simple life I live. I pray for the wisdom to never forget
how good it is, no matter what may happen, and to never forget to thank God for
it in the good, mundane, and bad times.
The End
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