Prompt: two brothers on the last day in the country before flying abroad back home.
As teenagers, the most rebellious thing they could do in the country was to venture away from the securely fenced boundaries of home and school towards the beach. Two brothers, one year apart, walked towards an ice cream shop next to a beach. It was a night out.
Living in a foreign country, both spoke a very limited native language. Still, the oldest one managed to order two ice creams. He got a lemon sherbet, his brother, and mint chocolate.
They were on a roll. They had taken a yellow taxi to the beach by giving directions for each turn to the taxi driver with a broken French. Somehow, they managed to make it to the beach. Luck was on their side. Before sunset, they found the ice cream shop and decided to get some.
While the older one was adventurous and the younger one less so, both were feeling an adrenaline rush. It was their last night in the country before they moved away for good. The agonizing pain of isolation within home or school had been too much to bear for teenagers, who are beginning to learn about the world, and in turn, themselves. Books, internet videos, and photos did not offer a remedy but further stoked the pain of loneliness.
Now that all was over, they did not care whether it was dangerous to be outside among local natives who looked different from them. They were an easy target for any residents in the low-income neighborhood; people came to beg, to feed curiosity, or to steal.
Regardless, the brothers laughed out loud as hard as they could. Each with an ice cream in their hands, they walked in big strides towards the beach. The wind blew gently. It was May, and the air was warm, moist, and breezy. Staring at the sunset, it felt like good riddance.
The brothers continued to walk along the sand dune by the beach as the sunset, the sky, and the world started to cool into dusk.
As the older brother lit a cigarette, it brightened a little, and his face emerged from the dark shadow. Then the lighter fire went out, only leaving behind the red ember light of the cigarette butt. The younger one joined in, and they laughed and took a drag. So long! Goodbye! It’s over!
It was the last cigarette they puffed before heading back home. Their father and mother were busy making sure all the adult stuff was done before leaving the house. It was finally over. The long wait. The isolation. The boredom. They were finally over. Only freedom waited ahead.
Ralph with Coffee 