"Twen put your head inside,” I scolded Twen as he put his head out of the window to enjoy the breeze.

"But the wind is great Mommy," he said with a wide smile.

"Twen, listen to Mommy, put your head in," I said, sternly.

This time, he listened to my warning and put his head in while still smiling.

"Which beach are we going Mommy?" he asked cheerfully

"Surprise," I said, flashing a cheeky smile.

We drove two hours to reach the beach, which was almost on the outskirts of the city. Although it was not the peak season, there was still quite a bit of crowd on the way to the beach, so I had to park my car near a small hotel. Twen jumped out of the car and looked around with glowing eyes. I took out the backpack with the things I bought and was about to reach Twen when an old man with a long goatee and thin sallow face came to me with a very greasy smile.

"Sir, would you like a room?"

"Oh no! I just..." I began to refuse but the man continued,

"We have a room with the best view of the beach and we provide facilities regarding the stay of kids. We provide separate..."

"Sir. we are not staying the night" I interjected politely

"Aaahhhh I..."

"Where is the beach, Mommy? I can't see it" Twen said, suddenly appearing beside me

The man's flattering smile turned sour when he heard Twen call me 'Mommy'. I have seen such expressions before. Omegas are not received with respect. Despite giving birth to Alphas, Omegas are seen as filth by most people. I was very used to it, but not Twen. I picked him up in my arms and walked away before he received any burnt of this.

Instead of walking to the beach, I started walking towards Fred’s place. It was a long walk from the parking spot, but I was eager to see that place again. Twen noticing that we were not heading toward the beach asked me, in a confused tone,

"Mom, isn't the beach on that side?”

I explained with a knowing smile, “Yes but before heading to the beach, let’s go to a very special place”

“Special?” Twen asked, blankly.

“Yes. It is the place where you spent your baby days” I said, nudging his cheek with my nose.

Twen looked puzzled but waited with quiet anticipation. After nearly fifteen minutes of walking, we finally reached the residential area. It did not take me much effort to locate the small two-story building where I and Twen spent our initial years in this city. The exterior of the building looked quite new but on closer inspection, it was clear that the walls were repainted. The house was built in a very modern Greek style, but it was much too small. However, for a high school student, it was nothing short of luxury. Among all the houses around the area, this stuck out like a sore thumb because of its outer appearance. The first time I saw this house, I was too numb from all the suffering to appreciate its beauty. Looking at it now, I felt an unfamiliar sense of nostalgia. 

"Wow, did we really live here?" Twen questioned wide-eyed.

“Yes,” I said, gazing at the house with affection, “We lived here for three years with Fred”

“Fred?” Twen asked, frowning slightly

“He is my friend” I answered, shortly.

As I gazed at the house, several memories came back to me. If only ‘that’ incident did not take place, then I could have continued living here and may have never met Robbie again. I wanted to go in and see if everything inside was still the same but the door was locked. I don’t know why I felt like I would meet Fred today but he was not back yet. I have his contact number, though I couldn't bring myself to call him. I wanted to speak to him face-to-face about whatever happened. Guess, I am feeling too impatient to clear the air between us but oh well... "Where is your friend now?" Twen asked, his tone tinged with a slight sourness. I looked at Twen and was surprised to find him looking annoyed.

Am I thinking too much?
“He has gone abroad for studies” I replied, “Let’s meet him when he returns, okay?”

Twen gave a non-committal nod. I wonder if he has social anxiety. I don’t get to spend much time with him so I was worried that I might be missing out on problems he might be facing. I have to keep an eye on him. Without wasting any more time, I turned around and started walking towards the beach.

****

"I can see the beach. I can see the beach" Twen exclaimed in excitement,  the moment the beach came into view. He ran towards it through the crowd of people.

"Twen, slow down," I said, hurrying after him.

Running and chasing, we both reached the beach passing by several tourists. It had remained the same as I saw it last time. The long expanse of bluish-green, the white waves hitting the sharp-edged rocks, and the foamy white water covering the golden sand on the shore. As I and Twen reached the sea, I saw people sunbathing, kids playing in the water, and some of them building sand castles. There was also a small troupe of young men and women playing beach volleyball. Although the beach remained the same, there were several restaurants newly opened here. I would have liked to stroll around but Twen nudged me,

"Mommy let's go to the beach. I want to bathe in the seawater," he said pulling my sleeves.

"OK Ok. Let’s do that but you must stay close to me, okay?" I said, giving up on the idea.

"Okay," he said, smiling brilliantly.

We went to the nearby stall which was lending swimming clothes. There were changing rooms too, so I paid for one and quickly changed into my shorts. I put one on Twen too. Twen and I put on some sunscreen before going to the beach. We both played on the shore, wrote our names on the sand, and bathed in the seawater for a few hours. Afterward, we were both very hungry, so we went to a nearby restaurant. The restaurant wasn't big but it was spacious as it was not enclosed by four walls. It only had a cool straw shade and tables and chairs neatly arranged. There were plenty of customers crowding in front of the ordering area. I luckily got two seats empty and asked Twen to sit and wait, before standing among the crowd to order. Once I reached the counter, a bright-eyed, tall fellow in the counter asked with gusto,

"Sir, what would like to order? Would you like to cool off with a drink? We have mocktails, juices, sodas, shakes, and our special Coconut milkshake which we serve in an unripened coconut, or would you like to grab a snack? We have sandwiches, fries, burgers,..." The guy at the counter kept chanting the menu like some Buddhist mantra.

I quickly stopped him by placing my order, “Two orange juice and two ham cheese sandwiches" I ordered, looking at the large menu chart behind the man

"You got it, sir," he said quickly making a receipt and giving me a token, "You have to give it to that second counter to get your food," he said

I left the throng and went to the next counter. A very tall, well-built guy with ginger hair, amber eyes, and a tanned complexion was receiving the token. I placed the token on the counter and repeated my order. Despite serving another customer, the man gave a slight nod to confirm he had heard me. Once he finished, he started,

“Two ham cheese sandwi-”  but stopped abruptly, when our eyes met, ‘To-Tony?”  he asked, his amber eyes reflecting disbelief.

My surprise at hearing my name from this guy was the same as his surprise at discovering me.  Do I know him? He didn't look familiar at all. I carefully inspected his face again, 

"Who- Do I know you?" I blurted out

"You ARE Tony," he exclaimed, his face lit up with a broad smile

Wait a minute!

I know that smile. It can't be!! He doesn't look like him at all.

"Fred," I gasped in shock

"I can't believe it's you," Fred said looking slightly awkward but happy.

“Look who’s talking,” I said, lamely, staring at Fred’s familiar and yet new visage.

Fred gave a bark-like laugh at my confused look before jumping out of the counter and almost crushing me with a bear hug.