Can I Say Goodbye?

Jake looked at his passport.

He was going to Singapore, and wanted to say goodbye to his best friend Mike.

He had known him for many years, and now today was the day to be parted.

He kept his passport in his bag, and then kept the bag on the sofa.

Grabbing a small present, he ran out the door and headed for Mike's house.

He had come there in time.

Ding Dong! Ding Dong!

Mike had opened it.

' Oh, hello Jake!' Mike exclaimed. ' Please come in,'

Mike closed the door gently without a sound when Jake came inside, right after slipping of his shoes and wiping his feet (on the doormat).

Jake went to the living room, and carefully sat on the couch.

Mike's sister gave him a glass of water.

' Thank you so much', said Jake, taking the glass.

When Mike sat down too, Jake started to talk.

' Mike,' He said, ' Today evening I am going to Singapore.. and staying there,'

Mike smiled. ' Please have a safe journey,' He said kindly.

' Thank you so much for the wish,' Jake said, trying to sound polite.

' So I wanted to give you a goodbye present,' Jake said, pulling out his gift, and handing it to Mike.

Mike took his hands out from his pockets to take the gift, just then Mike's sister, Lisa skid and came and blurted, ' Wait, can you please say that again? Where are you going?'

' Well, I am going to Singapore and staying there. So I would like to say goodbye,'

' Have you been there before?' said Mike's mother, who was already old, though had teeth to talk and walk and cook in the kitchen, because she was in the kitchen.

' Yes, I have once been there, and it's really lovely. So I have going and staying there,'

Then Jake continued to Mike. ' Here,' he handed the gift. 'G-'

' Um...' A small girl said to Jake, ' Would you like a piece of cake?'

' That's very kind of you, but I'm on a diet,' said Jake.

' How about lemonade?' said a boy. ' I am really good in making them.'

Jake sighed. Oh no. I don't think saying farewell is also very successful.

' Feeling slightly full,' Then Jake said, ' This gift is for you. Goodbye,'

' Wait!' said the old mother. ' I have a goodbye gift for you, too.'

UGH! Will I ever get to leave? Jake thought, frustrated.

The old woman gave Jake a red box.

' Thank you so much,' Jake said.

Suddenly, a small thing came running to him.

It had a very chocolate brown fur, it was very long, and it looked slightly gentle and drooping downward.

The fur covered everything so much, the eyes were hardly visible, as they also blended with the chocolate color.

The tail looked like a small lump.

It was a dog. Jake recognized the dog.

It was Mike's since childhood.

' Chocolate!' Jake cried. That was the dog's name.

Chocolate came running to Jake, carrying a small green bone.

' Oh, Chocolate has got you a gift too!'

Jake liked this thing of being showered with gifts, but it was irritating as he couldn't say a simple single word.

Jake turned, and looked at his watch.

He looked at the time. Jake felt his eyes cooking, wide eyed as he was forced to gasp.

He had been over more than an hour in Mike's house.

Jake counted and calculated very quickly.

Oh no, three hours spending?! This had gone way to far than he thought.

'I think I really need to go.' Jake said, ' I have half an hour before my flight comes.'

' No, no!' said the children. ' Just a minute!'

They gave a butterscotch cupcake and a glass of pomegranate juice, which had been in the fridge for a while.

The glass was very big, and Jake wasn't sure how he was able to finish that.

And the cupcake had been kept in a big cup, so he felt really full like he was a bowl which was a little been too much filled that some was pouring off the bowl.

Then, as Jake ran out the house to wear his shoes, he found the children polishing the shoes!'

' Kids, that's really kind of you to polish it, but I need to use it right now!' Jake said, hurriedly.

' I will just finish this part and I will be done!' said the children. ' It will only take five minutes. And your socks are drying!'

Uh-oh.

Jake started to think he liked Mike more than he did to the children, and the others who were in the house.

' How much time will it take till my socks dry?' Jake asked the kids, scared.

' Um, we just washed it and hung it on the washing line. So, we don't know. But usually it will take a long, long, long, and a very, very very long time,' said the boy and girl in unison.

They looked at each other, chuckled, then turned to Jake once more.

' Why did you wash my socks?' said Jake. ' I need to wear them! and I can't, if they are wet!'

And I don't like holding wet socks. Jake thought, frustrated.

He regretted coming to the house.

They were irritating, frustrating, and angering him!

But at least he got to deliver the gift.

What was important to him, was that Mike seeing and receiving the gift.

He had took a lot of time and patience making it.

He had made Mike a friendship bracelet.

Jake was really good at making bracelets and simple necklaces.

Jake was wearing a sleeved shirt. He slipped open one of the sleeves.

Jake was wearing one of the bracelets, too.

There was colored letters written,

F R I E N D S H I P

At the letter before F, was a small bird. And after the letter P, was the same bird there too.

Their wings were outstretched, and their beaks pointed to the letters only.

He remembered buying the birds, like a torch flashing one part of his brain, which showed pictures and memories of what happened at that time.

Then he remembered his children excited, grabbing the two birds and taking their colors and start to paint them with full passion and happiness.

They were bursting with joy.

That part was another part of the flash, too.

Smiling, he quickly snatched his shoes and wore them, plucked off his socks and stuffed them in his pocket, along on the way as he put down his sleeve.

He looked back and waved goodbye, and a million hands from that house waved goodbye too.