“Do you need a ride home, Machu?” Plue asked, as they were walking down the corridor. “I think papa’s still free.”

  “I have a friend handling patrolling, so I am free enough to drive you home,” Lemuel added.

  “No, you don’t have to do that for me. I think we’ll take a ta-“ Machua paused. “Never mind. I guess we’ll walk home, it’s not too far.”

  “Okay!” Plue responded.

  Machua didn’t exactly hear what Plue said. Instead, she was a little occupied with the thought of going home. It had been a long 2 years of working abroad, and now that she was finally back, those 2 years felt way too short. She was happy to be back of course, it had been too long since she got to taste her mother’s home cooking, but she wasn’t going home alone.

  She was returning home with a stranger, a lookalike who claimed he had her memories and claimed that she was his creator. A person who wanted to insert himself into their small family.

  She didn’t worry about how he would act or his motivations. Machia was, from the beginning, another Machua. She would have come to that conclusion no matter what. Riding in Lemuel’s car to the EPG told her everything. She could see in his eyes that he missed Erelier just like she did. Maybe more. He looked over all the same places, and when he did, his eyes glazed over, as if remembering long-lost fond memories. Their old school, LeBlanche Cafe, Dias Mall, all of these places were in his memory, in both of their memories. The more she looked at him, the more she saw herself.

  It was strange, thinking that they shared memories, that he did all the things she did as well. It was almost as if he was always there, and that she simply didn’t notice him. When she was bored out of her mind in class, going shopping with her friends, or even eating dinner with her mom, he was there. Just invisible to everyone else.

  Machua’s thoughts stopped once she spotted the face that used to be only familiar in a mirror. She instantly brightened up and waved towards him.

  “Machi! How did it go?”

  Machia half-heartedly waved back, with a tired smile on his face. “It went okay.”

  Machua’s smile turned into a smirk the moment she heard nothing went wrong. “It can’t be she made you confess to a crime right?”

  Machia stared at Machua for a few seconds before responding, “No, but she definitely made me feel like a criminal.”

  “Auntie, you can’t bully Machi like that,” Plue piped up, fully sincere.

  “P-Plu, I didn’t do anything like that. It was a few simple questions and that was it,” Elize said, fully caught off guard.

  “Hrm…” Plue harrumphed with a particularly cute frown on her face.

  “Haha,” Lemuel chuckled. “I’m sure El wouldn’t be too harsh on him. She has no reason to. Right, Machia?”

  Lemuel smiled at Machia as he placed a hand on his daughter’s shoulder. She glanced at him too. All of a sudden, everyone was glancing his way, waiting for his answer. Machua was smiling like there was no tomorrow, like a cat about to break a glass cup.

  “Nope. I guess it wasn’t as bad as real suspects would get. She just seemed a little scary without anyone else around.”

  “Heheh, so you were alone huh?” Machua instantly asked, her mouth curved into an annoying smile. She had suddenly appeared right next to him, almost as if she had teleported.

  “Yep. Alone with all the security cameras you could ask for,” Machia retorted.

  “Heeeeeeh~ How boring.” Machua’s smile disappeared as fast as it appeared.

  “Are you guys going now?” Plue asked.

  “Oh, uh, yeah! We’ll walk home. Thanks for all the help, Lemuel, Plu and, uh-“

  “Elize.”

  “Elize! I’m sure it was hard taking care of this guy.”

  Machua poked Machia’s cheek, prompting him to glare at her.

  “It was no trouble,” Elize mentioned.

  “Sure it isn’t! Bye now.”

  Machua waved goodbye to the other 3 as she and Machia began walking off. However, just as they entered the elevator, Plue came running up to them.

  “M-Machu, we’ll see each other again, right?”

  Machua let out a gentle smile as she answered her. “Promise, Plu. I’ll see you later this week and we’ll have lots of fun.”

  “Okay then. Bye for now, Machu.” Plue let out a shy smile as she watched the elevator go down, out of her sight.

  A few seconds into their descent, Machia couldn’t stop himself from talking.

  “Already friends with her, huh? That was quick.”

  “How could I not? Plu’s so cute, I just have to keep talking to her. I’m gonna take her out to a cafe, to an arcade, the movies. Ooh, I definitely have to take her shopping too!”

  Machia glanced at Machua, before closing his eyes for a brief moment. ‘Was I…really like this so long ago?’

  “What’s up?” Machua caught onto his brief silence.

  “I was just thinking. I can’t believe I came from you of all people.”

  “I should be the one saying that you know. How the hell are you like this when I’m,“ Machua gestured to herself, “me?”

  “Heh, don’t ask me. I don’t know how I exist. Regardless, I’m here now, and that’s your problem.”

  “Wha-? My problem? You can do whatever you want, you chose to come here.”

  “It’s home, Machu, I don’t want to be anywhere else.”

  Those sudden words cut Machua a little deep. She knew that he missed Erelier too, but she didn’t expect him to say something like this. Those words seemed a lot more real than her own desire to stay.

  Suddenly, a thought ran through her head.

  “Hey, you came into being around a year ago right? During that hospital trip in Sicuso City.”

  “Yeah, that’s right.”

  “Soooo, what have you been doing all this time? Why didn’t you come find me?”

  Machia closed his eyes again, remembering the past. He remembered the exact feelings he felt when he discovered Machua existed, and what he had done this past year with that knowledge. He had worked so hard to make it here, and it was now that the hardest part would begin.

  “…I guess I wanted to discover myself. When I found out you existed, well, think back to when you found out I existed.”

  “…” Machua stayed silent, listening deeply to Machia’s words.

  “I freaked out. And I didn’t want to believe it. But I could tell I wasn’t the real Machua. So, as you might imagine, I spent a lot of time trying to figure this all out for myself. And I did. Which is why I’m here now,” Machia stated, trying to make his words seem not as emotional as they actually were.

  “I’m-“ Machua started.

  “Don’t apologise,” Machia gently smiled. “I got to make a few friends and live for myself this past year. Just like you. We just happened to go different paths for a little while, and now they’ve finally crossed.”

  “Y-yeah. You’re right. Let’s head home.”

  “Yep. Let’s go home, Machu.”

  ———————————————————————

  “Yeah, we gotta go karaoke sometime! You sound exactly like me, so we have to do a duet.”

  “No Casina songs though.”

  “What’s the problem with Casina?-Oh, we’re home.”

  Machua stopped right before the steps of a nondescript house. It had two floors, and was big enough to fit a large family, but all it had ever housed was a single mother and her child.

  Machia stopped as Machua went up to the door. The last time he was here, the house… wasn’t. It was completely destroyed, its roof having collapsed in and of itself, due to the work of a few monsters.

  During the fall of Erelier, he rushed home to check on his mother, and what he found was a dead body. A mangled body, crushed by the ruins of their old home, almost unrecognisable. Yet, he hadn’t the time to mourn for her, he had to check on his squad captain next.

  Machia sucked in his breath. All of a sudden, he couldn’t bring himself to move. Pessimistic thoughts flooded his mind, he began to ask himself questions he was once sure of.

  ‘What if she doesn’t recognise me? What if she doesn’t accept me? What if…’

  “Machi?”

  ‘This isn’t home anymore?’

  “Hey, Machi? You wanna do the honours?”

  Machia snapped out of his trance and stared back at Machua, who had descended the stairs.

  “No, you can do it. You’re Machua after all.”

  “Yeah, but you’re also Machua, right?”

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  Machia swallowed his saliva at the nonchalant response. She was right. He shouldn’t have doubted himself. He had as much of a right to the name of Machua as she did.

  “Okay. Let’s knock it together.”

  “You got it.”

  The two Machuas walked up the stairs in lockstep, almost as if they were doing a routine. They weren’t though, their natural gait just happened to match each other perfectly, causing them to step in exactly the same way up those stairs. They were of the same exact mind, that they were home.

  But just as the two brought up their hands to knock on the door, it swung open.

  From behind the door appeared a mature and shapely woman, with long and messy black hair. Her eyes were a deep brown, and she wore a gentle smile on her face.

  “Since when did I give birth to twins?” She asked the two.

  “U-uh, guess who’s the real Machua?” Machua asked shakily.

  “Um…” Leila raised a finger to her lips as she thought aloud.

  “That one.”

  Leila pointed at Machia, surprising the two of them. Machua especially, who looked back and forth between her mother and her brother, in utter disbelief.

  Leila explained to Machua, “Your eyes are naturally blue. His eyes actually match mine. You should work on your disguise, by the way, you’ve got everything else down except for your eye colour.”

  “Hey! Mami, it’s me! How could you not recognise your favourite kid?” Machua asked in utter despair as her eyes changed colour again. They were now green.

  “Yeah, yeah, you can stop now. I’m sure Machu’s already paid you enough. Now, come in, Machu, you’re helping me cook dinner,” Leila said as she grabbed Machia’s arm.

  “Mami!” Machua exclaimed.

  “Ha!” Machia finally made a noise, bringing his hand up to his mouth. “Mami, you can’t bully Machu like this. She’ll cry, you know?”

  “Eh, she deserves it for not telling me when she’ll be home. I couldn’t even prepare a cake for you, you know? So unfilial.”

  “It’s supposed to be a surprise, mami! You’re supposed to jump out and give me a big hug! And anyway, why aren’t you surprised about the other me!?” Machua rushed up next to the two and gestured to Machia. She pointed back and forth between their entirely-alike faces.

  Leila give Machia’s face a good once-over, pinching his cheek, before responding. “You expect me not to recognise my child? I don’t know how it happened, but there are two Machuas at my doorstep. I don’t care how many Machuas there are in the world, but they’re all my children. You got that, Machu?”

  “…Yeah. I do,” Machia responded, instead of Machua.

  “Good. Now, let’s get to cooking dinner. I assume both Machuas are good at chopping veggies?”

  “I’m probably better than her,” Machia answered.

  “Hey!”

  “Okay, then you’re on vegetable duty, and you can defrost the meat. We’ll have hotpot.”

  Leila began striding in-doors, expecting her children to follow her straight in. Machia watched her walk for a few seconds, before Machua stepped up right next to him.

  “Come on, let’s go. You have to show me how you’re somehow better than me at something.”

  “Oh, I’m better than you at a lot of things, Machu. You’ll see just how much in the future.”

  “I can’t wait,” Machua responded with sarcasm.

  The twins hurriedly made their way inside and got to work. Leila had always planned to have hotpot for herself that day, so some of the ingredients were already out. In no time at all, it felt as if they had never left home. The addition of another Machua led to a bit more bickering in the household and some mild competition between the two but to the both of them, this raucous scene was just as they remembered it.

  During their eating, Machia explained the circumstances as to how he came here. He explained his origin, that is, that he doesn’t know. He also explained how he was legally her elder brother, born while Leila was overseas. Machua explained how she awakened an Aspect as well, showing off her cool Dimensional abilities, of which she only had one: storing things and taking them out of another dimension. Leila was very wowed.

  “So,” Machua slurped up her noodles, “on paper, you’re 25? You’re lying to the government?”

  “Not like I can just tell the truth.” Machia poured in more of the broth into his bowl. “Besides, it matches up perfectly with you, right, mami?”

  “As if. I’d never make a baby with a man.”

  Machia staggered a bit from that statement. “J-just go with it mami, I need you help.”

  “Oh? My little Machu would never ask me for help straight-up.” Leila’s face held the same annoying smirk Machu often had.

  “This is serious. I need you and Machu to both cover for me so I can stay here. I may just be her clone, but I want to stay in Erelier. It’s my home too.”

  “Just her clone, hm? You’re a bit more special than that,” Leila said.

  “Yeah,” Machua followed up. “You’re more than just a clone. To me, you’re already family. Kinda. It’s still a little weird since you’re a copy of me.”

  “What she said. I’ve only met you today, but I can confidently say you are the child I’ve raised over the past 2 decades. You know what that means?” Leila asked, giving him a knowing look.

  Machia paused, before gently smiling. “You’ll love me forever.”

  “That’s right. And because of that none of that clone stuff matters. At all.”

  Machia swirled his noodles as he thought of a response. The circumstances were different from all the other times she comforted him, but at the same time, it felt like nothing had changed. Mami was still mami. Their home was still their home. If there was one good thing travelling back in time had, it was seeing his loved ones that had left him again. He had thought of a thousand things to say to them, but seeing them right here, in front of him again, he lost all of his words. He could only tell her what he always had.

  “…I love you too mami.”

  All 3 members of the Purin household cracked the same grin.

  “So, Machus, now that you two are back, what do you want to do?”

  Both of the Machuas stayed silent for a brief moment, with Machua thinking especially hard. Machia already knew what his answer would be, he was only waiting for her.

  “I…think I want to become a hunter,” Machua spoke.

  Leila responded, “You don’t want to go to uni with all of your friends? It might be hard to be behind them by 2 years, but it doesn’t matter in uni.”

  “I want to hang out with them again, but I don’t think going to uni is the right way forward for me. Going on that trip abroad taught me that I learn way better when doing things, so I don’t think I’m cut out for it.”

  “Is this because of the mandatory hunter service? You have awakened an Aspect now after all.”

  “Yeah. I want to take care of that first before anything else.”

  “That’s 4 years, Machu. You don’t want to do anything else during that time? I know the government’s lenient with it,” Leila suggested. It was clear that she didn’t particularly like Machua’s choice, but she wasn’t going to push her towards another path.

  “Uh-huh. I know. I met a person earlier today, who’s younger than me, and she wanted to become a hunter to support her dad. She already knew what she wanted to be, while I didn’t. So, I decided on the spot that I wanted to hunt. And, if I’m going to hunt, I want to do a good job. So, before anything else, I’m going to become a damn good hunter,” Machua said, with a confident nod.

  “If that’s what you want, then I have no choice but to support you, don’t I?” Leila sighed.

  “I’ll join you too, Machu,” Machia suddenly interjected.

  Machua hurriedly said, “You don’t have to-“

  “I want to do this too, you know? You don’t need to ask why I want to do it. You already understand it yourself.”

  “I-“ Machua paused, before continuing. “Thanks, but you can admit you’re worried for me, you know?”

  “Never mind, I’ll leave you to die out there. I’ll go run a bakery or something.”

  “Hey, we should go do that together! I should keep that in mind when we’re done.”

  “Oh, so now we’re in this together.”

  “Don’t make it so hard to accept your help.”

  “You’re the one-“ Machia paused, before deciding to look away. “No, we’re not having this argument. I’ll shut up.”

  “Heh,” Machua stifled a victory cry.

  “Now, Machu-“ Leila interrupted them.

  “Hm?” Machua answered.

  “No, the male Machu.”

  “Call me Machia. We needed to differentiate us somehow.”

  “…But you’re still Machu.” Leila frowned, clearly a little sad about it.

  “I don’t mind, mami.”

  “Okay then. Machi, you’re going to have to sleep in the guest bedroom unless you want to share the same room.”

  “”No way,”” Both Machuas responded.

  “That’s what I thought. I’m sorry that I’m giving priority to the female Machu today, but you can sleep there tomorrow, Machi.”

  “Wha-?” Machua turned to face her mom with a betrayed look on her face.

  “I don’t need it. I have an apartment in Erelier already, so I’ll sleep over there tomorrow.”

  “”Huh?”” This time, it was both of the women in the Purin household that responded.

  “You…already have an apartment?” Machua asked.

  “Yes? I’ve been preparing for today for a long time, so…-“

  “That’s perfect! I can move into your apartment and-“

  “”No,”” Machia and Leila both responded automatically.

  “Why not?” Machua asked.

  “I like my privacy.”

  “I think the both of you should have your own privacy sometimes. You can get a nearby apartment anyway.”

  “You’re right. I’ll do that. Machi, we’re going apartment-hunting tomorrow. After we go to the Hunter’s Bureau.”

  “Yes, boss,” was Machia’s dry response.

  “It’s getting pretty late now, kids,” Leila said, “The both of you should turn in so you can wake up early for your hunter application.”

  “Kay, then night, mami. Also, Machi, I’m showering first,” Machua said, before rushing upstairs.

  “Yes, yes,” Machia responded.

  Machia made one step up the stairs before turning back to look at his mother. She had already started cleaning up.

  “You don’t need help cleaning up?” He asked.

  “Nope. Since the two of you just came back today, you can take a rest. I’ll deal with it myself.”

  “But-“ Machia wanted to say.

  “No buts. Take a rest. We can deal with everything else later.”

  Machia opened his mouth to say something, but quickly closed it once he saw his mother’s insistent look.

  “Okay. Goodnight, mami.”

  “Goodnight.”

  Machia made it to the top of the stairs before pausing again. He couldn’t help himself but to turn back again, to make sure his mother was still there. For some reason, he felt that if she left his sight, she would disappear. He had always been feeling that one day he might wake up and all of this would disappear, but every single day of the past year proved him otherwise. Every time he thought that he might go to sleep and find out this was a bad dream, he woke up and realised once again that this was real. Today was the first day he thought that he didn’t want to wake up from this dream.

  “I missed you,” Machia blurted out.

  Leila paused her cleaning, obviously a little surprised at the sudden statement. She raised her hand to cover her mouth, deciding not to face her son while responding to him.

  “…I miss you too. Okay, now go to bed. Hurry, hurry. I can’t handle all this sentimentality. I’ll start crying.”

  Machia smiled at his mother’s flustered response, before finally heading up for bed.

  ———————————————————————

  I couldn’t sleep. It was partly because I didn’t want to, but also that I wasn’t able to. I used to find sleeping easy, even after travelling back in time, because I would always think that maybe, just maybe, there was the possibility I’d wake up and all of it would be fake. It was such a simple idea that only kids would believe in, but I still hung onto it, even now. For the past year, I had been working my ass off planning out the years to come and preparing things for the future. I spent my every waking moment for this, so sleeping was a luxury I always looked forward to. But, along the way, it became more and more difficult to sleep.

  As I laid in bed, my mind would often bring up memories of the ‘past timeline,’ both good and bad. I remembered those days where I was living happily, working as a hunter alongside my friends. But I also remembered the days of hardships where we suffered many losses. Both of those memories were part of me, and because they were, this timeline absolutely had to go better. My worry would often make me anxious, making me wonder whether I did enough, or whether it would all go well.

  Should I have befriended Elize on a more personal level to guarantee she wouldn’t betray me? Should I have stayed in the shadows instead of revealing myself so I can manipulate things behind the scenes? Should I tell Lemuel I’m from the future and tell him he’s destined to die? Maybe I should just tell Captain Galas and have him do all the work for me? Maybe, I could try and replace Machua?

  That last thought was one I always shook from my head. The intrusive thought always existed in me, but I would never consider it. She deserved to live out her own life the way it was meant to go. She deserved to have her own story. I couldn’t take that away from her.

  In a sense, I was her phantom. I wanted Machua’s life, her life, to go completely fine. I wanted all the friends she would come to know to be happy, and I wanted her story to end on a good ending as well. Everything I did was for Machua’s sake, both mine and hers. It was something that was difficult to fathom.

  What I want to do is make her life as happy as possible. Not because I personally wanted that for the current Machua I only met today, but because I wanted to make every single life I knew in the past timeline have a better outcome. Those people that I had come to know don’t exist anymore. All I had were my memories of them, but I could at least make their remnants, their past selves, happier than they were in the future. I could fix all their problems. And because that was what I wanted, for my own sake, I was doing it for her sake too. Everything I was doing was for Machua’s sake. She was the person who benefitted the most from my actions, not me.

  *Knock, knock!*

  I quickly hid Kalina’s pocket watch, and slowly walked over to the door.

  “It’s midnight, mami. You couldn’t sleep?” I asked my mother.

  My mother was dressed in pyjamas that matched mine and was holding two plates of chocolate pudding in her hands. As for the pyjamas I was wearing, I stole Machua’s while she wasn’t looking. They were originally mine anyway.

  “I just finished watching my drama series, so I thought I should at least see if any of you were awake. I checked Machu first, but she was knocked right out.”

  Mami held out a plate of her chocolate pudding at me, telling me to grab it. I sighed and took it into my hands. I took a spoonful into my mouth, and it was just as I remembered it. That little bit of rum she’d always add in accentuated the chocolate perfectly. Though, she actually preferred it with even more rum in it, keeping it hidden in the bottom part of the fridge. I only found out when I turned 21.

  “Good as always right? You know, I have to cook extra now that I have double the kids.”

  Mom grabbed the seat from the table in the room and made herself comfortable on it. She patted the bed, telling me to sit on it. I followed suit.

  The both of us sat in silence, eating our chocolate pudding for a little while. I wanted to speak, but I didn’t know what to say. From the looks of it, mom had a few things on her mind as well, but didn’t quite know how to articulate her words properly.

  I couldn’t take the silence anymore and spoke, “Mami.”

  “Hm?” She looked up from the pudding to look at me.

  I looked into her eyes with a serious expression on my face. In this moment, I wasn’t talking to her as her child, or even Machua Purin. Right now, I was a stranger, Machia.

  “Why did you accept me into the family? How can you look at this complete stranger and say that that is my child?” I asked her.

  Mom sat in silence as she thought of a response. She knitted her eyebrows as she thought how to properly break it down for me. In the meanwhile, I finished my pudding.

  “I can tell with your eyes. You and Machu look the same, act the same, have the same smile, but your eyes are a little different.”

  I patiently waited for her to finish.

  “Sometimes they’re the same. But most of the time, your eyes look tired. So tired. As if you’ve run a marathon without resting. You’re hurt, you want to go home, but you don’t know where home is.”

  I had no words. As expected, she saw through me instantly, but even then, watching my mother analyse my behaviour so easily like this was unnerving.

  “It reminds me of Machu when she was smaller. When she was so confused about what she wanted to do in life and couldn’t find a single reason as to why she kept failing her magic tests. You remember right? I told you that maybe you should go on a small trip to clear your mind and try working in the real world before going to uni.”

  “I remember.”

  I remembered those feelings vividly. I felt that I had hit rock-bottom when I saw my exam grades come in. I remembered how I felt left behind by my peers when they awakened their Aspects and I hadn’t. I saw myself failing to turn in homework, failing to study properly, because I felt that I had to have an excuse for failing everything. I became scared of putting in actual effort and not succeeding. In the end, I failed to qualify for the university my best friends had applied to.

  “It seems like Machu came back from that trip feeling fully rejuvenated. She must have tried so many jobs and had a fun time. But you look like you’ve faced so much hardship in that trip.”

  “It was hard,” was all I could say.

  “That’s right. But you’re home now. And you’re acting exactly as I expected you to. You’re my Machua, alright, you’ve just faced a few difficulties in your life that you weren’t prepared for. If anyone asks me why I took you in, the answer’s simple. It’s because I love my child.“

  I gritted my teeth as I tried to stop my emotions from bursting out. I wiped my eyes quickly, trying to stifle my tears. Right now, I was really in front of my mother. The woman who raised me my entire life, the woman whose corpse I had found in the ruins of our home, and the woman who still loved me across timelines. Right now, right here, I was alive. And I was real. She was real. Everything was real.

  “Mami, why…” I trailed off. “Why do you believe in me? You know that I know why I’m here. I know exactly why I’m here, I’m the one who set it up so that I could live here without any legal issues. I have so many more secrets I have hidden away than I’ve told you, and you haven’t asked a single question.”

  Mami stood up and looked down at me, before patting my head. I felt as if I was a child again, and that I had come crying to her.

  “It’s exactly because you appeared before us, telling us you didn’t know, that I believe you. You know that right? Anyone could tell you had your secrets, but here you are, telling us bald-faced that you didn’t know anything. It’s an excuse even a kid wouldn’t believe. But you know the both of us know better. You’re asking us to just believe in you. You’re asking us to our face to believe in you for the moment with the promise that you’ll tell us everything later. Did I get it right?”

  “But still. I’m still hiding the truth from you, even if it’s only barely.”

  I looked away from my mom, afraid to meet her gaze. However, she turned my head to look back at her.

  “You’re being sincere, Machi. Just as I’ve always taught you. Neither of us mind it too much. We’ll wait until the day comes you feel you can tell us everything. Though, you shouldn’t keep Machu waiting for too long. She’ll get impatient and annoy you about it.”

  Mom held my head close to her chest, as I slowly let a few tears leave my eyes. She slowly rubbed the back of my head as I grasped her tightly.

  “I-I promise. I promise one day, when everything is all good, I’ll tell you everything. I’ll tell the both of you how my life has gone so far, and everything that has happened in it. I’ll show you that you’re right to believe in me. That I’m still your Machua after all.”

  “Good. Now, could you make another promise for me?”

  I looked up, unsure about what she was asking. “What is it?”

  “Take care of you little sister, alright? You’re more mature than her, so you have to look out for her when she messes up.“

  I chuckled a bit as I wiped away my tears. I stood up and smiled as best as I could, before telling my mom what she wanted to hear.

  “I will, mami.”

  “Oh, and be sure to look out for yourself too, and let Machu help you out from time to time.”

  “I will, I will.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, mami. You don’t have to repeat it.”

  “Good. Now, I think everything’s settled, so I’m going to sleep early so I can see you two off. Wake me up even if you have to drag me out of bed. It should be easier with two of you.”

  Mami grabbed the empty plates and made her way across the room. She opened the door back up, but before she fully left, she suddenly turned back.

  “Aren’t you forgetting something?” She asked.

  I smiled. “I love you, mami. I always do.”

  “I love you too, Machi. My baby boy.”