Christmas Countdown : D-6

Hello guys. I know it's really bad for me cause I posted nothing on November. I'm so sorry. As you know it happened because of school's stuff.

Well, a lot of things happened, I'm gonna tell you on the other post. But now I'm gonna introduce you about my new ideas to celebrate Christmas. I'm gonna make a kind of chaptered story but it just for christmas titled Christmas Countdown. I don't know why I decided to use that title, it just came out from my head and I was like, "Okay, there's nothing wrong with it and let's use it."

This story was made in English. I'm gonna translate it in Indonesia if I have enough time, so I can't promise you. I hope you guys like it. Thank you and check this out :)

***

It was sunset in the west of Sydney when I’d finally done the afternoon class. The last class was Mr. Q’s, and we had to do some tasks today. I don’t know why we got an afternoon class in the day like this. At least, I was going home.

Logan was with me. He had the afternoon class too, but he was with Mrs. Aimee – the music teacher. It was exciting to join her class, beside I got a boring and depressing biology class. I bet him got a great class today. Today was our last day to school before we got a long summer holiday.

“How was your class?” asked him when I finally arrived at the place where he stood.

“Kinda boring, and all the students were so sleepy,” I said. He smiled, seemed really agree to me, “Poor you cause I got a great class today.”

I brought some thick books in my hand, and that was a Friday evening. We usually go home when we have done the class, but somehow Logan asked me whether I wanna go for coffee with him. I agreed.

He asked me for a flavor, but I rejected it. I don’t really like coffee anyway, I just wanted to accompany him. But he asked me to, and finally I mentioned hot chocolate. In the day like this, hot chocolate, great!

He got a mochacino with some ice with it. I remembered when his mom said that he was not allowed to drink the cold one. But you know, Logan is not Logan if he isn't break the rule.

We sat in the corner of the Starbucks in Madison Square. It is only 1 mile from our school and 1 mile too from Logan’s house.

All the lights turned on in Madison Square. The big Christmas tree in the middle of the hallway was turning white. There’s no winter in Australia on December. It’s unfortunate because I always love snow. All the whites, the cold, and the thick jacket I should bring, and the other cool things of it. But yap, we experience summer on December. Which means we enjoy Christmas in summer, and that’s, yea I think that’s kinda cool.

 “Christmas in 9 days, have you booked the ticket?” asked him starting a chat with me.

“I did check it, but all the flights cost really bad. I can’t afford to buy it,” I said.

“You said that you missed them, didn’t you?”

“I did, it’s been 1 year.”

Logan slurped the mochacino he had, he seemed terribly sorry to me. I knew for sure that he wanted to help me. He such a caring person.

“I’m gonna help you then,” he said. I laughed and drank my own hot chocolate.

“What did I do to you, Logan? I’ve bothered you so much,” I said, “the house, your parents, and all the friends. I owe you everything.”

I live with Logan and his family. I decided to study in Sydney for my senior year of high school. I got a scholarship, and I live with the host family. I’m so lucky to live with The Cleverlys, they are so kind to me.

“You owe me nothing, and I really like to help people like the way I do to you,” said him.

                                                                                ***

The night came and I had a dinner with The Cleverlys. I sat next to Logan. We got a turkey this night even though it was not a thanksgiving day, and there’s no thanksgiving tradition in Australia. Mrs. Cleverly cooked it for us as usual. We gathered in the cozy dining room which located near my room.

“So how’s life?” asked Mr. Cleverly to us.

“Good, though we got an afternoon class today,” said Logan, “and we had coffees.”

With a spoon full of mash potatoes on her mouth, Mrs. Cleverly said, “Um.. sounds good.” After chewing the food she had on her mouth, she said, “like the way this turkey and mash potatoes taste.”

All of us laughed. Mrs. Cleverly always likes jokes. She jokes everyone in this house, and she sometimes does pranks. She such a lovely mom.

“Christmas in one week,” Mr. Cleverly said to me, “don’t you come back home?” he took a part of turkey again and ate it.

“I have checked for tickets but they are so expensive,” I said to him, “I’m not sure whether I could come back home or not.”

“I’m so sorry to hear that,” Mrs. Cleverly said to me.

“Do you mind if I stay here for Christmas? It’s okay if you guys have holidays,” I said after that.

The Cleverlys seemed all confused.

“We have no plan for Christmas, C. We’re just gonna stay at home and enjoy Christmas day here,” said Mrs. Cleverly.

“We always do that every year. Celebrate the Christmas day here in home. Going to the church in the morning,  and the rest, we enjoy time here,” said Logan, “as people say, there’s no place like home. And home is such a lovely place to enjoy Christmas day.” Yeah, home is such a lovely place to enjoy Christmas day, Logan. 

“Yap, I’ll cook you the best panna cota ever. I bet you like it,” Mrs. Cleverly seemed agree to him.

“And we can watch The Shoes For Christmas on channel 1!” said Mr. Cleverly.

I smiled, trying to hide all the dissapointment I felt. Trying to imagine how my Christmas would be without my family in Indonesia. When the big family come to grandma's house and have some food to eat, playing some Christmas songs with my cousins, and going to the old-lovely church near there. It made me miss my hometown more.

"C, do you wanna add another mash potatoes?" asked Mrs. Cleverly all of sudden.

I shook my head, "No, thanks, Ma'am."

                                                                                ***

I could clearly hear the television’s sounds from my room. That was the dialogue of a drama serial titled Suburgatory, I’ve watched that episode with Logan many times until I knew that it was Tessa’s part. It was already 11 p.m. but I thought the one who watched  it was Mrs. Cleverly because 1) Suburgatory is cool, but it doesn’t suit for any dads. 2) Mr. Cleverly always sleeps at 10 p.m. maximum.

I just couldn’t sleep that night. I’ve read some books, writing, playing music which always makes me tired, but all of them didn’t work. Sometimes I text my mom or dad or my friends in Indonesia but I just didn’t wanna do it.

It’s all disappointing. I wanna go home, I miss home, and I wanna meet my family and friends there. So many things I wanna tell them. But, damn it flights cost, you are suck!

Perhaps I can’t sleep because I thought so much about it – the go home for Christmas thing. I put my blanket on but it still didn’t work, I put the pillow above my head but same. The thing was I just wanna go to sleep.

I decided to go for some fresh air. Maybe it's gonna help. I opened my door and went to the sofa near the dining room. I just wanted to sleep as I said.

I tried to close my eyes but it made me got a headache. I made a milk but it didn’t help, and I surrendered. Then I went to the living room to join Mrs. Cleverly there watching Suburgatory.

“Hey, C, why don’t you sleep?” asked  Logan suddenly. Apparently, the one who watched television there was Logan, and it was not Suburgatory but NCIS. Maybe Suburgatory was kinda boring for him and he changed the channel, who knew?

“Well,” I just didn’t know what to say.

“Have a sit,” said him to me. I sat near him in front of the TV. It was the scene when Ziva shot Ari who wanted to kill Gibbs. That was the old episode when Ziva came to NCIS for the first time and saved Gibbs’ life.

“Ziva was cool. She was a great agent. But it’s unfortunate cause she left NCIS on season 10,” Logan said to me while he was still watching the scene.

I smiled to him, “But Bishop is cool too. Kate was already dead and yeah that sucks too. All the things on NCIS never work as the way I think it would be.”

“Yeah, maybe things never work as we thought it would be. Great quote, C!” said him.

 I said nothing after that but thinking about my own quote. Maybe things never work as we thought it would be. So it will always be a surprise?

“You’re so quiet. Tell me something. You never be this quiet when we watch NCIS or Suburgatory or Criminal Minds, etc,” said him as he drank his own milk.

“I can’t sleep, Logan. I don’t know why, I’ve tried to read books, made milk, writing, playing guitar, and I still couldn't  sleep. And I just wanna go sleep right now.”

Logan then looked into my eyes.

“There’s something wrong between you and your own mind, C. What’s wrong?”

“Nope, nothing wrong,” I said to him and I took some pop corn from the bowl there, “May I?” and then Logan nodded. I ate some of the pop corn and watched NCIS with Logan that night, as usual, but never in the night like this.

“There must be something wrong. Tell me, C. I thought I was your best friend,” he said to me. I took a deep breath.

“Nothing’s wrong, Logan. Trust me,” I convinced him.

“You look so unfine, and you said that you’re fine. Ridicolous!” he said to me, “you still think about your coming home, don’t you?”

I was so quiet that time.

“Well, C. As I said I will help you. But you know I can’t promise you,” he said after that.

“ Hey, Logan. I’m fine. I completely fine.”

Logan then smiled to me, “Listen, C. I’m just trying to make you happy, I will take you everywhere you wanna go on Christmas. But you have to promise me that you won't be sad on Christmas day. Why? Cause you’re my best friend, and best friend never wanna see their best friend hurts or sad or something bad. I will help you.”

I smiled to him, “You’re my best friend too, Logan. And thanks for your help.”

“Your quote Maybe things never work as we thought it would be, it describes you. But who knows for surprise?” said him. I laughed, “Do you mean maybe I’m gonna get a surprise?”

He shrugged, “Who knows?"

I said, "Well thanks for your advice, Mr.Cleverly junior. I'm gonna get some sleep. I think I'm ready to sleep right now."

Logan smiled to me, and that was really cute.

Maybe things never works as we thought it would be, but maybe it’s all about the surprise. About the Christmas surprise.