Halo - 4. Chapter Four

I ate my bowl of cereal at the kitchen island, not realizing I had a small smile on my face until Dustin said, “Hey, are you okay, Duncan?”

Facing Dustin, I said, “Yeah, why do you ask?”

“Nothing. It’s just…you usually don’t look so…I don’t know. Content?” Dustin said as he uncapped a bottle of water and took a gulp. He then smirked and said, “Let me guess. You’re seeing someone, aren’t you?”

Of course, I was, but I couldn’t admit to Dustin that the person I was thinking about was another man named Mike. I didn’t know if Mike wanted other people to know about us. He might’ve wanted this to remain a secret like the affair with Claire and I was comfortable with that for now. We just admitted that we were attracted to one another and had our first kiss just last night. Going too fast would be a bad idea and I was okay with taking things slow. I was content, if I was going to use that word, with where everything was going right then and I don’t how things could go bad.

“Well, whoever it is, I’m happy for you,” Dustin said and patted my shoulder.

“Yeah, thanks.”

Dustin took another of his gulp of his water as he walked to the refrigerator where a small television was installed on the door. Turning it on, the local news channel was displayed and the topic that was being reported on was the reappearance of the heir to one of the largest gold mining companies in the country. Then an image of Mike appeared on the screen next to a picture that was taken of him when he was sixteen. The reporters were discussing about the connection between Mike’s disappearance in the Philippines and his father’s negotiation history with the Asian country’s gold deposits.

I wondered if the gold being negotiated was actually Yamashita’s gold. I learned about this from my World History class during my sophomore year. Yamashita was a Japanese general who hid immense amounts of gold and other treasures in the caves of the Philippines during World War II. After being executed for his war crimes, the exact locations of where his soldiers hid the loot was never discovered and my teacher told the class how current day treasure hunters are actively searching for them. It was farfetched to think that that was what Mike’s father was negotiating. Regardless, the connection between the company’s negotiations and Mike’s disappearance in the Philippines was troubling to think about.

I continued watching the news until Dustin changed the channel to some stupid reality show and I said, “Hey, change it back.”

“Why? It’s just Mike they’re talking about. No offense, but I heard enough about him since he’s the only thing that Miranda talks or thinks about now. It’s getting really annoying.”

“Miranda loves her big brother. What’s wrong with that?” I asked.

“What’s wrong is that I hardly spend time with Miranda anymore and when we do have the time, she’s distracted with what she has planned next with Mike.”

“Are you jealous, Dustin?” I asked as I tried hide my smirk.

“No way. How can I be jealous of Mike? He’s Miranda’s brother, not some ex-boyfriend. Someday when you have a girlfriend, you’ll understand.”

I rolled my eyes. “Whatever.”

“What? Is it boyfriend that you really want?” Dustin teased.

I narrowed my eyes at Dustin, but didn’t say anything. Instead, I just focused my attention on finishing my cereal.

“Someone looks butthurt. Maybe some alone time with Mike will fix that.”

“Shut up, Dustin,” I warned.

Dustin just laughed like he just told the funniest joke in the world before walking out of the kitchen. It wasn’t uncommon for him to tease me about my sexuality even though I didn’t give off any obvious vibes that I preferred the same sex. The teasing didn’t bother me for the most part. However, only recently have I noticed the teasing about me being gay was becoming more frequent and less forgiving.

I don’t know if I was becoming more transparent or what, but regardless of who I was sexually attracted to, it was none of Dustin’s business and he and his friends who would also joke about my sexuality behind my back could all screw themselves.

Just a few more months before graduation and I can say goodbye to my old life forever. I could attend any university of my choosing since I will most likely be the valedictorian of my class. Sure, Dustin will most likely become this year’s prom king along with Miranda as queen, but what actual weight will that have after high school? Being the top of my class did however and I was looking forward to teasing Dustin about that.

Until then…

I soon finished my cereal and after placing the empty bowl in the sink, I grabbed my backpack and left the house. I couldn’t wait for the school to be over already since after that I’ll be spending my time with Mike and I was really looking forward to that.

***

Mike opened the door for me and I smiled as thanks before walking inside the restaurant. Mike then entered and stood by my side when a short Filipino woman walked to us with a welcoming smile on her face. We were at the Filipino restaurant that Mike recommended and I was happy to finally be spending more time with him, especially since Literature class was a pain with Ms. Smith shouting at every one of us for the slightest thing, including me of all people.

“Hello! Welcome, welcome to my restaurant!”

“Thank you. May we have a table for two please?” Mike asked charmingly.

“Of course, you can! Follow me!”

The woman motioned her hand and we followed her to a table with two seats at the center of the restaurant. We sat down and were given menus.

“What would you two gentlemen like to drink?” the woman asked.

“A glass of sweet tea would be nice,” Mike said.

“Same,” I responded.

“Great! I’ll have your drinks out to you quickly.”

Once she left our table, I took the time to look around the restaurant. It wasn’t huge, but it wasn’t too small either. It had the right amount of space to make it feel homey with what I assumed to be the Filipino flag hanging on a wall. There were other patrons enjoying their meals, but it wasn’t crowded which the place much more comfortable to be at.

I then turned my attention to the menu and just by looking at the names of the dishes I wondered if I was going to like any of them. Luckily, there were detailed descriptions for each dish, many of them containing rice as a side.

“Do you see anything that interests you?” Mike asked, his eyes looking at his own menu.

“Uh…is there anything you would recommend?” I asked, seeing one dish called dinuguan and it contained pig’s blood which made me a little apprehensive.

“If I had to choose one, I would recommend the chicken adobo. I guarantee you’ll love it.”

“Oh, okay. I’ll have that then. Anything with chicken is great by me.”

Mike smiled. “You should also try the lumpia. It’s basically Filipino eggrolls. I’ll order that as our appetizer.”

“Great.”

The woman quickly arrived with our drinks and then she pulled out a notepad with a pen before asking, “Have you two decided what you want to order yet or do you two need more time?”

“No, we’re ready. My friend here would like the chicken adobo and I would like the pancit canton. And can we also have lumpia as an appetizer, please?” Mike asked politely.

“Yes, of course. I will bring your appetizer and your meals will be ready in about ten to fifteen minutes.”

“Great. Thank you.”

The woman smiled and we gave her back the menu. Within a minute she returned with a plateful of lumpia with a small bowl of sauce at the side. I hungrily grabbed a warm eggroll, dipped it into the mysterious sauce and took a bite. What I had in my mouth definitely tasted foreign, but it didn’t taste awful at all. Quite the contrary, it tasted amazing and I chowed down the rest of the eggroll before reaching for another one.

“Good?” Mike asked.

I nodded. “Definitely. Thanks again for bringing me here.”

“And thank you. I really like that I can eat this food and be with someone who likes it as well,” Mike said.

“Have you invited your family here?” I asked curiously.

“I brought to-go food home a while back and I wanted them to try it. However, they didn’t even give it chance with my father saying that this food is made by people who eat duck fetuses for breakfast.”

“Ouch. That’s insulting,” I said.

“It was. But, they haven’t experienced what I have during my years in the Philippines, so I can understand their apprehension.”

“Yeah, but it’s one thing to be apprehensive about trying something culturally different. It’s another thing to straight up insult them as if our culture is the better one,” I informed.

“I guess I’m just trying to provide excuses for my family.”

“Well, it’s understandable that you defended their reactions, being your flesh and blood and all.”

“Yeah… Though, regardless of what they think, this food is my staple now and it has yet to not give me enough energy needed for my meditation,” Mike said as he took a bite of his lumpia.

“You meditate?” I asked.

Mike nodded. “Oh, yeah. I have a routine for every morning and night where I sit down, light some incense and meditate for at least two hours each. I also practice my martial arts skills. The only trouble is finding the space where I can do that without any distractions. But I manage.”

“That’s so cool. What kind of martial arts do you practice?” I asked, leaning forward.

“It’s a very unknown form of martial arts that I learned in the Philippines which cannot work without deep meditation.”

“Who taught you?” I asked.

“An indigenous tribe located in the highlands. That was where I was taken and where I healed after I was attacked and kidnapped one night at a club at downtown Manila,” Mike explained.

“Really?” I said with both of my eyebrows raised.

Mike nodded. “I was an obnoxious, egotistical sixteen-year-old who thought it would be cool to buy some drugs from a dealer while I danced my drunk ass off to crappy pop music. He saw the amount of money I carried in my wallet and the next thing I knew I was beat up and dragged to a car that drove an unconscious me to an area away from the city. They thought after they took all my money and credit cards, they could kill me and hide my body where no one would find it. I would’ve been dead if it wasn’t for the tribe’s leader rescuing me just in time and taking me to his tribe’s village where they healed my wounds and changed my life forever.”

I was quiet for a moment as I digested what I was just told, and then I said, “So…this tribe…they’re the ones who taught you how to restore people’s vision and rearrange the stars?”

“Among other things.” Mike chuckled. “Those were just some of the perks of a grander knowledge that I learned devotedly over the years as I stayed with the tribe. They became my family and I knew they considered me family as well.”

“But how exactly were you able to restore my vision and do what you showed me last night?” I asked.

“It all lies in the human consciousness,” Mike said as he tapped his finger on his temple. “And how transcending through the mental barriers of your mind allows everyone in the tribe and me as well to manipulate light from outside the limitations of the physical body. Does that make sense to you, Duncan?”

“I think so. So, what you’re saying is you have some form of photokinetic ability that allows you to manipulate light like from a streetlamp and transfer that same light to the sky.”

“Exactly.”

“And you can manipulate light from your own body too. Is that’s why I saw a bright light coming from you that helped repair my vision?”

Mike nodded.

“Uh…wow. I don’t know what to say about that,” I said with a hand on my head.

“I know it’s very hard to believe. I was the same way. However, after seeing all the miracles that every tribesperson could achieve with my own eyes, I knew I just couldn’t leave without learning how to perform these feats.”

“So…that’s why you were gone all of these years. I mean, I know you were kidnapped, but after the tribe saved and healed you, they didn’t force you to stay with them, did they?”

“No, they didn’t force me to do anything. I was the one who wanted to stay. They were hesitant, though, which was totally understandable, considering I was a foreigner who initially wanted to learn their secrets for my own gain. However, as I learned everything about the tribe and how they could transcend their own consciousness, I began to understand that the powers they possessed could easily be used for malevolent purposes and that they should be used for the greater good instead. And that’s why I’m back after ten years of being absorbed by their culture and way of life. I want to make a positive change in this world and it’s going to start now.”

“And what is that change going to be?”

Smirking, Mike said, “Stick around and you’ll see.”

I raised an eyebrow to that and that was when our meals arrived, just-cooked and ready to be consumed. And Mike was right. After one bite of the chicken adobo with white rice on the side, I loved it and finished my plate with ease.

During our meal, Mike changed the subject to me, asking how school was going and other things that seemed so superficial compared to what he just talked about. However, I still needed time to comprehend all that information, so talking about how crappy it was to be a senior in high school was a relief.

Mike finished his plate too and he offered to pay even though I had enough money with me to split the bill evenly. We then left the restaurant with the uneaten lumpia in a to-go box that I was definitely going to eat later.

Once again, I had a great time with Mike and, no pun intended, it was very enlightening to learn about who Mike was, what he valued, and how has become a better, brighter version of his previous self. And because of this, he was different from everyone else I knew and that just made me want to spend all my available time with him. Just him and no one else.

As Mike drove me home, I was tapping my foot to my favorite nineties artist playing on the radio when Mike’s phone started ringing in the cup holder.

“Can you see who’s calling, Duncan?” Mike asked, his eyes still on the road.

“Sure thing,” I said, picking up the phone and looking at the name on the screen. “It’s Miranda.”

“Can you answer her then?”

I answered the call and said, “Hello? Miranda?”

“Mike? Is that you? Who is this?” Miranda said, sounding panicked.

“Miranda, this is Duncan. I’m with Mike in the car right now,” I answered, showing Mike my concerned look.

“Can you tell him that I need him back home right now?”

“Why? What’s wrong?”

“Just tell him that! I’ll need him now!” Miranda exclaimed.

“Okay, okay. I’ll tell him,” I said before Miranda ended the call.

“What’s wrong? Is Miranda okay?” Mike asked with a worried expression.

“I don’t know. She just wants you to come home right now. She sound panicked.”

“All right. Do you mind tagging along since my home is closer?”

“No, of course not.”

Mike clenched his jaw as he increased his speed. A few cars blared their horns at him before we managed to arrive back at his house in less than five minutes. There at the driveway, Mike quickly got out the car and jogged to the front door with me right behind him. As he reached for the keys in his pocket, the door opened and there at the doorway was Miranda.

“Miranda! Are you okay?” Mike asked.

“Yeah…I am,” Miranda said tiredly before wrapping her arms around Mike and hugging him.

“What’s wrong, Mir? Did someone break into the house or something?”

“No, I just…had a bad dream.”

“A what?” Mike asked, placing his hands on her shoulders and taking a step back to look at her in the face. “Are you serious?”

“It was a really bad dream, Mike. And I had no one to talk to about it after I woke up in tears. Mom and Dad are out on a date, Matilda and Melinda are back in college and Dustin wouldn’t even answer his phone. I didn’t know who else to contact other than you,” Miranda explained.

“All right, all right. I get it. But you shouldn’t be so panicked over a bad dream.”

“It felt so real though! I-I was dreaming that I was looking everywhere for you and I thought you disappeared forever again and…” Miranda’s face scrunched up and she began to cry. “I’m sorry.”

“Hey, don’t be. Come here,” Mike said gently and he hugged his sister again. As Miranda let her tears out and Mike swaying slightly her from side to side, I just stood there with my hands behind my back. I didn’t know what to do other than to take a step back and let them have this private moment together.

“Why were you gone for so long?” Miranda rasped and sniffled.

“It’s complicated, Sis…but I promise that I won’t leave you behind ever again. I mean it,” Mike said and placed a kiss on top of his sister’s head.

“You better.” Miranda then stepped back and as she wiped her eyes with her fingers, she noticed me and said, “Oh, God. I’m sorry you had to see this.”

“No, no. You’re okay. I’m actually the one who should be sorry since this is obviously a family moment.”

“Neither of you should be sorry,” Mike asserted. “All of this happened because of me and no one else should be blamed for my selfishness. I’ll do my best, however, to make it everything up to everyone who I’ve hurt since I’ve been gone. And if that includes watching all the romantic comedies in the box office, I’m more than willing to do that.”

Miranda giggled lightly and said, “No, you don’t need to torture yourself now. Just having you back should be enough for me.”

“Me too,” I said.

Mike smiled at me, which caused Miranda to cock her head at us.

“Um…if you don’t mind me asking…are you two…?”

“Oh, no, no, no!” I said quickly. “We’re just friends. We’re not a…I mean, we weren’t just on a…” I looked at Mike who had a raised eyebrow. “I mean…what are we exactly?”

Mike shrugged. “It’s whatever you want it to be, Babe.”

I immediately blushed from being called that very intimate term of endearment and said, “Oh…okay. So, eating at that restaurant could be considered…a date?”

Mike smiled and nodded. “I’d considered it a date too.”

I smiled at that response.

“So, you two are seeing each other,” Miranda concluded. “Wow… Just wow. Mike, I never thought you would be…”

“I’m not into labeling myself,” Mike intervened. “It shouldn’t be complicated. I like Duncan and Duncan likes me back.”

“Oh, don’t get me wrong. I have no problem with you being… I mean…I have no problem with you dating someone like Duncan. If he makes you happy, I’m happy. I also promise to keep it a secret if that’s what you want.”

Mike gave his sister a side hug. “Thanks for understanding Miranda.”

“No, problem. And as long as you’ve stopped seeing Ms. Smith, I don’t see any problems here.”

“Wait! I wasn’t—”

“Oh, come on. I’m not stupid Mike. You broke it off with her when you two went out yesterday and because of that Ms. Smith was so pissed in class today that she instantly gave me afterschool detention for just checking the time on my phone. I also guess that being the sister of the guy who dumped her ass didn’t help either. What a bitch.”

Mike sighed and said, “I’m sorry about that.”

“Forget it. No more apologies. Let’s just move on and hope that Ms. Smith finds another jock who can take that baseball bat out of her ass.”

I couldn’t help but laugh out loud from that and soon Mike and Miranda joined with him in laughter.

As we eventually calmed down, Miranda said, “Well, I’m going to the kitchen and eat some ice cream straight from the tub. Do you two want to join me?”

Mike looked at me and I said, “Sure, why not? After eating dinner, dessert sounds perfect.”

“Great! You’re a good guy, Duncan, and since you’re seeing my brother as well as being the brother of my boyfriend of three years, I want to know everything about you.”

I didn’t know if I should be happy or hesitant from hearing that, but judging by the innocent smile on Miranda’s face, she meant no ill intent. So, I followed the siblings to the kitchen where we each took a spoon and ate cookies and cream ice cream as we chatted and enjoyed the rest of the evening in peace and with more laughter.