Days passed, and with each day, Damian's anticipation only grew more. Yesterday and the day before yesterday, Andrea and Damian went to the shop for what other clothes Damian might need for his trip to Orovac.
He made sure he had an ample selection of undergarments, shorts, and shirts of different colours and styles. He also wanted to make sure he had a change of clothes for the odd cold day or two the weather could bring. Today, Damian was to start packing, and although he still had five whole days until his trip, he knew he ought to be ready as opposed to arriving in Orovac only to realise he'd forgotten something at home.
"Before you fully pack, I'd like to give you something to bring to Jacob, and an old friend of mine, Frederick, if you're to see him," his father told him a few nights ago over dinner. "It won't be anything big, but just something as an apology for being absent for so long.".
Such made him wonder what kind of life his mother and father had back in the small town. By his father's words, Damian could see that, regardless of how long it had been since the last time he was in Orovac, he still held a deep connection to the town and the people who lived in it. And he was eager to find out more.
The day today was sunny, with a noticeably bigger number of clouds in the sky. It gave way to a cooler day than the usual, which suited Damian. He was home alone, glancing at the clock every so often to see how long until his mother would return home from work. The time was a few minutes past two in the afternoon, and his mother's shift ended at 4.
Damian was lucky enough not to have to work while studying. His mother's and father's earnings, as well as the student aid the country provided, managed to give Damian a comfortable experience for studies.
Their apartment complex was not located exactly in the middle of the city, yet a little to the left of where the Central Square was located. It gave them all, especially Damian during his academic year, great travelling conditions—Damian's journey to campus took about 20 minutes, as the city was filled with all kinds of public transport. But it all came at a price; however, of course, Veursir was no Veursau. Its rather small size, in stark contrast with the metropolitan, gave it a more tolerable way of life in terms of prices. This was the main reason why Daina and Daniella didn't want to study in Veursau city.
They had booked Damian's train ticket to Orovac the night prior. However, there was a slight twist. The town of Orovac doesn't have a train station, and the closest stop was in the slightly larger town of Konsweg, located some 20 kilometres from Orovac, which meant someone had to pick him up from Konsweg. But with his parents being the way they are, they tried to look for a bus link that would get Damian to Orovac centre. They managed to find a bus line, but, as their luck might have it, it didn't have any active buses at the time he was meant to arrive, especially because he'd be travelling on a Saturday. His allocated departure time from Veursir was just before 5 in the afternoon, and his arrival time in Konsweg was around 9:30 that same evening.
Not long after, his mother came home from work; she worked as a lecturer at Damian's university, lecturing on anything to do with business. Not that it drove Damian to decide to do a business course, instead, he opted for a STEM course. Pharmaceutical and Organic Chemistry. She helped Damian pack before starting to prepare dinner.
With her getting a phone call soon after, and it being her sister Maria, Damian heard that a deal had been made for his arrival in Konsweg. "I'll have Jacob pick him up from Konsweg when he arrives".
"You really don't need to, Maria. We can give him some extra money for a taxi, I am sure there'll be loads of them in Konsweg. I don't want to hassle you both," Andrea replied.
"No, no. I insist, Andrea...". And then, a moment later, Jacob's voice can be heard in the back, "I second insist that! It won't be a hassle".
"Are you sure, Maria?".
"I am dead sure. Think of it this way, Andrea. I wouldn't be offering if I didn't want to... I haven't seen my nephew in so long, the very least we could do is pick him up from Konsweg and bring him back to his home to see where his parents and the rest of his family grew up, don't you agree?" Maria tried to reason with her sister. And she didn't have to say much to cause tears to well in Andrea's eyes.
"I'm sorry we can't come this year either...".
She heard Maria sigh. "Will you be apologising every single time we're on the phone together?... I told you, it's alright, no one is angry. I totally understand. It's a pity you couldn't come with Daryll, but that's how life is right now. Hopefully, soon enough, you'll be able to come altogether, as a family, you know?".
"Yeah... Yeah, I know. I just feel bad, that's all...",
"I know you do, but you shouldn't... Anyway, to more merrier topics, I am not too sure you heard, but Igor's son, Theodore, is getting married.".
Andrea gasped. "Theodore?... My god... Getting married?? Wow, I remember him being only a kid when I was still in Konsweg. How old is he now?".
"I think he just had his 27th birthday there, last week.".
"27 years of age... my god.".
"Time flies!" said Maria.
"It sure does!" Andrea agreed with her. With that, silence once again followed, but it wasn't long. Andrea spoke up again. "Also... How's mom doing?".
"She's good, she's good. I visit her every second day, make sure she is taking her meds and that she has food to eat... I still haven't told her that Damian is coming. I can't wait to see the surprise and excitement on her face when she sees him again!".
Andrea chuckled merely, reminiscing on the memories that seemed so recent. Both Andrea's and Maria's mother, Mariam, and Damian were inseparable when he was younger. As were Daina and Daniella, but especially Damian. The more Andrea dwelled on the thought of the past, the more she wished they were all still in Orovac. She thought back to her conversations that she had with Daryll, 'We've wasted so much time being away from home that I feel like an outsider in my own town... and then, the people we love, they're slowly dying, and we spent little to no time with them. If I could, and believe me, I really wish I could, I'd pack all my things up and move back to Orovac right this second.'.
"But don't you worry about it, Andrea. All you have to know is that she is good," Maria's voice pulled Andrea out of her short-lived trance.
Andrea used to have frequent contact with Mariam, until Mariam's phone broke, as a result of her dropping it accidentally from her balcony. Ever since, Maria has tried to get a new one; however, with the current state of living, such is taking longer than she anticipated. "Hopefully, I'll get her a new phone by the time Damian comes, so he can show her how to use it," Maria spoke up.
"I'll send you some money, sister. Just tell me how much you need," Andrea responded.
"Don't you worry, I've got it. Besides, I am not planning on buying her the latest, top model. She'll need something which will fulfill the primary use of her using it to call either you or me when she needs to.".
"But she's my mother as much as she is yours... and with me living so far away, I feel like I haven't contributed enough. This would be the least I can do," Andrea retorted.
"My dear sister, please listen to me... You're doing enough. Please know that you are, when I tell you. And you know I never lie. You came all the way from Veursir when she was at her worst. Two years ago, when she had the stroke.".
In that, Daryll opened the door and walked into the apartment, causing Andrea to turn her head and look his way. "Alright, sister. I'll talk to you more about this later. I gotta go now, Daryll just came home.".
"There's nothing to talk about, Andrea. Jacob and I have it all under control. I'll text you later, go tend to your husband, and I'm sending a big hug and kiss to my nephew.".
Andrea smiled at her sister's words every so slightly. "Will do... I love you, my dear sister.".
"I love you too. Take care of yourself, and we'll keep in touch as always.".
"Of course... bye for now.".
Daryll waited a moment until his wife lowered her phone onto the worktop before asking, "What was that?... You don't seem like you're in the best of moods.".
"I'm fine... I'm fine, just...". She began kicking herself for even beginning to explain herself. "You know what, just forget about it. It's fine. I'm fine...". Taking a cigarette from the packet, she lit it afire, almost immediately taking a pull.
"Are you sure you're fine?" Daryll asked, letting his stuff down on one of the dining room chairs.
"I am... it's just... something stupid...". Seeing Daryll's eyes still on her, it prompted her to continue, reluctantly. "I am here, all the while my sister is in Orovac, with our mother... and..." she stopped herself, feeling her eyes well with tears. Trying to swallow the lump that formed in her throat, she continued. "And I feel like I am not doing... enough?...".
Daryll's face softened as he closed the space between Andrea, enveloping her in a hug. "You must not feel that way... I know I felt the same when I had my mother die. But... things are the way they are, sadly. For now, we simply can't go back home. However, pension is just around the corner, and then we can invest in some land, maybe even a small house off the periphery of Orovac...".
She nodded her head against his shoulder, letting through a sigh.
The rest of the evening proceeded more peacefully. Dinner was plated and set on the table, and after that, Damian went back to see what he could carry with him on his trip. He debated with himself what book he should bring to read. Or whether it should be books, as opposed to only one book. Another part of him asked himself if he would have enough time to even read the one book he'd bring with him. He had no clue what his aunt and uncle had planned for him when he was to arrive in Orovac.
Just as he was about to proceed with his packing, the ringing of his phone stopped him. Taking his cellular deceive out of his pocket, he was to see it was his older sister, Daniella, calling him. A big smile appeared on his lips as he answered the facetime call. Waving at Daniella, she waved back, a big smile present on her lips too. "Damian!".
"Daniella!".
"How are you?" she asked.
"Good, good. Packing away. I'm sure mom told you I'll be going to Orovac in a couple of days," Damian started. "How are you? How's Daina?".
"I am good, and so is Daina...". There, she panned the camera to another bed, which had Daina on it, with her laptop on her knees. "She's working away...".
Looking up from her laptop, she squinted her eyes for a second before smiling and waving at her younger brother. "Hello there!".
"Will you two be coming here any time soon?" Damian asked.
At first, Daniella pursed her lips before shaking her head, sadness all too present on her face. "I think the earliest we'll get off is Christmas... Until then, it's full speed ahead. Unless they're generous enough to give me some time off before Christmas.".
"Ahh, how's the project going?".
In response, she moved her head from side to side, signalling that 'it's going'. "I'm in the lab almost everyday... sometimes, I get some work done and sometimes, I end up realising I wasted 8 hours for nothing... So it's something.". She spoke as she stood up and walked to their make-up table, where she put the phone to rest against the mirror as she began to do her night routine by washing her face with some wipes and applying some moisturising creams. Similar to Damian, Daniella chose to do a science course; however, unlike Damian, who did a lot of organic chemistry, Daniella opted for engineering in chemistry, amongst biology and physics. "What about you? How did your exams go?".
"Good. I'm expecting the results to arrive soon enough; however, I am sure I passed everything," he responded.
"Good. That's good to hear. I'm very proud of you," Daniella replied, glancing down at the camera to give her brother a small smile.
"What about Daina, how is her Masters going?".
Daniella gave him the same reaction, merely shrugging before speaking, "I would say more or less the same as me. It's going...". And in the back, Damian could hear Daina confirm what Daniella said. Unlike her older and younger siblings, Daina wanted to pursue their mother's footsteps and study business, her course consisting of Business Management and Marketing.
A short moment of silence was shared between the siblings, which was until Daniella decided to break it. "How long will you be staying in Orovac?".
"About a month, maybe a month and a half. I still haven't bought the train ticket back.".
"Wait, have they implemented a direct train link from Veursir to Orovac?" Daniella asked, surprise lingering in her voice.
However, Damian was to disappoint her when he said "No," then he continued, "I don't think Orovac even has a train station built. I'd have to get off in Konsweg before I get a taxi or a bus, in my case, my uncle will pick me up, before going to Orovac.".
Daniella merely furrowed her brows, turning back to Daina. "Konsweg to Orovac, that's like a... what?... 30-minute car ride?".
"Yeah," Damian heard Daina speak up. "25-30 minutes.".
In that, Daniella responded, "Not too bad then...".
A yawn caught Damian, which Daniella noticed. "Am I keeping you up?".
"No, no," Damian began. "I just woke up early... this damned heat is something else. I can't sleep properly.".
"Tell me about it... I'm so thankful for these A/Cs, if it wasn't for them, I'd actually go mental.". Pausing for a moment, Daniella picked the phone back up into her hands. "I just wanted to call in and see how you are, sorry I don't call as often... I promise, I'll try to be better.".
"Don't even worry about it. I know how busy you both are.".
She nodded her head, the helplessness all too present in her eyes. "I can't wait to be done, Damian... I really can't wait.".
"How many more years?".
"2 more years," she responded. "I don't know how I'll do it, but I'll do it... Gotta start working on my thesis too". Letting through a deep sigh, Daniella said her goodnight for the evening. "I'll call you soon, when I can and am not too tired from the lab.".
"Alright, sister. Send a big kiss to my Daina too.".
There, from the back, he heard Daina shout. "Wait, wait, wait!! I'm coming!". Taking the phone into her hands, she waved at her brother, sending him a kiss. "Good night, Damian. We'll try to visit when we can!".
There, she returned the phone to Daniella, who waved at him one last time. "Good night, Damian. I'll shoot mom and dad a quick call to see what they're up to before I go to bed myself.".
"Alright, sister. Take care.".
With a big smile, she ended the call.