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The car hummed softly as it sped down the highway, the world outside a blur of green and grey. Sunny sat quietly in the passenger seat, his gaze fixed on the passing trees, cars and advertisement boards, though his mind was elsewhere. His hands fidgeted with the strap of his bag, a nervous habit that his mom noticed.
She glanced at him, her brow creasing with concern. “You’ve been awfully quiet, Sunny... What’s on your mind?”
Sunny hesitated, his thoughts swirling with a mix of anxiety and doubt. He didn’t want to talk about it, didn’t want to give voice to the fears that had been gnawing at him since his mom first mentioned the trip back to Faraway Town. But the weight of it was too much. “I just… don’t know if I should go back,” he finally admitted, his voice barely audible.
His mom’s grip tightened slightly on the steering wheel as she waited for him to continue. When he didn’t, she gently probed, “Why not?”
Sunny’s eyes remained fixed on the window, his voice hesitant. “It’s just… it’s been such a long time. Things are different now…. I’m different now.”
“People changes, Sunny. That's what people do.” His mother replies,
He paused, then added, almost as if testing the waters, “Why can’t I just stay at the apartment? I’ll be fine there.”
His mom sighed, her concern deepening. “Sunny, I don’t think that’s a good idea. You’ve made a lot of progress, but I still worry about you being alone, especially for that long. My trip to California isn’t just for a few days—it’s weeks, and maybe months.”
Sunny’s heart sank a little. He knew what she was getting at, the worry she carried for him even after all these years. “I can handle it, Mom. I’ll be okay,” he tried to reassure her, though even he wasn’t sure if he believed it.
“I know you think you’ll be okay, but being alone for that long… I don't know... I just think it's not a good idea, especially with how you’ve been lately,” she said softly, her voice filled with concern. “You’ve been keeping to yourself more and more. I don’t want you slipping back into your… old habits.”
Sunny’s chest tightened at her words. He knew she was right—he had been retreating into himself, avoiding more than just the memories of Faraway Town. It was easier to stay in the apartment, to avoid the world outside. But he also knew that wasn’t what she wanted for him.
“Sunny, I’m worried about leaving you alone,” she continued, “You’ve come so far, and I don’t want to see you fall back into that dark place. That’s why I think going back to Faraway Town, being with Kel, Aubrey, Basil and the others, will be good for you. It’ll remind you that you’re not alone.”
Sunny remained silent, his fingers tightening around the strap of his bag. The idea of being alone in the apartment, with nothing but his thoughts, had seemed appealing at first—an escape. But now, hearing his mom’s concerns, he wasn’t so sure. The darkness he had fought so hard to escape still lingered at the edges, threatening to pull him back in.
“I just… don’t want to make things worse for them mom.” he muttered, his voice strained.
“You won’t,” his mom replied gently. “But you can’t keep running from this. You’ve been avoiding Faraway Town, avoiding your friends for so long... They've missed you Sunny.”
Sunny’s throat tightened, his heart pounding in his chest. He hadn’t mentioned his confession, hadn’t said anything about the hospital, but he knew she understood. She always did.
“It’s not going to be easy,” she continued, her voice calm but firm. “But you can’t move forward if you’re always looking back and trying to avoid what’s behind you. Kel, Hero, Aubrey, and Basil —they were your friends for a reason. Maybe it’s time to find out if that reason is still there.”
Sunny remained silent, her words echoing in his mind. He wasn’t sure if he was ready to face them—his friends, the memories, everything he had tried so hard to leave behind. But deep down, he knew she was right. Avoiding it hadn’t made it go away; it had only made it linger, a shadow over his life.
As they drove on, the silence between them was no longer heavy with unspoken fears but filled with the understanding that this was something Sunny had to do. He took a deep breath, trying to steady the tumult of emotions within him.