Chapter Text
It was a long walk back home from the lake on the mountain but that was okay. Daddy walked a little slower so that his shorter legs could keep up.
They were coming back from a day of fishing. Sam had never been fishing before. Living in a big city, there were no lakes or ponds that they could do that in. But, here in his new home of Pelican Town, there were rivers and lakes and ponds that his daddy could teach him in. There was even a sea!
His mommy had sent them to try to catch a specific fish. A largemouth bass. Sam was very excited about this because that meant Mommy was going to make his favourite for dinner: fish casserole.
They finally rounded the corner at Sam's new neighbour's house and he was surprised to see a black truck sitting outside of it. There was a woman who had red hair like his mommy putting something into the back of the truck before turning and walking back inside his new, blue house.
Curious, Sam runs after her, ignoring the "Samson!" call from his father.
"Alright, that's the last bit of it," he hears the lady say. The voice comes from his parent's bedroom.
"This is so much better! There's so much room now!" his mommy was saying.
The lady responds, "It does open it up quite a bit." Sam sees her eyes drop to the floor in a part of the room he couldn't see as he walks down the hallway. "Odd that they didn't carpet the closet and put hardwood in there instead."
Mommy laughs. "There probably wasn't enough of this atrocious green carpet!"
"Mommy! Mommy!" Sam says, bouncing into the room, not stopping until his arms wrap around her legs in a hug. "Daddy caught you a fish for dinner!" He beams up at her.
"Oh, perfect!" Mommy smiles back. "I can make my fish casserole tonight!"
With a sharp turn, he looks up at the lady with a large grin. "Hi! My name is Sam!"
"Hello, Sam!" she says, crouching down to his level. "It's nice to meet you! My name is Robin"
Sam's head turns towards the corner of the room where the giant closet had been. "Are you the lady who took away the closet?"
"I am," Robin confirms with a nod. "Lots more room in here now, huh?"
"Yeah!" Sam exclaims, hopping over and bouncing on the wood floor where the closet had been. "We need to put the green carpet here, too! It's my favourite!"
"Of course it is," Mommy says as the lady laughs.
"Sammy!"
Sam slides to a stop at the sound of his name, then takes off again, running out the room.
He finds his father in the kitchen, washing the fish they had caught.
"Did Robin finish taking out the closet?" Daddy asks.
Sam nods, bouncing up to him. "Yes! There's so much room in there now!"
Daddy hums. "Well that's good. Did you remember to wash your hands when you came inside?"
Nope. He hadn't. Now that daddy reminded him, he did remember his dad asking him to because his hands would be all gross from playing with the fish and worms and dirt and the snail he had found.
Sam makes his way back down the hall that leads to his parent's room, turning into the bathroom just before their bedroom door.
Stepping on the white stool that had been placed in front of the vanity, he can hear his mom and Robin's conversation while he washes his hands.
"He's six. Just turned six a couple weeks ago," he hears Mommy say. "I wasn't aware you had a son."
"Sebastian. He's six, too. He was born in winter, so a little bit older. I also have a daughter, Maru. She just turned three on the tenth."
Sam grins at that. Two new kids for him to play with! He had only met his neighbour, Haley, and a girl who lived close by, Penny, but no boys. And this boy was the same age as him!
He quickly turns off the water.
"Oh, summer baby! Sam's birthday was the seventeenth."
"Oh, lovely. Do you think Sam would be up for a playdate with my Sebby?"
"Yes, please!" Sam exclaims, running back into the room. He doesn't stop until he's in front of his mother, hands clasped in front of him. "Please, Mommy? Please can we have a playdate?"
***~~~***
"Do I have to, Mama?" Sebastian whines, sitting crossed-legged on his bed, watching his mother dig through his dresser for a shirt for him to wear because he didn't want to pick one out.
"Yes, honey," Mama sighs. "Sam is a very nice boy. I think you'll like him!"
"But I don't need another friend!" he tries to explain. "Abby and Penny and Sophia are my friends!"
Straightening, she turns, holding out a blue shirt that had a green frog on it. It was his favourite shirt because frogs were his favourite. But Sebastian still frowns, crossing his arms.
"Oh, come on, Sebby. It's your favourite shirt!" She tosses it at him. "I think you'll both be very good friends once you meet him."
Sebastian wasn't sure. Penny, another little girl his age in town, had told him that she had met the boy and he was very hyper, talking fast and jumping all over the place.
That was the complete opposite of him. Sebastian liked to quietly colour or read his books or look for frogs. Sure, his best friend Abigail was a little loud and loved to run around but she could also be quiet like him.
"Put that shirt on," Mama says, pointing to it. "We're gonna be late!"
***~~~***
It was a long walk down the mountain from his home. His mother had told him that they were going to meet Sam and his mom at the park by the community center. They were both already sitting on a bench waiting for them when they get there.
A little boy with blond hair — Sam, Sebastian assumes — jumps off the bench, running up to them as they walk by the swings. "Hi! Are you Sebastian? My name is Samson. But everyone calls me Sam!"
Sebastian doesn't let go of Mama's hand, instead looking up at her. The boy was loud and bouncing on his feet and Sebastian wasn't sure about him.
Mama lets go of his hand and gently pushes on his back to move him towards the boy, giving him a big smile. So, reluctantly, he looks back at the boy. "Hi. I'm Sebastian."
"I like your shirt!" Sam says, pointing at him. "Do you like frogs?"
Sebastian looks down at the frog shirt his mom had taken out earlier and nods. "Frogs are my favourite."
"Really? I love frogs, too! And snails and spiders!" Sam says bouncing up and down.
"Really?" Sebastian grins. Maybe this boy wasn't so bad. After all, anyone who likes frogs should be really cool. "I like your shirt, too!" He points at Sam's red shirt that had Wumbus on it.
"Thanks! I brought some trucks. Wanna play in the sand?"
"Okay!" Sebastian says, chasing Sam to where he had put his toys. "And we can play on the swings after? We can race to see who can go the fastest!"
***~~~***
"So, how was your playdate with Sam?" Mama asks a couple hours later as they walk back up the mountain.
"It was great!" Sebastian says, skipping beside his mother. "I really liked playing with Sam's trucks. And I swung on the swings higher than him when we were racing. He was faster than me when we raced to the fountain, though. Oh! And his sneakers light up when he walks! Really cool!"
"Well, it sounds like you had a very good afternoon." His mother gives him a big smile. "I'm happy you made a new friend!"
"Sam's my best friend! Mama, when can we have another playdate?"