More to You ✔

Chapter 46 - Go-karting (Mitch)

"Earlier, I was thinking about my family. We used to go-kart together, so it brought back some memories."

"I can't imagine my mother in there. My father and brother, certainly, but she would refuse."

"My dad came go-karting when we were younger, then just Shawn, myself and..." They exited the air-conditioned mall and headed toward the street. He forced out his next words. "My sister as we got older."

Prae looked him in the eye and smiled. "You seem like a man with a close sister. I wish I could say the same for my brother. He can be an insensitive prick."

Mitch stifled his laugh. Most would consider him one too with how he treated women. "Why do you say that?"

"Very few men would dedicate an evening to cheering up a woman they consider a friend. I imagine you've done this before for her."

Memories bubbled into his mind like boiling water: consoling Em with movie marathons, gallery visits or fancy art supplies after things got stressful with school, their parents pressuring them, or her quiet worries that Shawn would never see her as anything but a friend.

"I have."

As lanes of traffic whizzed by in the distance, Prae and Mitch descended toward the cabs. "If you and Shawn grew up together, why didn't you come to Thailand the same year?"

In retrospect, it would have saved everyone a lot of pain if he had.

"I was a different person back then."

Mitch could still recall the excitement in Shawn's voice as he bounded toward him during their second last year of studies. "Bangkok, can you believe it? Isn't that fate? Me, you, and Em living abroad and travelling the world together. The school covers rent and flights, and they'll pay us for working during our practicum. Our university will even fly professors out, so we finish our classes out there."

Mitch sighed. Shawn was usually level-headed, but anytime Em came into the picture, his judgment got hazy. "Our last year of practicum is important for networking. It'll give us the references and experience we need to teach at the best schools. You want to sacrifice that for some working vacation? We can travel over the summer."

Shawn deflated, and his walk slowed. "But it's the dream."

"It's her dream. We have careers to consider, and she's in rehab, again, not ready to party in Thailand." Mitch had navigated enough unhappy video chats with his parents to get the play-by-play of his sister losing another job and dating another deadbeat before they sent her away.

"This could give her motivation to stay clean when she gets out. We don't have to party, we can tour museums, she'd sketch and paint, and we'd go exploring."

"I know you care about her, Shawn, and so do I, but we have to do what's best for us. Em will too when she can."

"I'm going to apply."

"Make sure you're doing it for you, not just her."

If Mitch had jumped on board sooner, would his sister have been more convinced? Could they have spent her last year together? Would it have given her the strength to fight longer? Or was he selfishly projecting his desires and regrets when months later she had the support of her new boyfriend and was loved and validated as she deserved?

"Mitch?" Prae held open the door of a cab as he stood rooted to the spot.

He cleared his throat then hopped inside. "Sorry, let's go."

The cab ride gave him a few minutes to bring his thoughts back to the present and forget how his quest to be a perfect teacher and partner to Lisa—who later found Shawn's dreams laughable and naïve—cost him his connection and time with Em. Imperfect relationships in Bangkok hadn't served him or the women much better, but maybe he could find a balance.

The sky was darkening as their taxi arrived at the park. Prae led them to a walking path along an oval pond over half a mile long. It was busy with joggers, walkers and photographers capturing the reflections of the skyscrapers in the water.

"I like to come here to remind myself there is beauty and nature in the city. With the traffic and go-karts, it's easy to get overwhelmed and forget the tranquillity." Prae laughed to herself.

"You'd never find so many people around a lake where I grew up unless there's a fishing tournament."

"It's similar in near my hometown, although tourists discover more and more of the spots. We all blame my father and brother for that."

Mitch smiled as Prae's tension and frown seemed to have fled for good. "My town wasn't interesting enough to have that problem."

"Are you not from the city?"

Purple flowers blended with the dark blue hues of the sky in the water's reflection. "I'm a country boy."

She grinned and swivelled toward him. "With the cowboy boots and a hat?"

"On occasion."

She laughed. "I had not expected that. In America, pictured you more as a surfer, with the laid back attitude, the messy hair and the..." Her eyes paused on his chest and arms.

"Body?" Mitch suggested with a grin to tease her. They paused and rested their hands on a guard rail facing the lake. "The hair is laziness, the body is from failing to distract myself with swimming, and the attitude is not caring about anyone or anything but my instant gratification."

"That must explain why it's fading."

"Come again?"

"Based on tonight, you care a lot about Shawn, your family, and Maria."

Mitch pressed his lips into a smile as he fought tears in his eyes. He squeezed Prae's hand, and despite not finding the right words, her returned gesture told him she understood how much her remark meant to him.

As much as it hurt to scrub away the veneer that'd protected him for three years, a weight was lifting off his shoulders.