Chapter 9 – Morning Visit
The next morning, Sani was ready for school. She tightened her shoes, adjusted her bag, and called out quickly, "Bye, Mom, I'm going to school!"
"Wait, Sani, wait a second!" her mom called from the kitchen.
Sani turned around. "What happened, Mom?"
Her mom held up a neatly wrapped bottle. "Please take this homemade wine and give it to your aunt. You know she loves it."
Sani smiled and nodded. "Okay, Mom. I'll give it to her."
"Good girl. Go carefully," her mom said with a warm smile.
A few minutes later, Sani reached Jason's house. She rang the doorbell, and soon Jason's father opened the door with a cheerful expression.
"Oh, hi Sani! How are you?" he asked kindly.
"Hello, Uncle! I'm fine. How are you?" Sani replied politely.
"I'm good, I'm good. Come inside." He stepped aside and then shouted toward the stairs, "Jason! Sani's here!"
From upstairs, Jason's muffled voice answered, "Wait, wait! I'm coming! I'm just changing my clothes—give me a minute!"
Jason's father laughed, shaking his head. "That boy… always taking his time. Come sit here, Sani."
Sani sat on the sofa and placed the bottle on the table. "Uncle, my mom asked me to give this to Aunt. It's her homemade wine."
Jason's father's eyes lit up. "Oh, your aunt will be so happy! Especially your mom's wine—it's the best. I'll put this in the fridge right away."
Just then, Jason came running down the stairs, still fixing his collar. "Sani, why are you here so early? You don't usually come to my house."
Sani raised an eyebrow. "What? Am I not allowed in your house?"
Jason blinked in surprise. "I didn't mean it like that. I was just asking…"
Sani suddenly grinned. "Okay, okay, I'm just joking. Don't take everything so seriously."
"Then why does your face look so serious when you say it?" Jason teased.
"It's called pro acting," Sani said proudly. "You should learn from me."
Before Jason could reply, the front door opened and his mom stepped inside with a shopping bag. "I'm home!" she called. Then she noticed Sani. "Oh! Hi, Sani. What a nice surprise. What brings you here today?"
Sani stood politely. "Hello, Aunt. My mom sent this homemade wine for you."
Jason's mom's face brightened instantly. "Really? Ah, I love your mom's wine! She's always so thoughtful."
At that moment, Jason's father returned carrying a tray with steaming cups of tea and a plate piled with soft, round mochi. "Honey, you're home just in time. Let's have tea together. Here, Sani, eat some mochi!"
Sani's eyes widened happily. "Wow, thank you, Uncle! I love mochi."
"Eat more, eat more," Jason's father insisted with a smile. "There's plenty."
Jason leaned closer, pretending to sulk. "Dad, I want some too."
His father chuckled. "Of course, you also eat! Who told you not to?"
Everyone laughed together as they sipped tea and enjoyed the sweet mochi. The warm family atmosphere made Sani feel comfortable, almost like she was at her own home.
After a while, Jason stood up and grabbed his bag. "Alright, Sani, let's go. We'll be late for school."
Sani nodded quickly. "Yes. Aunt, Uncle, thank you so much for the tea and mochi." She smiled politely. "Have a good day!"
"Go safely!" Jason's father said warmly.
"Bye, children," his mom added with a wave.
"Bye!" Sani and Jason said together before stepping out of the house.
As they walked side by side toward school, Jason sighed. "Umm… today's going to be a hard day."
Sani glanced at him curiously. "Why? What's happening today?"
Jason gave her a surprised look. "You really don't know? Starting today, it's training day. From now on, we have practice after school."
Sani's eyes widened slightly. "Oh…" She lowered her gaze for a moment, her thoughts spinning. That means Sean will also be practicing today… I really want to watch him, just once. But I can't—I have class.
She let out a small sigh without meaning to.
Jason caught the change in her expression. "What's with that face? You look like someone just told you summer vacation was canceled."
Sani quickly shook her head. "No, no, it's nothing! I was just wondering… so that means we can't go home together anymore?"
Jason scratched the back of his neck. "Not exactly. We won't be able to go home together after school since practice will run late… but from tomorrow onward, it'll be different."
Sani tilted her head. "Different? How?"
Jason smirked. "Because we'll start training early in the morning. Around 4:30. That way, afternoons are free again."
Sani's mouth dropped open. "Four-thirty? In the morning? Jason, that's… that's so early!"
He laughed at her shocked expression. "What, you thought training for competitions was going to be easy? No pain, no gain."
"I guess… that doesn't sound too bad.