An Upside Down Summertime
Oh, summer! Who doesn’t love summer? Well, maybe Floridians. One, in particular, was having even less of it that day. It was Liam Hale’s birthday, and he was lying in bed without a single motive to get out of it.
Liam Hale’s world had been turned upside down. Two weeks prior, his mother, Ms. Bree, had passed away unexpectedly, just before what should have been a day of celebration. Now, as the end of the season approached, Liam was preparing to start high school. Unfortunately, the school he was about to attend, McGuire’s High, was infamous for its bullies, and Liam didn’t exactly fit the mold of a star athlete. To make matters worse, the girl he had a crush on was due to stop by later, but Liam knew it was a lost cause - he was stuck firmly in the friend zone.
As if all of that wasn’t bad enough, the Florida heat was oppressive, even in the beginning of June. The only respite Liam had was the working air conditioning in his home. However, there was another downside to being at home - Liam’s father, who was usually away on business trips, was present this time. And, as expected, he had forgotten Liam’s birthday yet again.
But despite the tumultuous events in his life, Liam found comfort in his home. The house was a grand construction, situated close enough to the water to see the waves but far enough to avoid the crashing sound. Liam’s bedroom, which was located at the end of the second-floor hallway, was his favorite place in the entire house. It was filled with all sorts of things that spoke to his interests: calculus scrawled across a large whiteboard, a plethora of school honors and recognitions, scattered snacks on his desk, drafts of homework assignments, science projects in various stages of completion, building block sets waiting to be put together, books neatly arranged, and action figures meticulously placed on shelves. Liam was a typical teen in every sense of the word.
However, there was one thing in Liam’s bedroom that stood out from the rest. A massive telescope was positioned by the window, pointing out at the stars. This had been a gift from his mother, who had a fascination with astronomy. Every year on his birthday, she would give him a new astronomy book and encourage him to explore the universe beyond our planet. Liam missed her lessons dearly.
Liam himself was tall for his age, with big hazel eyes, finger-brushed-up light brown hair, and facial features that greatly resembled his mother’s. He was slim but not too much, and had a pointy little nose. However, he was somewhat clumsy and had been struggling with acne for some time. He was also overly conscious about the size of his feet, which he felt were too large for his stature. Liam was the epitome of a nerd, but he didn’t mind the label. At least he hadn’t had to deal with the social hierarchy of high school yet.
Getting more popular could potentially help Liam’s situation, but he knew it wouldn’t be easy. Liam had an exceptionally small circle of friends - strictly one, to be exact. They had been friends since elementary school, and Liam had no interest in expanding his social circle. “Their loss,” he would often say. Liam was also the type to avoid conflict at all costs and had a hard time trying new things. Becoming popular was not going to be an easy option if he chose to pursue that path.
It was nine in the morning when Liam finally dragged himself out of bed. He went to the kitchen and brewed a mug of Brazilian coffee, just like his mother used to make. The bold and rich aroma filled the entire house, bringing back memories of happier times. Liam missed his mother’s voice more than anything. He took the mug upstairs to his room and turned up the volume on his rock music, drowning out the world around him.
Liam’s fingers clutched tightly around the ceramic green mug, bringing it closer to his chest. The round vessel, almost like a soccer ball cut on top, had purple lines twirling from the bottom to the top, creating an image of a fat green hurricane. It reminded him of Ms. Bree, the one person who had always been there for him. Liam received the mug when he was in second grade after the entire school was devastated by a category four hurricane, and the whole community came together for weeks to help each other, volunteer, and rebuild it.
Ms. Bree, an artist in essence, split her busy time between her paintings in the house atelier, organizing her gallery on the pier, and preparing local exhibits. Her thin, straight, light-brown hair was always kept two or three inches below her shoulders, and the beach-bronzed layer on her pale skin added to her overall charm. Liam would spend his free time with her every Friday, and she would take him and Ada to Sorbet, an ice cream shop near her curator’s house on the shore. Wise, well-traveled, and proficient in Math, Physics, and Chemistry, Ms. Bree was a significant influence on Liam’s academic success, and he graduated 8th grade with honors, as well as all the other grades before it.
But now, Ms. Bree was gone, and there was a gaping hole in Liam’s life that nothing could fill. He couldn’t see any positive side to her absence. The mug, however, was a reminder that even the worst events could bring good moments.
Liam’s thoughts shifted to his father, Mr. C. He was barely ever around, but when he was, he was loud and inconsiderate. Mr. C would either complain about something, point fingers at the housekeepers for not meeting his expectations, or watch hockey matches at an unnecessarily high volume as if his sole intention was to show the entire neighborhood he was there. When he was at work, he wasn’t any different. Mr. C was identically loud, inconvenient, and inconsiderate of other people’s personal spaces and feelings. Liam couldn’t tell if he was trying to fulfill a desperate need for attention or if he was plain rude and selfish.
Mr. C was a short man with a pale, round face, fine grayish hair, and a pompous Elvis hairstyle that looked out of place in the business world. He often wore a blue suit and pants that he claimed “matched his beautiful eyes perfectly,” but Liam knew it was just an excuse to avoid shopping for larger sizes. Liam couldn’t believe his mother was once in love with Mr. C. He worried if any of Mr. C’s traits could be genetic and had even fantasized that they weren’t blood-related.
Liam sat on the couch, feeling a mix of comfort and unease. He held onto the mug, a gift from his beloved Ms. Bree, and let its memories soothe him. He longed for the sense of peace it brought him, but the thought of Mr. C, with all his chaos, made Liam anxious. He couldn’t wait to leave this house, this town, and start a new life far away from the chaos.
As the day dragged on, Liam felt the weight of boredom settling in. He wished for nothing more than to do nothing for hours on end, and maybe even have the whole world to himself. As the clock ticked closer to 5 pm, he heard a knock at the door. It was Ada, his closest friend, and Chaos, her cat.
Ada burst into the house, wearing an extravagant neon green poncho to protect herself from the rain. Liam was surprised to see it was raining outside, but he was more concerned about Ada’s soaked appearance and Chaos’ terrified expression inside her travel bag.
Despite her loud and boisterous personality, Liam trusted Ada with his life. She was his confidante, his partner in crime, and the only person who truly understood him. Ada was shorter than Liam and had shiny black skin, straightened hair that cascaded down her back, and a round face that exuded both intelligence and sass.
Ada was bold and unapologetic, unafraid to speak her mind or make decisions for Liam. She loved gossip, and always had the latest scoop, but never to hurt anyone. Her clothes were a testament to her vibrant personality, always featuring a diverse mix of colors or her cat’s face.
As friends, Liam and Ada had an inexplicable bond. They grew up in the same community until they were five years old, when Ms. Bree’s paintings gained attention and the family moved to a wealthier area. Despite the distance, they attended the same school and saw each other every day.
Ada’s detail-oriented nature and fantastic memory made her the perfect candidate for gossip. Liam used to tease her, saying she only gained these skills to better talk about other people’s lives, and Ada didn’t deny it. Her favorite way to start the day was to share the latest hot topics, usually involving the newest guy she had a crush on.
At first, Liam found Ada’s crushes amusing. He laughed when she talked about Steve in 7th grade, but as time passed, he grew more and more hurt by her infatuations with other boys. He tried to hide it every time Ada talked about Jeff, Ricky, Mathieu, and even Steve, who used to be Liam’s friend.
One day, Liam joked that the only person Ada hadn’t fallen in love with from their entire school was him. Her response was a resounding “Ew, Liam!” He was devastated. He couldn’t understand why Ada was attracted to every boy in their class, but him. He watched as she fell for boys of every height, looks, and personality, and he couldn’t compete.
“What is wrong with me?” he would ask himself.
That was a question he never asked her, though. Obviously, he never got an answer to it, either.
“Surprise!” Ada yelled, making her way through Liam’s bedroom door after barely knocking for a second time. “I got you a present, and Chaos!”
Chaos was a big caramel ball of fur whose hobby was to roam around, throwing everything it could touch from the shelves onto the floor. That cat had more self-esteem than Liam by the hundreds. And it was a fat cat! Chaos gave the catwalk name its real sense. She would move her fat butt and wiggle her fluffy tail while exhibiting her shiny crystal collar - a gift from Ms. Bree. From time to time, she would approach Ada and Liam for some brief cuddles. Extremely brief!
Ada adopted Chaos from an “adopt a pet” event they went to at Inlet Park when they were 9. Liam named her “Chaos” after the kitten - back then, little - scratched the entire back seat from Ms. Bree’s car, bit his hand, and threw up on Ada’s lap. The name stuck like goo, almost as much as the vomit on Ada’s shorts. All within a 30-minute drive.
“Thanks for the present!” Liam said. “What is it?”
“Open it, lazy!” she said, handing him a box with a big purple ribbon full of glitter.
Liam didn’t love glitter, but everything Ada crafted had loads of it. He looked inside the box. There was a flashy card and another box – a small one - inside of it. He took out the card and read it.
“Happiest birthday to my beloved best friend ever. The only one that hears me for hours. The only one that helps me study. The only one that doesn’t mind that I talk too loudly or when I have food on my teeth. The only one of my friends that my mom truthfully loves. The one that buys me chocolate when I’m down. The one that shares his food even though I won’t share mine. The best of the best, the greatest of the greatest, Liam Hale! I love you to the moon and back, ‘bestie’!”
Liam blushed. He had mixed feelings. With all that, how come she was still talking about Steve, Jeff, Jamal, Mike, Jacob, and all the others that didn’t even know she existed? He thanked the card and rushed to open the box, not letting her notice his blushed cheeks and uncomfortable expression. Inside the little box, there was a pendant in gold with the letters LA.
“LA?” Liam asked.
“Yes! Amazing, right?” Ada asked.
“But why LA?”
“Well, it actually stands for Los Angeles. I bought it in the gift shop on the trip I did with my parents to California right before our finals.”
Liam kept looking at her without any reaction.
“OK…” he said, waiting for the explanation of why Liam would want to wear a Los Angeles pendant.
“We can say that it stands for Liam and Ada,” she said, with a big smile.
Liam blushed. Maybe Ada wanted to say something there. Finally! He continued staring at her without much to say, almost waiting for her to take some action. He wondered if something inside of her had changed too.
“Because we are best friends, Liam!” Ada yelled. “Look, I got myself one too!”
Ada showed the pendant on her golden necklace, identical to the one she bought Liam.
“Oh, right!” Liam exclaimed. “Best friends, of course! Thanks, Ada. I loved it!”
No, he didn’t. He hated it. So much! That was absolutely not the outcome he wanted from all that interaction. Liam hugged her awkwardly. His hands were sweating and almost trembling. That was when Aemelia barely knocked on the door and opened it, coming into the bedroom with a giant cake in her hands and two paper bags on her arm. Chaos jumped to the bed, scared by the sudden entrance.
“Oh, sorry…” Aemelia said.
“No!” Liam yelled nervously. “It’s, I… I’m thanking Ada…”
Liam was embarrassed. Now what would Aemelia think? Ada didn’t seem to bother at all, nor to understand why Liam was so agitated and gagging. Aemelia, though, had been there before. She made her way through the door, staring at Chaos, trying not to make Liam more uncomfortable.
“Cake!” Ada yelled.
Aemelia Katz used to make the best cakes in town. She was a tall woman, way taller than anyone else in the house. She was a little older than Ms. Bree, had a slim posture, a stunning shiny chocolate skin tone, dark-brown almond-shaped eyes, and wavy black hair that she always kept in a bun on the top of her head.
She used to wear those happy-colored clothes with lots of green and orange, but in a fashionable way, not like Ada’s flashy way. Aemelia was a beautiful person, inside and outside. She had been in that family since before Liam was born.
Aemelia was more than a house manager. She was Ms. Bree’s best friend. The most loyal one, as Ms. Bree would always say. From time to time, she would join Ms. Bree in the atelier and talk with her for hours. For Liam, Aemelia was more of a family member than Mr. C ever was.
“Happy birthday to our favorite boy in the world!” Aemelia said, showing Liam his cake. They sang to him, then he made a wish and blew the candles. Aemelia gave him the presents.
“This one is from me, and this… this was from Ms. Bree,” Aemelia said with a desolate semblance. “She had been saving this one for a while. There is a card too.”
Liam rushed to the bag while Aemelia served them a slice of cake. He gave Aemelia a hug and thanked her before opening the presents. Chaos got down from her favorite shelf, getting way too close to the cake. Food was one of the little things that got Chaos’ attention, but, of course, no one gave her any slice.
“I’ll let you kids be,” Aemelia said. “Watch Chaos on this cake. There will be more in the kitchen if you want it,” she said, leaving through the door without looking back.
Aemelia’s present was a stunning white backpack with the elements of the periodic table all over it, colored by the group it belonged to. It also had his name printed in gold and blue letters.
“Nice!” Liam said. “Aemelia really knows me.”
“Yes, now the guys in high school can say your name while stuffing you in the locker. Great touch!” Ada joked. “Open Ms. Bree’s gift!”
Liam was skeptical and nervous to see what it was. He read the card:
To my beautiful boy, as the time
has come. I’m so proud of you.
Happy 14th!
Love, Mom.
Liam stared at that piece of paper for a while, looking at his mother’s handwriting, the most beautiful cursive in the entire world. It was like he could hear her voice reading it for him. And that smell! The note had her perfume notes, so subtle but so present.
He looked at Ada, and she seemed anxious to see what was inside the box. He opened it, trying not to let her see the sadness in his eyes. Inside, there was a little device, much like a cell phone.
“Oh, nice, a new phone. You can give me your old one now,” Ada said, looking overjoyed she would also get a present that day.
“I don’t think it’s a cell phone; I never saw this one before,” Liam said, analyzing the device in his hand and looking for the button to turn it on.
Chaos looked at the empty box on the bed and jumped right into it, making herself comfortable for a nap.
“What did Mr. C give you?” Ada asked, curious to know if, now that Mr. C was home, he would finally get Liam something for his birthday.
Liam didn’t answer.
“What? Nothing? Really? Again?” Ada asked, incredulous. “He is home; what is the excuse this time? Did he, at least, wish you a happy birthday?”
Liam, again, didn’t answer and looked at the floor.
“You are joking, right?” Ada asked. “I’m sorry, Liam, but I can’t understand your father.”
“Ada, I don’t care. I really don’t! I don’t care about him. I won’t care when I leave this house, either. It will be a left-behind past. Not even a memory,” Liam said. His eyes, though, were watery.
Ada knew he cared, somehow. She tried not to make a more significant thing out of it and changed subjects:
“Just turn it on!” she said, referring to the device.
“If I knew how…,” Liam was clueless; he couldn’t see any buttons.
“Maybe you have to rub it,” Ada said.
“Now you are joking, right?” Liam asked.
“Nope, not even a little. It worked with Aladdin. Give it a try!” she said.
“I’m not…,” Liam was going to refuse to do it, but he gave it a deeper thought and gently rubbed a tiny part of the device.
“See?” Ada asked.
“No, I didn’t see anything. Nothing happened!” Liam responded, confused.
“I meant: See? It didn’t hurt to try, did it?” Ada said with a sarcastic tone.
“Not funny,” Liam said.
Both Liam and Ada kept trying to turn on the device at all costs for what must have been a whole hour. Looking for a button, rubbing it, shaking it, pinching it, and even hugging it. Well, at least Ada hugged the device. She also sang a full-length song to the device and poked Chaos with it. Liam didn’t get impressed. It’s Ada, and she does these things.
Liam didn’t want to give up on his mother’s present, but he couldn’t find a solution and was running out of ideas.
“Maybe it’s broken,” Liam said, with a desolate face.
“Or… Maybe it’s a piece to improve something, like your telescope… Isn’t it one of your favorite hobbies? Do you think it goes there?”
“This makes no sense. My telescope is great. There is nothing that can improve it. It’s literally the best in the market,” Liam said.
“Better than NASA’s?” Ada asked.
“Of course not, Ada!” Liam answered, not able to tell if she was joking or not. “I’m not a professional astronomer either. Why would I need a NASA’s telescope, anyway? I don’t want to see the entire infinity of the universe. I barely want to see outside my bedroom.”
While Liam was saying that, the device shook in his hand.
“Did you see that?” he asked. “Do you think it’s something I said?”
“Like a password?” Ada asked, excited. “Ms. Bree was really a genius, wasn’t she?”
“My telescope is great!” Liam repeated, ruling out what it was. Nothing happened.
“Hm… I don’t think it was that,” Ada said. “Go on, try all the other sentences. Repeat whatever you said.”
“Best in the market? NASA’s telescope…” he tried again, a little in disbelief. No luck, either.
“Universe! Or maybe, ‘infinity of the universe’!” Ada yelled, but the device wouldn’t move. “Hm, that is all you said. Maybe you have to say it instead of me.”
“Say what? Infinity of the universe?” Liam said, and the device shook again.
“Oh my! So cool!” Ada yelled. “I was right! It is a password! And it just works with you saying it! I was right! But what now? It didn’t seem effective. Maybe louder?”
Liam stopped for a while. He remembered all the times he was little and afraid of something, like when he was fearful of going to school for the first time or sleeping with the lights off; or when he had a bad dream and went to his mother’s bed; or when he was afraid of that surgery when he was seven years old; or when he took his first surf class and didn’t want to go deep in the ocean. His mother would always say, “Don’t worry, my love….”
“…I’ll be with you until the infinity of the universe!” Liam exclaimed.
Liam’s heart was pounding in his chest as the mysterious device began to shake violently in his hands. He could feel the heat emanating from it, making him nervous about getting burned, but he was even more afraid of dropping it and damaging whatever that was. Desperately, he tried to pass the device from one hand to the other, hoping to find a safe place to put it down.
With a sudden burst of energy, the device shook harder and harder until Liam was forced to place it on the bed, hoping it wouldn’t cause any damage. As he backed away, Chaos suddenly leaped from the box with a terrified look in her eyes. She darted around the room, knocking over books and other items as she sought refuge on the highest shelf.
The device continued to make strange noises, rattling, and humming like a creature from another world. Liam and Ada watched with a mix of fascination and trepidation as they waited for something to happen. Suddenly, the device stopped moving, and the room fell silent.
As the teens cautiously approached the box, a piece of paper was ejected from the device. Chaos, who had been watching from afar leaped down to investigate the strange object. Liam and Ada looked at the paper, unsure of what to make of it. The paper felt like it was filled with a powerful energy that pulsed beneath Liam’s fingertips.
“What is it?” Ada asked, her voice filled with wonder and excitement.
“I don’t know,” Liam replied, his heart racing.
“That’s it?” Ada asked, perplexed. “All our Sherlock Holmes brainstorming for a piece of paper? Is that some sort of secret printer? Why didn’t she just give you a piece of paper?”
“I don’t know…” Liam said, a little disappointed too, reaching for the paper on the bed while Chaos tried to touch it with her little fluffy paw.
It was a tiny acceptance letter from “Sorcerwood Academy / Kiltford Academy” on the original paper with the logo and all. Kiltford Academy was a university some miles away from Liam’s house. Liam looked at it, a little confused. Not only had he never heard of Sorcerwood Academy, but he was about to start high school in a couple of months, not college.
“You were accepted into college? With middle school curriculum only?” Ada was baffled. “How did you even? When did you apply for college that you didn’t tell me?”
“I didn’t!” Liam said. He was brain fogged. “It says here I was accepted to start 9th grade in August now. I didn’t know Kiltford had a high school curriculum, nor that they were, apparently, bought by this Sorcerwood Academy.”
“You can’t go to a different school than me,” Ada complained. “I can’t go alone to McGuire’s High. All those snob people… I’ll be the one stuffed in lockers if you don’t go with me!”
Suddenly, the device started shaking again and beeping.
“It’s printing something else!” Ada yelled, pointing to the device. “Hope it is a letter saying the first one was a mistake.”
Liam and Ada watched in awe as the device on the bed started to shake more aggressively. Liam carefully tried to pick it up, but it was too hot to hold onto for more than a few seconds. With a sudden jolt, the box exploded with a bright flash of light, and Liam quickly set it down on the bed, afraid it might set something on fire.
As the light slowly faded, a three-dimensional hologram emerged from the device, depicting Ms. Bree in all her glory. She appeared to be floating in the middle of the room, her image so lifelike that it seemed as if she were really there. Liam and Ada stared in amazement, hardly able to believe their eyes.
Ms. Bree’s holographic form was almost perfect, down to the tiniest detail. Her face was illuminated with a warm glow, and her outfit was perfectly tailored as always. She looked exactly as she had the last time Liam had seen her.
For a moment, no one said a word. Liam felt his heart racing as he stared at the image of his mother, his mind struggling to process what he was seeing. He felt a mix of emotions—fear, excitement, and disbelief all jumbled together.
Finally, Liam found his voice.
“Mom?” he asked, his voice trembling.
