Chapter 28 : * Way Back Home *

A send off party had been organize for Prince before he left the Canla palace , everybody wave goodbye to him.

The mission he had accomplished was a big help for the entire Canla kingdom and they make it sure he is aware of their gratitude , that all of his efforts was appreciated.

Even Larene had come to join the send off party , he left with Aldes and Stefano , they board the same four seater charter plane they use the other day ..

" I will visit you !", Larene had promised him with puppy eyes.

" I'll be waiting for you ", he replied. whoaa , why he will refuse such promise? he had no intention of denying himself the benefit of promised happiness by the words of Larene Surprisingly their travel is much faster than before. The way back home takes for almost three hours according to his own calculation.

" What's your plan we you got home?", Stefano ask Prince.

" As usual of course , I will be back to being the office boy, no more time for play ", Prince said ,

" Don't you think your parents will not be mad because of your long absence?", Stefano ask.

" Of course not ! my parents are the most understanding and loving parents in the whole world ! besides what is two weeks absence ? that's a short time !", Prince exaggerate.

" Two weeks ?", both Stefano and Aldes laugh at his words.

" What's wrong with you guys ? besides I am the boss in my grandpa's business when papa and granddad's not around, being the boss is such a big honor , being respected by people under me , and I feel every one in the company wants to please me how about you guys ? ", Prince ask them.

" For me being home is the best , specially for us married , just seeing your wife waiting for you at the doorstep and greet you with kisses and hugs is really something ", Stefano said.

" Actually taking care of our business makes me tired and stress out but it is exciting ", he said , approaching their home makes his heart beat with excitement , he is glad to be back home. Luckily his mother was in the living room sitting lonely in the sofa sadness was all over her face.

" Mama , I'm home !", he announced loudly

and excitedly, his mother eyes suddenly lit up seeing him. His mother become very emotinal and happiness was evident in her eyes when she rush in his direction.

" Oh my God! Prince ! what happened to you ? We had been very worried because you were no where to be found ! what happened to you and your friends son ? why you suddenly disappear ?", teary eyed Karen was asking. while hugging and kissing him in his cheeks over and over.

" Ma, we ask your permission before we go in this trekking expedition , besides look! Aldes and Stefano is looking on !", Prince replied grinning, he hates lying but how he can possibly tell her mother the truth ? she will surely go berserk if he told her the truth.

" Trekking? For six months? a rescue operation had been organized but all three of you were nowhere to be found !", Karen told them.

" Really? but we had been gone for almost two weeks only !", Prince corrected.

" Why we should worry that much if you had gone for two weeks only ? we couldn't contact your phone , I'm so scared ! we thought we'll never see you again", Karen said.

" Ma , don't be silly ! we're adults so please stop worrying and I'm finally back safe and alive !", Prince said laughing lightly.

" We'd been calling you but your phone is off , we don't know what to do ! why don't you call us even once after you left? we had been waiting for your call !", Karen said.

" Anyway , we'd better go now Prince, thanks for the good times , see you again some other time !", Aldes and Stefano said as they bid goodbye feeling guilty because of the emotional state of Prince mother.

" Thanks for bringing my son back home , you are always welcome to come, our home is open for you guys anytime you would like to come " , Karen said, so glad that after of all the worries , finally his son was home safely and without harm both Aldes and Stefano nod their head ,she had no idea that both were sons of Sultan Sota.

" Thanks also auntie , for allowing Prince to come with us, but sadly we might be busy in the next few days just like Prince ", the two brothers replied obviously declining the invitation .

" Pity because I'm so glad that my son had gone for this adventure with his friends for the first time , and I'm glad he had done something he loves to do, but sadly because we don't receive any update from him where all three of you had gone to, but now it's okay ,my fears had proven my assumptions wrong ! as long as my son is happy in those adventures ,we're happy as well !", Karen said to the two big guys then both go in the direction of the door.

" Honey, Prince was finally home!", Karen excitedly called to inform her husband of the good news when the two had gone. She wasted no time to let her husband know.

" Really? I'm coming home , I'll be there after a few minutes ", Joseph said after a sigh of relief.

His sisters stick on his side since they saw him sitting on the sala seat.

" Did you enjoy your trekking adventure Prince ?", Kate ask at seventeen his sister beauty is obviously noticeable.

" Yeah , of course !", Prince replied, he did not want to cause suspicion that he hadn't been on that trekk.

" We're wondring why it takes so long for you to finish it ", Kate said.

" It's exciting , I lost count of days ! I had seen a lot of different birds , plants , tall trees, the view from up there is so breathtaking if you look down ", he is actually talking about what he saw while in the airplane.

." Wow! I hope I will also have such opportunity to do it and saw those things ", Kate said, while his youngest sister is sitting on his lap while showing him her drawing collection and he transfer her in the seat beside him for she's already eight years old and growing so fast .

" Wow, nice drawings, but you are already a big girl and so heavy !", he exclaimed to stop her from getting his attention.

" I dedicate this for you Prince, look !", Maggy show him the dedication he jotted at the back of the drawing which is compose of 5 sticky figure at the left side was a woman because of the skirt and in the right side obviously was a man in the middle was also a male and beside him is the smaller girl before the mom and at the other side before dad is the other bigger girl.

" Thanks Maggy !", Prince told Maggy which make her squeal in delight.

" Welcome! I'm glad you like it!", Maggy said.

" Of course ! I will love anything that you've made ", Prince retorded.

They were in such happy bantering of words when his father entered the living room.

" Where have you been ? we had been calling you but you do not answer, we had been so worried that we ask help from the authorities to look for you after a month you left !", his father ask.

" Sorry papa, there's no signal and we are mountain hopping, we had to be careful because the way is so steep and we need to concentate on the way up because even a small mistake will put us in danger , but we had fun ", Prince explained.

" Next time notify us to let us know where you are heading , you are our only son we don't want to lose you ", his father reprimand, actually he had tried to communicate but his phone is dead batt as they reach Mt . Canla.

" Yes papa, sorry for causing you troubles and worry ", Prince apologetically told him, he knows how much they love him and he is grateful for such parents. Right now Sultan can't replace his father , he is the best for him.

" Stop grinning, we had been through a lot of sleepless night because we couldn't find you. Imagine the emotional torture we had gone through , your mother is crying and hysterical during the first three months ", his father said.

" Sorry for causing you so much worry papa, we lost count of the days !", Prince apologically said.

" Just don't do that again! make sure to update us where you've been so we will not worry about you again ", Joseph advice.

" Yes papa, I'll always put that in mind ", Prince swear.

" You must be tired now , go and have some rest ,I will go back to the office I just come home to see if you're okay ", Joseph told him.

.During dinner his mother and sisters keep on asking about the things he had encountered in his adventure, that evening Prince had to invent mountain names and stories, luckily he had read a lot of books about some people who are mountain climber and had done such mountain climbing activities in the past. while his father is just listening intently .

Surely his family was very happy upon his arrival , but he was wondring why his parents said he had gone for six months if infact he had gone for about two weeks only? such thought kerp on bugging his mind, for the first time since he leave for mt. canla, he checked the date on his phone, and he realized they are right it was six nonths ago since they left. He had no idea , he will just ask any of his elemental friends when he met one to know it.

" Are you coming to the office tomorrow ?", his father ask him.

" Yes papa, anyway I had fully rested now ", he replied.

As what they had agreed he go back to work in the office the next day , so his father can enjoy his early retirement , and he can spend more quality time with his wife and daughters.

" Sir mountain climber you're back ! ", his secretary exclaimed when he show up that morning.

" This is the first time I did it with my friends, just for camaraderie purposes only ", Prince depended. The same story he made up for his family , is the same story he shared with his nosy secretary. He need to be consistent so no one will suspect that he is lying. After a minute of chit chat he decided to

concentrate on all the papers that had been left for him by his father sometimes making phonecalls regarding some papers he is not familiar with or without the proper knowledge of the secretary . Obviously he want to evade to talk about his trekking the circumstances he don't want to elaborate further , as what they say less talk less mistake.

His comeback home wasn't a grand one unlike that of the prodigal son in the bible that a feast had been thrown for the celebration of his homecoming. He doesn't expected such grandeur either, being able to go back to his normal life is enough for him.

He came home late and tired from work that night but his parents was still awake and waiting for him in the living room when he arrive home.

" I'm glad you're back ,now I can lazily sit down at home with your mama and sisters." Joseph said.

" I miss working papa, I admit it felt like I'm a newbie again in the office , or as if I am on my OJT again ", Prince admitted ..

" I'm also wondring why when you're around our sales was on the highest peak , your secretary had reported that our sales was rising again ", Joseph told him.

" Really ?", Karen exclaimed unbelieving.

" Yeah ! when our son was around, our products sales like hot cakes ", his dad said.

" You're our lucky charm in business son !", Karen said turning on her son direction.

" That's an overstatement mama ", Prince told his mother.