Ch.2 By the fence

“Today was the first day of the school break. I woke up early and went to loosen the soil around the brightly blooming flowers along the fence. The soft morning sun and gentle breeze made me feel completely relaxed.

As I was tending the flowerbeds, I suddenly heard a car approaching from the house next door. My curiosity sparked immediately. I peeked through the gaps in the fence, and my heart skipped a beat when I saw a young man stepping out of a luxurious car…”

A sudden noise from the other side of the fence startled Sean.

He turned his head quickly toward the sound, his light brown eyes widening slightly as he caught a vague shadow near the bushes. Without thinking, he stepped closer to the fence and peeked through.

“Yip! Yip!”

“Rustle… rustle…”

“What’s that sound?” Sean murmured softly to himself.

“Yip! Yip!”

“There you are! Where did you come from, little guy?”

Sean bent down and reached into the bushes, lifting a small puppy into his arms.

“Whine… bark bark!”

“Did you dig under the fence to sneak over here? Haha! You’re clever, aren’t you?”

Sean laughed as he cuddled the pup.

Meanwhile, Paul, standing on the other side of the fence, had heard the puppy’s bark. Curious, he stepped onto a nearby stool and leaned over the fence.

His eyes locked onto the cheerful boy playing with the puppy on the other side.

Sean giggled softly as he lifted the little dog up to his cheek. The puppy wagged its tail excitedly, then licked Sean’s cheek with pure affection.

That smile, that laugh—Paul froze in place, as if time itself had paused just for this moment.

“Oh, you little rascal… I’ve been looking everywhere for you. So you snuck through the fence over to this side, huh?”

Paul frowned slightly before letting out a smile of relief.

“So this little troublemaker is yours?” Sean chuckled, gently stroking the pup’s head. “Haha, looks like he really likes me.”

He lifted the dog carefully and handed it back over the fence to Paul, offering him a small smile as he did.

Paul took the pup, his eyes still on Sean, and found himself smiling without even realizing it.

“It’s not just the puppy who likes you…” he thought to himself.

“Sean! Sean! Dad’s calling for you!”

Sherlene’s voice echoed from the garage.

“Coming! I’m coming!”

Sean turned toward the voice and quickly dashed off to meet Charles, his father, in the garage.

“Sean… Sean, huh?”

Paul whispered the name softly to himself.

Paul’s Thoughts

“During the school break, I came to stay at my grandmother’s house in the countryside. The weather today was just perfect—soft morning sunlight and a cool breeze drifting by.

I had just arrived not too long ago and was already wandering around, searching for my little troublemaker of a puppy. I had no idea where it had run off to.

I wasn’t sure if I was hearing things, but I thought I heard barking somewhere nearby…

‘Yip! Yip! Bark! Bark!’

‘Hehe! Giggle! Hehe!’

I kept following the sounds. When I got near the fence, I looked down and saw a small hole in the ground—it looked like someone had dug their way through.

I knew immediately… that little rascal had tunneled under the fence to the other side.

“Wait… was that him? That sounded like my puppy!” I muttered to myself.

I glanced around for something I could use to get a better view. I spotted a chair under the tree, grabbed it, and climbed up to peek over the fence.

And there—there he was. The puppy was playing cheerfully with the boy next door, who was giggling and smiling so brightly.

I froze for a moment, just watching him. And then… he looked up and saw me.

Our eyes met—completely by accident.

I couldn’t move. But even then… I couldn’t help smiling.

That moment… it was just beautiful.”

⸻

The Orchard

Sean rode with his father, Charles, in a small farm truck (or “e-tan” in Thai) on a bumpy dirt road, heading toward the orchard.

It was almost harvest season, and the fruits needed extra care to protect them from insects and animals that might ruin the crops.

The little truck rumbled along uneven ground, jolting up and down—but Sean enjoyed the ride. It was the kind of simple journey that made him feel alive.

“Dad, why do we have to cover the fruit trees with nets like this?” Sean asked as he watched his father carefully stretch a net across the trees with his older brother, Charlie.

“Because sunlight and pests can damage the fruit. That’s why we need to cover them,” Charles replied with calm patience.

“Then why don’t we just use insecticide?” Sean asked curiously.

“Because chemicals leave harmful residues on the fruit, and they can be dangerous to people,” his father explained, smiling gently.

Sean nodded with understanding. His eyes scanned the orchard that stretched out as far as he could see.

Rows upon rows of apple, mango, and longan trees stood tall, their branches now heavy with ripening fruit.

Evening at the Farm

As the sun began to dip lower in the sky, the workers started putting away their tools. Birds chirped and fluttered about, returning to their nests in large flocks.

Sean leapt onto the farm truck the moment his older brother, Charlie, pulled it up and stopped beside him.

“Don’t jump up like that—you’ll fall off one of these days,” Charlie scolded him gently.

“I won’t fall! I’m holding on super tight,” Sean replied with a grin so wide his eyes nearly disappeared.

“You little rascal,” Charlie sighed, laughing at his brother’s cheeky expression. “Still acting like a monkey, huh?”

On the way back home, the brothers chatted and laughed as the back of the farm truck rattled with baskets full of fresh vegetables and fruits.

“Mom! Mom!… Where are you, Mom?”

Sean called out loudly as soon as they arrived, glancing around when he couldn’t see Ella anywhere.

“She’s probably in the kitchen. Just go inside and look! Haha!”

Charles, their father, chuckled at the sight of his son’s excitement.

“Mom! I went to the orchard with Dad! Look—we brought back tons of fruits and vegetables!”

Sean shouted excitedly, proudly handing over a large basket to Ella.

“Wow! That’s wonderful, sweetheart! There’s so much! Thank you, dear. I’ll make a delicious dinner for you all,” Ella said with a warm smile, taking the basket from his hands.

Sean walked out of the kitchen with a proud grin, happy that he could help his mom today.

He went to the dining table and began setting it for dinner, carefully placing the dishes and utensils in place.

“Sean, with all these fruits and vegetables you brought in, I don’t think we can finish them ourselves,” Ella called from the kitchen.

“Why don’t you take some over to Grandma next door tomorrow?”

“Okay, Mom!”

Sean answered cheerfully.

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