As they walked down the road to their mom's workplace, Tyler could barely hold himself back.
His emotions were slowly trying to spiral out of control but he was quickly able to get it under control.
He thought of his last memory of his mom in his past life. It was nothing short of heartbreaking and gut wrenching.
He sighed inwardly and shook his head lightly, pushing those memories down. He was no longer in his past life and there was no need for him to continuously revisit those ugly memories related to his family.
He has been given a second chance at life. A second chance to make things right with everyone he wronged. A second chance to stop the devastating incidents that happened to him and his family from happening a second time.
He has been given a second chance to become the best version of himself and always put a smile on his family's face. And all these, he will definitely achieve.
....
Some minutes later, Tyler and Devin finally arrived at their mom's workplace—the nursing home, where she works as a caregiver.
The smile on Tyler's face tightened when he saw this. He remembered how stressful this job was for his mother, a single mother working multiple jobs.
He ruffled Devin's hair and sighed inwardly, before taking a step forward, pushing the establishment's door open and walking in.
As Tyler stepped into the nursing home, a soft wave of sterile air washed over him, and it smelled faintly of disinfectant and warm linen.
The lobby was quiet, almost too quiet, broken only by the muffled sound of a daytime soap opera playing on the small wall-mounted TV in the corner.
Faux plants stood in ceramic pots by the windows, their leaves too perfect to be real. The walls were painted in a calming beige, decorated with framed paintings of fields, flowers, and abstract shapes—cheap, generic art meant to soothe.
A few elderly residents sat in wheelchairs by the windows, gazing outside with blank expressions or chatting softly among themselves.
The floors gleamed under the overhead lights, their polished tiles reflecting the muted sunlight that filtered through the blinds.
A faint creak echoed every few seconds—either from a rocking chair or the slow shuffle of a resident moving somewhere behind the scenes.
To his left, just past a small sitting area with floral couches, stood the front desk. A clear glass panel sat on top, separating the receptionist from visitors, with a tray of laminated visitor passes beside a worn clipboard.
Tyler approached the desk, with Devin walking quietly beside him.
Behind the desk sat a middle-aged woman with short curls, dressed in navy scrubs. She looked up from the logbook in front of her and offered them a polite, tired smile.
"Hi there. Can I help you boys?"
Tyler nodded.
"We're looking for our mom," he said. "Her name is Helena Reyes. She works here."
The woman's brow lifted slightly in recognition.
"Ah, Helena," she said, voice warm. "Give me just a moment, boys."
She picked up the corded phone beside her, pressing a button and speaking softly into the receiver.
"Hi, Helena? You've got two visitors here asking for you… Mm-hmm. Yeah, your boys. Okay, I'll let them know."
She placed the phone back in its cradle and looked at them with a small smile.
"She'll be right out. You two can wait right over there." She gestured to a pair of chairs near the entrance.
Tyler nodded and thanked her, placing a gentle hand on Devin's shoulder as they moved to sit and wait.
The two of them didn't have to wait long, as they saw their mom walking towards a couple of minutes later.
Tyler had no idea what happened but right as his eyes fell on his mom, tears started flowing freely down his cheek.
His fists tightened involuntarily, his teeth clenched and his body tensed up on its own.
He tried to make sense of what was happening but instead, his tears flowed even more.
"Why is a grown-ass man like me crying?" he thought, laughing at himself through the tears.
Tyler already knew the answer to his own question. The truth was—who wouldn't cry after seeing the mother who died from a merciless illness, one that drained the life out of her while you stood helpless to stop it, now standing alive in front of you?
Who? No one!
Tyler tried to control his emotions but it was becoming even more difficult for him with each steps his mom took towards him.
...
Helena was just done with taking care of one of the elderlies when she heard Rachel's voice over the intercom, telling her that she has two visitors.
She froze for a second, the towel in her hand forgotten. Her heart skipped a beat in worry at the sound of those names.
It had been a long shift, and the last thing she expected was to hear that her something happened to her babies.
But when she thought of how they are such good boys that always stay far away from trouble, her worry evaporated into warmth.
A smile slowly formed on her face, tired but genuine, as she quickly finished up, wiped her hands, and made her way toward the lobby.
Walking toward the lobby, she saw Tyler and Devin seated, waiting for her. But what she didn't expect was Tyler bawling his eyes out the moment he saw her.
She panicked, as she quickly rushed to him. She sat down beside him and hugged him tightly, caressing his hair softly.
"What is it, baby? What's wrong? Why are you crying?" She asked, with a concerned voice.
Tyler, who was trying to hold back his tears, broke down even more the moment his mother hugged him, overwhelmed by her familiar, motherly warmth.
He hugged her tightly, as he bawled his eyes out into her chest, soaking her clothes with his tears.
Helena said nothing, as she continued to caressing Tyler's hair softly, allowing him to cry as much as he wants.
She had no idea why she was crying, but she could feel how emotionally burdened he was—and she wanted him to let it all out.
It took him a few seconds before he finally got his emotions under control. He hugged his mother tightly for a few more seconds, before letting go.
He forced a small, embarrassed smile, as he was about to clean his eyes. But his mom stopped him and did it herself, with a loving and warm smile on her face.
After bawling his eyes out from decades of suppressed emotions, he felt like crawling into a hole in embarrassment.
He tried to smile naturally but it only came it forced. After a few more tries, he gave up, sighing inwardly.
"So, what brought you boys here?" Helena asked curiously, after she was done dealing with her big crying baby.
She didn't ask why he was crying, as she knew that Tyler would tell her whenever he wants to.
"We brought you lunch, mom," Devin replied.
Helena's eyes widened slightly in surprise when she heard her little boy's reply.
"Really?" She smiled sweetly.
"Mm-hmm... Tyler and I made it," Devin nodded proudly.
"Wow! My sweet little boys," Helena laughed lightly, her face filled with pride.
But her expression morphed into worry the next moment. She turned to look at Tyler, who still had his head lowered in embarrassment.
"Tyler, baby. Where did you get the money to buy groceries?" She asked, with a mix of curiosity and worry.
Tyler raised his head and smiled.
"I had a little money saved and I decided to use it for something useful," he said, lying through his teeth, with a reassuring smile.
"Oh, Tyler. You know that you don't have to use your money. Mom will always take care of everything," Helena said, with a small smile.
"I know, mom. I just felt like doing it," Tyler smiled.
"Here you go, mom," Devin said, as he took out the container and passed it to Helena.
Helena gently grabbed it and ruffled Devin's hair lightly. She smiled, opening the container.
Her smile widened when she saw its content. She looked at her boys and smiled proudly.
"Thank you," she said, and started eating immediately.
She had been starving throughout the whole day and she was very appreciative of the food they brought.
She quickly finished it, thanked the boys again and sent them home.
Before leaving, Tyler told his mom that she shouldn't worry about dinner that he will take care of it.
Helena wanted to say something but she decided to keep quiet, sighing inwardly and nodding, with a smile on her face.
Tyler smiled and ruffled Devin's hair, and the two of them left the nursing home.
Outside, Devin looked up at Tyler who was smiling from ear to ear, and asked.
"So, why were you crying like a baby?"
Tyler nearly choked on his breath, as he tapped Devin's head lightly.
"Don't ask dumb questions."
"Let's go home," he said, grabbing his hand, and they made their way home.