CHAPTER 34
Jason
It’s early Friday afternoon—day two in Tokyo, and we’re finally at Disneyland. Jake’s been bouncing off the walls with excitement all morning, practically bursting out of the hotel to make the short trek to the theme park, which was only a stone’s throw away.
We decided to take it easy on the first day, knowing Jake and Elena’s parents would be jet-lagged and drained from the long trip. And honestly, after multiple delayed flights and a missing luggage, all I wanted was to crash at the hotel and catch my breath. Although, the look on Jake’s face when he saw me standing outside his hotel room made every frustrating moment of the journey from Sydney to Tokyo completely worth it.
Surprisingly, I managed to snag a room at the Disneyland Hotel at the last minute. My credit card took a serious beating, but at least I’m only a floor below Jake. Elena insisted I stay in their room for the four days I’m visiting, but the thought of sharing that space with my ex-wife left me uneasy, and more than that, it just felt wrong.
With so much to see and do at Disneyland, Elena and I figured it made more sense to split the visit over two days, so Jake could experience the magic and excitement both during the day and the night.
It’s been a few hours since we arrived at the theme park, and we’ve just finished exploring Adventureland. The jungle riverboat cruise still plays in my mind, especially the momentJake pointed to a fake crocodile in the water and shouted for it to swim back to Australia. The whole boat erupted in laughter; even the tour guide had to pause to regain his composure.
After that unexpectedly entertaining ride and a quick lunch at the Café Orleans, we’ve made our way to Westernland—now standing at the foot of the Big Thunder Mountain, ready to board the Mine Train Roller Coaster.
“You really want to do this right after you just ate lunch?” I ask Jake as he stares wide-eyed at the roller coaster roaring past, packed with screaming riders.
“Yeah, Dad. I’m not going to throw up, I promise,” he says, eyes still fixed on the roller coaster as it thunders through the mine.
Elena steps up beside me and kneels so she’s eye level with Jake. “Sorry I can’t join you, baby. But I’m sure you and Daddy will have an awesome time up there.”
She and her parents decided to sit this one out—none of them were too keen on braving the nearly four-minute roller coaster ride. And, truth be told, Elena’s always been terrified of them. As for her parents, Marija’s spinal arthritis and Joseph’s chronic neck pain don’t exactly pair well with high-speed thrills. So it’s just me and my boy, and honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
The roller coaster rumbles back into the station, unloading its passengers before it’s our turn to climb aboard the mine train. Jake wastes no time hopping in, his excitement practically radiating off him as he bounces in his seat while the staff moves through, securing everyone in place.
“You ready, buddy? Don’t forget to hold on tight,” I remind him as the train lurches into motion.
He grips the safety bar so tightly his knuckles turn white, and in the next second, we’re off. For the next few minutes, we’re hurled through sharp drops and high-speed twists, the ricketytrack winding through the old gold mine and up the mountain making my stomach queasy with every turn. It’s not until the train tilts sharply on a downhill drop that I nearly lose the contents of my stomach. Note to self: maybe rethink the whole eating-before-riding thing.
Jake screams with laughter the entire ride, his joy utterly infectious, and in that moment, I’m reminded exactly why I came. Mila was right. These are the memories I never want to miss with my son.
When the ride finally comes to a stop and we’re cleared to disembark, Jake bolts over to his mother and grandparents, eager to recount every second of the experience—exaggerations and all. I chuckle as he proudly explains how brave he was in the dark tunnels, and how he nearly flew out of his seat when the roller coaster tilted. That one earns a pale expression from Elena. But when he gets to the part about me looking like I was about to throw up my guts, the whole group bursts into laughter.
“That sounded like so much fun, Jake. You’re definitely the bravest one out of all of us,” Elena says, adjusting the collar of his shirt with a proud smile. “Do you need to use the bathroom before we keep going?”
He shakes his head, then slips his hand in mine. “I want to keep going, Mum.”
The rest of the afternoon drifts by in a happy blur—more rides, more food, a bit of gift shopping, and plenty of wide-eyed wonder as we explore our final stop in Critter Country. As the sun begins its slow descent, casting everything in a soft, golden glow, we decide to call it a day.
Surprisingly, it’s been a genuinely good day. Not once did Elena and I argue or bicker. In fact, she’s been warm, almost unusually so, giving me all the space in the world to spend time with Jake, even though this trip was originally hers and her parents’ idea. I’m still mad at her for what went down at Jake’sparty, and I still plan to confront her about that, but for now, I push it aside, determined not to ruin the trip for the rest of the family. It’s just like Chris said: there’s a time and place for that, and right now is not it.
Elena has taken about a million photos of us throughout the afternoon and promised to send them all to me by the end of the night. At times, it almost felt like the old days, when we used to go on family trips like this. I’d always be the one to join Jake on every ride while Elena stood by, snapping picture after picture of us.
I shake the thought away as quickly as it comes. That’s all in the past now. No matter how desperate she wants us to act like one big, happy family, the truth is—she broke something in us that can’t be fixed. We can never go back to the way things were, because I can never trust her again. And more importantly, I don’t feel for her the way I once did.
As we head back to the hotel, all I can think about is how badly I want to talk to Mila—just to hear her sweet voice again. I want to know how her day’s been, tell her about mine, about Jake, about everything. I miss her more than I thought I would. And as wonderful as today has been, it felt like something was missing—because the one personI wanted to share it with most, apart from Jake, was far away, in another part of the world.
The moment I step into my hotel room, I reach for my phone and call Mila. I don’t even pause to get changed or sit down; I just need to hear her voice. It’s only been a few hours since we last spoke, but somehow, it feels more like an eternity.
She picks up on the third ring, and the sound of her voice washes over me, warming something deep in my chest.
“Hey, beautiful girl,” I greet her.
“Hey, handsome,” she replies, and I can almost see her warm smile on the other end of the line. “How was day one in Disneyland?”
“It was amazing. At one point, my inner child completely took over when my hero, Pluto, came on stage. I may or may not have screamed like a little girl.”
She laughs out loud. “I can totally picture that.”
