After the brunch with his parents, Benjamin carefully composed a text message to his aunt—his confidante. He was confident she would come through for him. She had to. As he hit send, his mind drifted back to the events of that morning, still vivid in his memory.
He had been alone with his mother in the living room. A movie streamed on the national channel, and she was keenly engrossed. It had been a long time since they sat like this—just the two of them.
"Mum," he began.
"Yes, my son," she replied gently.
"This life is full of complexities. Sometimes I wonder... what really is happiness?"
She turned to look at him, smiling warmly. She patted the space beside her on the three-seater couch.
"Come here, my son. Sit with me."
Benjamin moved closer. His mother took his hands in hers and studied his face. She could see the stress in his eyes—the unsettled look he carried. A mother always knows.
"My son, you have purpose. You have goals, direction, and meaning—at least, that's what I've always seen in you."
"Mum," Benjamin sighed, "my life goals don't bring me happiness anymore. I used to think that success meant making money. But lately, I've discovered that spending time with the people I love brings a kind of satisfaction and fulfillment I've never known before."
"Happiness means different things to different people," Mrs. Hawi said kindly. "Focus on the small, specific things that make you happy, and nurture them, my son."
"I've realized I haven't spent much time with you and Dad," Benjamin said. "We've all been traveling so much. It's like we've missed out on each other. I want to change that."
"So, does that mean you won't be flying large planes across the globe anymore?" she asked, raising an eyebrow with a smile.
"I'm not sure I want that life anymore," he admitted. "I love being a doctor. Aviation has always been a hobby, and I've gotten so much out of it already. But I want to focus on my real profession—medicine and surgery."
"So, what's your plan?"
"I don't want to go back to London, or to continue the piloting course—not here, not anywhere. I want to stay here… with you, with Dad… and with Megyn."
Mrs. Hawi clasped her hands together and looked upward. "Thank you, Lord, for answering my prayers." Then she turned to her son, beaming. "Thank you, Benjamin. This is the best decision you've made."
As they embraced, Benjamin's thoughts turned to his father—how tirelessly he worked to manage Sunset Holdings. Even with a strong team, much still demanded his personal attention. Benjamin made a silent vow to stay in the city and help shoulder that responsibility.
"Mum," he said softly, "I'll stay. I won't leave again."
"Yes, son. Stay and help your father run Sunset Holdings. Your father and I are getting older, and you need to gain all the management experience you can. Everything else will fall into place."
Benjamin was silent for a moment, lost in thought, then said, almost hesitantly, "But the tuition fees…"
"What about them?" she asked, watching his face closely.
"I just don't want to waste the fees we paid in January."
"We'll sort that out through the foundation," she assured him. "We can transfer the funds to a bright, needy student."
"Mum, you're the best. I hadn't even thought of the Sunset Foundation."
"There's that boy from Randi—you know him. The one who looks up to you."
"Oh—George," Benjamin nodded.
"Yes. He finished Form Four and is waiting to join the school of aviation in August. We can talk to the college in London and see if they'll accept him under your slot."
Mrs. Hawi took out her phone and called the foundation manager, giving clear instructions to redirect the tuition fees already paid by Sunset Flying Doctor Services. It was to be reassigned, pending confirmation from the college.
An hour later, the manager called back. The college had agreed, but the student would either have to start immediately or wait until August.
Benjamin didn't hesitate—he decided that George would travel overseas the following week and catch up with the rest of the students in the semester activities. He swore that the next day, he would personally help arrange for the visa at the embassy.
The university had already sent a new admission letter and connected them with the embassy to expedite the process, and on addition, he had a good friend who would come through for him.
Luckily, George—an officer in the Flying Doctors section of the company—had just renewed his passport, a requirement for all Sunset Holdings staff.
With all that settled, Benjamin asked one of the workers on the compound to get him some juicy pomegranate from the tree by the gate. Mother and son relaxed, watching a family movie, chatting and enjoying the. Fruit.
He told his mother about the plans he has for the Gazelle Sanctuary.
"I really want to improve it, and even find a way that the locals will benefit from it." Benjamin said, his eyes lighting up as he spoke.
He explained how he envisioned transforming the sanctuary into not only a safe haven for endangered gazelles and other small herbivores, but also a community-driven conservation hub.
His ideas included building better infrastructure for the animals and partnering with local artisans and farmers to sell their products to the visitors at a small eco-market within the sanctuary.
By involving the local community, he hoped to generate income, create jobs, and foster a shared sense of responsibility for protecting the animals and environment.
His mother listened intently, touched by her son's passion and vision, realizing that his dream went far beyond the gazelles—it was rooted in compassion and community.
He mentioned that he was with Megyn for the last three days at Hotel Sunset and how her father came for her that morning.
Mrs Hawi, understanding how parenting has become challenging in the present times, didn't criticise Megyn's father, but instead, asked her son to pay him a visit at his office in Randi.
"After that, Son," Mrs. Hawi said with a knowing smile, "we'll organize to see Megyn."
"Seeing her will be a surprise from me to you, Mum," Benjamin replied, smiling mysteriously.
She laughed softly. She could tell something was definitely brewing.