"One Hell of a Trip" by Nemo

Matt smiled and gave a thumbs up sign for the camera as his dad took a picture. As he heard the camera click he relaxed his pose and bent down to pick up his bag.

“Come on Matt, just one more shot. OK?” said Matt’s dad, Geoff

“Dad, the bus is going to be leaving in like 5 minutes.” Said Matt “Come on you’ve got enough pictures to remember me by. I’m only going away for 6 months. You weren’t like this when I went to college and that was for 4 years.”

“Well your college was only an hour away and now you’re going around the world, so you’ll have to forgive your old man for wanting a few more reminders this time.”

Geoff stepped in close to Matt and grabbed his shoulders. At 23 Matt had a grown man’s height and bulk, helped by his place on the wrestling team at college. He stood eye to eye with his father, who although 20 years his senior, still had the body of younger man, his job as a mechanic and keeping him physically fit. Geoff looked Matt straight in the eye “Don’t ever forget how special you are to me?” He said.

Matt nodded, and felt his eyes growing moist. He and his dad had always been very close. Matt’s mom had been a messed up soul, who’d had a brief affair with Geoff while he was at college, disappeared out of his life and then reappeared for long enough to drop off baby Matt in Geoff’s arms, before disappearing forever. Geoff had dropped out of college to look after Matt with his own mother’s help. There had been some tough times, but Matt had never wanted for anything, especially his father’s love. Now that he had finished college he was determined to show his dad, how much he appreciated the sacrifices Geoff had made for him.

Geoff drew Matt into his arms for a bear hug. With their heads close together, Matt said quietly “There’s still time for you to change your mind.”

Geoff growled in Matt’s ear in response, “After everything I went through to set this deal up? Are you mad? No way you’re backing out of it now. I told you; never forget how much you mean to me. I wanted a way to say thank you to you for everything you gave up for me and this is it. You got that..” and Geoff’s voice dropped to a whisper “... Dad.”

The two pulled apart as the bus engine started. Matt bent down and picked up his bag. He didn’t trust his voice to say anything, afraid he would just dissolve into tears. His dad walked him to the bus and then walked down until he was level with Matt’s seat. He watched as Matt settled into his seat and then gestured at his own back pocket until Matt got the message and reached into his own back pocket, pulling out an envelope with his name on it. He started to open it, but then the bus began to move off and he turned to wave to Geoff.

As the bus pulled out onto the main road, Matt opened the letter.

Matt,

I just wanted to say again how much you deserve this trip. No-one knows better than I do that 20 years of work with no vacation time, is too much. No matter how important a job is there comes a time when a man needs a break. So enjoy yours, and get ready for the world of work when you get back. In the meantime, remember to drop your old man an email every week with some updates from your travels. And remember – do whatever you want, as long as it’s not a new tattoo!

Matt smiled. He still couldn’t believe he’d let the real Matt talk him into this. The real Matt who was even now heading back to their house in a perfect replica bodysuit of Geoff, while the real Geoff was on board the bus in a bodysuit of Matt. But Matt could be persuasive when he put his mind to it, and the suits were frighteningly convincing. The real Matt had nearly given Geoff a heart attack when he’d come home to find his exact double. Geoff still had no idea where Matt had got them from, but there was no doubting their realism.

The truth was Geoff hadn’t needed that much convincing. Although he’d been proud to watch Matt graduate from College, part of him had a few regrets about his own lost youth. Matt’s insane idea for giving his dad a proper thank you for his upbringing had been an easier sell than Geoff himself would have thought. When he’d first slipped on the Matt suit and looked out through the eyes of a young man again, all sorts of hopes sprang to life.

As he settled down into the bus seat, preparing for the long journey ahead, he knew Matt would look after his old life for him until he got back and until then, well he had carte blanche to do whatever, or whoever he felt like. He smiled at his dim reflection in the bus window. It was going to be one hell of a trip.