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More from StudtheKangaroo
The first chapter of my Onmyou Taisenki: Bonds fanfic has arrived!
This chapter is intentionally left up for General Audience Viewing to act as a preview. From Chapter 2 onwards will be Mature or higher as there will be sexual humor/sex scenes involved.
As I mentioned in my journal, I'll do my best to make the story viewable on FA. The properly formatted document will be available for download, and will have reasonable footnote placement wherever necessary (because it looks like crap in notepad -_-*).
===Disclaimer===
This story incorporates elements from my own life. Some of those elements are intentionally fictionalized (or left vague) for privacy/protection purposes.
All characters, elements, plots, etc. are © their respective owners.
I think that's everything, so enjoy the story!
Not once have I ever thought I’d be going through with this, but it was happening. After a couple more years of working for Advance America, I finally had enough money on hand to go on trip to Japan. I was thrilled by the thought of it after I handed my two week notice about the trip to my boss. When I arrived at home, I hopped on the computer to tell my boyfriend about it.
“Hey, Mikey,” I said over Skype to him. “I’m gonna’ do it! I’m gonna’ go to Japan for my vacation!”
“Wow, that’s nice, Kris,” he said. “I’m happy for you.”
“Aw, thanks, hon,” I replied, blushing. “I really needed this vacation after all the hard-working overtime I’ve put into the job.”
“You still haven’t applied for the management position,” he asked.
“Honestly, I still feel that I’m not ready for it just yet,” I replied in modesty. “Being a manager is a big job…I mean, I have been doing pseudo-managerial duties here and there, but other than that, I don’t think I have enough confidence to go for the full-blown position.”
“You’ll get there someday, Kris,” he said with a smile.
“I appreciate that, Mike; thanks,” I said. “Now I just need to get some things settled…a place to stay, eat, where to explore.”
“Is the sumo arena on your list, chubby chaser,” Mike asked teasingly.
“You know me all too well,” I blushed.
It was no secret that I had a fetish for fat, at least between us, but I couldn’t take part in it, much to my dismay. My family has a history of diabetes, both on my mother’s side and my father’s. Because of that, my risk of getting health issues from obesity was high, yet a part of me couldn’t help but want to go with it anyways, like the diabetes problem would skip a generation or something like that.
“Get big for me, will you,” Mike teased again.
“Only if you do, skinny stick” I jabbed back.
Japan was always one of the places I wanted to go to; I enjoyed studying its culture when I was writing my own stories and coming up with different people and names. I did projects and papers related to Japan during my college years, enjoying every bit of effort I put into it. I felt like I was going back and doing homework again as I was figuring out which sites to visit and where to eat, only this time it wasn’t for grades, it was for personal fun. The adrenaline was going in me; it was a great feeling knowing that I was finally going somewhere fun for once.
“I wonder,” I spoke out loud, getting Mike’s attention. “Maybe I should bring my Yu-Gi-Oh Cards with me. Probably might find a place where I can duel some people.”
“Really,” Mike asked; I nodded.
“I told you before that it was something I’d like to do some time,” I continued. “My skills may be a bit rusty, but I got a good handle on the game to where I can actually duel.”
“Good luck with that,” he replied. “Don’t come back crying if you lose a card.”
“I’m not gonna go that far, Mike!” I snapped a bit, though what he said was true, since I valued a lot of my cards.
“I’m just saying hon,” he said. “Good luck anyways.”
“Thanks,” I said, pausing briefly. “Well I better start thinking my trip over, so I better wrap this up. Night hon…it was nice to see your face again.”
“Same thing, Kris; love you,” he replied, giving me a kiss.
I stopped all Skype communications after we ended our conversation so I could focus on planning my trip to Japan. My mom gladly pitched in, providing input to help me figure out some deals on flights and hotels over there. One can always count on her to give her children a helping hand. After a quick review of my plans, I was all set; the only thing that I could do was continue working at my job like normal until the time to leave came.
The days passing by up until my last Saturday before vacation were uneventful; it was the same routine as always, except that yesterday was the busiest day out of the week for August: Friday the 3rd. Saturday was a good cooldown with no one due, so it gave me and my boss some time to clean up the store and do some follow-up paperwork for the new month. Everything was good until my boss needed to go into the back to use the bathroom, leaving me to man the front desk for a bit. A customer came in, looking a bit unruly but recognizable. A nervous chill went down my spine when I saw him. ‘Oh no, not this guy again,’ I thought. His name was Roland Wedge, and just the sight of him set off bad vibes inside me; if it wasn’t his appearance, it was his demeanor in general. He sounded like he was always impatient and grumpy. It was his fifth time coming into the store; mainly to use our MoneyGram services. Despite his appearance, I continued professionally with my work.
“Welcome to Advance America,” I said. “How may I help you today?”
“Hey,” he said. “I need to send a MoneyGram.”
“Sure thing,” I replied. “Where to?”
“I need to send $1000 to Nigeria.”
“Very well,” I said calmly, though chilled in the back of my mind when he said Nigeria; it’d be his fifth transaction in the past 9 days to that place; although he provided a legitimate story about a relative being stuck over there, I couldn’t help but feel nervous about the whole thing. “Unfortunately the fee will have to be taken out of the $1000 you’re sending since the legal limit for sending money to Nigeria and Ghana including the fee is $1000.”
“Alright, alright, fine; do that,” he said gruffly. “I suppose you need my driver’s license?”
“Yes; it’s always a requirement, Roland,” I said calmly as I started putting information into the computer. “Same person?”
“Yes,” he replied.
“Alright then,” I continued. “The amount your friend will receive is $984 after the $16 fee is taken out.”
“What!?” He shouted. “Why is it that much?!”
“Sir, it’s always been that,” I calmly replied. “There’s nothing I can do; only MoneyGram controls that.”
“I oughta complain about this,” he mumbled, paying the $1000 nonetheless.
“Alright you’re all set,” I said after having him sign the papers. “Thank you and have a good day.”
“I’ll try,” Ron said as he went out the door.
Just after he left, my boss came back.
“Is everything ok; I thought I heard shouting,” she said.
“Yeah its ok, Jessica” I said, breaking my thought for a moment. “You-know-who came back, and this time it was $1000 to Nigeria, fee taken out.”
“Again,” she said surprised. “Now I’m really starting to get suspicious.”
“And he was pretty pissed about the fee,” I mentioned. “Then again, he was always pissy about it even after all the times I’ve told him. I have a feeling he might be funding something bad in that country.”
“Alright then, you know what to do,” she directed me.
I had that nervous chill go down my back again; this wasn’t the first time I had to complete a Suspicious Activity Report, or SAR for short, but still, it wasn’t an enjoyable thing to do. There was no doubt in my mind that Roland was doing some kind of financing for something bad in spite of his seemingly innocuous story, but what? Terrorism activities, drugs, human trafficking, lord only knows when it comes to that country since it’s been a hotspot for financial scams, and now as of late, political instability. I finished up the SAR as best as I could and gave it to Jessica before clocking out as we were closing up shop. I tried turning my thoughts to Japan and the fun I’d have over there.
“Well I hope you have fun in Japan,” she said to me.
“Thanks a lot, Jessica,” I said.
“And hey, don’t let what happened nerve you; you did good and did what was right,” she smiled.
“That makes me feel better; I’m sure Japan will make me forget about this,” I tried reassuring myself. “Not completely though; I’ll need to remember this if MoneyGram comes back with a response.”
“Right,” she said giggling. “See you later this month; have fun!”
I went home; my mind going back and forth between Japan and what just happened back there with the SAR. I couldn’t help but shake the feeling that Roland might retaliate for being put on MoneyGram’s Block List if my SAR report checks out something; he definitely looked like the type that could rip someone a new one if they crossed him.
When I got home I told my family about what happened, not divulging customer information of course, and they said the same thing about the situation like Jessica did.
“It’ll be ok, by the time you get back from your vacation, the situation with him will have been taken care of,” mom said to me.
“I hope so,” I said with some worry. “I just hope nothing bad happens while I’m gone.”
“Don’t worry about it so much, Kris,” she reassured me.
“Right,” I said with less worry. “Well I better make sure I have everything I need put in the van; my flight out of Duluth is in 4 hours.”
“Alrighty, hon,” she said. “We’ll get the van ready.”
My family helped me pack up the van with my stuff. There was still a bit of time left, so I took advantage of it to log into Skype and say my goodbyes to Mike before I would see him again in Japan.
“Hey, Mike,” I said to him when he picked up.
“Hi, Kris,” he replied. “Almost ready to go?”
“Yeah; just thought I’d say goodbye to you before I talk to you again in Japan,” I said, having a somber look cross my face after. “This will mean that over the next week, we’ll be half a day apart.”
“I hate it when we’re apart like this; it’s bad enough that Daylight Savings puts us apart each Winter,” he complained.
“I know, hon; I don’t like it as much as you do,” I said in agreement, then put on a smile. “But don’t worry; this week will pass by before you know it, and I’ll have some things to share with you when I get back, okay?”
“Okay,” he said, managing to crack a smile.
“Take care, sweetie,” I said. “Love you.”
“Love you, too, my sweet sumo,” he said.
Soon I was off with my family to Duluth, a good two hours’ drive from home, where we stopped at the Old Country Buffet to eat. For it being a Saturday in Duluth, it was relatively quiet. It was probably because it wasn’t the post-work rush yet, so we were lucky when we got out and to the airport. I had to book a dual flight to get to Japan; I had to go to Los Angeles International before getting on a plane there to Tokyo.
“Well, this is my stop,” I said to my family.
“We’re gonna miss you,” my sister said.
“Don’t worry; I’ll keep in touch with you, granted it might be bedtime here by the time I get in contact.”
“Have fun, baby,” my mom said, hugging me.
“I will,” I said, hugging back as I left for my plane with my luggage.
The plane was nice for my first time ever being on one. At the same time, I couldn’t help but feel very nervous about it. Stories about plane accidents and incidents in terrorist attacks had me scared somewhat in the back of my mind. I sat back in my chair and just listened to music and took a nap as the plane took off for Los Angeles.
It was smooth when we were up in the air; I could see clouds going past on occasion but it was clear as the plane flew. Looking down kind of nerved me a bit, even more so when there was light turbulence here and there. I braced myself in the chair, afraid of what might happen.
“First flight, dear,” said an elderly woman who was sitting next to me.
“Very first,” I said.
“There’s nothing to worry about; I’ve flown a lot in my life, and this all comes naturally to you,” she replied with a reassuring tone.
“Eventually,” I said with a nervous laugh.
“My name is Florence,” she gives her hand. “What’s your name?”
“Kris,” I said, shaking her hand.
“What brings you on this flight,” she asked.
“I’m on my way to Japan,” I replied. “But I have to take a connecting flight out of LAX when we land.”
“Oh, sounds like fun,” she says. “You know, I was in Japan once before in my youth.”
“Really,” I asked. “What was it like?”
“Not the best,” she said, earning a concerned look from me. “I’m a veteran of World War II.”
“Oh,” I gasped, and then tried to fumble for words. “I’m sorry if I brought up bad memories.”
“It’s ok, dear; what’s done is done,” she reassured me. “Nothing can change what happened in the past.”
I could only nod; it was one of the most awkward conversations I’ve ever had with a stranger. I was worried what her opinions and ideals were, and had to think of a way to avoid talking with her, not to be rude, but that I wasn’t very conversational despite the years of experience I had under my belt as a CSR for Advance America.
“I’m gonna nap for a while,” I yawned. “Can you wake me when we get close to LAX?”
“Will do, Kris,” she smiled, and I napped the best I could.
In that short time, I had a dream; a strange one at that. The details were foggy, and the weirdness of it made me forget about it. By the time I woke up, I could hear the plane’s flight attendant say over the speaker that we were beginning our descent into LAX. I got myself ready to leave the plane.
“Sleep well,” Florence asked.
“Yeah,” I said, still partially asleep. “I guess I’ve adjusted to the plane.”
“The flight was short,” she replied. “Otherwise they’d adjust the cabin pressure to help people sleep.”
“I see,” I said. “Well it was nice meeting you, Florence.”
“Likewise; have fun in Japan,” she smiled as the plane came to a stop and we departed.
LAX was bigger than I imagined; gathering my baggage was almost a hassle but I got it all just fine, hurrying to the connecting flight that was bound for Tokyo. I made it just in time with my stuff, for I was one of the last to board the plane. I breathed a sigh of relief as I found a seat and relaxed as the plane eventually took off for Japan. My thoughts turned to the strange dream I had en route to LAX from Duluth. I couldn’t remember all the details, but what I remembered was a cat-like figure that I found in my tool shed back at home. After shifting stuff aside I found it sleeping in one of the chairs. The cat had white fur, and bluish stripes, and an odd hairstyle on its head, and a red collar on its tail with a bell on it. For some reason this filled my heart with great warmth. Perhaps my longing to be with Mike was getting to me in my dreams, and my dreams tried to fill in the lonely void. It was good to feel it, but that feeling would be gone the moment I woke from my dream. I tried to hide the tears that I would shed from realizing that the warmth in my heart was nothing more than a dream. Luckily in the times that I did wake from my nap, no one bothered to say anything, or they too were sleeping. I went to the bathroom to regain my composure and clean my face.
“Oh Mikey,” I mumbled. “I really wish I could’ve brought you with me on this trip.”
It hit me that I was alone, by myself on this trip. I wept quietly in the bathroom for some time before cleaning myself up again and returning to my seat. The feeling of loneliness came back to me; being so far away from home, and being alone at that. I couldn’t sleep the rest of the trip. Not that it made any difference because I learned we were just an hour away from Tokyo. I regained my composure enough that no one would even notice that I was having a silent breakdown.
After landing in Tokyo, I was lucky enough to encounter an airport employee that understood English, even though at that time I could understand Japanese enough to where I could comfortably make my way around without help. After getting my luggage, the first place I went was a currency exchange so I could convert my hard-earned cash into yen, and then I took a cab to my hotel.
It was a grand hotel; I couldn’t believe how large the room was when I slid the shōji of the entryway aside. It had a nice view of Tokyo and the bathroom itself was connected to a spa looking like a natural hot spring. The lights of the traffic and the buildings gave off a miniature light show as I looked down from the window, only to pull back somewhat, skittish of the height. I decided to stay in my room for the remainder of the night so I could relax and adjust to my new “home”. I gave my family a call to let them know I arrived safely in Japan; I did the same for Mike via Skype, even though he was offline at the time. I looked around the room and closed the window shades. For the first time since my trip started, being alone was okay as I ditched my clothing and slept on the bed. It felt uncomfortable at first, but I was able to fall asleep. I had a vacation ahead of me, and I was going to take advantage of every moment starting tomorrow morning.
This chapter is intentionally left up for General Audience Viewing to act as a preview. From Chapter 2 onwards will be Mature or higher as there will be sexual humor/sex scenes involved.
As I mentioned in my journal, I'll do my best to make the story viewable on FA. The properly formatted document will be available for download, and will have reasonable footnote placement wherever necessary (because it looks like crap in notepad -_-*).
===Disclaimer===
This story incorporates elements from my own life. Some of those elements are intentionally fictionalized (or left vague) for privacy/protection purposes.
All characters, elements, plots, etc. are © their respective owners.
I think that's everything, so enjoy the story!
Chapter 1: A Long Awaited TripNot once have I ever thought I’d be going through with this, but it was happening. After a couple more years of working for Advance America, I finally had enough money on hand to go on trip to Japan. I was thrilled by the thought of it after I handed my two week notice about the trip to my boss. When I arrived at home, I hopped on the computer to tell my boyfriend about it.
“Hey, Mikey,” I said over Skype to him. “I’m gonna’ do it! I’m gonna’ go to Japan for my vacation!”
“Wow, that’s nice, Kris,” he said. “I’m happy for you.”
“Aw, thanks, hon,” I replied, blushing. “I really needed this vacation after all the hard-working overtime I’ve put into the job.”
“You still haven’t applied for the management position,” he asked.
“Honestly, I still feel that I’m not ready for it just yet,” I replied in modesty. “Being a manager is a big job…I mean, I have been doing pseudo-managerial duties here and there, but other than that, I don’t think I have enough confidence to go for the full-blown position.”
“You’ll get there someday, Kris,” he said with a smile.
“I appreciate that, Mike; thanks,” I said. “Now I just need to get some things settled…a place to stay, eat, where to explore.”
“Is the sumo arena on your list, chubby chaser,” Mike asked teasingly.
“You know me all too well,” I blushed.
It was no secret that I had a fetish for fat, at least between us, but I couldn’t take part in it, much to my dismay. My family has a history of diabetes, both on my mother’s side and my father’s. Because of that, my risk of getting health issues from obesity was high, yet a part of me couldn’t help but want to go with it anyways, like the diabetes problem would skip a generation or something like that.
“Get big for me, will you,” Mike teased again.
“Only if you do, skinny stick” I jabbed back.
Japan was always one of the places I wanted to go to; I enjoyed studying its culture when I was writing my own stories and coming up with different people and names. I did projects and papers related to Japan during my college years, enjoying every bit of effort I put into it. I felt like I was going back and doing homework again as I was figuring out which sites to visit and where to eat, only this time it wasn’t for grades, it was for personal fun. The adrenaline was going in me; it was a great feeling knowing that I was finally going somewhere fun for once.
“I wonder,” I spoke out loud, getting Mike’s attention. “Maybe I should bring my Yu-Gi-Oh Cards with me. Probably might find a place where I can duel some people.”
“Really,” Mike asked; I nodded.
“I told you before that it was something I’d like to do some time,” I continued. “My skills may be a bit rusty, but I got a good handle on the game to where I can actually duel.”
“Good luck with that,” he replied. “Don’t come back crying if you lose a card.”
“I’m not gonna go that far, Mike!” I snapped a bit, though what he said was true, since I valued a lot of my cards.
“I’m just saying hon,” he said. “Good luck anyways.”
“Thanks,” I said, pausing briefly. “Well I better start thinking my trip over, so I better wrap this up. Night hon…it was nice to see your face again.”
“Same thing, Kris; love you,” he replied, giving me a kiss.
I stopped all Skype communications after we ended our conversation so I could focus on planning my trip to Japan. My mom gladly pitched in, providing input to help me figure out some deals on flights and hotels over there. One can always count on her to give her children a helping hand. After a quick review of my plans, I was all set; the only thing that I could do was continue working at my job like normal until the time to leave came.
The days passing by up until my last Saturday before vacation were uneventful; it was the same routine as always, except that yesterday was the busiest day out of the week for August: Friday the 3rd. Saturday was a good cooldown with no one due, so it gave me and my boss some time to clean up the store and do some follow-up paperwork for the new month. Everything was good until my boss needed to go into the back to use the bathroom, leaving me to man the front desk for a bit. A customer came in, looking a bit unruly but recognizable. A nervous chill went down my spine when I saw him. ‘Oh no, not this guy again,’ I thought. His name was Roland Wedge, and just the sight of him set off bad vibes inside me; if it wasn’t his appearance, it was his demeanor in general. He sounded like he was always impatient and grumpy. It was his fifth time coming into the store; mainly to use our MoneyGram services. Despite his appearance, I continued professionally with my work.
“Welcome to Advance America,” I said. “How may I help you today?”
“Hey,” he said. “I need to send a MoneyGram.”
“Sure thing,” I replied. “Where to?”
“I need to send $1000 to Nigeria.”
“Very well,” I said calmly, though chilled in the back of my mind when he said Nigeria; it’d be his fifth transaction in the past 9 days to that place; although he provided a legitimate story about a relative being stuck over there, I couldn’t help but feel nervous about the whole thing. “Unfortunately the fee will have to be taken out of the $1000 you’re sending since the legal limit for sending money to Nigeria and Ghana including the fee is $1000.”
“Alright, alright, fine; do that,” he said gruffly. “I suppose you need my driver’s license?”
“Yes; it’s always a requirement, Roland,” I said calmly as I started putting information into the computer. “Same person?”
“Yes,” he replied.
“Alright then,” I continued. “The amount your friend will receive is $984 after the $16 fee is taken out.”
“What!?” He shouted. “Why is it that much?!”
“Sir, it’s always been that,” I calmly replied. “There’s nothing I can do; only MoneyGram controls that.”
“I oughta complain about this,” he mumbled, paying the $1000 nonetheless.
“Alright you’re all set,” I said after having him sign the papers. “Thank you and have a good day.”
“I’ll try,” Ron said as he went out the door.
Just after he left, my boss came back.
“Is everything ok; I thought I heard shouting,” she said.
“Yeah its ok, Jessica” I said, breaking my thought for a moment. “You-know-who came back, and this time it was $1000 to Nigeria, fee taken out.”
“Again,” she said surprised. “Now I’m really starting to get suspicious.”
“And he was pretty pissed about the fee,” I mentioned. “Then again, he was always pissy about it even after all the times I’ve told him. I have a feeling he might be funding something bad in that country.”
“Alright then, you know what to do,” she directed me.
I had that nervous chill go down my back again; this wasn’t the first time I had to complete a Suspicious Activity Report, or SAR for short, but still, it wasn’t an enjoyable thing to do. There was no doubt in my mind that Roland was doing some kind of financing for something bad in spite of his seemingly innocuous story, but what? Terrorism activities, drugs, human trafficking, lord only knows when it comes to that country since it’s been a hotspot for financial scams, and now as of late, political instability. I finished up the SAR as best as I could and gave it to Jessica before clocking out as we were closing up shop. I tried turning my thoughts to Japan and the fun I’d have over there.
“Well I hope you have fun in Japan,” she said to me.
“Thanks a lot, Jessica,” I said.
“And hey, don’t let what happened nerve you; you did good and did what was right,” she smiled.
“That makes me feel better; I’m sure Japan will make me forget about this,” I tried reassuring myself. “Not completely though; I’ll need to remember this if MoneyGram comes back with a response.”
“Right,” she said giggling. “See you later this month; have fun!”
I went home; my mind going back and forth between Japan and what just happened back there with the SAR. I couldn’t help but shake the feeling that Roland might retaliate for being put on MoneyGram’s Block List if my SAR report checks out something; he definitely looked like the type that could rip someone a new one if they crossed him.
When I got home I told my family about what happened, not divulging customer information of course, and they said the same thing about the situation like Jessica did.
“It’ll be ok, by the time you get back from your vacation, the situation with him will have been taken care of,” mom said to me.
“I hope so,” I said with some worry. “I just hope nothing bad happens while I’m gone.”
“Don’t worry about it so much, Kris,” she reassured me.
“Right,” I said with less worry. “Well I better make sure I have everything I need put in the van; my flight out of Duluth is in 4 hours.”
“Alrighty, hon,” she said. “We’ll get the van ready.”
My family helped me pack up the van with my stuff. There was still a bit of time left, so I took advantage of it to log into Skype and say my goodbyes to Mike before I would see him again in Japan.
“Hey, Mike,” I said to him when he picked up.
“Hi, Kris,” he replied. “Almost ready to go?”
“Yeah; just thought I’d say goodbye to you before I talk to you again in Japan,” I said, having a somber look cross my face after. “This will mean that over the next week, we’ll be half a day apart.”
“I hate it when we’re apart like this; it’s bad enough that Daylight Savings puts us apart each Winter,” he complained.
“I know, hon; I don’t like it as much as you do,” I said in agreement, then put on a smile. “But don’t worry; this week will pass by before you know it, and I’ll have some things to share with you when I get back, okay?”
“Okay,” he said, managing to crack a smile.
“Take care, sweetie,” I said. “Love you.”
“Love you, too, my sweet sumo,” he said.
Soon I was off with my family to Duluth, a good two hours’ drive from home, where we stopped at the Old Country Buffet to eat. For it being a Saturday in Duluth, it was relatively quiet. It was probably because it wasn’t the post-work rush yet, so we were lucky when we got out and to the airport. I had to book a dual flight to get to Japan; I had to go to Los Angeles International before getting on a plane there to Tokyo.
“Well, this is my stop,” I said to my family.
“We’re gonna miss you,” my sister said.
“Don’t worry; I’ll keep in touch with you, granted it might be bedtime here by the time I get in contact.”
“Have fun, baby,” my mom said, hugging me.
“I will,” I said, hugging back as I left for my plane with my luggage.
The plane was nice for my first time ever being on one. At the same time, I couldn’t help but feel very nervous about it. Stories about plane accidents and incidents in terrorist attacks had me scared somewhat in the back of my mind. I sat back in my chair and just listened to music and took a nap as the plane took off for Los Angeles.
It was smooth when we were up in the air; I could see clouds going past on occasion but it was clear as the plane flew. Looking down kind of nerved me a bit, even more so when there was light turbulence here and there. I braced myself in the chair, afraid of what might happen.
“First flight, dear,” said an elderly woman who was sitting next to me.
“Very first,” I said.
“There’s nothing to worry about; I’ve flown a lot in my life, and this all comes naturally to you,” she replied with a reassuring tone.
“Eventually,” I said with a nervous laugh.
“My name is Florence,” she gives her hand. “What’s your name?”
“Kris,” I said, shaking her hand.
“What brings you on this flight,” she asked.
“I’m on my way to Japan,” I replied. “But I have to take a connecting flight out of LAX when we land.”
“Oh, sounds like fun,” she says. “You know, I was in Japan once before in my youth.”
“Really,” I asked. “What was it like?”
“Not the best,” she said, earning a concerned look from me. “I’m a veteran of World War II.”
“Oh,” I gasped, and then tried to fumble for words. “I’m sorry if I brought up bad memories.”
“It’s ok, dear; what’s done is done,” she reassured me. “Nothing can change what happened in the past.”
I could only nod; it was one of the most awkward conversations I’ve ever had with a stranger. I was worried what her opinions and ideals were, and had to think of a way to avoid talking with her, not to be rude, but that I wasn’t very conversational despite the years of experience I had under my belt as a CSR for Advance America.
“I’m gonna nap for a while,” I yawned. “Can you wake me when we get close to LAX?”
“Will do, Kris,” she smiled, and I napped the best I could.
In that short time, I had a dream; a strange one at that. The details were foggy, and the weirdness of it made me forget about it. By the time I woke up, I could hear the plane’s flight attendant say over the speaker that we were beginning our descent into LAX. I got myself ready to leave the plane.
“Sleep well,” Florence asked.
“Yeah,” I said, still partially asleep. “I guess I’ve adjusted to the plane.”
“The flight was short,” she replied. “Otherwise they’d adjust the cabin pressure to help people sleep.”
“I see,” I said. “Well it was nice meeting you, Florence.”
“Likewise; have fun in Japan,” she smiled as the plane came to a stop and we departed.
LAX was bigger than I imagined; gathering my baggage was almost a hassle but I got it all just fine, hurrying to the connecting flight that was bound for Tokyo. I made it just in time with my stuff, for I was one of the last to board the plane. I breathed a sigh of relief as I found a seat and relaxed as the plane eventually took off for Japan. My thoughts turned to the strange dream I had en route to LAX from Duluth. I couldn’t remember all the details, but what I remembered was a cat-like figure that I found in my tool shed back at home. After shifting stuff aside I found it sleeping in one of the chairs. The cat had white fur, and bluish stripes, and an odd hairstyle on its head, and a red collar on its tail with a bell on it. For some reason this filled my heart with great warmth. Perhaps my longing to be with Mike was getting to me in my dreams, and my dreams tried to fill in the lonely void. It was good to feel it, but that feeling would be gone the moment I woke from my dream. I tried to hide the tears that I would shed from realizing that the warmth in my heart was nothing more than a dream. Luckily in the times that I did wake from my nap, no one bothered to say anything, or they too were sleeping. I went to the bathroom to regain my composure and clean my face.
“Oh Mikey,” I mumbled. “I really wish I could’ve brought you with me on this trip.”
It hit me that I was alone, by myself on this trip. I wept quietly in the bathroom for some time before cleaning myself up again and returning to my seat. The feeling of loneliness came back to me; being so far away from home, and being alone at that. I couldn’t sleep the rest of the trip. Not that it made any difference because I learned we were just an hour away from Tokyo. I regained my composure enough that no one would even notice that I was having a silent breakdown.
After landing in Tokyo, I was lucky enough to encounter an airport employee that understood English, even though at that time I could understand Japanese enough to where I could comfortably make my way around without help. After getting my luggage, the first place I went was a currency exchange so I could convert my hard-earned cash into yen, and then I took a cab to my hotel.
It was a grand hotel; I couldn’t believe how large the room was when I slid the shōji of the entryway aside. It had a nice view of Tokyo and the bathroom itself was connected to a spa looking like a natural hot spring. The lights of the traffic and the buildings gave off a miniature light show as I looked down from the window, only to pull back somewhat, skittish of the height. I decided to stay in my room for the remainder of the night so I could relax and adjust to my new “home”. I gave my family a call to let them know I arrived safely in Japan; I did the same for Mike via Skype, even though he was offline at the time. I looked around the room and closed the window shades. For the first time since my trip started, being alone was okay as I ditched my clothing and slept on the bed. It felt uncomfortable at first, but I was able to fall asleep. I had a vacation ahead of me, and I was going to take advantage of every moment starting tomorrow morning.
Category Story / Fantasy
Species Unspecified / Any
Size 50 x 50px
File Size 24 kB
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