jnalee

[jnalee]

Trip to Japan - POV: Elizabeth

One of the reasons why I’ll never have kids is because of my job. As a security guard, the amount of those little monsters I interact with each day is unbearable! Sometimes there are those that can’t sit still and I see their parents running after them around the airport. There are also those special ones that go all out to harass you. I’ve encountered kids that throw their hard plastic toys at me, ones that scream so loud, my eardrums almost burst, and one even threw up on me! However, it’s also somewhat rewarding. I remember one child that I met eight years ago. While on a walk around the airport, I found her crying on the floor, so I checked up on her. I couldn’t understand her words through her cries until the fifth time she repeated herself. She said something like, “I’m lost, can you help me find my dad,” and I nodded. I didn’t suddenly love kids, but it’s my duty to keep the people in the area safe. I reached out my hand, smiling at her, and she took it. I didn’t know how to find her father, so I asked her. She had no idea either, so I took the lead and we began walking around the airport. At some point, the thought of making an announcement crossed my mind, so I asked her if she wanted me to make one. With hesitation, she nodded her head. The announcement did absolutely nothing. We came back to the announcement booth after thirty minutes and found that no one came. I looked at her and saw that she was on the verge of tears. I bent down and asked if she wanted ice cream, but she shook her head and told me that all she wanted was her dad. That broke me.

After I left for college, I rarely visited my parents because of the distance and our finances. I spent many nights crying, wishing that I could crawl into my parents’ arms and everything would get better, but that wasn’t possible. I took her hand and led her to sit in the cafeteria. I bought a small basket of fries and we sat in comfortable silence. Even without words, I could understand the emotions she was feeling and knew that all she needed was someone to be there with her, so I took on that role. A voice called out and I turned toward its direction, seeing a man frantically running toward us, with a young boy close behind. He was calling out the name ‘Mia’ and the little girl looked up, whipping her head toward his direction. Her face lit up and she got out of her seat, running toward him. I watched as they embraced and my heart tightened.

My parents passed away the year before this encounter and their embrace reminded me of them. I met eyes with the man and he gave me a smile, mouthing ‘thank you.’ I smiled and turned around, heading back to work. I hope that little girl has grown up to be someone who keeps those she loves close by.

[jnalee]

Trip to Japan - POV: Peter

Never could I forgive myself for the day I lost my precious Mia. I remember sitting by Amelia’s hospital bed as she held our newborn daughter in her arms. She made me promise to take the best care of Mia and I told her I would give her the best childhood any child could ever dream of, but I broke that promise the day of our trip to Japan. The scenes leading up to that moment are hazy. I was holding Mia’s hand, with my son behind, then let go to reach into my bag for the boarding passes. I hadn’t gotten much sleep the last few nights because I took up extra shifts to make up for this trip, so I didn’t notice that Mia left. I thought we were all seated and sighed with relief as I sunk into my chair. I closed my eyes and dozed off. Next thing I know, my son’s slapping my shoulder, waking me up. He looked worried and told me that Mia wasn’t in her seat. I saw the empty seat next to me, anxiety kicking in.

My first thought was that she went to the aircraft’s washroom, so I got up and sped toward the nearest flight attendant. I found a man in uniform and asked if he could make an announcement for Mia, and he thankfully agreed. I went back to my seat and waited a few minutes before I realized she wasn’t on the aircraft. I got up again and told my son to follow. We headed toward the aircraft door and explained the situation to the lady at the entrance. Fortunately, the aircraft hadn’t lifted off yet, so she told me someone would look for Mia. Still worried, I pleaded her to let me and my son look for her as well. It was a back-and-forth battle, where she argued that more passengers missing would cause a delay. At some point, I gave up and told her that I would simply catch the next flight. I looked at my son and he nodded. We ran out the door, through the bridge, out the bridge, and frantically began searching for Mia. We checked every inch of the airport. The stores, bathrooms (with the help of kind ladies), and reached the cafeteria after an hour of searching. I scanned the area and landed eyes on her. I called her name and her head rose, looking at me. Her face lit up and she ran toward me. I crouched and opened my arms, where we met. My shirt dampened as she cried. I met eyes with the lady that Mia was with and all I could think of was to mouth a simple ‘thank you,’ to which she responded with a smile. I let go of Mia and took her hand. As we walked away, she told me all about the angel she had met that kept her safe. I’ve tried to find this angel to show my sincerity, but without any success. Wherever she is out there, I owe her my life for keeping my little girl safe.

[jnalee]

Trip to Japan - POV: Mia

I still remember it, the day I was left behind. My seven-year-old body, trembling as I searched for a familiar face to no avail. I looked forward to this trip ever since my dad announced to me and my brother that we’d be going to visit my grandmother in Japan. I hadn’t seen her in two years and we were extremely close as a child. Even if we couldn’t physically see each other, we’d frequently video call. I remember holding onto my dad’s hand as we were about to head into the plane when the fluffiest puppy ran by me. I turned, watching it run. My dad let go of my hand as the puppy came to a halt and turned, looking around. It turned its head and landed its eyes on me like it was drawing me in.

As a naïve child, I began walking towards it and chased it around the seats in the area. I took a good look around and realized I was lost. My bottom lip trembled and tears welled up in my eyes. I cautiously walked around the airport, searching for the place I last saw my dad, but I couldn’t remember where it was. The tears that had built up in my eyes began overflowing and I walked toward the wall before my legs gave out. I brought my knees up to my face and buried my head.

It had only been a few minutes before I heard a voice calling out to me, asking if I was alright. I lifted my head up and it was as if there was the face of a real angel. Her head was glowing. She reached her hand toward me and smiled. Taking her hand, I got up on my feet and she led me around the airport in search of my dad. But even together, we were unsuccessful. I felt hopeless and a lump formed in my throat. It seemed like she noticed because she asked me if I wanted to get some ice cream, but all I wanted was to find my dad. She took me to a table and bought us some food to share as we took a break from walking. I laid my head down, tired and dejected, and occasionally reached my hand out to munch on some of the food. Suddenly, I heard a familiar voice calling out my name. It was my dad! When I saw him, I hopped off my chain, started running towards him, and jumped into his arms with tears streaming down my face. I cried into his shoulder for a good while, then turned around to face my angel, but she wasn’t there anymore. I never said goodbye and I never got to show my gratitude because that was the last time I saw her. I hope that one day, we’ll be able to meet again and I can finally give her a long overdue thank you.