Jodoh in Malay and Indonesian cultures refers to a divine, predestined pairing, whether for a romantic relationship, a marriage, or even a significant encounter. It's a pervasive cultural idea, linked to destiny, that brings two individuals together at a precise moment, making them a "pair" in a profound sense.
Six years.
That's how long she waited for this moment to finally come as she made her way to the immigration of Chek Lap Kok International Airport. People were bustling even though its ten in the evening. As one of the major layover airports for flights between Asia, Europe and North America, Chek Lap Kok is bursting at the seams. It's four hours before her flight but the thought of going through the line of the Immigration leaves her nervous sometimes. She's born in Thailand. One of her parents is a Hong Kong citizen but unfortunately, the People's Republic of China does not recognize dual nationality even though she has one. It didn't matter much to her regardless.
"Rawee Chokprasetsap?" the lady on the counter verify and she almost had a whiplash. It's been years since she heard it. The name sounds foreign to her now and there's a huge urge for her to correct the lady. She's Rawee Wang for years, her family, mainly her aunt who practically adopted her calls her Tawan and so was her friends she left behind but her she is, back to what was supposed to be.
"Yes ma'am." She politely said as she watched the lady returned her passport to her and she walks quietly to the boarding area, her luggage in tow. As soon as she made herself comfortable, she slowly unwrapped the sandwich her aunt manage to sneak in her bag pack, she clearly said earlier to her Aunt not to bother to see her go and just sleep early but as usual, her Aunt smack her head lovingly and proceed to scold her for hours until her ears almost bleed but in her own fashion, she headed to the airport not without her Aunt kissing her cheeks even though she's already a working adult.
The years passed so slow for Tawan. After completing her Highschool diploma, her Aunt who was by then already working two jobs at the same time to support her wanted to send her to college but HongKong is an expensive city with cost of living costing between a thousand to two per month and she knows, they cannot afford it. She's already grateful to her Aunt for rescuing her out of Thailand so how could she be so heartless? Thus, after school, she enrolled herself to a specialized course of both Executive Protection and Close protection training that covers security, tactics and emergency response. She thought, she already had a solid foundation of physical fitness by doing Kendo for years so completing a certified body guard training program for her is no problem. It took some time for her to be a fully verified Close Protection Officer but as soon as a respected Security Intelligence company trusted her scrawny ass, she became a formidable asset. Her skill to detect potential security issues, securing public locations, analyze vulnerabilities and identify suspicious behavior drastically improved as she spent time escorting clients in public settings and helping VIP flee dangerous situations as she react to threats as they occur. It was a rewarding job, something that she's proud of yet. It's a thing she built without a help from her immediate family, a career she was recognized yet she knows there's still something missing.
