A Promised Journey

~Metanoia~

Shifting nervously in the seat, Jack finds himself fidgeting with his sweaty palms. Listening to baby crying, people speaking while sensing people walking around him, he could not calm down even if he wants to. He take a deep breath so to compose himself, but before he could finally cool down, his thoughts was interrupted by someone.

"Sir, please fastened your seat belt, we are taking off soon." A slim and slender air stewardess stand beside him while speaking in English. Even though his English was limited, he could somehow understand what the air stewardess was telling him.

"Sorry, Sorry." He quickly fasten his seat belt on and straighten up his posture, tensing up so much that the air stewardess could sense that this is his first time on airplanes. The air stewardess smile and walk away, checking on other passengers. He grabbed the armrest tightly when he felt the plane started moving.

A Chinese lady who is around the age of 70 sat beside him holding the hand of a child who is not older than 15 years old. She is trying to calm the little boy down by giving him sweets to chew on as the plane takes off.

She glance at Jack then politely said, "Please, have a sweet, this will calm you down."

He tried to reject her offer but she insist that he takes it. "Take it lah, I buy for my grandchild but I don't want give him too many sweet, not good for health."

He took the sweet from her hand and quickly pop it into his mouth after mumbling thank you in mandarin to her. She nodded her head and turn back to her grandson who was fascinated by the wings of the airplane. He is getting more and more nervous as the speed of the plane gets faster and faster. He close his eyes and started fiddling with necklace on his neck, thinking back to the first time he met his wife~

***

In 1979, an 18 years old Jack was standing at the front of his father's new shop that was now relocated under his new home, looking at his surrounding that was all new to him. His parents were inside the shop, unpacking and arranging the food and drinks onto the shelves and refrigerators. He bent down and picked up the last box that contain tidbits that were going to be sold and brought it inside the shop. Today was the first day where he moved to the HDB and that his parent's shop was located at the ground level of the building.

Looking at people who were trying to get used to the new living style of HDBs, he frowned, thinking that he preferred living in the kampong where everyone were closer and friendlier to one another. It was getting dark after they finish arranging all the tidbits in the mini-market, his parents went back home to take a shower and prepare dinner so he was left alone to tend the shop. As he was reading a Chinese martial art comic book, a little boy went up to the shop and look intensely at a packet of sweets that cost 20 cents. He glanced at the little boy and smile at him.

"Ah boy, what you want buy?" He put down his comic book and wait patiently for the little boy to reply.

"I want this, but no money." Jack looked at the little boy for a while then take down the packet of sweets, place it in his hand and whispered to him.

"Shhhh, don't tell anyone ah, go play with your friend." The little boy nodded his head and ran off to a small playground to find his friends. However, Jack did not know that there was someone who saw his good deed. He sat down on the chair, wanting to continue reading his book but a shadow towered over him, blocking his only source of light.

He lifted up his head and surprisingly finds a young girl around his age standing and smiling in front of him. She was dressed in a polka dot dress, holding on to a white small handbag with a small amount of make up on her face. She looks like a rich girl as girls during that days do not wear makeup, unless they are the children of a rich merchant.

"Can I help you?" He speak politely to her in Hokkien, trying to act like a gentleman in front of a lady. The lady showed a puzzled face before replying him in Chinese.

"Sorry, can you repeat in Chinese?" He repeated his question again but this time in Chinese.

"I saw what you did for that little boy, I think that's a good thing." She said while looking embarrassed. Jack blinked for a few times, trying to process what she said before scratching his head showing that he was embarrassed too.

"Ahaha, that's nothing lah, em, do you want anything?" He asked with a small hint of blush on his cheek. She asked for a bottle of coca cola which he quickly went into the shop to grab it for her.

"So, you move in here today?"

"I moved in the bungalow nearby a few weeks ago, I was just walking around, looking at the new environment." She said while drinking her coca cola that she had paid for.

"Ohh... Ah! I'm Jack, I stay here, t-this building." He cursed inward on his shuttering.

"I'm Adeline, so why are you alone?" They started conversing and knowing each other as whenever Adeline had time, she would always walk to the mini-market to chat with Jack after her school. Jack enjoyed her company as much as she does and soon, they started dating and at the age of 22, he wedded the 19 years old Adeline.

***

Jack was startled awake by the sound of the pilot's voice through the announcer, announcing their current distance and time to Japan. He unbuckled his seat belt and walk shakily towards the restroom that was at the back of the airplane. After he finally settle down on the airplane, he asked for a cup of coffee from the air stewardess and started looking at his schedule that was in his notebook.

'Reach Japan at 5 pm ; look for the taxi driver; check in hotel with your passport; than dinner.' This time schedule was written by his nephew who also help him in booking his air tickets, hotel room and coach to Mount Fuji and famous Shrines. '6 more hours to finally reach the ground.' He thought to himself while closing his notebook and slide it back into his black sling bag.

Jack ate lunch which was served by the air stewardess while drinking his cup of coffee. He look at his surrounding and found out that most people was either sleeping or using their laptops. After he finished his lunch which was taken away by the air stewardess, he started trying to figure out how to use the screen in front of his seat. After selecting a Jackie Chan fighting movie, he laid back and relax while watching the movie.

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HDBs = Housing and Development Board, the buildings in Singapore.

Lah/ hmm/ erm/ eh = fillers/ Singlish that Singaporeans use!

Kampong: Village that people lived in before 1970s.

Hokkien = a dialect that Asians used especially in Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan and China.

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Hello to all the readers! This was actually a  one shot story but I break it up to a few chapters! Please read the story and tell me how your guys felt! Thanks!