Because It's You.

Secret plans (Mingkwan)

I have a secret that I've been keeping from my wife. One that I've been holding onto for months now. It's been hard because I never lie to Yo but right now I am.

I drop him off at work and head to the airport. I have to hurry if I want to make my flight. I'm nervous because everything has to work out perfectly. I can't afford any delays or I'll get caught.

Butterflies are zooming through my stomach as the plane takes off and heads for Manila. I have a little over three and half hours in the air. The woman I'm meeting is already there. She assures me that everything will go smoothly and that there's no way of being discovered.

Still, I'm taking a big risk.

After the hassle of entering another country, I practically run out of the airport and find a cab. I offer to pay a little extra if he can get me there faster. I'm later than I want to be. This cab driver is no joke and he gets me where I need to be in record time. I pay him three times the cab fare and he seems pleased by that.

I turn and look then take a deep breath. Everything over the last few months is for this moment. Another breath and I step forward. I see who I'm looking for and a smile crosses my face. I run to her and hug her.

"What time did you get here?" I ask taking in our surroundings.

"Last night." She says.

"You waited in line all night long?" I ask my cousin.

"You see this line don't you. Can you imagine where we'd be if I hadn't?" She asks.

Tiara and Yo both have a love of One Piece and on a rare event the author is doing a book signing here in Manila. Why? I don't care. All I know is that I can get some comics and posters signed for my Yo while filming it happen.

The doors open and we are herded in. I wait patiently as the author addresses everyone thanking them for coming to this event. I want him to shut up and sign my damn book so I can get back on my plane. We get closer and closer to the front. Finally it's our turn. I breathe a sigh of relief as I finally am face to face with the man that creates my wife's favorite manga.

"Who do I make it out to?" He asks.

"Yo." I answer as I place the items I want him to sign in front of him.

He lets out a small laugh and grabs the first item. I have my phone ready and I'm taping the entire thing. He signs two new comics, a poster, and his picture for me.

"Sir, can you please say hi to my Yo. Please." I ask.

He smiles, looks directly into the camera, gives a quick wave and say "Hi Yo". I shake his hand and thank him over and over again before I get pushed out of the way by my cousin.

"It's my turn stupid." She says. 

I don't even care about her insult because Yo is going to be so happy.

At first I planned to bring him with me but I thought it would be bad form to ask for leave so quickly after he just returned. So I changed my tactic and involved my cousin who lives here in the Philippines.

It wasn't hard since she loves both Yo and One Piece.

Since she was nearly at the front we finished early. Enough time to have lunch then head back to the airport. I let her choose since this is her city. Surprise, surprise we get sushi. She's like a girl version of Yo. Just not as cute in my opinion.

We enjoy our lunch and she drives me to the airport with my treasured items. I board the plane and let myself relax. The hard part is over. I just need to get home, make dinner, and present my wife with his present.