Rewrite the Stars

2: To Kuala Lumpur

[Abel Finley]

21:27,

Heathrow Airport (LHR), 

Longford TW6, UK.

"Attention to passenger S534, Finley Holek Abel for the flight from United Kingdom to Malaysia," a woman's posh and reserved voice came across the airport intercom. "Please get on board as quickly as you can, miss, because we're about to take off in T-minus 15 minutes. Thank you."

I look at both of my parents. We were having our last moments together before I come on board and leave them. I really can't believe I'm travelling across the world on my own. Doing things on my own. Doing it solo.

Most people who dread not to be held down by their folks would say it's exhilarating, jolting and that they're finally getting their own sense of freedom, but I'm feeling slightly a bit anxious being left alone. I'm so used to depending on Toby but now that he isn't here anymore, I can't help but feel a little bit helpless that I might mess up. It always had been the Troubling Duo, Toby and Abel.

I could get myself lost in a foreign country. I could somehow lose my passport. I could end up being the foreigner on the streets, busking about for money just to book a flight back to their hometowns. It scares me because I've heard some cases.

Dad looks at me with a faraway and nostalgic look in his eyes. Although he wasn't really looking at me, he was looking through me. I knew my dad was nervous about leaving me to travel on my own and he wanted so bad for mum to tag along but he couldn't let mum do that much for him. Besides, mum convinced him that I could do it on my own and reconnect with my Malaysian roots. She convinced him that I'm twenty-one now so I should start acting like my age and get out there and conquer a bit of myself with new surroundings. She trusts me that much and if I ever felt somehow lost, she reassured me that I could always call her for guidance.

If dad was nervous, I'd do better than him. I'm shaking and dreading.

Almost shaking himself out of his thoughts, he finally speaks with a sad tone to his voice, "It looks like Virgin Atlantic is calling for you."

"I already booked you a nice hotel in Kuala Lumpur and I hope that with all the money I gave you, you'll try to stay on budget. I trust you to be an adult, young lady," he tries to lighten up the mood with him sounding confident and so sure of himself. "Goodbye, Abel. Behave when you're in someone else's country. I'll be damned if I hear some British foreigner on the international news running wild in an Asian country. If you plan on doing that, when you get back home, I'll pretend that I don't know you," dad matter-of-factly said but a smile was tugging at the corner of his lips.

I chuckled hearing his slight teasing. Sighing to myself, I tried to be confident in myself, "Bye dad, I'll miss you a lot and your corny jokes. Mum, I'll try my best to reconnect with my roots like you wanted."

"You better, dear," mum replied. "You're lucky you get to see what my home country looks like. I haven't been back to Malaysia yet for so long now. I wanted to tag along but someone has to work for the family boutique. I trust that you're old enough to handle this trip on your own, love."

"With all due respect, mum, dad... Tell my nerdy brother, Toby I won't miss him," my lips curled into a brief innocent smile. I slightly snorted at the thought of how he's still stuck in the United Kingdom and I'm travelling across the world and I'm not even paying and studying overseas. If he were here, I knew he would put me in a headlock, messed my hair a bit while messing with my fragile ego by teasing how little I was. It's classic Toby. I'm not denying he's right about that I'm maybe a bit young for a responsibility this huge.