Trancas Canyon

Arrival

It felt good to be disoriented. She caught glimpses of the unfamiliar, weary faces of her fellow travelers as she carefully pulled her carry-on bag from the overhead bin and set it down in the aisle. She could feel the impatience of the other passengers as they waited for the opportunity to take steps forward and exit the plane. Her legs felt weak and heavy as she shuffled past the Premium Economy seats then the business pods before finally moving through the spacious First Class cabin. 

It was the first time in months that she didn't feel the wave of sorrow pulling her under when she awoke from sleeping. For the last two months, since she had buried her father, she had been conscious of her emotions constantly flooding her mind. She walked around numb like a dam about to burst, always trying to stay ahead of the grief that could wash over her at any moment. When it hit, it was hard to recover from the uncontrollable feelings of grief that welled up inside and came pouring out of her in warm, salty tears. 

She tried to muster a smile for the members of the flight crew who thanked her and waved to her as she stepped onto the jetway. Most of the flight attendants were Japanese with a couple of American flight attendants mixed in. 

Waiting for her flight in Chicago, she had downloaded an app that was a quick guide to speaking Japanese. Originally, she didn't think she would need it since she was meeting her new employers immediately after she exited Customs. Moments before take-off from O'Hare, the tour manager's assistant had texted her to say their flight from Barcelona had been delayed on a stopover in Miami so she would need to wait for them at the Tokyo airport until they arrived. Now it seemed downloading the language app had been a good idea after all.

The smell of jet fuel permeated the blast of cold air that seeped in from the small separation between the airplane and the jetway. Before she had taken two full steps, a man in a sport coat and baseball cap pulled down low over his eyes stepped forward. 

     "Madli Abarrca?" Even though it was said in a thick Japanese accent, hearing her name pulled her into reality just a bit. She nodded.

"Taro Yoshimoto. I am Tokyo undercover police." He flashed a credential that hung around his neck but it was in Japanese so she had no idea what it said. He could have been anyone. He sensed her hesitation. 

     "Jaan, requested I meet you. He is waiting for you."

Jaan was of course the bodyguard of her new employer who was it seemed equally as famous as their VIP boss. Madli had found Instagram pages and Pinterest boards dedicated to Jaan. There was also fan fiction about him on different sites. Jaan was famous for his cyborg green eyes and his seven-foot arm span. On one fan site, she had learned that Jaan was Estonian like her mother's side of the family. Unlike her father's side where the tallest Mexican men topped off at 5'11", her shortest Estonian cousin at least 6'3".

     "I will take your bags.

     "Thank you."

She swung her laptop and her carry on over her shoulder and handed them to Yoshimoto. She hadn't brought much. Just a couple of pairs of jeans, leggings, T-shirts, a fashionable hoodie, pajamas, travel size toiletries and a single pair of running shoes. The only item she had carefully packed were her underwear. She had made sure to pack a month's supply of clean, comfortable new underwear. 

Just past the gate, an electric shuttle cart was waiting for them. Yoshimoto stepped aside and gestured toward the cart so she could climb up into one of the seats. He turned on a flashing light and they made their way through the crowds, parting the way until they reached an escalator that descended down to the baggage claim.