The Saint Jones [Completed]

chapter 1: The Departure

"I can't believe you're doing that." My father's supplicating voice rebound​ in my ears, forcing its way into my mind, causing sadness to spread over me.

His grassy green eyes are glued to my face, his wrinkles under his eyes are like cracks on concrete as his tears are slowly coasting down the length of his face, wetting his sprouting beard, making his skin red.

"Dad, it is going to be fine," I say and the grip on my luggage is tightening. I want to touch his cheeks, wipe off the droplets of tears, but my free hand seems paralyzed, almost lifeless. Seeing my father like that is definitely sad. It takes me all my strength to remain neutral and to not break down in front of him.

He stares at me deep into my eyes and unconsciously, he gives me the privilege of seeing the sadness that is wandering in his beautiful green ones. Everything is seen through these eyes, they are like a map imprinted in my mind, like a reflection that I see perpetually.

"You know we can get back home or we can go together to visit-..."

"Dad, please, I promise, I am fine and everything will be fine." My hand finally seems strong enough to move and to touch his unshaven cheek. The sensation of his hair under my skin is weird, but I am very familiar to my father's badly shaven face.

"I can't believe you're leaving me... us." Oh no, of course, he has to say the word 'us'. A deep sigh blows out of my mouth and my hand abandon his skin and slide back the way it was.

I can concede that seeing his daughter going away from him is painful, but things sometimes have to change and he does not understand that. I am leaving them, yes, but my little sister is old enough to take care of herself, she is no longer a baby and using her to make me feel bad is working on me.

"Chenle will be fine, she is seventeen now, she does not need me that much anymore, right Chenle?" I take a look at my little sister who is standing to my left and, through her round glasses, I can see her glossy eyes, eyes that she is desperately trying to conceal from me by looking everywhere except at me.

"Yeah, I'll be fine, of course," she replies sternly, her voice cracking a little. I receive no stare from her, not even a scanty glance. She is probably still furious at me and this is kind of sad.

"Notice to passengers, departure of The Saint Jones in exactly five minutes, thank you." The voice of the female speaker reaches all the passenger's ears, some people are already getting ready to walk away from their families, from their loved ones.

A little girl in tears catches my attention. Her hands are tightly clutching the white shirt of a man who, I guess, is her father. A woman is beside her, trying her best to soothe the little one. This kind of scene is more than tragic. I comprehend now that these kinds of adventures are great life-long experiences, but it also brings sadness to the hearts of the families and friends who remains  behind.

When I look back at my father and my sister, I just want to do one thing, I want to cry, because I am leaving them for the first time in my entire life for a trip that is truly close to my heart. A trip that has fascinated me for so long now, 'fascinate' is even way too weak to describe how I feel about it.

"I think that it's time for you to move your little buttocks and to get on this huge, gigantic​ thing you call a cruise," Chenle says while nudging me. Our eyes meet and she finally gives me a small smile, sadly, not the kind of smile that reaches the ears but this one too is enough.

This girl is so calm and down to earth, she really knows how to hide her feelings, I know her as if I had created her; I know that when she will be alone in her bedroom, protected by her four blue walls, she will cry, as she did when I moved for university, even though I was only two blocks away from home.