"Hi Son! Where are you heading to?" Says an old lady.
"Hi, but I'm not your son!" Yong reluctantly replies, forcing a smile on his lips. Why does she call me, son? Yong asks himself.
"You're good at joking," responds the lady. "You know what I meant, son!"
"I know," Yong fakes another smile, "but I'm not your son? Just to be sure."
"Of course, you're not!" the lady returns Yong her smiles.
"What did you just ask me by the way?" Yong recalls that the lady has asked him question.
"Oh, right!" the lady recollects her memory, "Where are you heading to?"
"I'm heading to Thailand," Yong says politely.
"Are you Thai?" The lady continues.
"Yes, I am."
"What are you doing here?"
"Why?" Yong asks the lady.
"Nothing why? I'm making conversation and asking out of curiosity."
"What do you mean here? Hawaii or Thailand?" Yong clarifies.
"Here, I refer to Hawaii."
"I am here for business."
"Has you completed your business?"
"Why do you ask me so many questions?" Yong sounds annoyed.
"I'm just making conversation, why?" The lady resonates, "You don't want me asking questions, do you?"
"No, I don't mean that," Yong explains. "But we are just stranger!"
"I know, son," the lady stares at Yong. "But doesn't friend make from stranger!"
She makes quite a point! Yong says to himself.
"What?" The lady looks at Yong hard as if he were her prey, "Did you just say something?"
"No, yes," Yong confuses, "I meant 'Yes.' You're quite right."
"So?"
"So what?"
"So, has you completed your business here?" The lady repeats here question.
"Yes and No," Yong hesitates the answer. Why 'yes' and 'no'? What do I mean? Yong silently asks himself.
"What do you mean 'yes' and 'no'? You make this old lady like me confuses, son!"
"I'm sorry," Yong apologises. "What I wanted to say is that I have partially finished some of my business and partially unfinished."
"Hope you don't mind if I ask why you leave if your business is partially incomplete?"
"Hmmm," Yong pauses, trying to debate with himself whether or not he should this lady's question.
"So?"
"It's personal," Yong speaks, after a moment of silence.
"I know it's personal, that's why I asked you 'if you don't mind?'"
"Right!"
"So, do you mind?"
"What do you want to drink, sir?" A female flight attendant interrupts.
"Can I have a glass of water, please?" Yong says.
"How about you madam?"
"I may have a glass of orange juice, please. Thanks," the old lady, who is sitting next to Yong, says.
"Here is your water, sir."
"Thank you."
"And, here is your orange juice, madam."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome. Enjoy your flight."
"Thanks."
Yong sips the water from his glass and takes deep breath. The old lady does the same thing. She sips her juice, but doesn't take any deep breath. The lady has her grey cardigan over her black knitwear and black skirt. Her hair is mostly grey, which makes her whole body almost covers in grey except her knitwear and skirt.
She is not American or European, judging from her look. Yong loses in thought, trying to identify the roo of the lady. She is from Asia for sure, according to her look, and she doesn't look like a bad person. By the ways she dresses, she is well bred, either from an educated family or wealthy family.
"Are you okay?" The lady touches Yong's right hand softly, trying to wake Yong up from his daydream.
"Yes?" Yong regains his consciousness.
"Are you okay, young man?" The lady asks as if she is worried about Yong.
"I'm good."
"Did you ask me something?"
"No," the lady says, waving her hand. "But, you haven't answered my previous question. So?"
Yong looks stoned-deaf, not hearing what she asked. He looks outside the window, trying to recall her question. It is very bright outside the window, a field of dazzling space without track of cloud. Yong turns back to the lady and asks her to re-ask her question.
"Do you mind sharing me your partially incomplete business with this stranger?"
"Ah, about that," Yong says. "It's just. It's just. How can I put it! I'm not sure if it is incomplete."
"Why not sure?"
"Because I am not sure."
"Tell me why you think you're not sure?"
"Okay," Yong gives in. "Let me tell you from the start."
"Okay."
"I met a girl in my shop..."
"You own a shop?" The lady interrupts.
"Yes, I do. But do you want to hear the rest of the story?" Yong replies as if starting to get annoyed.
"I'm sorry. Let continue."
"She is sweet, smart, and beautiful. She has beautiful eyes, which captured my heart the moment I saw her. She is a bit shy and stubborn, though. She doesn't talk much. She is not a local here. She is from Cambodia. She comes here to pursue her dream of getting higher education, taking Master's Degree in Television Production Program at Pearl City Community College. She wants to direct and produce documentary films to impact the society and make changes--good changes. We have been out for quite awhile now. I feel something for her. Something inside me is calling for her. But, I don't know if she feels the same way. The strange thing is that she suddenly disappeared. I don't know what has happened or what I have done wrong. I tried to contact her, but no response. I think she is avoiding me…"
"Then why do you leave the town if you haven't done your business?"
"I don't know. I can't find her. She's lost. It's hard to find someone you think they are avoiding you. Small place can become very huge place. Small world can become very huge world."
"Do you give up on her now?"
"I don't know. Even though I don't want to give up on her, but I can't force her to do anything she doesn't want."
"Did she tell you that she doesn't want?"
"No."
"Then, don't predict her answer. Your prediction might be wrong, and thus, makes your feeling worse."
"What should I do?"
"Don't ask me what you should do? Ask your heart what you should do. Follow what your heart is telling you to do, so you won't regret it later."
"Thank you," Yong feels grateful talking to her. He turns to the window again, looking at the bright space outside the window. What should I do? What does my heart tell me to do? Yong asks himself.
Eleven hours later…
"Can I have a ticket to Cambodia, please?"
When your brain stops working and don't know what you should do, then follow your heart.
To be continued…
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