It’s over a year now that she sits on this bench again. Funny how she wears the same, now faded red sundress her mum has given her for her 18th birthday. She carries with her one bag and a book entitled The Catcher In The Rye by J. D. Salinger, the only book she fails to finish in one sitting. Waiting for about 30 minutes now with her mum sitting beside her half asleep, and exhausted, she decides to open her book. With her plane ticket serving as her bookmark, she easily flips to where she’s left off. Her plane ticket’s mostly smudged out, reminding her of the dramatic scene she went through earlier with her pop. TRAVEL and LIGHT are the only words she can even read in great relief. She starts to read a few words from the book; however to herself she was more looking through the book, her mind wandering back to what had happened this morning between her and her father. “I hate him with passion,” she mumbles. “I hate this sick town.”
A year ago, her mum asked her to stay with her dad for awhile. She had to go out the country to sort out immigration papers that she has been in trouble for months. “..and daddy is the best person to take care of you while I’m gone.” She has never questioned her mother’s plans for her or bugs her on anything. Her mother would always say, “You won’t understand, hunny.” Nevertheless, she thought it was a good idea since she hasn’t seen her father in years and her mother has never spoken about him either. So, “Sure, mum.”
“I hate him with passion,” she mumbles again. This time loud enough her mum can hear her. Jetlag's torturing her mother after travelling for 48 hours (out the country and back again) and the least she would want to hear is her daughter’s hateful emotions. She closes her book this time and faced her exhausted mother, “Why didn’t you tell me Daddy’s with another family now?” she asks. “Why didn’t you tell me that he has a bitch of a wife?” Why didn’t you tell me he hated the idea of me here?” Why didn’t you tell me any of this?”
Her mum starts to tap her in the back lightly which irritated her. For whatever reason, her mother always thought that tapping one’s back could trigger calmness. “Why?” She asks again, almost crying now, but her mum inadvertently continues tapping her anyway.
Flight 134 is ready for departure. Passengers may enrol at counter 4. Flight 134 is ready for departure. Passengers may enrol at counter 4.
Her mum stands up, takes her bag, and signals her to follow. She hesitates for a second after her mum’s uneducated tapping exercise but surprisingly for the first time, her mother holds back and looks at her, “Regina my child, you will never see them again.”
