Beyond the Obvious

Chapter 2

Avery's Point of View

"Averyyyyyy!" Briar called out tearfully, hugging me tightly.

"That's enough; you might be annoying Ave with all that hugging," Natasha teased Briar.

"Mind your own business!" Briar shot back.

"Time really flies so fast," Elli said, looking at me with a sad smile, and Pearl nodded in agreement.

"True, it feels like just yesterday you told us you were leaving for another country" said Charlotte.

"And now here we are at the airport, sending you off," added Daphne.

It was already the next month, and here we all were at the airport. My mom, dad, aunts, uncles, cousins, siblings, and of course, the six goofballs are all here. We are standing in the parking lot, saying our goodbyes and sharing blessings for a safe journey.

The seven of us were talking on our own while the others were busy chatting with Aunt Rena. My younger sibling was playing with Hina, and my other cousins were eating noodles since it was so early, and they insisted on coming along to see us off.

"It's too bad 'someone' isn't here," Lotte teased, and we all knew who she was referring to. He is not here because I haven't introduced him to my mom and dad yet. His parents knew, but mine didn't—my mom said I couldn't have a boyfriend until I am eighteen, so we'd have to wait until then.

"You better be careful, or Ave's mom might hear you and cancel her flight," Pearl scolded Lotte, and we all just laughed.

That afternoon when I talked to Vince, he accepted my decision and gave his full support. "This is for your future so who am I to hold you back?" he’d said. Remembering his words still brings a smile to my face.

Aunt Rena came over and told me it was time to go. Only Aunt Rena and Hina were left in the Philippines because Uncle and Hiro had already gone ahead to Japan. I nodded, took my bag from the car, and my cousin Jboy helped me carry my suitcase.

"So helpful!" I teased as we walked.

"Of course! That’s how handsome people like me do it!" he replied, making me laugh as I playfully patted his shoulder.

Once we reached the entrance, we hugged each other, especially Mom, Dad, and my younger sibling, who was crying because they didn’t want me to leave. I hugged the other six goofballs too and said goodbye to my relatives.

With our things in hand, the three of us went inside. At this early hour, the airport was as quiet as always. People moved quickly, quiet rivers of humanity just waking from their slumber. The floors were pristine and white, reflecting the early light and artificial brightness alike.

"Thank you for coming with us," Aunt said once we were seated on a bench. I'm not great at handling gratitude from relatives, so I just nodded and smiled at her.

We waited a few more hours before we could board the plane, and when I finally sat down, I felt a rush of nervousness, anxiety, and joy. Finally, my dream came true. I took photos inside the plane with my Instax camera to capture memories of my first flight.

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. On behalf of Philippine Airlines, it is my pleasure to welcome you aboard flight 2490 with service to Japan. Federal regulations require that carry-on items are stowed prior to closing the aircraft door. Your items may be placed in an overhead compartment or completely under the seat in front of you. Use caution when placing items in or removing them from the overhead compartment, and let us know if we may assist you…"

Thinking about how I’d adjust at my new school made me anxious, and before I knew it, my nerves had put me right to sleep. I didn’t even hear the rest of the announcements.

🛬🛬

"Do you have all your things? Did you forget anything?" Aunt Rena asked as she pushed the cart with her and Hina's luggage.

"Yes, Aunty" I replied with a nod.

"Good, let’s go" she said with a smile, and we walked over to the car waiting for us. It was Uncle Masatoshi and Hiro, who had been waiting to pick us up. After they helped us with our things before we got into the car.

Once we were in, Aunt and Uncle started talking in his language, so I couldn’t understand them. When they finished, we left the airport. While on the road, Hiro tapped my shoulder and offered me some food.

"Here," he offered. For now, Aunt and I agreed that I should speak in English with Hiro, but I could use our language when talking to her. Thank goodness they all understand English, so I don’t feel too nervous.

"Thank you," I said as I accepted it. He simply smiled and went back to his phone, eating a burger. I texted my mom to let her know we’d arrived safely, then opened the food he’d given me and started eating.

It took us about an hour to get home, and when we arrived, Aunt showed me to my room. She guided me around the kitchen, living room, and other areas, showing me what to do when entering the house, simple gestures, and so on. I asked her if there were any chores I could help with, but she said it wasn’t necessary since they had maids.

She also mentioned that I should get ready later since we were going out to eat at a fancy restaurant opening tonight, and we were invited since the owner is one of Uncle’s business acquaintances.

After setting my things down, I took a good look at my new room. It had a queen-sized bed with four pillows covered in pink silk sheets, a thick light pink blanket, cream-colored walls, a white vanity desk for my skincare products, a study desk with four drawers on the side, a door leading to the bathroom, and, of course, a closet for my clothes. Overall, it was a spacious room they gave me after all, their house was huge like SUPER DUPER HUGE!

Once I was done checking out the room, I opened my bag containing my skincare, papers, perfumes, and other essentials. I placed them on the vanity desk, and when I saw my reflection in the mirror, I couldn’t help but smile.

"Finally," I whispered, looking at my reflection.

After checking myself out, I went back to unpacking until I opened both suitcases. I laid my clothes on the bed, except for the ones I planned to wear at home.

"What should I wear tonight?" I wondered as I looked over my options.

It had been twenty minutes, and I still hadn’t chosen anything. Then I realized I still needed to shower, so I finally decided on a black high-slit maxi dress. I hadn’t had the chance to wear it back in the Philippines them since there was never an occasion that suited it, but now I can finally put it on.

I went into the bathroom to shower. The first thing I saw was the mirror on the wall and the sink. Beside it, there was a cabinet which I opened. It had all the essentials I might need while showering, plus a hairdryer, flat iron, and curler. I took out what I needed and placed it by the sink. On the other side was the shower and a separate door for the toilet, with a shower curtain dividing the two. After checking everything out, I showered.

Afterward, I dried my hair with the hairdryer while being wrapped in a towel. Once my hair was dry, I went out to start getting ready.

While applying my makeup, I heard a knock at the door.

"Yes?" I asked.

"Are you ready?" Hiro asked from the other side.

"Yes," I replied as I put on lipstick, applied perfume, and grabbed my black sling bag, which held my phone, a bit of makeup for touch-ups, and perfume.

I opened the door and was greeted by Hiro Ishioka dressed in black slacks, a white button-up shirt, and a black necktie. Wow, this must be a super grand opening if Hiro’s wearing a tie.

Hiro looked a bit surprised when he saw me, then he smiled widely, nodding repeatedly with a thumbs-up. Hiro is a cheerful guy and very kind; I'm lucky to have someone like him around while I’m far from my family.

"Ganda!" he said, using one of the few Filipino phrases he knew. He’s eager to learn his mother’s language, so he offered earlier in the car that we could teach each other.

"Thank you," I replied with a smile.

🌸🌸

When we arrived at the venue, there was a long line, and the parking lot was full. Luckily, there was a reserved parking area for people who knew the owner.

Someone assisted us as we got out of the car, as if they were expecting us to arrive.

"Wow," I gasped when I saw how many people were inside once we got in.

"Yeah, wow," Hiro echoed.

"This way, please," the assistant said, and as usual, I couldn’t understand, but luckily Hiro translated for me.

When we reached our assigned table, we immediately sat down and opened the menu placed on top of the table.

"Wow, I can read it!" I said in disbelief, making Hiro laugh since we were seated next to each other.

"Of course! This place is open for Japanese people, Koreans, Filipinos, Italians, Americans—basically everyone. So what do you want?" he asked.

"...I don’t know," I said, looking at all the food options.

"I’ll order for you," he said.

"Thanks."

"No problem!"

He said something to Aunt Rena, so when the waiter arrived, she quickly listed what we would be ordering. Hiro and I joked around while waiting for our food until Aunt called my name.

"Yes?"

"Can you accompany Hina? She needs to use the bathroom and is too shy to go alone," she said. I nodded and asked where it was. When we got to the bathroom, Hina went in first since I was still looking for my phone, and I followed her after I found it. Three girls were chatting while fixing their makeup, and I didn’t see Hina, so she was probably still inside the stall.

I approached the mirror and checked myself to make sure I still looked decent. The three girls went quiet when they noticed me, but I continued doing my own thing.

Hina had a frown when she came out of the stall, so I wondered why.

"Are you okay?" I asked her, and she sighed before answering.

"A bit," she replied while washing her hands, glancing at the three girls, which only made me more curious, but I decided to let it go.

"Let’s go, this place reeks of garbage," she said, grabbing my hand to pull me out.

Even after we’d left, she held onto my hand, her frown only growing deeper. I didn’t bother asking further questions since it might make her feel worse, so I just let her be until we got back to our table.

When we returned to our table, Hina said something to Hiro, which wiped the cheerful smile off his face.

Our food arrived, and we all ate, and eventually, we went home. Hina was still frowning the entire time.

"How was it?" Hiro suddenly asked while taking off his shoes.

"I feel great!" I replied cheerfully, looking at his back. After he removed his shoes, he turned to me with a smile. Even though he was smiling, I could still sense a different vibe from him after his conversation with Hina.

"That's good! I'm glad," he said. I just nodded and told him I was going to bed.

Once in my room, I went into the bathroom to freshen up, then lay down on the bed after I was done. I took my phone out of my bag and looked at the pictures from tonight. Thank goodness Hiro is good at taking photos. I posted them on i********:, and my friends immediately commented.

"Prettyyyy" – @briar.kt

"Pretty my love!" -@natasyaaaaa

"Looking good, dear!" - @elli.nana_27

"So this is how it looks when you're abroad, glowing!" - @lotte.dnz

"Pretty - @daphne.ee

"I miss you - @vinx

I replied to their comments, then decided to call it a night after praying.

"...Amen."

To be continued...