No more winters…

     It has been a long, winding, and sometimes, difficult road right from the very start.  As such, it didn’t come as a big surprise when the final step of the journey proved to be fraught with challenges as well…

     October 7th, 2007… a day I have been looking forward to for such a long time.  The road leading up to this date has been a concoction of mingled joy and sadness, excitement and anxiety, patience and anticipation.  It has been especially tough for my mom, as this was the first time we have been apart for such a long time.  It was also a challenge for me and James, as we tried to let our relationship grow and flourish through the miles that kept us apart.

     It was with so much elation that I welcomed the dawn of the 7th.  It heralded the beginning of more beautiful memories.  Everything has been planned for and arranged.  My flight  was with Philippine Airlines PR431 scheduled to leave Narita at 9:30 a.m. JST, and expected to reach Manila at 1:00 p.m. MST.  I was so excited at the prospect of coming home that I failed to notice the electronic departure bulletin.  While I was in line for baggage check-in, a fellow Filipina asked me if I knew that our flight was going to be delayed.  I looked at her in surprise and said I didn’t know.  I assumed it was going to be a 2-hour delay at worst, but as I directed my attention to the departure bulletin, I saw, to my great dismay, that my flight departure was rescheduled for 1:55 p.m.; a massive 5-hour delay.

     I felt my knees weaken at the prospect of arriving in the evening.  James was all set to pick me up at 1:00 p.m. and I didn’t think he’d be able to make it with the change of schedule.  I knew he had an early duty at the hospital the following day and I didn’t want to impose.  I was anxious and shaking when I called my angel to let him know about the flight delay.  I could tell that he was as flustered and worried as I was but in the end, he said he’d be there to pick me up and take me home.  I released a sigh of mingled elation, relief, and anticipation.  It was something we have both been looking forward to for several months, and despite the delays and the storm, he told me he’d be there.

     At 1:00 p.m., I was already at the boarding lounge, but due to a disembarkation difficulty, we were called to board the plane at 2:15 p.m.  The expected 5-hour delay painfully extended into a 6-hour delay, and by the time the plane took off at 3:00 p.m., I was fraught with anxiety and my tiredness was threatening to overcome me.  I hardly slept the night before and the long waiting time at the airport took its toll, and I spent most of my time on-board the plane catching some much-needed rest.  I woke up to the sound of the captain’s voice informing the passengers that we were going to initiate landing in 20 minutes.  The tiredness and the frustration all melted away.  I looked out the window and I saw land; the sight of the Philippines, the sight of home, was such an overwhelming moment after a year of being away.

     I switched on my mobile phone as soon as we were allowed to do so and I called James.  We were both breathless with anticipation laced with nervousness.  It took me another 30 minutes to go through immigration, customs, and baggage claim and by the time I went out the arrivals gate I was excitedly scanning the crowd for that one beloved face, for that precious miracle I have been looking forward to be with for so long.  I called him up again, and as fate would have it he was the one who saw me first.  He told me to look to my left and there he was, several meters away from me, smiling and waving his hand.  I made my way to the exit and as soon as I got out, he wrapped me up in his arms.

     It was a moment of sheer elation.  I was overwhelmed with the fact that the miles between us no longer existed, and there we were, finally together.  He gave me a long-stemmed blue rose and he had a Chocolate Mousse cake for my mom.  Then he and Tatay Toto, his uncle, took my luggage.  We went to the car and then made our way to Imus.  It was so great finally interlacing my fingers with his, conversing and laughing face to face.  I was so scared that it was going to be awkward, that things would somehow be different, but if anything, each moment was all the more poignant than before.  My mom, gramma, cousin, and niece were waiting for us and we had dinner.  We talked and smiled a lot, and there were times we just held each other’s hands without a need for words.

     Now, thinking about the past year, I’ve realized that aside from my students, the thing I would miss the most about Japan would be winter;  the frigid cold and the smell of freshly fallen snow.  But then, I am grateful because despite the fact that I would no longer see Japanese winter again for this year, I know, without a shadow of doubt, that my heart would never have to go through the frigid winter of being away from the people I love the most.

     I love you James.  Thank you for everything.  I am so happy to finally be home and I am all the more grateful that I am finally with you.