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The moment I stepped out of the airport a cold familiar breeze swept through my face. Dejavu. I thought. It felt like I had been here before though I know this was my first time. I brushed off the feeling and continued to walk towards the taxi line.
There were a lot of people waiting in line for a cab so I decided to take my mp3 out and began to listen. I was halfway lip-syncing to the chorus of Rihanna's Umbrella when I felt a tug on my shirt.
I turned around to tell off who ever it was but was surprised to see a little boy about 4 intensely staring at me. His expression was a mixture of longing and confusion. I gave him a weak smile and went on lip-syncing.
I never got to finish the last line of the chorus when I felt another tug. I wheeled around to see the same little boy still staring at me. I looked around to see if he was with someone. Seeing that he was probably lost or something since no one was beside him, I took the earphones out and kneeled making our eyes level.
"Hi! Where's your mommy?" I asked him.
His response was quick but not a single word came out of his mouth. His little arms were instantly around my neck and I was wrapped in a heartwarming hug. I could not understand what I was feeling at that moment that I hugged him back in return and could not bear to break free from his hug.
"Shinichi!" A deep male voice called from behind me. The little boy's hug seemed tighter by the minute.
"Shinichi! What are you doing?" The same deep voice asked in Japanese. I was surprised that I understood what he said. I did not even know I understood Japanese.
" Shinichi!" The voice called out again. This time I knew he was right in front of us seeing a pair of feet right before my eyes. That was the only time I realized that maybe the little boy's name was Shinichi and this was his companion. I broke free from his hug, held his hand.
"I'm sorry. I … he… he.. . just started to hug me…" I started.
As I held out the little boy's hand to the guy in front of us, our eyes met.
His eyes widened three times its normal size considering the fact that his eyes were that of a typical Japanese.
"I'm sorry… is… is he your son?" I asked the guy not mindful if he even spoke or understood English. The guy in front of me just continued to stare at me. His eyes showed the same feeling as that of the little boy, however there was something else.
"Riya… ho… ho… h… how… whe… where…" he stammered.
"Excuse me?" by this time it was I who was confused. How the hell did this guy know my name? I don't even know who on earth he is. And he is talking to me in Japanese. What's more confusing is that I can actually understand what he was saying. When in fact the only Japanese words I know were "arigatou" and "sayonara".
"Papa, mama came back." the little boy broke the silence.
"Yes Shin… she is back" the guy answered without taking his eyes off me.
"Excuse me" I said as I let go of the little boy's hand and started to leave.
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