Pure Intersection Made Love In The Air

In the sleek modern Heart Airport in Texas, a crew of flight attendants stroll purposefully through the halls heading to their respective stations to prepare for take-off. Chairman Paulo Gustavo, dressed in a single-breasted suit as usual, leaves the last button on his blazer unbuttoned as he walks out of a meeting with a crew of pilots.

He reaches for his phone and sends a text message to his wife Ariella while walking to his office.

Ariella, holding her phone, goes through the message which seems to surprise her. Immediately, her phone rings, it is her husband Paulo.

She picks up and says “What is this text I'm reading? Why are Juanita and I going to Malaysia?”

He coolly explains, “An international school in Malaysia contacted me while you were in-flight stating that Juanita has been accepted for enrollment. I’ve taken care of Juanita’s paperwork and homestay already, all I need is for you to help her pack and bring her to the airport by tomorrow”

She cuts in “An international school, All of a sudden?”

“Help her pack and bring her to the airport tomorrow” he replies.

Ariella is astonished that he is telling her all of this so suddenly, but Paulo simply points out that she wasn’t there when the school called.

“Have you spoken to your daughter, what was her reply to all of this? Ariella asks

He scoffs “She doesn’t have a choice, I have the final say. It’s all for the best. I was disappointed her previous school didn’t work out. We can’t leave her with a nanny either and since you decided you must go back to work; she has to be where she’ll be taken care of”.

He tells Ariella to just get Juanita to the airport in time and hangs up before she says anything more.

Ariella turns and hurries home, where she finds Juanita wiping the floors with a rag, apparently to prove that she’s more useful at home. Juanita is clearly a dramatic but bright kid, and she’s got lots to say about her Dad’s decision; she rattles “Aren’t I a good girl? Did I get in trouble when Abuela looked after me? You tried to send me off to Dad’s sister after she died. Did I say I wanted to learn Mandarin? I don’t care about global perspectives or learning Mandarin. Dad is being inconsiderate”.

Her mother lets out a deep sigh, “I just found out myself. Dad notified…”

“Exactly!” Juanita cuts in, “Why all of a sudden? That’s what I don’t get”.

“I’m sorry Nita, but..” Ariella says. “So you're just going to send me anywhere?” Juanita replies.

“It’s not just anywhere, you know how picky Sarah is, she knows someone there. It’s a nice and safe place”.

“Mom. Are you on Dad’s side? Do you want me to go so you two can work? How can you send your only daughter away like this? And you call yourself a mom” She says, as tears began rolling down her cheeks.

Ariella, looking frustrated, tries to comfort her, noting how much Juanita hated her school after her aunt got injured and she couldn’t go to New Zealand. It would be embarrassing to have to go back to her old school right after going through all the tearful goodbyes. None of Ariella’s comforts succeed even after she assures her she will fly there at least once a week to see her.

Juanita mournfully accuses her and Dad of being eager to send her off just so they can work. She sobs that she’s scared, but Ariella only sighs as if there’s nothing she can do. That night, Ariella packs Juanita’s things until dawn.

Maxwell Stone is also up late at his office working on his architectural designs, but when he receives a call from his teenage daughter, Carol, he immediately heads outside, grinning at the dawn sky.

They banter cutely over the phone while he drives a scooter over a bridge overlooking the River, holding his phone camera up to the sunrise in a landscape manner for her to see.

“Hurry Dad, go faster. I miss and think about this view every day” she says.

“Think about your grandma who’s eagerly waiting to see you. Will you visit this year?” her dad replies.

“I’m sightseeing, can you speed up a bit?” she says, as she avoids the question. Carol marvels at the image through the camera, squealing that Texas’s sky is totally different from Malaysia’s.