Page 9 of Summer Haze & Tokyo Craze
The officer looks at me surprised, and then asks me to wait as he speaks into his walkie-talkie, too fast for me to make out what. When the reply comes, it’s slower but drowned in static noise so I don’t understand it either until he translatesit for me.
“I’m very sorry, but this was the last one.” My face falls and he apologizes again.
Of course. I expected that answer, but it does not annoy me any less. Just my luck because when traveling goes wrong, it goes wrong colossally.
“All right. Thank you. In this case, my suitcase is missing. Is there any form I can fill out?” The officer nods and motions for me to follow. Frustration is making me pick at my cuticles, and before I tear off my skin, I pull out my phone and type another quick message to Felix.
Lily: Now my suitcase is missing. Can you believe it?
Felix: Sorry to say, Lily, but you have shit luck when traveling.
I narrow my eyes at the laughing emoji behind his message before I reply.
Lily: For some reason it always works when we travel together. I’ll just always have to take you along from now on.
The only thing he replies with is another laughing emoji and I put my phone away as the officer hands me a form to fill out for my bag and a pen.
Good thing I like to be well prepared and packed some basics into my carry-on.
The basics being my pajamas and one emergency outfit. Well, it’s better than none but I’m going to be shit out of luck if they can’t find my suitcase.
With another deep sigh, I fill out the goddamn form, and the officer assures me that me that my suitcase will be couriered to my hotel if they find it. Emphasis on ‘if.’
“Thank you so much.” I force a smile on my face before I turn around and find myself face to chest with Adam. Confused, I slowly look up.
“You’re still here?” I ask him, confused, rubbing my eye as though I’m imagining him. “Why didn’t you go on ahead?”
“I’m assuming we’re going to the same hotel anyway, so I figured it would be easier to share a taxi,” he says, and I gulp, my eyes falling close in a slow blink.
Exhaustion washes over me like a three-meter-high wave, and I’m so fucking crashing. Not even the caffeine from the green tea is helping anymore.
Fuck. What am I going to do if they can’t find my suitcase?
When I lived here 10 years ago, it was already challenging to find any clothes – not for lack of trying. And not because I don’t like them, because I adore Japanese fashion.
But I’m almost six feet and got some weight on me. Granted, I love my curves, but I’ve had to make peace with the fact that the cute outfits here are mostly designed for more petite, smallerwomen than me, and from a business standpoint, of course I get it.
If worse comes to worse, I’ll switch between the two outfits that I have with me, but it’s going to suck and I’ll have to spend a lot of time at laundromats.
I can imagine better things than wearing my business outfits even in my free time though. I haven’t planned a ton of activities in my free time, but the ones I have on my itinerary would definitely be more fun in casual clothes.
“Come on.” Adam’s hand touches the small of my back, and he gently pushes me forward, leading me through customs. I wait, as he has to open his suitcase briefly for them to check the contents, before we continue on to the arrival area.
“All right,” he says under his breath and abruptly comes to a stop, taking out his phone. “Let’s go.”
“Go where exactly?” I can’t help but muse as his eyes dart around the entrance hall, trying to find the right exit.
“Right over there,” he answers confidently and promptly walks in the wrong direction. I bite down a chuckle and grab his sleeve to make him stop.
“I’ve been to this airport before. Let me take it from here.” He shoots me a sheepish glance but doesn’t protest when I lead him where we actually need to go for a taxi.
Originally, I had planned to take the train to the hotel. It’s quick and air-conditioned and seemed like a good idea. But I’ve vastly underestimated how tired and annoyed I would be after a sixteen-hour flight without any sleep.
So we take an escalator down to the street and Adam walks ahead to find a taxi for us, waving me down when he finds one. He even opens the door for me. Such a gentleman.
While I pull up the address of our hotel on my phone, the two of them are already chatting, although he looks a bit panicked at the rapid English Adam is speaking to him.
His eyes light up in relief when I chime in and tell the taxi driver where we need to go in Japanese, holding up my phone in addition so he can read the address. It’s been a few years and I’m sure my accent is horrid now, but he nods and turns around to start driving.
