Tsubasa skirts the door frame in a hurry, his suitcase clanking behind him against the shoes lined up beside the door.
He has to catch a plane, and he has a long way to go to the airport.
I'll be home for Christmas,
You can count on me.
It is Christmas Eve. Tsubasa has promised himself that he'll make it back to headquarters in time for Christmas; it may mean he has a long overnight flight ahead of him, with many stops. But he will see his friends on Christmas day, no matter what the cost.
He has no car, and he doesn't have money for a taxi; he knows he isn't fast enough to make it to the airport on foot. Hitchhiking all the way there is his only option.
Minutes pass as Tsubasa stands at the side of the road with his thumb held out, and finally a white van stops in front of him.
Please have snow and mistletoe,
And presents under the tree
The window on the side facing him rolls down, and a woman sticks her head out. She looks worn and tired, but is willing to help this stranger.
It is Christmas eve, after all.
She smiles and asks him where he is going. Luckily for Tsubasa, she is headed his way to pick up her husband from the airport. Tsubasa gratefully opens the side door and slides in, only to be met by the curious faces of five children.
I'll be home for Christmas,
You can plan on me
Remembering his mission, he squeezes in between the two youngest in the far back and makes polite conversation as the van rolls along.
"Where you goin'?" asks the youngest girl, only about 4 years old.
"I'm going to catch a plane so I can see my friends at Christmas."
"You gonna miss it", says the little boy sitting on the other side. "Mama says all the planes leaved already."
"I'll try my best to catch it. I can't miss Christmas."
Although it seems impossible,
I'll soon be there. You'll see.
"Didja bring presents for all you friends?"
"Yes."
"What you asked Santa Claus for dis year?" asks the little girl.
"I only want to go home this Christmas. That's all I ask for", he tells her.
"Where your friends lives?"
"In Japan."
"Dat's a long way away", says the little boy, gazing up at Tsubasa with newfound admiration. "It gonna take you all night to get there."
"Mommy says Japan is on the other side of the world", says the little girl.
"It is, it's all the way across the ocean."
"I hope you plane don't fall in."
"So do I."
I'll be home this Christmas
I'll be coming home to all of you.
"You goin see you mom and dad when you go home?"
"No. I don't have parents."
"Oh, you a orphan?" The little girl hugs his hand.
"I guess so."
"Maybe Santa Claus bring you a new mom and dad for Christmas", says the girl as she drifts off to sleep in her carseat.
The little boy just stares at him and does not talk, so Tsubasa gazes out the window and thinks of how happy his friends will be to see him when he arrives in the morning.
And there's nothing in the world
That can get in my way...
Only a few stoplights lie between him and the airport. Soon he'll be on his way back to Japan.
Finally the lights of the runway flank the road on either side, separated from the path by high fences. They twinkle like Christmas ornaments on a tree.
In the parking lot, the mother has scarcely gotten out of the car when a man comes up and hugs her tightly. The children scramble out, the little girl is woken up, and Tsubasa smiles at their happy reunion for a moment before heading to the lobby.
I'm dreaming tonight of a place I love,
Even more than I usually do
Outside the airport, two teenagers stand with silver bells in their hands, ringing them gaily. It is a bit late for them to be out, but it is for a good cause: each holds a cardboard box with Ellington Children's Home printed in marker on the front.
Tsubasa stops for a moment to drop a dollar in each box. They smile up at him from behind their snow hats.
"Thanks, man. You're helping to make Christmas morning special for some lil' kid out there", says the girl.
Tsubasa continues inside with a smile.
Although I know it's a long way back
I can promise you
He stops at the window for a moment, glancing out at the parking lot. The van that got him here now sits cold and empty; probably the family who helped him decided to eat a late dinner with the father they came for, in one of the cafes at the airport.
Tsubasa is just turning back towards baggage check when a little hand finds his through the pressing crowd. He looks down and is surprised to find the youngest child of the family who drove him here!
"You the Christmas guy", she says to him. "I finded you!"
He crouches down to her level. "Where is the rest of your family? You're supposed to stay together."
"They leaved to go to the Quizno's", she says. "But I losed them."
As he suspected, the family decided to eat together at a cafe. For the first time he notices dried tears on the little girl's face, and her expression of relief at finding a familiar face.
He decides he will help her find her family. It is Christmas eve, after all.
I'll be home for Christmas
You can count on me
The child reaches up her arms to him, and he scoops her up, tugging his suitcase along behind him. Tsubasa glances at a map and then heads towards the airport's food court. A Quizno's is distinctly marked on the map.
"Maybe YOU Santa Claus", says the little girl, turning her attention to him as he walks. "Santa Claus helps the kids. Maybe you was catchin' a plan so you can go to Japan to give the kids presents."
"No, I'm just me. I'm catching a plane so I can get home."
"I think you's Santa in disguise", she answers confidently. "I don't tell anybody. Susie keeps you secret."
Tsubasa doesn't protest any further.
Please have snow and mistletoe
And presents under the tree
They near the Quizno's and the little girl cries out happily. "I see mommy!"
Tsubasa follows her gaze and sees that her parents and siblings are standing outside the cafe, looking out concernedly into the crowd. He can hear the mother saying to the father, "Jim, I don't see her! She's gone! We have to tell airport security, Jim, do something. Please..."
Jim hugs her close and then sees Tsubasa emerging from the crowd with Susie. "There she is, Aedith! I knew she'd be alright!"
The happy family crowds around Tsubasa and hugs Susie tightly, the mother thanking Tsubasa and admonishing Susie at the same time.
Christmas Eve will find me
Where the lovelight beams
The family goes into Quizno's and the youngest boy exclaims loudly about a plane taking off outside. "Daddy, I heared a plane out dere!"
"That'll be the last flight of the night, Ethan", says the father, smiling at his son's interest in planes.
Last flight of the night? A sense of horror overtakes Tsubasa and he runs to the window.
I'll be home for Christmas
Sure enough, a plane has taken off. He watches as it soars over the airport runway, and the hangars slowly close on the sleeping planes, their light shutting off. Some remain open for incoming flights.
If only in my dreams
Tsubasa presses his forehead against the cold glass silently. A tear streams down his cheek.
It looks like he'll be spending Christmas alone this year.
