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Journey to the West

Chapter 2

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They arrived at the Galeão International Airport, shielding themselves with newspaper from the needle-shaped rain droplets falling from the sky. With the slight delay of acquiring a taxi, Eddy wondered if they would make it in time. His heart started to pace before he heard his own breathing growing louder, much as if he was running in a marathon.

He held the door open for Christie to come in first, followed by her grandfather. The warmth of the interior he found welcoming compared to the unpleasant cold brewing outside. His dreadlocks and coat were damp, his shoes leaving wet footprints wherever they stepped.

He placed an arm around Christie's petite waist, seeing the smile from her glossed lips expand. The scent about her was strong, titillating but of a different kind than what he knew her to have. Perhaps she had changed perfume brands, but it mattered none to him.

Once they had undergone all the necessary procedures involving security and luggage, they boarded their flight. Christie took her seat near the window while Eddy took his beside her. Every so often, he noticed she would rock back and forth, staring out the window, humming some lively tune to herself.

"Scared?" He asked, watching her turn to him in acknowledgment. Already he knew she had flown before, but just wanted to hear what she would say.

"Hmmm?" Christie took a moment to recall his words, scowled, and shook her head quick. "No way." She glanced out the window, sliding her heel back and forth across the floor as though in boredom. Then she turned back at him. "Are you?"

Eddy chuckled, hands in his lap. "Any reason I should be?"

She stroked the mid portion of her light brown ponytail upon removal of her white beret, eyes darkening a bit. "Well, if you're not scared… then neither am I."

Everything changed once the typical safety announcements came on the PA system and the lights beeped on. Eddy could feel Christie's soft hand tightening over his wrist once the plane started moving. She had her eyes shut and through her mumbles, he thought he heard her counting to herself in Portuguese.

Then all went smooth just as the plane shifted from flying upward to straight forward.

Christie exhaled a deep breath and opened both eyes. "Is…is it over?"

"Yes, it is." Eddy gave her a nod and she returned a sigh of relief back. He never saw her like this before. "Christie, don't be ashamed."

Her eyes blinked like a pair of car headlights as she stared at him. "Ashamed? I'm not ashamed." She rubbed her forearm and frowned. "Okay, maybe I am… a little bit."

"Any reason why?" He put his hand to her shoulder, trying to console her as best he could.

"You always said not to show fear. It's a weakness that signifies that the enemy's already won." Head bowed, she stared at the floor. "In this case, I lost."

Eddy shook his own head and scoffed. "Christie, it's normal to be afraid of flying. I was referring to when you engage an opponent. And you've shown that better then anyone I know."

"Don't try to flatter me for kicks, Eddy."

He shook his head once more, remaining soft-spoken. "I'm not. Think about it: a great percentage of the people in that tournament were three times our size, and you still managed to hold your own against them. And not once did you give the impression you were afraid."

Christie nodded, caressing her lips with her thumb. "That is true."

"I wouldn't be saying it if it weren't." He patted her thigh and smiled, as did she.

The voice from behind almost started him like an alarm clock.

"Of course she's fearless. She's family. It's in her genes." Sergio laughed despite having his eyes closed.

"How long have you been listening?" Eddy said.

"Long enough." He smirked. "Nothing gets past these ears. I may be old, but my hearing's still good."

"Grandpa," came Christie's delicate voice as her head leaned on her mentor's shoulder, "you never told us why we were going to Nigeria."

Eddy nodded in agreement. Even he had not a clue and his master often told him everything beforehand.

"I saw it as a reward for you two, for what you've done for me. I think you'd like it. The young ones always tend to love to get out and explore. For me, it's about seeing a friend."

Eddy could see the way Christie's eyebrows shot up in amusement. "Oh? A friend, eh? This wouldn't happen to be a…woman…would it?" She grinned, nudging her mentor in the abdomen with her elbow to see if he had caught on to what she meant.

Eddy laughed along with her. "This true? Is this really about you seeing a female companion?" In all the years he had known him, Eddy could not remember seeing Sergio with any women of any kind, if ever.

"Grandpa's got a girlfriend." Christie half-sang, waving her fingers left and right in a teasing way. She giggled with a mocked applause.

Sergio rolled his eyes at them both and waved them off. "No, of course not. It's not ashe. Besides, what would a woman see in a dirty old man, anyhow?" He smiled and laughed at his own question. "At my age, I don't need that."

Christie blew raspberries at the claim, unbeknownst that some of her saliva had hit Eddy in his eye. "Oh please. You're too hard on yourself, grandpa. I'm sure there's a lady out there who'd be more then interested in you."

"Perhaps." Sergio turned away, sighing in his seat. "As of now, I'm not really concerned about it."

Eddy and Christie had paused before changing the subject to a more casual topic.

"So, hotshot, you ever been to Africa?" Christie placed a tiny pair of earphones into her ears, reviewing the tracks recorded on her media player. "To be honest, the closest I've ever been is through a few books I read."

"Can't say I have. From my knowledge, it's kind of like home. " He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "It'll be a new experience for us both."

"Good to know." She blinked and nodded, head diverting back to the window. "I hope it's peaceful and that the natives are friendly."

He hoped for the same, his eyes soon becoming heavy despite his effort to keep them open. As she listened to her music, he watched. Her head swayed back and forth to a beat he could not interpret. It did not matter. He preferred her this way. A way when things were at ease, a way where grief did not trouble her.

Before, the images of her crying and sitting beside her ill grandfather and his best friend's bedside in the hospital were difficult to push from his mind. She had refused to leave Sergio's side until Eddy found out the possibility of a cure from the doctors and relayed it to her.

His determination swelled through every round he fought in the tournament; he knew that Christie possessed that same feeling, that same passion he did. He had put everything he had into every punch, every kick, and every grunt made, fighting through aches and sores he received in every battle. He did it for the life of his best friend and he would sure enough do it for any other person he cared for.

No opponent, whether small or large, old or young, quick or strong, stood a chance against the abilities he had spent years honing. Most competitors fought only to achieve fame, or for selfish reasons that not even he could fathom. The result saw Christie and him win the tournament and receive the cure to their troubles.

Now Christie no longer cried, no longer sounded glum, no longer sat in the waiting room with her head in her hands as if she expected to hear the worst from the doctors. The joyous smiles she gave now were among the brightest Eddy had ever seen. In the tournament, he could sense her struggling with Sergio's well-being always on her mind. Nevertheless, right now, he knew what he saw was genuine, and one of the few things he wanted in life was for her to remain happy.

Christie's smooth humming was like a lullaby in his ears, causing his body to slouch, his senses to fade.

All that remained was the hazy sight of her before his eyes submitted to exhaustion and he blacked out.