Voyage
CA : Cabin Attendant
It was a sunny summer day. The airport had been busy since morning, even though I was working regardless of the day of the week, I realized it was summer vacation in the world.
As I was getting ready in the locker room, I heard the greeting "Good Morning". When I turned around, there was a pretty colleague from West Asia wearing a dark leather scarf and uniform, she looked pretty today.
"Good morning. How are you doing?"
"Well, maybe my makeup is a little bad."
I replied without looking at her, when I turned around, the other party smiled. It was a smile like the sun.
Two years ago, when I was in my fourth year at university, the flight attendant recruitment interview in the airline industry was like an audition ground. The place was full of pretty humans, as if I was about to fall into misanthropy.
It was a foreign affiliate airline that I chose from several Japanese airlines.
My background, height, and English skills were barely adequate. I told myself that I must have earned it, and I wore a stylish uniform today.
"Hey, let's go out to dinner today. There are a few pubs I want to visit."
"It sounds good, but alcohol is a bit..."
"Hey, do you still care when you were mistaken for a teenager at the hotel the other day?"
Surprisingly, she was the closest person to me when I got the job.
The people around me always looked at me as a young Japanese girl, and her model friend with mysterious eyes.
"Think about dinner. See you on the flight."
"Yes, see you later."
I finally got used to the workplace, and had been working for a year.
I had to get dressed before my seniors arrived, give guidance to newcomers, and then prepare to move. I fixed my lipstick in the mirror and got excited and left the dressing room.
"Good morning ladies and gentlemen ..."
While listening to the announcement, I held the inside of the plane. Offering drinks so as not to interrupt the conversation, unloading food trays, and paying attention to the condition of the passengers and the condition of the restroom. During that time, I refrained from faltering, and of course kept smiling.
"Mama, it's been a long time since I've seen grandparents."
"Yes, it's the first time in the New Year."
"It's great that I can go with Papa. I'm so happy!"
As I walked down the hall, I heard conversations in Japanese. Is this a family trip?. It's the envy of people in this industry who are busy with work.
"Excuse me, I want to take some medicine, may I have some water?"
An adult female passenger spoke to me in English.
"All right. I'll take it right away."
When I replied, the woman nodded with a reassuring expression. I understood English, but was used to being judged by appearance.
When I was about to get some water, I suddenly saw a male passenger walking from the front. I quickly leaned into the corner and walked down the aisle. He was a tall and slender man, probably Asian because of the color of his skin and hair.
When I faced him, he smiled, I felt our eyes meet briefly. I had already served the food, then walked down the aisle to check on the situation.
I suddenly felt a gaze, and when I turned my head to that side, I met the eyes of a little girl. The little girl with straight brown hair was looking at me with shining eyes. Is this an elementary school first grader?.
"Mama, CA-san is so pretty. Her uniform is cute."
She looked at me and talked to her mother who was sitting near the aisle. I lowered the tray near her seat so that she wouldn't notice that I had a slightly proud face. That little girl's innocent face always refreshes me during the tiring flight.
"Yes. She's working, so don't keep glancing at her."
"Um, Mama, why are you wearing sunglasses. It's Papa's, right?"
"I borrowed it to cover my eyes. Eat right away!."
She was punished by her mother, and the little girl reluctantly turned to the front and went back to eating. It was a sight that made me smile. By the way, when was the last time I went back to my parents' house?.
Another crew member called out to me while I was thinking that.
Apparently the seats in front lack crew. I was heading there so fast that the passengers couldn't understand. When the seat belt sign disappeared and the destination was announced, the passengers immediately stood up and started preparing to disembark.
Seeing the situation, I headed for the exit with my partner. The flight attendants continued to smile until the passengers left.
Families, young students, and older couples all looked cheerful as they got off the plane. Besides being freed from long-term restraints, I thought there might be a reason for their cheerful expressions.
While greeting with a smile, I felt relieved that I was able to complete my work today without any significant difficulty.
"Thank you very much!"
It was the little girl I mentioned earlier who waved her hand vigorously. I tried to respond with a smile as well, but I felt a little uneasy.
This girl, for some reason.
"Don't go yet. You'll get lost!."
The girl's mother's voice made me turn my body around, and turned to her parents who came from behind the girl. When I saw the tall man, I wondered if he was her father.
"Thank you for taking this flight."
When I said that in Japanese, the little girl's mother wearing sunglasses looked at me with a stunned face for a moment. Was she surprised that I was suddenly speaking Japanese?.
The girl who said, "CA-san is very Pretty." It was taken by her parents. There were no other passengers, so I waved until they disappeared.
Yes, that little girl is like 'that girl'.
A long time ago, I unknowingly gathered friends who couldn't part with the appearance of 'that girl'.
The summer in the UK was slightly cooler for the first time in half a year compared to summer in the US where Shiho lived. The eight-hour flight wasn't too long, but she still felt pain in her back and hips.
Once at the airport, she and her husband, Shuichi Akai, were waiting for her daughter who wanted to go to the toilet at the entrance.
"You suddenly put on sunglasses, I thought there must be something."
When Shuichi Akai returned from the restroom to his seat, the sunglasses he had given Shiho seemed to be as useful as expected.
"I don't think it's necessary anymore, but I was surprised too."
A flight attendant said goodbye at the exit before disembarking. A young Japanese woman, something rare for a foreign airline.
They were very familiar with that smile.
"This is the reality of what happened."
The badge on the glittering uniform reads "Ayumi Yoshida".
In the past, he remembered a little girl who was always with her.
"We don't know where and what will happen in our lives."
"That's right."
Akai gently put his arm around her shoulder and stroked it a few times. Her eyes hidden behind her sunglasses glazed over.
Shiho wanted to meet her someday. Because she suddenly had to part with them without saying anything. There was no way to meet her again in such a place, and Shiho felt that she, herself was not a good woman.
If possible, she wanted to say that it had been a long time since she had hidden her face. She knew that since she had returned to being Shiho Miyano, she was in no position to apologize.
"Papa, Mama, sorry to keep you waiting. Umm, Mama is still wearing sunglasses?."
"Because i like it."
"Um, Mama looks like a grandmother!"
"Yeah, let's go."
She looked back before leaving the terminal, and stared at the asphalt through the window in hopes that Ayumi's journey ahead would be filled with happiness.