e s p o i r

Epilogue

Four years later//

I anxiously stirred the spoon in the cup of creamed coffee ahead me, sitting on the the surprisingly comfortable seats in the coffee bar of the arrival lounge of Kanto Airport. Perhaps it seemed so comfortable because of the slight change in surface I had encountered, because formerly my back was paralyzed due to sitting on the same seat for a full four hour long flight. A little change was good.

I could not prevent myself from deeply inhaling the nostalgia in the air of Kanto again. It had been four years since I had last inhaled this fragrance of fresh blooming flowers and lively lakes. Four long years of studying psychology at my dream university and getting a bachelor's degree in psychology. Turns out it wasn't that dreamy.

I missed my home, but dare not I visited even for the holidays. It was pretty painful to leave the place where I had grown up at the first place, I wouldn't like to go through that heart wrenching feeling of bidding farewell to my loved ones, maneuvering my way through the departure zone again. God, no.

A reason why I never looked back might be because I didn't have the courage to. My motive was to smoothly go through my four year long course and only return after getting my diploma. Airports are such sentimental drainage systems and therefore, I spent four years solely focusing on my studies and pinching myself at the thought of home.

Not that I got any better at Chemistry, though. Sad life.

But now's the fortunate ceremonial day, I'm finally back to Kanto, my home.

Done with reclaiming my luggage from the carousal, I found it a priority to leave the lounge as hastily as possible. Therefore, I soon found myself at the arrivals, where I found a lot of random people clung to the railings, probably awaiting someone's presence.

I held tight to the handle of my trolley bag, while the strap of my handbag looped around my left elbow. I moistened my lips, searching for any familiar face I left back four years ago.

My eyes finally met a pair of familiar blue one's as my heart sank in pure joy. My mother stood at the end of the railings waving at me with glittery eyes.

The edge of my lips curved as I rushed to her and wrapped my arms around her, she did the same and soon I released her from the embrace,

"I missed you!" My mom smiled heartily, I just nodded.

I spotted three extremely familiar dogs obediently aligned behind my mother, their mouth wide open in pure bliss as my heart skipped a beat. I kneeled down, opening my arms as the trio pounced upon me. Fenny, Panchy and Sylvie. They had grown up into such finely built, well-bred and well-trained dogs I had never even expected. I was glad they remembered me, I had been absent for the 4/5 of their lives. Stroking through their thick silky fur with a wide smile plastered on my face, I looked back up at my mom who hadn't changed a sliver,

"Thanks for taking care of them." I smiled, "There were just my little puppies four years ago. I'm glad you brought them up well."

"Well, if it isn't my little Serry." a voice came from behind, making my head perk up in exhilaration.

Dawn.

I turned around as I wrapped my hands around her intimately. Dawn hadn't changed much either, except for the fact that she was my top fashion designer now.

"I wanted to make your arrival a ceremonial one, but I couldn't arrange a concert here, so I got you this." She said before handing me a bouquet of flowers.

"I missed you." I spoke, my voice shaky and my eyes watery as I refused to release her from the second hug I tied her into.

She shook her head before taking a deep breath and wrapping her arms around me,