[email protected] 34. The Return of the Return Jan, 14th 2016 07:45 Narita International Airport . I was going through immigration check with a very tired body. Traveling across the sea from London to Tokyo, which took more than half a day and a full night, is not fun at all... Especially on a flight where I could barely sleep last night. Moreover, after arriving, I still have to rush to a meeting at the ABCD company office in Minato right away in the afternoon, as planned before. I can't really blame the person who planned the schedule because my arrival was not part of the original plan. It was a sudden decision made in agreement between me and my father during a phone call last week. "Have you changed your mind and decided to come back and start working here, dear?" I could sense the careful tone in my father's question. "Actually... I'm starting to feel bored doing nothing. I was just about to talk to you about this, Dad." I don't know why, but since I agreed to study in England in the field he chose for me seven years ago, I’ve clearly felt that my life has become completely free afterward. Page 1 of 448
[email protected] My father almost never interfered in my life again, except for giving advice about my studies. This became even more obvious after I graduated with a master’s degree in the same field last year. To be honest, I should have returned to Thailand immediately after that. But I didn’t... I gave a simple reason: I was exhausted from six years of intense studying and needed a break. My only condition was that I could take this break anywhere I wanted. But it must not be Thailand... What surprised me was that, even for such a big issue, my father listened with a calm demeanor. He simply sighed, signaling that he didn’t quite agree, but the words that followed completely contradicted that sigh. "It’s up to you, my dear." It was an answer I never expected to hear from my father. No matter how curious I was, I didn’t dare to ask again, fearing he might change his mind and force me to return home for real. I spent a whole year aimlessly wasting time, wandering around Europe, sometimes crossing continents to America or Australia, before returning to London again. Eventually, I started to feel that I had become too purposeless. My father’s question on the phone last week made me seriously reconsider everything. "I want to start working... but I feel like I’m not ready to go back to Thailand." My soft tone must have made him worry, as his next words were filled with tenderness, as if comforting a little girl. But those words only made me feel pain. "I thought you already healed, Phim..." Page 2 of 448
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