I’m Moving On

It’s hard to say goodbye.

I’ve had so many unexpected goodbyes in my life. First, my mother. Second, him. Even my father, to some extent, was an unexpected goodbye. I always believed that not getting the chance to say goodbye was the worst feeling of all. I never had a chance to say goodbye to my mother before she left. I never had the strength to speak to him before he drove away. But, standing here in the airport with Mrs. Chen, and being able to say goodbye for probably the first time in my life was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.

“I’ll miss you so much,” I said, hugging Mrs. Chen. She smiled as she returned the hug.

“I’ll miss you too,” she said, “But this is the right thing to do.” I closed my eyes. It was. I needed to leave. I needed to get away from Beijing, from China – from my past. No longer was I living in the past, but I was moving toward the future.

“I know,” I sighed, releasing the hug, “It’s still hard though.”

Mrs. Chen grabbed my hand and nodded, “The right path is always the hardest. You just need to get away and forget everything in the past. You’ve healed your pain, but now it’s time to let it go.” I nodded. I may have healed my scars, but the marks were still there. I needed to find a way to live with them, and this was something that rehab could not fix. I needed to do this on my own, away from what was causing the scars in the first place.

“Flight 307 to Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea, now boarding!”

I looked over at the gates where people were beginning to line up. I gripped my passport and flight ticket in my hand and took a deep breath. I felt Mrs. Chen squeeze my other hand.

“You’ll be fine,” she told me, reassuringly, “You’ll get through this.”

I looked back at her and smiled the most convincing smile I could muster at this point.

“I’ll work hard,” I said, “I’ll make sure that I heal, completely.”

Mrs. Chen nodded, “I know you will. It’ll be hard, but I know you can do it. You’re so strong, Mei, stronger than anyone I know. You’ll be fine.” I smiled at her, feeling my nerves calm down. The fact that Mrs. Chen believed in me was enough to make me happy.

“My friend’s daughter will pick you up at the baggage claim,” Mrs. Chen informed me, “She’ll hold up a sign with your name on it. She’s about three years older than you and you’ll stay with her at her apartment while you’re there. She said she’ll help you with the language and help you find a job. You know enough to get yourself to the baggage claim and ask questions if you need help.” Ever since I agreed to go to South Korea last month, I have been diligently studying the language with Mrs. Chen. I wasn’t anywhere near fluent, but I knew enough to ask questions if I get lost.

“Ok,” I said, letting out a deep breath I didn’t realize I was holding.

“Final boarding call for flight 307 to Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea!”

Mrs. Chen pulled me in for one last hug. When she pulled away, I saw a tear fall from her eye. I smiled at her and wiped it away. I then picked my backpack up and walked to the gate. I handed the woman my ticket and passport. She scanned it and let me pass. Before I walked into the hanger, I turned back to see Mrs. Chen watching me, tears still falling down her face. I smiled and waved to her. She waved back and held her fist up, signaling good luck. I repeated the gesture and let out a small laugh before walking into the hanger to bring me to the plane.

Once I got to my seat, I pulled my phone and earphones out of my backpack before placing it overhead. I then sat in my seat by the window and sighed, looking out at the runway. A man came and sat next to me, smiling and nodding his head to me in a polite greeting. I repeated the gesture and put my headphones in my ears, playing some music to keep me entertained for the flight.

It didn’t take long before we were taxiing down the runway. I looked out the window as the plane started rising into the air, and I felt my spirits rise with it – along with my nerves. I was happy to be leaving my past in Beijing, but also nervous to be blindly going towards my future. But, whatever the case, I was moving on.

About two hours later, we finally landed in Incheon, South Korea. I let the man who sat beside me gather his stuff first before I got up and moved into the crowded aisle. I stretched my arms and legs quickly before grabbing my backpack and following the line out of the plane. Once I left the hanger, I looked around at the airport, trying to find the baggage claim.

It was rather simple to find, and I was thankful that I didn’t have to ask another person where it was, for I really didn’t want to try out my one-month old Korean language skills just yet. Once I arrived at the baggage claim, I immediately saw my suitcase on the carousel. I grabbed it and pulled it off, then began looking around for a sign with my name. Finally, I spotted a Chinese sign in the crowd, and saw a young girl holding it. I went up to the person and smiled, nervously.

“Hello,” I said. She looked at me and grinned.

“Huang Mei?” she asked. I nodded and she threw the sign in the trash can behind her.

“Good,” she sighed, “That was kind of embarrassing. And my arm was getting tired” I giggled at her and she smiled.

“I’m Zhao Rui,” she introduced, bowing, “It’s nice to meet you!” I returned the bow.

“You too,” I said, “Thank you for helping me.”

She smiled kindly, “It’s no trouble, Mei. I’m happy to help you. Now, come on. Let’s get home.” She pulled a pair of sunglasses out of her purse and put them on before walking toward the exit. I quickly grabbed my suitcase and followed her.

As I walked out of the airport and smelled the South Korean air, I could feel that everything is brand new to me – and I like it. It’s a new place, a new Mei, and a new start. I am no longer looking back. I am now moving away from my past and towards a new, unknown future, and it’s exciting. It may be hard to say goodbye, but it’s a little easier when you have something to go to.

And I finally have the strength to go forward – to move on.

Yay! Mei is moving on with her life! ^_^ The next chapter will begin Mei's new life in Korea and the ups and downs of it. I hope you guys like this chapter! Thank you for reading, commenting, and subscribing! It really means a lot to me! :) ♥