The drive to the airport was long and boring. 

He hadn’t spoken a word to his mother since she’d said that she was leaving and that had been two days ago. He felt slightly embarrassed by it, but it still bothered him so much that he couldn’t even make the words out and decided it was better to say nothing.

It was midweek so the roads weren't that busy and they were able to make it to the airport in forty minutes. Mei was a nervous driver and even though the traffic was light, she had slammed on the breaks a few times as people cut in front of her. William heard her swearing in English under her breath and his mother had put out her hand to the dashboard a few times to prevent herself from jerking too hard forward. The small car had shrieked to a halt, but thankfully without the crunching sound of metal on metal.

Mei had taken it upon herself to keep up a mindless chatter and the sound of it cut across William’s senses as he stared resolutely out the window trying to ignore everyone.

Thoughtfully, he drew a finger along the inner door panel, noticing that the colour was beginning to look quite faded. The Honda was reliable but old. Despite the fact that Han was poised to take over Ba's company, he was notoriously tight-fisted. Although the house that Mei and the family were living in was spacious, it was also old, it's brick colored tiled roof patched in moss over its ridges, little brown birds nesting in the eaves. The car was probably 10 years old, but Mei insisted that it worked fine - which it probably did, being a Honda, but Mei had a good job with an insurance brokerage and could afford to replace the car. She hadn’t done it because she didn't want to have an argument about it with Han.

They reached the airport fifteen minutes later.

Will got out first, going round the back to pull suitcases out of the trunk. They were parked in the drop off zone and it was congested with taxi drivers, passenger cars and the odd limo. He watched drivers pull suitcases out and thump them unceremoniously onto the curb, heard the clicking noises as travelers unclicked and lengthened long metal handles, tipping their cases over so that they could roll along, rhythmically clunking over each space in the paving. 

He breathed in a little sharply, trying to shut his brain down as it started analyzing every little sound, flash, movement. He felt his face warm a little, heard his own breathing from a far-away place. It took a huge mental effort to bring himself back into the moment, into the present, because his mother was saying his name, staring at him. She was saying something about going in, but he didn’t catch all the words. 

“Yeoh,” he said, nodding, snapping the suitcase handles out and pulling away from the curb and toward the entrance. His mother followed behind him, but he didn’t bother to look back to see if she was keeping up. A small feeling nagged at him, perhaps some guilt for treating his mother so cursorily, but it was replaced by a rush of anger at being left behind in Vancouver. He moved briskly, only pausing to scan for the right line up for check-in. 

He was saved the trouble of looking as he saw Mei hurrying toward him at that moment, a single strap from her purse slipping to the side. He smiled as it was clear that she had managed to park the car without scraping a bumper in the tight airport spaces because there was a noticeable spring to her step, and she grinned easily when she saw him. The tightness that he’d noticed in her eyes on the way over while he’d watched her face in the rear-view, was now gone. 

“Are you ok?” she asked him in English, her eyes taking in the suddenly packed area. 

William saw that there were people everywhere, and the line-up for check-in trailed passed the security dividers set out to show people where to go. It was louder now too with people chatting, some excitedly, some tearfully hugging each other in farewell. Between the constant stream of announcements, the attendants were starting to shout for the next passenger in the line-up to move to the desk.

He pushed pause, closing his eyes for a moment. Then, he nodded, grimacing a little.

“Do you want me to take over? I can just use the electronic kiosk over here. It’ll be quicker,” Mei gestured to a series of machines adjacent to the line-up.

William nodded, instantly relaxing. He tapped the headphones hanging from his neck and pointed at a set of chairs off to the side. He saw Mei’s eyes shoot sideways to their mother, but he shook his head slightly and made as to move, but his mother stepped into his path.

“William,” his mother said, reaching her hand out to him. She stopped short, thinking better of it, and slowly put her hand down. She straightened her jacket instead. “Make sure you listen to your sister,” was all she said.

“I will,” he said, looking down at her, noticing for the first time that she was starting to look her age. The fierce, upright woman that he had known all his life seemed somewhat deflated, small, perhaps even fragile. But the moment didn’t last. She nodded, almost coldly, and then followed Mei into the line-up, her high heels clicking on the tiled floor.

He turned away, shaking his head and smiling. Striding away with his smooth cat-like walk, hands in his pockets, he plugged himself into the thumping noise of a club song, and then turned the world off until Mei came to fetch him a half hour later.