When you hear echoes from the east & other stories of a modern Filipino

Miss Indigo

The cold rain poured sweet curses to welcome her return. The arrival area was crowded and noisy. People of different backgrounds dragged along with them heavy, dark-colored luggage while children carried their favorite cartoon character backpacks. Most passengers were awkwardly standing in a corner, talking onto their iPhones, or sitting and staring on airport benches while a high-pitched female's voice welcomed visitors through the speaker phones that sounded the whole area even reaching the parking lot at the other side.

In front of her stood a huge crowd of people screaming I love yoos and bright flashing lights. Curious, she slowly walked toward the crowd. A tall, handsome guy with a mole at his left side smiled and waved to the hard-dying fans as he held hands with a pretty, petite girl with shades on. A group of reporters and cameramen surrounded them and hovered them with questions. They probably just finished filming their new movie abroad, but the reporters were more interested in their relationship and asked if they were serious with each other. With the fans neverending screamings pounding her eardrums, Lira distanced herself to the opposite direction. She was not interested with the popular celebrities here unless they're American singers like Taylor Swift and Maroon 5. As she looked around, she spotted two girls embracing each other. One of them, not much older than her, called the other "Ate"-a respectful term to an older sister, and the other, whom was called "ate," smiled and gave her another warm hug. Lira wondered if she could at least say that to her own.

If wings could only fly-

She started to mutter the first few lines of her favorite poem Miss Indigo. It was a poem written by her older sister. Lira loved the poem so much that she remembered it by heart:

"If wings could only fly,

I let it on your way.

Like a budding rose in sigh

They all keep it for a day-"

People held up signs with a, "Welcome Back, ________! greeting" or signs with just the person's last name. Suddenly from her right, Lira jumped from someone shouting, "Jusko! There he is! He's so big now!" The family rushed to raise up a poster-sized picture of a baby boy sucking on a pacifier and the other side, an adult man smiling straight at her full of joy and success wearing a green cap and gown. The, mother, Lira assumed may be around her fifties, raised the poster high above her head even tip-toeing as if she could even get it higher for her son to see. She turned around and saw the poster board boy flushing red like a ripe tomato and ran toward them with tears in his eyes. They made one big, family group hug as tears streamed down their overjoy faces. It got the attention of people around them and everyone clapped for them saying things like "Aww, that was soo cute." How so overly dramatic, Lira thought. But whatever. Everyone has at least a drama scene in their life.

Straightening up her Beavers baseball cap over her cropped hair and brushing off grey lint from her silk top and capris, would anyone recognize her? Would they dare show off a baby picture of her in a diaper and greet her with warm hugs and wet faces? And because of Lira's short features, would they eventually sweep her off her feet and kiss her on the cheeks as if she's still ten years old? But she's not short short. Just average. She fixed her posture. She's not ten anymore. Of course, they wouldn't recognize her. Maybe little bits of her. It's been what? Eleven years?

"Eleven long years," Lira whispered under her breath.

Eleven years she hasn't set foot on the soil she was born on until now. She hasn't seen any of her relatives and doesn't remember much about them. Ma mentioned that they used to be close, playing hopscotch in the mornings and hide-and-seek in the afternoons. She suddenly felt like a white foreigner. What would they think of me? Lira thought. What about her older sister, Arny? They haven't contacted each other the last time she visited the States. That was four years ago. Arny couldn't handle the pressure of living in a different country. But Lira, that time, didn't understand the adult conversation between her parents and sister. And why her sister left.