I Had It All Planned Out

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"What does it even mean?"

She looked at her friend in bafflement, and after a few minutes that his expression was still the same - she gave up. "You are so deep with this maturity you were talking about. Anyway, let's drop it and keep that talk for the next time."

He squinted his eyes on Laurie, he has a feeling she was playing him.

"I need you to ask some favor inside the Immigration Office to renew my passport. I know, you are going to say that I can do things on my own without asking you, well - I'm sorry. I thought you would find it fun."

"Aren't you tired of running away from your mother? You've been running away from her for almost ten years now."

"You really going to go in that direction, Andrei? I mean, that's rich of you talking about me running away. Let me ask you in return, when are you going to come home?"

She felt attacked when he asked her if she was tired. Of course, she is tired! Does he think it is fun to keep arguing with her mother for the same thing for so many years? Does he think she actually enjoys this shit? She doesn't want to be branded as a disappointment. I mean, who wants that?

But then, what can she do? It's not like she is against marriage! It's just that she couldn't find the one - whatever that cliche was. She thought it was a shitty scam people were trying to feed themselves to feel good about their bad decision of choosing the wrong person to marry.

She has been in love before. She has no problem falling in love. The problem was - not with her!

"I am home!"

"Yeah, sure. Visiting your mother only when you are forced to visit is indeed coming home. Have you talked to her about the truth of what happened between us?"

He gave her a dagger look and she returned the same look at him. They had a staredown for about five minutes before she raised the white flag.

"My bad. I went overboard. Though I honestly believe I am right, as of now, I'm willing to concede."

"You are willing to concede because you needed something from me?" he spat his words. He was really angry with what she said because she hit something that was true. Until these days, he never had a decent conversation with her mother on what happened between him and Laurie, and with Eric - especially Eric.

"How did you know I was willing to concede because I need your help?" she asked, grinning.

"You are shameless as ever!"

"I'll take that as a compliment." she chuckled. "Can we go back to our talk on what help do I need?"

He sighed, "Yes, because it's already almost midnight."

"I really don't want to get out of the country. I'm having fun moving from one island to the next. But my mother considered that unacceptable. I am a woman and living my life like I was still a rebellious teenager doesn't sit well with her. Which was funny. I never thought living a nomadic lifestyle was considered as rebellious."

"They were born in a different generation. There is nothing you could do about it."

"I know. I tried talking to my mother but she no longer accepting any explanation. Get married or get married. Those were the choices." she leaned back on her bed and sighed. " It's so fucking frustrating to explain this shit and so I am forced to do a very mature thing to do…" she chuckled lightly. "...which is to run away."

"But why Japan?"

"I haven't been there for a long time, and I have a friend who was thinking of staying there for a few months to do some writing. And I thought, well, I could hang around doing nothing. I'm good at doing nothing."

"Do you have the means to stay there? Japan is an expensive country to live in."

"I already consider that fact. I have an old friend there that promised to give me a place to stay. So, I just have to worry about food, which is not really a problem since there will always be Family Mart and Lawsons." she grinned.

"If you need cash, let me know."

"That's why I'm telling you, you are still the Andrei Mark Fucking Tan." she giggled at the disapproval on her friend's face.

"The security that mother hired told me that this time my mother was covering all the bases to ensure that I won't be able to get out of the country. That's why I'm not comfortable with just renewing my passport since it's too easy. I'm being paranoid that my mother has someone waiting for me to do exactly that."

"So, that's why you want me to do it?"

"Yes. I know you have some contacts inside the Immigration Office that could do you a little favor without alerting my mother."

"Yeah, it won't be a problem. Just give me the photocopy of your passport and I would have someone do it. How about the plane ticket? What's with buying a plane ticket last minute?"

"Even if the person inside the Immigration Office was able to secure me a new passport, I have a feeling that my mother will find out about it."

"Are you insane? If you know about it then why do you need to ask me to do it secretly?"

"Because I know my mother, even if she found out about it, she won't make a move until the last minute to make sure that I can't refuse what she wanted."

"Are you and your mother playing espionage now?"

She threw her head in laughter, "Could be. We are both so bored with our lives. And this is the only fun we could ever think of."

"And it seems you already thought your every move with this running away thing."

"Yes, I had it all planned out. General Tan would be so proud of me."

She threw her head in laughter again when she saw the discomfort in Andrei's face when she talked about his father.