Returning to Anna’s Childhood Home
Sunday, continued…
Neither Anna Jones nor Hou Yi remembered much from the night before, following the Australian Rules Football game they attended. They were jolted awake by a wake-up call from reception at 7:30 am.
“Yi, why such an early wake-up call?” Anna asked, her voice still thick with sleep.
Hou Yi rubbed his eyes and glanced at her. “We need to be back at Tullamarine before 9 am. The only departure slot we managed to get is at 9:15. The authorities confirmed we can land and take off in Warrnambool, even though the strip is short, since it’s a private plane, not a commercial one. We should arrive before 10:30 am, but we need to leave by 6 pm to make our return flight. That gives us about seven hours with your family. We need to leave in 40 minutes, so hurry up.”
Anna sighed, reluctantly pulling herself out of bed. She quickly showered and put on the hotel robe, allowing Hou Yi to use the bathroom while she dressed in a set of casual clothes she had packed. Fifteen minutes later, Hou Yi emerged from the bathroom, fully dressed. He checked his watch. “Come on, we really need to get going now. We don’t want to miss our flight.”
Within minutes, both were ready, cameras in hand, and Anna with her handbag slung over her shoulder. In just three minutes, they were in the car, heading for the airport. They made it to their flight slot on time, and soon they were airborne, heading toward Warrnambool.
Once they were allowed to move around, the flight attendants served breakfast. Anna opted for an egg and bacon roll, hash browns, and coffee, while Hou Yi chose the same, but with tea instead.
As they ate, Hou Yi spoke up. “Anna, some of the bodyguards will accompany us in the second vehicle, but the rest will stay with the plane. I know you don’t want them around us, so I’ve told them to give us space today.”
“That’s fine, but make sure they stay out of my parents’ sight, okay?” Anna replied. “This is hard enough for them to adjust to. Having bodyguards surrounding us will make it even worse.”
After navigating through some unexpected delays due to the wind and emergency flights, the plane finally touched down at Warrnambool Airport just after 10:30 am.
