"I'm going to Yokohama the day after tomorrow."

The checkmark next to the text she had just typed increased from one to two, and then a notification appeared indicating that the message had been read by the recipient.

"On this date, right?"

Midori's reply came faster than she expected. She responded with a "Yes!" sticker.

"I thought you weren't doing it anymore," Midori remarked. "After all these years."

In previous years, she always had to go to Yokohama in April, during spring. But this year was different. She was late because of the workload at the hospital.

"I want to say goodbye," she replied. Midori had read it, but hadn't replied yet. She thought her friend was shocked by her answer.

"You should have done it long time ago."

Midori always knew the right thing to say. "Do you think it's the right time?"

"There's never a good time to say goodbye."

"Sure," she typed.

"You should tell him too," Midori suggested. "I've been 'trying' all this time, but I think it's better if you say it yourself."

She wasn't sure about this. Not unsure, but more like not knowing how to do it. "I don't know what to say," she confessed.

"Just say what's true."

She made it sound easy, but Midori never bothered to hide anything. And she owed her a debt of gratitude.

"What if he doesn't like the truth?" She asked back.

"Don't overthink it," said Midori. "He'd understand."

"I'll do it later," she relented. "After coming back from Yokohama."

"I can call," Midori offered. "If you're afraid, we can do it together. Takeshi can join if you need him."

"No need." She had been preparing for this for over a decade. The long preparation period should yield worthy results—at least that was what she hoped. "I'll do it myself. Thank you for everything."

Midori replied with a 'No problem!' sticker along with a wish to have fun. She laughed at the sticker. Midori's sense of humor was a bit dark. Her best friend knew perfectly well that she wouldn't be able to have fun in Yokohama.

...

Felix pointed at the blue-colored ship. "What about that one?"

I squinted to block the sunlight. The wind tousled my hair, almost blowing my hat away if I hadn't held it down. "Seems too big. Something smaller is better."

"The bigger the ship, the less we'll feel the waves," Felix explained. I nodded, it was a new piece of information for me. "Well, that one over there seems suitable for us."

Us. I liked that word. No more "I" or "you." "Us" symbolized our unity.

"That one looks good," I agreed. The ship Felix pointed out was just the right size—neither too big nor too small. Its body was sleek, its paint still shiny, and the windows were clear. "But why is it moored at an angle like that?"

"Just a bit," Felix said. "That's a new ship. Probably the owner's first time anchoring. She got too close to the dock."

"The owner is us, right?"

"If you want, we can take it."

With his strong hands, Felix lifted me and brought me closer to the ship.

"What are you doing? Put me down!" I laughed. "That's someone else's ship!"

"Who says?" Felix chuckled. "We're just choosing which ship would be perfect for us. And you chose that one."

Some people on the dock watched us. "Don't embarrass me, please."

Felix didn't put me down. Instead, he walked faster. "Do you think if we tell the owner we want their ship, they'll give it to us?"

"That's not how it works!"

"But it's worth a try, right?"

An elderly man descended from the deck. From his attire, he seemed rich. He noticed us and looked surprised. I quickly wriggled out of Felix's embrace and bowed apologetically.

"Good afternoon, Uncle," Felix greeted. "Your ship is amazing. My wife loves it. May we come aboard for a moment?"

"Sorry!" I nudged Felix's waist from behind. "We were just joking. Excuse us."

I pulled him away quickly. The ship's owner observed us leaving the dock. From his gaze, I was sure he thought we were both crazy.

"What's gotten into you? You're embarrassing me!"

Felix just shrugged. "Well, you said the ship was decent."

"Yeah, but don't act like that." I appreciated his spontaneous and humorous nature, even though it often led to embarrassment. "People are watching, you know. Let's find another ship."

"You don't want to board my ship," Felix pretended to pout. "Because it's a cargo ship."

Well, a cargo ship wasn't exactly a romantic getaway, right? "That's true. But at least it's your ship, and we won't feel embarrassed boarding it."

"A cargo ship isn't a place for a girl," he replied, his tone was serious. "Too many heavy objects. You could get hurt."

He reached out for my hand. I pulled away. "Don't. Not in public."

"Why can't we hold hands?"

"We can, but not here," I reminded him. "It's considered, umm... rude."

"Holding hands with someone you love is rude?"

Well, putting it that way, it does seem illogical. Eventually I relented and allowed Felix to hold my hand. We walked slowly along the dock. Seagulls flew in the sky, their white-gray feathers making them look like mini airplanes. The rippling sea water resembled liquid gold. The sun, shaped like a tired giant orange bow, slowly sank. Its fading light turned the white ships moored at the dock into dark silhouettes on the water.

"Your ship will depart in two weeks, right?" I asked.

Felix shook his head. "No. I won't go anymore."

"Why? Is something happened?"

"I asked to be transferred to management at the port. My boss is considering it. If he agreed, I could stay here for a full ten months and only go to sea for about two months."

"But don't you like going to sea?"

"I do like going to sea," he admitted. "But I like you more. That's why I want to stay here, for as long as possible."

I leaned closer to him, resting my head on his shoulder. I didn't want to be apart from him anymore. While enjoying the sunset, I whispered a prayer to the gods, asking that we would not be separated.

The sound of waves mesmerized me, so I didn't hear the approaching footsteps. Suddenly, someone tapped me. Both Felix and I turned around. Six police officers stood behind us. The one who tapped me was a police officer with a rank insignia.

"Are you Setiadi-san?" the Inspector asked. " Setiadi Felix?"

"Yes," Felix replied. "What's the matter, Officer?"

"Can I see your passport?"

Felix handed over his passport. The Inspector only glanced at the passport cover but didn't return it. "We're from the Yokohama Police. You're being detained for misusing your residency permit in Japan."

"My name is Nishii," I said. "There must be a mistake. My boyfriend didn't do that."

"I apologize, Nishii-san. But we received a report that Setiadi-san has exceeded the designated time limit for staying in Yokohama. His residency permit expired a month ago, and he hasn't shown intent to renew it."

"But that's impossible," Felix exclaimed. The other five police officers surrounded us. "I just docked here three weeks ago. I work for Nansei Kaiun cargo company. I have an official landing permit."

"Sorry, but you'll have to come with us."

"Wait. This is just a misunderstanding!"

The Inspector disregarded Felix's explanation. He and his subordinates forcefully separated Felix from me, then dragged him into the police car to handcuff him. Another police officer detained me. Felix struggled fiercely, resisting with all his might. I yelled at him not to resist, as the police could hurt him. Indeed, before Felix could kick, one of the officers smoothly executed a judo move, slamming him onto the damp dock pavement.

"No!" I rushed forward, but the officer guarding me immediately grabbed my blouse and turned my body in the opposite direction. "Don't hurt him!"

"Resisting us means obstructing the work of police officers," the Inspector admonished. "You'd better stop resisting, as it will affect your punishment!"

"HE DID NOTHING WRONG!" The police officer's grip on my waist was so tight that it felt like my body would split in two. "This is a mistake! You're doing this on purpose!"

The police officers ignored me. They held both of Felix's hands and legs, pushing him into the police car. I jabbed the stomach of the officer holding me and kicked his shin. He grimaced in pain, loosening his grip slightly. I quickly seized the opportunity to free myself. I pulled Felix's shoulder before he was confined in the car.

"I won't let you go!" I hugged him tightly, but the officers immediately intervened. "I will never let you go!"

"Aiko, listen." Felix looked at me. His nose was bleeding from hitting the asphalt. "You have to let me go, or they will hurt you too."

"No! I can't do that!"

"My boss will take care of this. He will free me."

"But..." all of this felt so surreal, like a nightmare. "But what if..."

"Wait for me here, at this dock," Felix kissed my cheek as best he could. His blood stained my tear-drenched cheek. "I will come back. I promise."

...

She will never forget that evening, on the thirtieth of April. It was the last time she saw the face of the person she loved. Eighteen years have passed since then, and she has never seen Felix again. She did everything to find him: contacted the nearest police station and Nansei Kaiun cargo company, visited immigration offices in Yokohama and Tokyo, checked every prison, and even reached out to the Indonesian embassy. But all her efforts were in vain. Felix Setiadi, her lover, disappeared as if swallowed by the ocean.

Both of her parents swore they had nothing to do with Felix's disappearance.

Since that day, for eighteen years, Aiko visited Yokohama port every year in spring, waiting for Felix to fulfill his promise to her.

https://youtu.be/7Cu9oq6Y3Q4

Hakushi Hasegawa - Sea Change