The view of the golden horizon was mesmerising as the plane sailed higher and higher above the clouds. The sound of the seatbelt sign awoke me from my trance, becoming aware of Freja shifting in her seat beside me.
“So, what brings you to San Francisco?” she smiled.181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvsL8VhtwmH
I battled with my tongue, trying to refrain from responding to her. Her eyebrow creased in anticipation. I gave in.181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDh8HD7pSUX
“I’m on a layover for a few hours until I catch a connecting to Miami.”181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAJD0xZkkN6
“Travelling in between Uni break? How fun.” She turned to her boyfriend. “It’s Luke and I’s two-year anniversary on Friday. Thought we’d celebrate.” They giggled amongst themselves, and I felt an iron bar plunge through my intestines. I made a decision to not throw up.181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrNUuQoZjhP
“So how are you and Rocky?” 181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtQ4VPmTli3
I matched her response with confusion. “Rocky? You mean Block-Boy?”181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ19p04c1XJV
She laughed, almost too comically. “Yeah, are you guys still together?”181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4rdPdLoqnI
I had to stop myself from laughing in her face. “Freja, he was my boyfriend for a day when I was 6. I haven’t spoken to him since we left like 9 years ago.”181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5SeqfElgPn
She thought to herself. “Oh yeah. I guess I forget how long ago it was.”
I took the break in conversation to quickly switch on the small flatscreen in front of me, in an effort to shut her up. I slid on the flimsy headphones and scrolled through the list of films. I felt a nudge on my arm and sighed under my breath. Her lips, now stained with pink gloss began to ask me more demeaning questions, showcasing the different paths our lives took. She explained about her career in modelling and interior design. Typical of her. Don’t get me wrong, she’s stunning and a nice person but there was no substance to her personality. Something I couldn’t bear to surround myself with.181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZJG8JUg3nu
“I’m actually on a family trip,” I interrupted, leaving her mouth to be left agape as she thought of what she was going to say next. “I don’t have a boyfriend and I’m not on an all-expenses-paid trip for a romantic getaway. It’s great that you guys are though.” 181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCZyUIGV6Q9
The look on their faces was priceless. A part of me felt bad for being so rude but I couldn’t take it anymore. I didn’t need to be reminded of everything that I didn’t have in my life that I wanted desperately. After pondering, I clicked on Pretty Woman and slumped into my seat.181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLbIOYjSVnU
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After the longest 15-hour flight of my life, I grabbed my belongings and lingered in the aisle. As I waited to exit, I noticed the familiar white hair of my grandparents from first-class seats. Once reunited with the rest of my family, I realised that we had all been split up. Grandad and Nan emerged from the first-class line and Mum and Dad from business class. I went to ask Stephie if this was an accident, but she had other intentions.
“Oh my god! The freakin’ man next to me smelt so bad!” she exclaimed, holding Abbey’s hand. She eyeballed her mother at the sound of her lips nearly repeating a curse word.
“The guy next to me watched the entire Saw series. Poor Jax is traumatised,” Austin laughed staring at Jaxon’s pouted lips.
“Wait but why did Mum and Dad and Nan and Grandad get upgraded from Economy? As if that’s fair,” I asked.
Dad winked in my direction. “I can confirm I got all the food I wanted.” I rolled my eyes and propped Jax on my hip, his little fingers latching onto my shoulders immediately. He played with the auburn hair that rested below my shoulder. We walked to the luggage terminal and Freja and Luke flashed me a wave as they made their way to the cab waiting for them. I looked back at Mum who had somehow recognised her immediately.
“Nice girl she was,” she smiled.
Too nice.181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsGgGmpYkzZ
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Before I could even realise it, we were packing up our hotel room and heading for San Francisco Airport. The plane for Miami was an hour from boarding when we arrived. How fucking tired I was of airports. I enjoyed a very peaceful 6-hour flight glossing over my Psychology textbook and making notes - a desperate attempt to not drown in content and keep my head afloat.
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“We’re finally here,” Michael stated, looking around at the glass windows of the Airport. “Glad I didn’t pack any jumpers.”181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuD1O6hTLRh
Dad pulled out his phone. “32 degrees, pretty warm.”181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQcCXKG5s69
Grandad scoffed. “That’s not even hot, that’s a normal Autumn Day back home.”
The group turned to him silently, a ‘taking the piss’ look across everyone’s face.
“How long until we board the boat?” I asked.
“Not until tomorrow morning,” Mum replied. I let out an annoyed sigh and she looked at me with caution.
Abbey was pulling Stephie’s leggings and whining. It was obvious she needed to go to the toilet. Mum took her hand and led her into the ladies, and I slumped against the tiled wall next to the bathrooms to pass the time. I caught myself scanning faces exiting the Arrivals terminal. So many different types of people greeting and embracing one another. The walls of the airports have seen the most sincerest of goodbyes and I love you’s out of them all. I happened to look up from my phone and saw a little boy, maybe a year older than Jax walking over to me. He was wearing a Hawaiian shirt with brown sandals and a confused look painted his face. I knelt down beside him, waiting for him to register my face.181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxByaJ4XY9w
“Are you alright bud?”
He ignored my question and turned to the lady’s room at full speed. I grabbed his hand and his brown eyes looked up at me. ‘Not sure you want to go into that one, that’s the girl’s room.”181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlkIvT8cnvg
He pointed to the female sign and said the word ‘boy’. I smiled playfully at his wrong answer and looked around for a possible parent who may be looking for him. A palm reached out behind me and searched for the small hand waving around limply. The green-eyed stranger shot me a crooked smile.
“I’m sorry, he’s hard to keep hold of.” He ran a hand through his fair curls. “Thank you for finding him.”
I nodded and returned his half-smile. He took a firm grip on the boy’s hand and led him away. The youngster’s free hand stretched in my direction to give me a limp wave.
I felt my ears flush pink. I rotated back to the group and followed them to the black charter bus beckoning our departure. I pushed the encounter aside, but the boy’s smile persisted in my mind.
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