Ever since I was a kid, the first day of school was always intimidating. In those few first hours the rest of your year is determined. Who you will sit next to, who you will eat lunch with. The foundation of your social encounters will be laid upon these first few hours. I showed up as a prompt student, early. I was ready to learn. The hands on the clock neared the start time for surface introductions and maybe if we were to be so unlucky, a chance to stand up and introduce ourselves to the class. Then she walked into the class. Her eyes glanced and scanned the crowd for an available seat. They were beautiful, green. Not even your everyday green, it was a deep green. As a I said, beautiful. She had blonde hair and couldn’t have stood more than 5 foot tall with fair freckled skin. I could spot her heritage from the minute she walked in. she was Irish. Right down to the four leaf clover keychain on her lanyard of other oddities. As I sat there in that community college class I suddenly felt that old familiar “in the gut butterfly” feeling that I have grown to miss. Wondering who she would sit by. Could I be the winner of the group and sit a little bit taller in the coliseum of microbiology? No way. I am not a winner. I wear tee shirts and jeans daily. Not much into fashion or hair gel. So I glanced down at my book. Microbiology. The study of microorganisms. Fantastic (of course said with sarcasm). For the next semester I would be bound to the will of this hardcover textbook. I was startled when I looked up to her looking at me. She simply asked, “Is this seat taken?”
Airports are filled with all walks of life. The families heading out for vacation with their armfuls of baggage and children at the hip. The businessmen with their briefcases who always seem to be on their cell phones talking with clients. The military members who are returning or departing from a distant battlefield. The young lovers who rejoice in their passion after months of being away.
I arrived at the terminal very early. Too early. I simply had a carry on bag and a laptop so it was unnecessary for me to go through the gruesome lines of baggage check. I arrived at the gate and decided I would grab myself a brew. I was young and I was new to the ability to purchase alcohol legally. So I indulged. As I waited there I pulled out a book I brought to pass the time. One about the conflicts of a mans life and how he had to rise above to triumph. I love reading to pass the time, especially when you become so involved and addicted to the story. You almost fall in love with the characters. Books that make you want to keep reading until your eyes are strained and your back hurts because you realize you have been in the same position for far too long. As I was there at the gate reading, getting Lost in the sea of fiction, she came and sat right next to me.
She was older than I was, but not too much older. She had a pair of faded blue jeans and an artsy style sweater she was using as a shawl to keep her warm against the airports massive air conditioning units. We sat there in silence for a while, me reading and her watching a standup comedian on her phone. Every so often she would laugh out loud which was cute and brought a smile on my face.
As one knows, with alcohol comes the urge to empty your bladder. I hadn’t drank enough to alter my mental status but I did drink just enough to alter my eliminatory Patterns and increase my frequency to void. So I got up and walked away. Upon my return she took off her headphones and said to me, “some little kid tried to sit in your seat but I defended it for ya.” I looked around at the sea of empty waiting room chairs and laughed. I thanked her for her brave and noble act and the conversation flowed from there.
I introduced my name and she introduced hers, Shayna. She was Ukrainian, although you could not tell from her Chicago accent. We exchanged the usual pleasantries like where we were going, what we were doing. She was going to Vegas with some friends for the weekend, where they would no doubt have a party filled time with just a few regrets that if they were lucky enough, they would have drank enough to not even feel the regret. Slowly as we became lost in our own conversation, the gate started to fill. Seats became valuable and I was thankful to have such a steadfast guard watching over my temporary airport accommodations. They called for the pre boarding passengers and she just so happen to fall under that category. As she stood up she looked over and said, “I’ll save you a seat.” I smiled and nodded.
Whenever you enter an airplane, always kiss the plane. If you don’t, please do not fly on the aircraft I am also flying on. I stepped abroad the small jet liner and looked around for my mysterious terminal friend. I could not find her at first and felt the sting of disappointment. Then suddenly I spotted her. Mid cab with a window seat, her things sprawled across her and the adjoining chair. I squeezed past a woman in the isle side seat and found comfort between the two of them. I quickly unpacked my book and glanced up to see her smile. I could see another gentleman a few rows back who saw the open chance to sit next to a cute girl for the next four hours, his dream was destroyed by myself and her sweater shawl strategically placed to block any other invaders.
We glanced at magazines and talked of previous travels to other places in the country. We slowly started to feel the late of the night and I could see that her eyes started to become heavy. She insisted that a nap was in order and I so willingly agreed. She made comfort of the corner seat with it’s plastic window reinforcement that could bring temporary comfort for the nap to come. As I closed my eyes I realized that she was restless, unable to find comfort she said. So I am a gentleman, I offered her a spot on my shoulder she could rest her head upon. I have heard wonderful things about the comfort of my shoulders, they say that it is a suitable place to rest, I would happen to agree due to the fact that my head is permanently resting in such a place. So she moved in closer and we enjoyed the comfort of each other. She smelled of a sweet perfume that she must have sprayed early in the day due to it’s fade. It was wonderful. We slept the whole way to Nevada, we awoke to see the Vegas strip and all of it’s lights at night. She was just as groggy as I was, which was comforting to me. It meant that she slept well, she felt as safe and secure as I did. You cannot trst people in this world but every once and a while, you find an alternative to the rule.
We stepped off and proceeded down the isle. We came to a fork. Why did t I bring a check bag??! Anything to spend an extra 15 minutes together. I looked at her and I said, “so i guess this is where we part ways, it was a pleasure meeting you.” she placed a business card in my hand, kissed me on the cheek and said, “it was very nice too meet you.”
I woke up next to shay sharing a small weathered couch. The apartMent was smouldering like an attic in thehot days of summer. The air seemed to be as still as the girl sleeping next to me.
I could not help but glance at her and to appreciate the moment. She had a very cute way about her in her black rimmed glasses matched with a dark almost black brown hair. She was only a few inches shorter than me which I am not a very tall guy by any means. I met her only two days ago at a bar on my twenty first birthday. She was there with her friends and I with mine. I decided to take a chance and talk to her. I had nothing to loose and I had just the right amount of liquid courage to get the job done.
As we were laying together it was a very nice fit. With her I felt comfortable and content. She was warm and inviting. Something that does not come often. As I lay there with her next to me I thought about what I was going to say to everyone when they ask where did I stay last night if I left my car in the downtown parking garage. It didn’t matter, I like to consider myself a gentleman. You know the kind, opens doors, pays for meals, and doesn’t pressure a girl into anything after the second night out with her.
This girl was different. She was smart and interesting. She was exactly what I was when it came to our passions and goals, a nerd. She could talk to you for hours on end about her missionary trip overseas in some third world country or about how the government is war hungry and profits upon others misfortunes. She was different, beautifully different. And maybe I’ve only known this girl for about 48 hours but I am intrigued. I am by no means a cool guy, I have never been a Rico swave, nor would I ever want to be.
I tried to roll onto my back to help promote some circulation and shay stirred a bit. I felt like Indiana jones trying to swap out an artifact with the utmost stealth and hoping that he doesn’t piss off the temple. So this went on for the next thirty minutes. I’d roll the she would roll then I’d roll again. Then finally she rolled into my arms, looked at me smiled and said “goodmorning babe.”
