Two Feet Off The Ground Read online

  The sight of Paula with her arms around that other woman cut through me. More tears leaked down my face. I just let them roll as people walked past me, studying my pain.

  I watched the flight attendant tidy up the kitchen area, tend to the coffee, put dishes away, fold a blanket, then answer the phone. She was a short lady with a starched bun. She spoke into the phone and darted her eyes around the few people in first class and hung up. Then, she walked over to us with a soft smile.

  “I know this is going to sound strange, but you need to look at your cell phone.”

  “Huh?” I sat up straighter.

  “I just got a call from our captain upfront and he was informed that a passenger on another plane has sent you a message. Well, actually, he was asked to transcribe the message, but he refused, so the passenger sent you a voice message instead.”

  New life pulsed in me. My heart raced. My fingers felt like my fingers again instead of plastic nubs. I could swallow again without that lump getting in the way.

  I bent forward to get my purse and Owen had beaten me to it. He turned the cell on already. We stared at the phone as it came to life. Then, Owen called my voice mail and pushed the phone up against my ear.

  Teamwork.

  Paula’s voice broke the agonizing silence. “I got your message, and I can’t believe we missed each other. I never should’ve disconnected my phone so soon. Call me a sore loser. Chuck is giving me the eye that I have to finish this up. So, I have one thing to tell you. I love you. And I’ll be waiting for you when you land. My friend, Alisha, is with me and Chuck. She came along to help us get settled. I think she has a crush on Chuck. Okay, now Alisha is punching my arm and Chuck is turning red. I have never been happier, Lauren. I’ll see you in a few hours. I love you.”

  “Well? What did she say?” Owen asked me when I hung up.

  “Her friend isn’t gay.”

  “That’s it?”

  I leaned my head back with a smile. “Oh, and she loves me.”

  Owen raised his hands up in the air and released a winning hoot. Then, he bucked around in his seat like a wild horse wanting to get the race over with.

  The engine revved and the flight attendants prepared for takeoff, ensuring everyone’s seat and tray tables were in the upright position.

  I tucked my hand around Owen’s and swallowed. My stomach tossed and turned, rolling over in quick somersaults, a combination of thrill and death defying adventure. “I’m a little scared, Owen.”

  He squeezed my hand tighter. “Think of something good.”

  That would be easy. I had a whole lot of good things to think about now. So many, I’d need a closet the size of my condo to fit them all in. “I’m ready.”

  The plane raced down the runway, and as it lifted off the ground, the fear disappeared in a poof.

  I came alive.

  * *

  Three months later, me, Paula, Owen, Chuck, and Alisha stood outside the airport security gates waiting for Aziza and Tania to bolt through at any second. Owen spotted them first. We strolled towards them, arms linked around each other. When Aziza saw me, she ran towards me and we launched ourselves in the air, laughing, crying, screaming out in joy like it had been years since we’d last laid eyes on each other.

  “I have a surprise for you,” I said to her as we strode away a half an hour later with their collected luggage.

  “Is it something western?” she asked. “Or is it food? Did you bake me macadamia nut cookies?”

  “Wait and see.” I reached out for my best friend’s hand and led her to our car.

  Paula drove while Aziza looked out with her mouth open. “This place is dripping in beauty. What an adorable place to shop. How do you manage to keep from going broke here? Look at these designer stores!”

  “This is my hometown. Can you believe it?” I asked, cuddling up to my best friend in the back seat.

  “I want to see where you work. Take me there,” Aziza said.

  Paula drove faster. “We’re almost there, actually.”

  “Oh my God. You work around here?”

  I could barely breathe; the intensity bubbled in me like a geyser. I pointed a few hundred yards to a vacant building on the corner. “There are my new digs.”

  The sign, prominently hanging in the front window next to the building permit notice, still sent chills down my spine when I saw it.

  Bella II.

  Aziza looked from the sign to me at least a dozen times. “You finally ate the frog.”

  “Swallowed it up whole,” I said.

  The group exited the car and stood in front of the empty storefront. Aziza curled her arms around me. “How does it feel?”

  “Like I’m finally free.”