The tightness in my chest grows tighter.
“You’re going to miss out on all the fun, Ozzy.”
You can stop calling me that, I want to tell her. But instead I say, “It’s okay. I’ll see you guys when I land.”
“And what time is that? We’ll land around one in the afternoon. We can wait for you?”
I wouldn’t get to Maui until around three p.m.
“I don’t want to hold you guys up. I’ll get a rental car.”
“Seriously?” Carina pouts. “I’m starting to feel like you don’t want to be around us.”
Ding! Ding! Ding! Correct.
“You’re being difficult,” Carina adds.
I cradle my head in my hands, massaging my temples.
I can feel Clover peeking at me through the mirror, intrigued by my conversation, but failing miserably at making it inconspicuous. I almost tell her to bust a U and take my ass back home.
“Listen, Carina, I’m sorry. I’m not trying to be difficult,” I say evenly. “My flight was made months before you decided to fly everyone to Hawaii on a private jet. It’s too late to change it, and I don’t want handouts. I’ll meet you all at the resort. We’ll have fun when I get there.” The last sentence comes out through gritted teeth.
Carina lets out a strangled grunt that sounds somewhere between offended and baffled. “Fine,” she snaps. “Call it what you want, but you know what people will think, right?”
“I don’t give a…” I stop myself, my breathing elevating. “TSA is a pain right now. I gotta go,” I lie.
“Bye.”
“Yeah,” I mutter, ending the call. I almost slam my head against the window. But I get a vision of my aunt. Her smiling face flashing in the reflection of the glass. The smile she had before she got sick.
Before…
I let out a heavy sigh.
This is all for you, auntie.
I need to remember that when I start to feel like this. I’m doing this for the woman who has been like a mother to me.
Don’t lie to yourself. That’s not the only reason.
4
catch flights
OTHELLO
I barely make it.Clearing TSA has me feeling like I’m running a damn obstacle course, and the second I shove my Jordans back on, I book it to the gate. The duffle bag on my shoulder smacks hard against my side with each push forward. After all the courage it took to get me here, I’m determined not to miss this flight.
The attendant scans my boarding pass and smiles. “Everyone seems to be running late today,” she says playfully.
“Monday’s will do that to you,” I pant, trying to catch my breath.
She laughs, batting her extra-long lashes. “Enjoy your flight, Mr. Kingston.”
I thank her and duck inside the plane, nodding at the pilot and the two flight attendants hovering near the entrance. One of the attendants, a tall woman, gives me a polite smile the second our eyes meet.
“Welcome! Do you need help finding your seat?”
