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As I wandered through a purse shop, I thought back to this morning and the conversation I'd had with my landlord. I had packed everything I owned and had just thrown the last of my bags into the trunk of the cab and slammed it closed.
"Give me one minute," I'd said to the driver.
He nodded while sipping on his coffee. "I'm in no rush. The meter is running!" he shouted as I ran back into the building and handed the landlord my key.
"Alexa, are you sure you won't change your mind? I can always hold the place until I hear from you for no deposit. You've been a good tenant; I'd hate to see you go."
Of course, he would hate to see me go. I'd paid my rent on time, the place was barely used due to my travel schedule, and I had left it with barely a scratch in any of the walls or furniture.
I hesitated for a minute, trying to decide what my plan was. When nothing came to mind, I shook my head. "It's okay. I'm sure."
"You know what, you don’t worry. I am going to hold it for you regardless. No one is going to be looking for an apartment over the holidays anyways. So, how about I call you just after Christmas, and if you want to come back, the place is yours."
"Thank you,I appreciate it, but you don't have to do that."
"Nonsense, it’s not a big deal. It will be here for you. Have a merry Christmas, Alexa." He turned and headed back down the hall in the direction he had come from. I wiped the tears that had fallen from my eyes and turned on my heel and walked out the door into the drizzly weather.
"Is there something I can help you with, miss?" I felt a light tap on my shoulder, and a lady came into focus in front of me.
"Oh no. I was just looking, thanks," I said and continued into the next store.
By the time I got to the gate, I had passed an hour. I took a seat off in the corner and pulled my laptop from my bag. Within minutes, I had pulled up job opportunities and began my search. There certainly wasn't much in the line of photography work back home, but the few that I found I applied to quickly. I had just sent my resume off to a fifth one when my cell phone rang. I glanced at the phone to see “Mom and Dad” across the screen.
"Hey, Mom."
"Lexi, I called your apartment. Your line has been disconnected."
"Yeah, Mom, I shut it off. Traveling to my next job," I lied. I hated lying to Mom, but she didn't need to know the real reason. I still really wanted my visit to be a surprise.
"Listen, I was just talking to your father. Are you sure you can't make it home? We will pay for your ticket, even for a couple of days."
I looked around the airport and smirked to myself. "I can't, Mom."
The line went quiet, and I thought I heard her let out a sniffle, but then she cleared her throat. "So what time is your flight?"
"It leaves in three hours. Cell service might be spotty where I am going, but I will call you as soon as I can."
"How long is the flight?"
"About eleven hours."
"Where are you off to again?"
"Geez, Mom, I can't remember the name of the city, and I don't have my boarding pass just yet," I lied as I stared down at the boarding pass in my hand.
"All right, well, promise me you'll try to call us on Christmas day okay."
"Sure thing, Mom. I love you."
"Love you too, Lex."
The other end of the phone went quiet and I hung up, shoving it back in my bag. I stuffed my laptop and boarding pass in as well and pulled my sweatshirt from the bag. I threw it over my head and glanced across the way to the small store. Deciding I needed two or three books for the flight home, I got up from the floor and wandered across the way to browse what they had. Three hours later, armed with four new books, two bags of chips, a sandwich, and some other snacks and drinks, I boarded the plane and was on my way to spend Christmas with my family for the first time in three years.
Chapter 4
Drew
A bad renditionof “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” played over the tiny radio I kept in my office. The ice cubes in my now-empty glass had started to melt, sliding down one another and clinking against the side of the crystal glass. I poured a bit more scotch into my glass and looked out the window. Outside, snow was just starting to lightly fall, and the darkened skies threatened more.
