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I turned back around and realized I had reached the desk to present my passport and boarding pass. I bid Owen and his family farewell as our paths parted from one another, but I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face.
Somehow, running into an old friend just made this stressful and insane day so much better. I looked at my watch and snapped back to reality, suddenly realizing I had only a few minutes left before my flight was supposed to board.
I rushed through the security line and dashed down the stairs and towards my gate. I heard the announcement over the intercom that my flight was boarding now, and I felt my pulse pick up as my forehead started beading with sweat. I really shouldn’t have worn so many layers.
I arrived at the gate,and the boarding area was nearly empty, which meant my entire family was already on the plane. The only other people in the area were Owen, Beth, Laila, and Cora, who each looked as frazzled as I was sure I did.
“I guess I should have figured we’d be on the same flight,” I said with a smile as I approached them.
Laila looked up at me, smiling as well. She had Owen’s wide grin crossing her entire face. I still hadn’t found out where their mother was or if Owen was still involved with her, but I was certain she was a beautiful woman. Both of his kids were absolutely lovely.
“Hi Skye,” Laila said in a sweet little voice.
“Hi, Laila. You remembered my name!”
“Yeah because it’s like the sky and we’re going to fly in the sky!”
“That’s right, we are,” I said with a chuckle.
“Come on, girls, we need to get on the plane or they’re going to leave without us.”
The look of horror that washed over the two young girls’ faces, I had to admit, was a bit humorous. I tried to hide my smile as I watched them head towards the airline employee patiently waiting for them.
I followed behind and pulled out my boarding pass, and then headed down the long walkway to the plane. I knew my family would be mocking me for the rest of my life for nearly missing the flight, but I was in a bit of a state of bliss, and I wasn’t too concerned about what they thought.
As I waited in the line to find my seat, countless memories of days with Owen came flooding back. Memories I thought were gone forever, and I hadn’t thought about in years.
We used to race our bikes around the block, and he always cheated and cut the corners, but I was too scared to ride on the grass or through the rocks.
In the summer, we spent endless amounts of time searching for frogs in the creek near our house, and then traumatizing our mothers when we brought them home in our hands.
Our bedroom windows faced each other, and I couldn’t count the times we tried to make tin can phones and string them between our houses. I had such fond memories of those years, and I hadn’t even realized it.
When I stepped onto the plane, I realized I was the last to board, which shouldn’t have been a surprise, but there was just one single seat left in first class. The rest of my family were spread throughout the plane, some of them opting for cheaper tickets, and others who wanted to fly in comfort.
As I approached my seat and set my backpack down, I looked across the aisle and spotted Owen and Cora sitting in the row in front of Beth and Laila. Given all of the insane coincidences that had already happened, I shouldn’t have been so shocked to see them there.
I settled into my seat and glanced over at Owen who was quietly reading a book to Cora. It warmed my heart to see him as a father, being so gentle with his little girl, and I honestly started to hope I really would run into him on the slopes in Switzerland.
4
OWEN
As I read the words on the page of Cora’s book, I knew I was saying them, but my mind was completely elsewhere. Skye was here. On my flight. Going to the same ski resort. I hadn’t seen her in so long, and she looked like she hadn’t aged a day.
Meanwhile, I looked like forty years had passed since we had last seen each other, not twenty. The grey throughout my hair and my beard was becoming more and more prominent, and the lines around my eyes and mouth seemed to get deeper each day. I glanced across the aisle at Skye, and there was not a single wrinkle on her face. People always thought her sister Sierra was the more beautiful of the two, but I only ever had eyes for Skye.
She wasn’t as “traditionally” beautiful as Sierra, but her brown eyes had a sparkle that I had never seen in anyone else. She was intelligent and thoughtful, and her ambition was definitely one of the most attractive things about her.
I had tried several times while waiting in the security line to see if there was a ring on her finger, but I could never quite catch it. I assumed since she seemed to be traveling alone she was not involved with anyone, but that was impossible to know.
I did take note, however, of the fact that she didn’t ask about the girls’ mother. I saw the look she gave Beth, and then her sense of relief when I mentioned she was the nanny, but she never asked.
I wasn’t sure how to bring it up. I didn’t want to just start spilling all of my trauma on her, but I wanted to catch her up on my life. I wanted to hear all about her, as well. I supposed there would be plenty of time for that while on this flight, but I wasn’t sure how much I wanted to bother her. It was an overnight trip, after all, and even if I could have stayed up to talk to her, I wasn’t sure if she wanted it, too.
I must have been staring too long,because Skye looked at me and her cheeks turned a slight pink color. I quickly looked away, but the damage was done. I couldn’t help myself. She was possibly more stunning than she had been years ago.
She cleared her throat and leaned slightly towards me with a smile edging at the corners of her mouth.
