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“I’ll pass,” I said. “I’m sure you’re already a member,” we said in unison, his voice a playful singsong mimicking the response he’d guessed I would give.
“That was scary,” I said with a giggle.
“It’s got to be love when I can predict what you’re going to say.”
“Well, are you a member?” I asked playfully.
“No comment,” he said, looking away with a smile.
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
The plane landed heavily, which upset Devin. He hated rough landings. He commented to the flight attendant that the pilot should have his license revoked. I kept walking and didn’t hear the rest of the conversation. I was anxious to see Elizabeth. It had been too long.
“I think I’m going to buy myself a plane,” he said as we stood in line for customs.
“You can’t fly a plane.”
“Why not?” he said. “How hard can it be?”
“Because your life isn’t dangerous enough, you want to learn to fly? Please do me a favor and take flights from pilots.”
“Why are you so touchy about that?”
“My Uncle John died that way. Jess’s father.”
That caught him off guard. “He did?”
“When she was sixteen. He’d been a recreational pilot, you know, like what you want to be. He was flying over water on his way to an island wedding and misjudged the horizon. Thankfully, Jess and her mom weren’t on the plane. They were supposed to be, but they took a boat instead because my aunt hated the little plane.”
“Shit. Remind me not to fly my own plane over water.”
And he’d missed the point.
Picking up on my silence, he continued, “It’s just that it would be nice to do things when I wanted to do them, rather than being at the mercy of airlines and private planes and pilots.”
“I think it’s a terrible idea,” I said as we passed through customs. The customs officer held up the line so Devin could give him an autograph. This did not endear us to the other passengers.
I screamed with joy when I saw Elizabeth standing outside the baggage claim area. Elizabeth waved frantically and we hugged. Other passengers had taken notice, and Devin made a hand gesture that Elizabeth and I were both loopy.
“How have you been? I’ve missed you!” Elizabeth said in her perfect English.
She hadn’t changed much. Her hair was still short, but more blonde than the brown it had been for years. Small bags had crept up under her brown eyes, but otherwise she looked the same.
“I’ve been great. I’d like you to meet Devin,” I said, grabbing him by the arm.
“Nice to finally meet you,” Elizabeth said, shaking his hand. “We aren’t embarrassing you, are we?”
“Un petit peu,” Devin said, motioning a little with his index finger and thumb.
“You speak French,” Elizabeth said, impressed.
“Don’t be fooled, Elizabeth. I suspect that’s all he knows.”
“C’est vrai,” Devin said, nodding.
I gave him a funny look. He must have picked up the language from Celine or some other French girlfriend.
“Have I missed anything in the last year?” I asked as Devin retrieved our luggage.
