Home Coming

“Is that everything?”

Adam asked as he loaded the last of our luggage into his car. It was Friday morning and Adam, Kadie, and I were on our way to Texas for Lacey and Mark's wedding. Jaime had a 12 hour over night shift that he'd have to complete before he could fly out. So, I'd be picking him up from the airport before the rehearsal dinner.

Kadie stood on the sidewalk outside her apartment going through a mental checklist. “I think so”

“Are you sure? I don't want to get to the airport and find out you forgot something.” Adam stood next to his open car door staring at Kadie.

I laughed and whispered, “Y'all are like a real married couple.” Kadie slapped my shoulder and giggled.

We sat in the car and headed towards the airport. It was still too early in the morning for me to function. The streets lights had just turned off as the sun peaked over the horizon. I stared out the window as we drove. It was the first time I'd be leaving the city since my arrival. It was my first time going home. I was emotionless, not knowing what to feel.

Adam dropped Kadie and I off, with the luggage, at the airport's door. We hoisted our bags onto a trolly while we waited for him to park the car. Thankfully Kadie had done all of our ticketing beforehand so we just had to make our way through security.

We still had half an hour to spare before boarding, so we sat in the waiting area outside our gate. I was sitting across from Kadie and Adam. The two of them snuggled with their eyes closed. It was a sweet sight that got me thinking about my own situation. A position I'd put myself in. I knew I had to be without someone to value their presence. But, at the same time I wanted nothing more than to have that feeling of someone's warm love engulfing me.

My mind was racing with a million thoughts. I decided to take a walk around the terminal to ease some of my stress. I came across a Starbucks and went inside. The weather in the airport was just as chilly as outside. So, I grabbed a White Chocolate Mocha, and continued to walk. I ended up at a gift shop. There were shelves upon shelves of New York City snow globes. I was admiring them when I saw Kadie approaching me in the globe's reflection.

“Hey” She spoke gently as her hand rubbed my back. “Are you okay?”

“I'm fine.” I continued to peruse through the trinkets. The truth was, I wasn't okay. Kadie grabbed my arm and turned me around.

“Lynn, I know this is going to be hard for you. But, just remember, I'm always here for you. And Adam and Jaime are here for you too, okay?” She looked at me reassuringly with her soft blue eyes.

“I know, Kadie. I'm just nervous.” I folded my arms and set my eyes on the floor. “It's just going to be weird. What if Joshua tries to talk to me? What if I'm stupid enough to fall for it, again? What if I think I'm okay, but when I see him I find out I'm really not?”

“Hey, hey, hey” Kadie interrupted my thoughts. “Stop thinking 'what if'. Seriously Lynn, it's going to be okay. It won't be a big deal unless you make it one.” She placed both her hands on my shoulders and nudged me, “Okay?!”

“Okay” I softly responded.

“Good! Now, is that Mocha I smell?” Kadie took the Starbucks cup from my hand and began drinking it. We walked around the gift shop and decided to buy a few, very overpriced, key chains for some of our friends.

There was an announcement made for our flight. We grabbed our things and scrambled towards our gate. We stood in line as the lady at her desk checked everyone's tickets. One by one we began making our way onto the plane. Adam made us check in our carry on luggage which ended up being a smart idea. It made for a slightly more relaxed trip knowing I didn't need to fight with someone to claim an overhead compartment.

Shortly after everyone settled in, the plane took off. I leaned my head back, closed my eyes, and began focusing on my breathing.

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

“Lynn! Lynn!” I felt my body rocking back and forth. I woke up to see Adam and Kadie staring at me. “Wake up! We're about to land!” I shook my head and realized I'd slept through the entire duration of the flight. That was a first.

Kadie and I pulled out our purses from under our seats and dug around for our makeup bag. We waited for the jerky landing before we began applying our concealer and mascara. Adam watched in amazement at our synchronized routine.

There was a loud ding before a peppy air hostess spoke through the intercom,“Ladies and Gentlemen, we'd like to be the first to welcome you to Dallas!”

Kadie, Adam, and I began cheering. The younger crowd on the plane joined in, while the older businessmen on the flight looked around, annoyed.

We shuffled through the aisles and made our way to baggage claim. It was still early in the afternoon on Friday. Everyone was at work or getting ready for the rehearsal dinner. Except our friend, Woody. He had a truck and never really did much of anything, so he was always the designated chauffeur.

“WOODY!” Kadie and I yelled as we saw our friend.

“Come 'mer!” Woody yelled back with his hands in the air. We ran towards him and gave him a big hug. He swung us around in his arms. His grip grew tighter the more we laughed. “I gotta get that Yankee stench offa y'all!” He pretended to rub his hands over us.

When we'd finally loosened his grip Adam approached us. “Woody, this is my boyfriend Adam.” Woody stood up straighter as Adam came closer. He always had a territorial thing, and it was obvious. It wasn't until Adam smiled and stuck out his hand that Woody's chest deflated. “Adam, this is our old childhood friend, Corey Wood, but we just call him Woody.” Kadie introduced the two.

Woody crossed his arms over his chest and questioned Adam. “So, you're Kadie's new squeeze, huh? What do you do for a living, Adam?” He said in a mocking tone.

“I'm an entertainment lawyer.” Adam's voice sounded much smoother and professional compared to Woody. “How about yourself?”

“You ain't gotta worry bout me. I get things done!” Woody grabbed our bags and proceeded towards his truck. As soon as he did Adam shot Kadie a look which made the both of us giggle.

“Don't mind him! He's sweeter than cherry pie once you get to know him.” Kadie whispered to Adam.

Our first stop was my house. Woody dropped me off, with my bags, and went on his way to get Adam and Kadie to her place. I rang the door bell hoping someone was home. There was a sound of things shuffling inside before the front door opened. It was Marisol, our cleaning lady. (who would do some occasional cooking, and baby sitting, and pretty much anything my parents would ask her to do.)

“Ay mami!” She dropped the Swiffer mop stick that was in her hand and wrapped her arms around me. “Mija! You've gotten so big!” She stepped back to look at me.

“Oh Marisol!” I flicked my wrist, “Don't be silly, I stopped growing in high school.” We always loved hearing Marisol's version of stories because they were much more dramatic and exaggerated than reality.

I picked up my suitcase and she followed behind me with my carry on. “Hello?” I called out to the empty house. “Where is everyone?” I turned to look at Marisol.

“Oh, your mama and papa are at work. And the kids are at school.” Marisol had been working with our family since I was a toddler. Every year that past, her accent only grew thicker.

“Of course” I whispered to myself. For a moment I'd forgotten it was a work day. “Well, I'm just going to clean up.” I marched up the stairs to my old bedroom. Marisol trailed behind with my bags.

I pulled out a white lace dress from my suitcase and went into the shower. I had to make sure I looked my best tonight. So, I lathered up a conditioning mask for my hair and exfoliated my skin for a nice glow. After a very long and relaxing steam shower, I jumped out and changed into my dress. I dried my hair and turned on my curling iron. While I waited for it to heat up I dug through my closet to find my favorite cowboy boots.

Two hours lather I was finally ready. Just then I heard my parents walk in through the front door.

“Lynn Lee?” I heard my mom call out.

“Momma! Daddy!” I ran down the stairs and gave them a hug. As annoying as they can be, I really missed them.

“Oh sweetie, are you not getting anything to eat?” She grabbed my face and examined it.

“Mom” I smiled at her, knowing what she was trying to do.

Marisol had just finished making her famous chicken fajitas and called us to sit down. After we'd finished our late lunch I headed on my way back to the airport. There was still a couple of hours before Jaime's flight would arrive. But, I wanted to go down to the local drug store to grab a few things.

I drove into our city's center and pulled up to Rusty's General Store. After living in New York for almost a year, I couldn't help but laugh at what we called down town. There wasn't a building higher than 5 stories. They were lined up one next to the other in a single street. Beyond that was nothing but open fields. Every building looked as though it were slowly deteriorating, but it only added to it's charm.

Just as I opened the door for Rusty's I ran into a customer leaving at the same time. We'd bumped into each other. I looked up to apologize, but was so shocked I bit my tongue instead. I winced at the pain, unable to speak.

“Lynn Lee?” Joshua gave me a quizzical look.

“Is she okay?” I heard a rude girl's voice come from behind Joshua. She looked like a certifiable party whore. She had platinum blonde hair and dark brown under layers. Her hair was a mess of choppy layers and teased so high, even Theresa Caputo would've told her to stop. Her tan looked like it came from a bottle and her clothes, if they could even qualify as that, were barely there.

What was even more disgusting was when I looked down to see the two of them holding hands.