I had been waiting for hours in Gate 21B, pondering over my previous decision to fly half way around the world. I had never traveled this great of distance without individuals that I knew or family members. Now, I sat alone, worried, scared and confused.
"Excuse me, but are you Rory Gilmore?" The gentlemen standing beside me, was rather tall with curly brown hair and stubble lining the sides of his face. He definitely looked as if he had been camping for a few days and didn't bother to clean up.
"Yes…I'm guessing you're Dan Swuitzin, right?" I inquired nervously, as I flashed the Englishman a humongous smile.
"Guilty as charged! My colleague, John Mills, should be arriving shortly from Tokyo. You know how those Japanese are…" I stared at Dan in bewilderment, as I nodded my head.
"So, is this your first time doing an expedition like this?"
"Yah, how could you tell?" I asked shyly, tucking a few strands of hair behind my ears.
"Well, for starters, you're not wearing the proper hiking boots, your shirt is far too nice, and you'll never survive in that heat, if you're wearing silk pants." I blushed uncontrollably, as I stared down at my outfit. All I could see from out of the corner of my eye was a small grin forming on the Englishman's face.
"Oh, and one last thing, I could smell you from a mile away."
"What?" I furrowed my brow, as I peered at him in confusion. Dan leaned across to my right side and whispered in my ear, his hot breathe slightly tickling my neck.
"Your perfume, dear." I gulped loudly, as I could see another smile form on his lips.
"Oh, there you are! I knew I could spot that scruffy scoundrel anywhere." Dan and I whipped around to see a tall, lanky fellow pacing towards us.
"John!" Dan yelled at the top of his lungs, as he threw his hands out and embraced John in a huge hug.
"Nice to see you mate! And who's this fine Shelia?"
"Oh, this is Rory Gilmore. You know, the girl the boss was talking about." John stuck out his hand, as he tried to prop his camera-stand and his luggage against his left leg.
"A pleasure to meet you." He smiled, showing pearly white teeth under his dark complexion. He also had curly hair like Dan's, but John's had a reddish tint to it. He was most certainly an Australian, built for the rough and tumble life of always living on the go. I knew from that moment on, that we'd become good friends.
"The pleasure is all mine." I shook his hand firmly, as a flight attendant came over the loud speakers announcing that our flight was now boarding.
"Are you ready then?" Dan injected with a smile. Taking a deep breath, I gave a quick nod and bent down to pick up my things.
"Aren't you jetlagged Chap?" Dan mumbled over to John, as we all began to make our way over to the boarding line.
"Oh no, mate. You know me, I can take absolutely anything. A few more hours added on to a 24-hour flight, doesn't do much to this lad" he proudly stated, as he straightened his posture and casually stepped into line. I followed suit and nervously waited for my turn to hand the lady at the entrance of the tunnel, my ticket.
"Next please" was all I heard before a short, green-eyed lady came into view.
"Your ticket, Miss." I slowly handed over the flimsy piece of paper, before taking a step into the beginning of an adventure; a journey that would change the rest of my life forever.