In the Airport
Eleanor arrived at the airport an hour before her flight. Besides the wait, she went through the security checkpoint without a problem. "This may be an easy trip after all," she thought. She walked down the crowded concourse towards her gate. For a Tuesday, the terminal was awfully busy. Every two minutes, employees announced names and flight numbers over the loud speaker. People were running to catch flights and the train. Eleanor walked into the waiting area and rolled her eyes. There were no empty seats. After a few minutes of searching, she finally found an empty seat. She sat down and immediately reached for her phone. "No new messages. No missed calls. Should I call him?" she thought. Last night was the last time she talked to Teddy, and it did not end well…
"Teddy, you know what this trip means to me," she whispered, so she wouldn't wake up Charlie.
"It is out of my hands. My boss decided to extend it," he explained.
"You promised. One week. You said that you would be back in one week, and I would be able to take my trip. What am I supposed to do?" She asked.
"Reschedule it." He suggested. "You've done it before."
"I can't. If I reschedule, the client will drop me from the account. God, you can be selfish, Teddy."
"I'm selfish? You are selfish. You wanted to work! I suggested that you stay at home with Charlie. I could provide us. No problem."
"Teddy, you better think about your next words very carefully."
He took a moment to think about his next words. "Fine. Handle it. Call my dad and Sharon. They returned from their cruise last night."
"I'm not calling your dad and his flavor of the week. He can't take care of himself…let alone Charlie." She was upset now. How could he suggest something so silly?
"Well, call your mom. I would suggest you dad, but he's probably out of town as always." His blood was boiling now. "Yet, he is a better father than me," he finished.
"Teddy…"
"I heard the conversation, Ellie. I wasn't that wrapped up in Charlie's diaper change."
"I'm sorry! It just came out." She screamed causing Charlie to jump and looked around.. Thankfully, after a few seconds, he fell back asleep.
"Ellie, I have to go. My boss is waving me over. Goodbye."
The line went dead. All she heard was the beeping sound, and it reminded her that the call was over. She placed the phone on the nightstand and hit the lights. She played the conversation in her head. She made a list of pros and cons, thought about how it could have went better, and made mental notes of what she did wrong. She never meant to hurt Teddy's feelings, but she did. That day, she was tired of his laid back, nonchalant attitude. She needed to vent, so she called her mom. Eleanor began crying. She was tired of the fighting and the passive aggressiveness. She desired for things to return to normal. An hour had passed, and she was still awake. She could not sleep when she was angry with Teddy. She turned on the bedside light and grabbed her phone. She waited for him to answer. He never did. She ended the call. "He'll call back," she thought. Eleanor quickly texted Olivia asking if she could watch Charlie, and luckily, she said yes. Eleanor placed the phone back on the nightstand, kissed Charlie, and fell asleep.
"Flight 134 to Seattle is now boarding," the attendant announced over the intercom. Eleanor heard the reminder and headed towards her gate.
Four hours and one layover later, the plane landed in Seattle. Passengers quickly filed out and headed towards baggage claim. On her way to the carousel, Eleanor checked her phone for any new messages or missed calls. She had none. She grabbed her bag and walked to the drop-off/pick-up area. The air was cold and damp. It smelled like fresh pine and snow. She searched for her name in the sea of town cars but could not find it. She dialed her assistant, but stopped when she saw a former teacher.
"Gregory?" she called. "Gregory, is that you?"
"Eleanor..." he said as he walked closer to her. " Eleanor Ophelia Ballard! Well, I be damned." He stretched his arms out and wrapped them around her waist. "How long has it been?"
"A little over four years…" she smiled. Her eyes looked him up and down. She was captivated and hanging on his every word. It had really been four years, five months, and three weeks, but who was counting. Gregory was wearing dark jeans, a Rolling Stone t-shirt, and red sneakers. He still dressed as if he was a graduate student, and his thick Texan accent was making her melt.
"You sure? It feels longer…" Gregory looked at Eleanor and tried take it all in. He took a mental snapshot of her. He loved her new look. It was different from her style in college and during her hipster days. She was dressed in black pencil skirt, a colorful chiffon top, and black flats. She seemed much more mature. One would never guess that he was ten years her senior and a PhD professor. That he was the responsible one, instead of the naïve, idealistic student. "What are you doing in Seattle?" he asked.
"Business…you?'
"I live here now. Jessica and I moved after our oldest was born…a little over three years ago."
"Oh…" that was all she could muster.
He did not know what to say. It had been four years, five months, and three weeks. What could he possibly say that would convey four years' worth of feelings? "I have a son and a daughter." He exclaimed. "I have pictures."
"Can I see?' she asked.
He pulled out his phone and flipped through a dozen or so photos. There were pictures of his kids in costumes for Halloween, family pictures at the beach, and a portrait on their front porch.
"They are beautiful. You truly have the American dream."
"Yeah, I did well." He replied as he shook his head in agreement. "I live in Highland suburbs and teach at Rusk University now. It's no third world country, but I love it. How are you doing?"
"I'm great. I'm married to an amazing man, and we have a son, Charlie. I work for a public relations firm, and I also live in the suburbs…of Connecticut." She whispered the last part and hoped that he didn't hear her.
"Wow. You in the suburbs? That's…that's crazy." He joked. "What happened to girl who wanted to burn the suburbs down? You said that it was oppressive and detrimental to the advancement of women." They both started laughing.
"Wow. I was out there. I can't believe…" her sentence was interrupted by the ringing of her phone. "I have to answer this. It's my office. " She started to walk off but looked back. "It was nice seeing you again Greg." She turned back around and continued walking. She started processing what just happened. She randomly ran into a man that she had not seen in four years, five months, and three weeks.
