Snowbanks

Chapter 4

"Wait a sec… this can't be right…" Francis said, rubbing his eyes and thinking that he was at the wrong place, "This can't be right at all."

Francis and Tsumugi had made their way to the other side of the terminal and arrived at the gate mentioned on their newly printed tickets. To the half-Candian's surprise though, the flight stationed there wasn't going to the place he had thought the two of them would be going to.

"Robert L. Stanfield International, YHZ." Tsumugi said, reading the airport name posted on the TV screens at the gate, "What's wrong, Suzuki-kun? Isn't that the airport at Montreal?"

"No…" Francis said, a little bit worried, "The airport at Montreal is Pierre Elliot Trudeau International, YUL. Stanfield, YHZ is the airport in my hometown – Halifax."

The two travelers then quickly referred to their tickets again to make sure that they hadn't made a mistake. To their relief though, they had been printed a pair of tickets each – one from Vancouver to Halifax and one from Halifax to Montreal. Tsumugi figured that they were given these since Francis must have sounded impatient and that the flight to Halifax was the earliest to fly out of Vancouver.

"I wasn't impatient!" Francis defended himself, "I was just worried that we wouldn't be able to reach Montreal, that's all."

"Just kidding." Tsumugi chuckled, making the half-Canadian a little shy

"But man… one connecting flight after another…" Francis mumbled, "They're both on Jazz too so we'll be in for a tough flight."

"Well, at least we get to pass by your hometown, Suzuki-kun." Tsumugi said in consolation, "Even for a little bit, at least."

"You're quite the optimist, are you?" Francis noted

"I try to be." The girl replied with a smile, "Unhappiness is just extra baggage you carry around after all, so I prefer to look on the bright side."

"That's a good way to live life." Francis said, agreeing with the pianist's logic. The two of them then boarded the plane and to find their seats which was (no surprise) at the very back of the plane. Again.

"Wow… this is a very small plane." Tsumugi said, being able to see the entirety of the cabin from the entrance. Francis thought that she was disappointed, but the opposite was true. "I've never been on a plane this small before!"

She was excited. Very excited. Francis couldn't help but be amused by the girl's amusement. They then went down the aisle to the very end then claimed their seats. Since the airplane was, as Tsumugi had pointed out, on the smaller end of the spectrum, there were only two seats at each side per row. That meant that Francis would be sharing his side with Tsumugi and only Tsumugi.

"After you." Francis said, standing aside to let the girl take the window seat, "As promised."

"Why, thank you." The girl replied.

The two of them then sat and buckled up for the flight. After taxiing and being cleared for take-off, the plane was airborne and the two watched from their window as the city of Vancouver gradually got smaller and smaller. Francis however would argue that Tsumugi was the only one who got to see the view since all he could see when turning to the window were the long locks of golden hair and the side of the half-Finnish girl's face. He didn't want to admit it, but he didn't mind the view.

A few minutes later, the refreshment trolley made its way from the front of the plane and eventually reached the end. The trolley lady then smiled and asked the all too familiar question to the pair,

"Coffee or Tea?"

Francis ordered a coffee while Tsmugi asked for a tea. Before Francis could specify how he wanted his coffee done though, he got up from his seat and excused himself, saying he had to go to the lavatory.

"I'll have a half teaspoon of sugar and a half teaspoon of cream, please." Tsumugi said, asking for the balance between the two condiments she liked in her tea.

"Very well then," the trolley lady said, "and how would the young man like his coffee?"

"Frankly, I don't know…" Tsumugi said, "So could you just leave a sachet of sugar or two with me and a small tub of skimmed milk? Oh, and a teaspoon would be helpful as well."

The trolley lady gave the girl what she had asked for and left the girl to experiment with Francis' coffee. Tsumugi was the 'master tea-server' of the Light Music Club, after all so she had a penchant for making the perfect blend of tea condiments. Coffee wouldn't be that different, so she figured she wouldn't have too much trouble.

"Now what would he like?" Tsumugi whispered to herself as she inspected the resources she had. Giving the mixture some thought, she proceeded to meticulously measure the sugar and milk then briskly stirred it with the coffee to mix it up. Since this was her first time to work with that particular combination and coffee, she was curious to know what it tasted like. She dipped the teaspoon into the cup and put it against her lips to try it out. It was delicious.

It was at around that time that Francis returned to his seat. Seeing the opened sachet of sugar and milk tub, not to mention the teaspoon that was still in her hands, he knew that his coffee was already mixed for him.

"I serve tea at my club in school, you see." Tsumugi explained, setting the teaspoon beside the coffee cup, "I manage mixing the sugar, cream and whatnot as well so I figured I'd stir it up for you."

"Is that so?" Francis said intrigued. He then picked up the teaspoon and said, "Let's see how it tastes then."

"Wait a sec!" Tsumugi said, realizing that she had just used that teaspoon to taste the coffee as well. She had been planning to at least wipe it with a napkin, but completely forgot to do so when her companion arrived.

"Why, what's up?" Francis asked

"N… nothing." The girl said, trying to calm down, "Carry on."

Shrugging, Francis dipped the teaspoon into his coffee and had a taste. All the while, Tsumugi watched anxiously, her heart racing as the spoon touched his lips.

"This is pretty good." Francis then said with approval, "I like it!"

"Really?" Tsumugi asked, her anxiety overridden by happiness, "I'm glad then."

Francis then returned to his seat and finished off his coffee, enjoying every single drop of it as he chatted with the half-Finnish girl. Tsumugi too delightedly sipped her tea as she talked, but was also happy for an entirely different reason, one she kept to herself. Francis didn't see it, but she was happy for the rest of the flight.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the pilot then announced over the PA system, "We have begun our descent to Halifax's Stanfield International Airport and we will be arriving shortly."

"I'm back in Halifax, eh?" Francis pondered silently, "It has been a while…"

To Be Continued