An update as promised! Sorry it's kind of late in the Wednesday, but I had tons of stuff to do. Hope you enjoy it!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything you may recognize.
I sat on a blue plastic chair in the terminal, watching the planes take off and land. Cyn was sitting beside me, going on and on about how disappointed she was in me, breaking every so often to ask if I forgot anything at the house.
"You know I can send whatever it is to you, right? You know our phone number, just give us a ring."
The only thing I'd really forgotten, I guessed, was my brother. He'd wanted to see John just as much as I did, and now I was actually going to New York to see our father…without him. Sure, the reason I was going to New York wasn't all that great, and Julian and I weren't necessarily on speaking terms, but that didn't mean I wanted to leave him behind.
"Yeah, yeah, sure," I mumbled, not really paying attention.
Julian left my thoughts and in came my father. I wondered if John would be happy to see me after all our years apart. Would he be upset with my habits? Would he be the same John I knew? I couldn't quite put my finger on either of those questions. Truth was, it had been so long since I saw my father, I wondered if he knew what I looked like anymore.
I kicked my red suitcase around a bit. "Do you think he's going to be mad at me?"
Cyn looked at me and then out the window. "Maybe. You really can't tell with your father these days, can you?"
"Will Yoko like me?"
"I'm not sure of that at all. She doesn't seem to like any of us…"
I pulled my knees up to my chest and rested my chin on top of them. If truth be told, I was so nervous in that moment, I thought I was going to vomit.
"Is he going to get me at the airport?"
"I don't know, Flo. He didn't say much on the phone."
"Flight 145 to New York, now boarding!" The stewardess on the intercom called.
Both Cyn and I stood up. I grabbed my suitcase and was prepared to walk to the gate when my mother stopped me.
"I'm going to miss you," she said, almost crying. "Be safe in New York and please call if you need me! I love you!"
"You too, mom. Tell Julian the same for me, will you?"
She nodded and then kissed my forehead. I then made my way to the plane, pulling the ticket John sent for me out of my pocket. I didn't know how it got to me as fast as it did, but I figured it had something to do with my dad's name.
"Call me as soon as you're at John's!" Cyn called one last time as I handed my ticket to some employee to board.
"I will!" I said, and then walked down the bleak hallway to the plane.
Once on, I pushed my way through passengers to get to my seat. I was somewhere in the middle of the plane, right by a window. I shoved my luggage into an overhead compartment and plopped down in my assigned chair while hoping the plane ride would go fast. I hadn't been on a plane since John and Cyn brought me to Liverpool.
I watched business men and middle aged moms with screaming children sat in the seats around me. It seemed like hours waiting for all these people to finally take a seat and buckle up. An elderly man, probably sixty-five years old, sat down next to me and immediately opened a newspaper, ignoring me completely.
Finally, one of the flight attendants started going over the evacuation procedures. I remember not paying much attention to the speech due to the fact I was so nervous, I didn't want to be thinking about the plane crashing.
One at a time it seemed, the flight attendants went back into their sitting area, and all of us passengers waited for take-off. When we started moving, I swore I almost had a heart attack. I saw Cyn watching the plane from the huge windows in the gate waiting area. I remember waving to her even though I knew she probably couldn't see me. As the plane accelerated in speed, I gripped the elbow rests of my seat.
The guy sitting next to me looked over. "First time on a plane?"
I looked back at him. "No. Just haven't been on one in a while…"
He nodded and then went back to his paper, seeming not to care that the plane was about to head thirteen thousand feet in the air. I tried to keep my cool as we rose into the air, but I couldn't. I was squeezing my eyes shut and my nails were digging into the arm rests. I knew I didn't feel this way on my first plane ride. Why was it so different now?
When we reached a comfortable speed and I couldn't feel any movement, I started to relax a bit. I fiddled with the complementary magazines in front of me for a little bit and then, after about twenty minutes, slowly nodded off to sleep.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
"Miss? Miss, wake up." I heard as I felt a few sharp pokes in my right side.
I lifted my head and turned to see a flight attendant, holding my red suitcase.
"We're in New York?" I asked sleepily.
"Yes, ma'am."
"Already?"
"Mhm. I suggest getting off the plane with the rest of the passengers."
I ignored her snarky remark and grabbed my luggage, not even bothering to say thank you. This time around, the crowd of passengers was moving at warp speed it seemed, trying to get out of the confined space that was the plane.
Once I got out of the plane and into yet another bland hallway leading to the airport, my nerves suddenly sunk in. Only this time, they were ten times worse. I was actually going to see my father!
I took my first step into Kennedy airport and looked around. For late at night, there were tons of people! Men and women lugging huge briefcases, camps and children's groups, practically everyone you could have imagined was there!
I didn't know what to do next, so I sat in a waiting area, hoping I'd get some inkling as to what my next step would be. Soon enough, like a sign from the Heavens, a man in a tuxedo carrying a name card that said 'Flo Lennon' appeared by the ticket sales desk.
I walked over to him. "I'm Flo Lennon…"
He kind of smiled. "Right this way, ma'am."
He lead me through hoards of people to the main lobby and then outside. I remember it being freezing. Even colder than Whales. The man walked me toward a little, deep green car. He settled into the driver's seat while I hung out in the passenger's.
"So, where exactly are we going?" I asked as we navigated our way through the packed parking lot.
"The Dakota building. It's really close to Central Park…or a part of it, anyway."
As we drove down the clogged streets, I couldn't tear my eyes away from the window. Everything was all lit up, and people were still parading the sidewalks. It seemed like no one slept here.
"Welcome to New York, Ms. Lennon."
I was still in awe of where I was. Never in all of my life would I have thought I'd be in New York! In all honesty, it was quite a culture shock.
We suddenly took a right turn and headed down another street, this one a little less congested. The driver pulled up in front of an eerie looking building and parked. He jumped out and then ran over to my side of the car to open my door and grab my luggage.
"H-how much do I owe you?" I asked, knowing only a little bit about cab fare.
"Nothing. Your dad is a good friend of mine," He said and then handed me my suitcase. "Have a good visit, okay?"
I nodded, said my thanks and then made my way into the building. It was a nice place inside. All nicely decorated and it had a classy, old Hollywood vibe. I walked to the front desk and asked the clerk for my father's apartment number.
"Who are you?" The Dakota employee asked. "I'm not supposed to give that kind of information to fans."
"I'm Florence Lennon...My dad's expecting me, I guess."
"I need to see identification."
I remember feeling a bit awkward, pulling out my driver's license and handing it over to some total stranger.
"Apartment 7W, fifth floor." He said while handing me back my license and then a new key.
"Thanks." I said and headed for the elevator.
Once inside, I pressed the fifth floor button and watched as the door closed, practically sealing my fate.
Would he recognize me? Would he be just as disappointed as Cyn? Those questions swirled around in my head, making me dizzy. The question that seemed to have really gotten under my skin was would he like me?
The elevator stopped at the third floor and let two men in suits on. I kept my distance, sliding both my suitcase and my body toward the right wall. When the elevator reached the fifth floor, I gulped and watched as the door slid open, revealing a hallway with cream papered walls and plush green carpeting. There were two velvet chairs and a huge flower arrangement across from the elevator. I stepped onto the floor and took a deep breath. It felt almost like an out-of-body experience, walking down the hallway looking for apartment 7W.
When I finally found the white door with gold lettering, my heart practically stopped beating. This was it. The moment Julian and I had always dreamed of since the split. The moment Uncle Paul and I had been talking about just a night ago.
I reached out and knocked on the door, holding my breath. After about a minute, no one came to the door, and I wondered if he was home. I knocked again, this time louder.
Suddenly the door swung open, revealing a tall man with long, auburn hair down to his ears. He had on the round glasses I'd always associated with him, as well as jeans and a faded t-shirt.
The same straight nose and brown eyes. What Uncle Paul said was true; I really did look like him.
"Dad?"
And there you have it! I hope you liked it and please stay tuned for next Wednesday's update! Have a good rest of the week, guys, and please review!
