Emily received a text and called out to Paige. "Gloria says that they're leaving now! They should be here in about a half hour!"
When Emily contacted the Fred and Gloria Herndon, the couple whom she met on theChicago-leg of her flight home for Christmas, to make arrangements to come out for a visit, Gloria insisted that she and her husband would drive down to Stanford to pick them up. Emily protested that it didn't make sense for them to make the one-hour round trip to pick them up - and have to make it again to take her and Paige back to campus. Gloria assured her that it was no problem. She and Fred enjoyed driving, and they liked having the time to talk to each other on long car trips. "There's just one thing. Fred doesn't see too well at night. If you can, we'd love to have you stay the night, and we can take you back Sunday morning. If not, we'll drop you off on Saturday night, and I can drive Fred home." Emily and Paige didn't want to impose, but they had Sunday morning free, and it seemed to Emily that Fred and Gloria enjoyed having company, with their children and grandchildren so far from home so they agreed.
And so it was that, early on a Saturday morning, Emily and Paige found themselves piling into the back of the Herndons' Buick as Fred loaded their luggage into the trunk. The drive to Los Altos was scenic, and, true to form, Fred pointed out landmarks all along the way.
They pulled up to a modest looking single-level house with a well-tended lawn and a pick-up truck in the driveway. Gloria ushered them inside to the smell of baking. The house looked comfortable; the kind of place where one didn't have to worry about where not to sit or what not to touch. Gloria put on some coffee while Fred took them up to see the room where they would be staying. "We didn't want to make assumptions about your sleeping arrangements," he explained, "so we decided that we'd put you in the boys' old room. There are two beds in there; we figure you two can work it out from there." Emily and Paige grinned at each other and then at Fred. He left them to get freshened up, saying that he and Gloria would be down in the family room.
The girls came down to a setting of coffee, coffee cakes, biscuits, cinnamon rolls, sticky buns, and cheese. "Gloria made everything," Fred explained, "except the cheese."
"I feel a little like Hansel and Gretel," Paige said, without thinking the story through.
"Well, the oven's big enough to shove her inside, but let's hope it doesn't come to that!"
They engaged in the usual small talk about majors, grades, and swimming. Gloria told them about their children and grandchildren, with plenty of pictures handy to put faces to the names. When the conversation died down, Gloria said, "So, Paige. Emily's told us how you two got together." Paige's eyes widened for a moment, wondering just how much Emily had told them. "Now, we'd like to hear your side of the story!"
Paige looked over to Emily. "What did you tell them?"
"No, no!" Fred laughed, "Go on! You tell us your side of the story, and we'll see how well your tales line up!"
"Well, let's see. I was attracted to Emily from the start – I mean, who wouldn't be? We were both dating other people at the time. I had a guy back in P-A, and she had a girl. Neither one of our exes made sense for us, and – I don't know. I guess I just got lucky, I guess."
"Well, I guess your story checks out," Fred laughed.
"Only Emily told us that she was the lucky one!" Gloria added with a wink towards Emily.
"I want to know how you two got together," Emily announced.
"Oh, that's a long story!" Gloria replied.
"We've got time," Paige said, and Fred jogged out of the room. Emily and Paige were staring at Gloria with wide smiles plastered on their faces, like s kindergarten class at story time.
Gloria explained that, as a girl, she had always wanted to learn how to fly. When she was 19, she got engaged to her high school sweetheart, and she realized that, once she got married, she wouldn't be able to fly, so she went to a flying school to sign up for lessons. Fred came running back into the room with a picture that showed a much younger Fred and Gloria outside a hangar, posing by the side of a plane.
"That dashing young man was my flight instructor," Gloria explained.
"Your family didn't think so! They said that I was too old," Fred filled in under his breath.
Gloria continued, "Well, I guess you could say that I didn't really have a knack for flying. So, one day, Fred got fed up and asked me, 'Why are you even taking lessons?' and I told him that I always wanted to learn, and that this was my last chance, because I was getting married."
"I told her that it was stupid!" Fred shouted. Gloria laughed at the memory. The girls could tell that they had told this story a few times before. They smiled to each other at how much Fred and Gloria enjoyed telling it.
"So, I looked him straight in the eye, and I told him, 'Now, listen here! There's no reason that I can't learn to fly if I want to!' And he said, 'I agree! And it's stupid that you would marry a man who won't let you fly once you're married!' And I thought, 'You know what? He's absolutely right!' So, in the end, I did learn how to fly, but I also learned that I really don't care much for flying. But it all worked out, because the lessons are what brought Fred and me together."
"She hated the class, but she loved the teacher!" Fred said, with unrestrained pride.
Gloria gave him a kiss. "And I always wondered whether the whole reason that I had the dream of flying all of my life was just so that I would meet Fred. Well, who knows? But I'm not complaining!" Emily walked over and gave them each a hug. Their story had her on the verge of tears.
Paige asked how long Fred had been flying, and he explained that he began flying with the Air Force in Vietnam in the early 70s. When he was discharged, he flew puddle jumpers all across the Southwest, supplementing his income by serving as an instructor pilot in a flight school that some of his buddies operated.
A light went on in Emily's head. "Oh – so that's how you knew all of the landmarks on the way to Chicago. I had no idea that you were a pilot!"
"I was," Fred affirmed. "I had to retire a few years ago. I still love the cockpit, but, you know. This one," elbowing his wife, "prefers wheels to wings."
"I'd just like to be around to see my grandchildren grow up, thank you," Gloria laughed, giving Fred another kiss.
"Well, it sounds like an exciting career," Paige offered.
"Oh, no!" Gloria said. "You don't say that to a pilot!"
"If it's exciting," Fred started, and Gloria joined him for the conclusion, "it means you're doing something wrong."
"I can't count the number of times I've heard that line," she said.
After they cleared the coffee away, Fred led their guests outside to show off his garden. "We bought this place from a fellow who didn't care too much about the soil. He let all these trees get in rough shape. That's been a pet project for me, now that I'm retired. It's amazing how resilient nature can be."
As they walked the grounds, he pointed out various patches, telling the story of different wild and domestic animals that he'd encountered there. "Once the peaches started coming in, so did the deer. I could've put up a barrier to keep them out, but Gloria and I weren't going to eat all that fruit. I found out that the deer don't care if a peach has a few brown spots on it, so, now, I just go through the trees and put the rotten ones on the ground, where it's easy for the deer to reach. That way, they leave the good ones for us!"
Paige noticed that she was holding Emily's hand. She realized that she was just enraptured with this couple's life. She was actually getting into a story about deer and peaches, but what it was really about was the love that Fred and Gloria had for each other, and how they had their own separate interests and pursuits, but that their lives were still intimately connected for going on 40 years. She was looking into their present as though glimpsing at her future with Emily.
Emily gave her hand a squeeze and smiled over at her. It was as if Emily were thinking the very same thoughts. Or maybe she just noticed that Paige was somewhere else and wanted to bring her back into the here and now so that she wouldn't offend their hosts.
When they settled into bed that evening, Paige was holding Emily tighter than usual. Emily looked back to see Paige with that goofy grin on her face. "They really are a great couple, aren't they?" Emily asked.
"Right? I love the fact that they're made for each other. It's as if the Universe went out of its way to bring them together, and they went out of their way to stay together for all these years."
"And they really love each other, after all this time." Emily smiled and laid her hand on Paige's cheek. "You're such a romantic!" Paige just held her tighter and smiled that much wider.
They woke Sunday morning to the smell of coffee. Once they collected themselves, they followed the smell to the kitchen where they found the table already set and spread with an impressive assortment of breakfast meats, pancakes, waffles, and pastries. Fred was smiling in front of the stove, brandishing a spatula. "I'm your short-order cook for the day. How would you like your eggs?"
After Paige and Emily ate and helped get the kitchen cleaned up, Fred offered to take them for a tour of the hangar where he kept his plane. Gloria wasn't up for "the Aviation Heads," as she called the group of pilots, mechanics, and airplane junkies who hung around the hangars on Sundays. Emily decided to stay back, so that Gloria wouldn't be alone.
Gloria pulled out an old photo album, joking to Emily, "Now, this is how we did things before facebook!" She added, "Of course, I have to be on facebook now, to keep up with the photos of my grandkids!" Emily didn't know why she hadn't thought of it before, but she whipped out her phone, looked up Gloria and Fred, and sent them friend requests.
Gloria showed her pictures of their wedding, their early days together, their kids, their vacations, and their grandkids. Four or five albums later, she asked, without easing into the new topic, "You really love Paige, don't you?"
"I do," Emily confirmed.
"I can tell. I could always tell with my kids, when it was the real thing or when it was just something that would pass. Of course, when you're in the middle of it, it always seems like the real thing. Parents learn not to say anything even when we know that it's just infatuation."
Emily smiled. Gloria continued. "Do you want to marry her someday?"
Emily began fidgeting with her hands, staring at them in her lap. "I mean, we haven't even known each other for six months, so…" She looked over at Gloria who was giving her a knowing half smile. Oh, fuck, Emily thought. This is crazy. She decided to tell the truth. Smiling shyly, she barely heard herself say, "Yes, Gloria. I do see the two of us getting married someday." She could feel the tears starting, and she inhaled sharply through her nose. Gloria handed her a tissue.
Gloria reached over and hugged her. "Don't worry. I won't say anything." Emily was relieved to hear that. "Promise me one thing, though," Gloria added, still holding onto Emily, but backing away so that they could see each other's eyes. Emily nodded, a bit fearful at what she was about to agree to. "Promise me that you won't wait too long. Fred and I want to be there!"
Emily pulled Gloria back into the hug. "Of course, you will!" She pulled away, still holding Gloria's hands. "You know, Paige and I were talking last night. We really want what you and Fred have. I mean, we never really talked about marriage, but, just… just seeing you guys and the way you love each other – the way you have loved each other – it's just…"
Gloria put her arm around her and rubbed her shoulder. "You and Paige will get there. I can tell. And, one day, some young couple is going to look at you the way that you look at me and Fred."
Emily sat up and squared herself in front of Gloria. "How did you know that Fred was the one?"
"Oh, I'm not sure I can answer that," Gloria said. "If I told you, you'd probably expect it to happen the same way for you and Paige, and it's not so simple." Emily nodded in understanding. "Besides," Gloria continued, "you already know that Paige is the one, don't you?" Emily nodded again. "I'm not saying that you two are going to get married this year, or even this decade. You don't even have to talk about it yet. Think of it like this: Have you ever taken a long car trip, where you know where you're going, but you don't know exactly how to get there? But, maybe you know how to get to the general area, or, at least, you know how to get out of your neighborhood. So, it might be a few miles, or a hundred miles, or a few hundred miles before you have to get out the map – or the GPS, I guess – and get serious about where to turn and when. All I'm trying to say is, just keep going. I think that you both know what the destination is. And you both know how to navigate in the neighborhood that you're in right now. Someday, you'll get to that point where you need more directions to get where you're going, and you'll both know that, too. For now, just enjoy the trip. Don't worry about how long it will take. The trip itself can be just as much fun as the destination."
Emily gave Gloria another hug and thanked her sincerely. "Could you excuse me for a second?" she asked, needing to go off and compose herself. Gloria nodded and handed Emily the box of tissues. Emily headed back to the room where she and Paige were staying, pulled out her phone, and closed the door.
Fred and Paige were on their way back from the hangars when Paige's phone buzzed. She gasped when she read the text.
Emily: Wait till I get you home. I want you so much right now.
Fred looked over, concerned by Paige's reaction. "Everything okay?"
"Oh, yeah," Paige tried to think on her feet. "Just got caught off guard by some unexpected good news."