"Do you have any idea how lucky we are to be on this plane after missing
our last two flights to Salem?" Chloe asked as she closed her eyes and
rested her head on Philip's shoulder. It was as close to him as she could
be while en route to Salem on a commercial airline.
"Do you have any idea how lucky we are to just be together?"
"Very," replied Chloe, trying to stifle a yawn. It seemed like a lifetime since she had last had more than a nap. Between the varying time zones and multiples flights, Chloe wasn't even certain how long it had been since she had rose from her bed in Rome to get ready for her flight to Salem. After a very eventful day, Chloe was beginning to lose her battle with sleep and succumb to its demands.
Despite the fastly approaching deadline to be in Salem and his current inability to speed up their arrival, a calm peace settled over Philip as he kept his left arm wrapped around Chloe's sleeping figure. They were together and that was the way it was always meant to be. It had just taken their minds a little extra time to realize what their hearts knew from the beginning.
The heavenly peace remained with them until Philip felt the passenger to his right softly tap his shoulder. With a twinge of reluctance, Philip opened his eyes and turned to face the elderly woman sitting beside the window.
"I'm sorry, I do hope that I didn't wake you," sweetly said the woman with a smile that was as warm as Philip's was charming.
"No, I was just resting. Was there something that you needed?"
"Oh, I do hate to trouble a young man like yourself with this, but I must admit I'm terribly unhappy with flying. The only reason I am on this plane is to go and meet my first born grandchild. And, I was just hoping that if I could speak to you, it might get my mind off that silly fear of mine."
Philip bit back the urge to laugh. He wasn't sure what he found amusing about the situation, but after the wonderfully exhausting day he'd had, it was just funny. In fact, Philip felt that life in general was funny. Not to mention beautiful, ironic, baffling, and just plain amazing. For the first time in a long time, Philip felt good about not only his life, but his future.
Bringing Philip away from his roaming thoughts, the woman presented herself, "I'm sorry, why, I haven't even introduced myself. My name is Matilda Lewis, but I insist that you call me Mattie, it makes me feel young again."
With very careful movements, Philip twisted his right arm into a fashion that would allow Mattie to shake his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mattie. I'm Philip Kiriakis." Pulling his hand away from Mattie's, Philip motioned to Chloe, saying, "And, this beautiful woman asleep on me is my wife, Chloe."
Mattie felt a few tears building in her aged eyes as she listened to Philip introduce his sleeping wife. There was something so very enduring about the softness in his voice when he said her name and the love in his eyes when he looked at her. Mattie had a feeling that the young woman was the reason behind the radiating light in Philip's eyes.
Wanting to give Philip a chance to share that light, Mattie asked, "How long have the two of you been married?" She was happily rewarded with Philip's most cheerful smile. The moment he had the opportunity to speak of Chloe, his entire face lit up.
"Actually, we just got married today. That's the whole reason we were in Vegas."
"Oh, really? Now, are there going to be some unhappy parents when the two of you get home and your folks realize that their babies eloped instead of sticking to that engagement?"
Philip wasn't quite sure how to answer the woman. Nor did he want to consider what was going to happen when Nancy Wesley discovered that he had married her daughter in Las Vegas. In fact, Philip had been so ecstatic to just have Chloe back in his life, he had not even considered how he was going to handle the reactions of everyone else. Obviously, Nancy wasn't going to be the only displeased parent. Then again, Philip had a feeling that his father wouldn't be too hard on him and Chloe. After having another stroke while Philip was in London, Victor had softened incredibly. That much had been obvious when he was well enough to come and visit Philip. No, Philip doubted that his father would raise too much of a fuss over the marriage.
Realizing that he had drifted off into his own world and left Mattie behind, Philip sheepishly answered her question, "Well, that's a little complicated."
"How so, my dear?"
Under most circumstances, Philip was weary of sharing his personal life with strangers. Maybe it was the older woman's warm nature or just Philip's need to give voice to his thoughts, but he was more than willing to open up about his life.
"Chloe and I didn't exactly have your traditional engagement. To be honest, I just proposed to her this morning."
"You proposed to the girl and married her in the same day? My, I must say she is much braver than I was at that age. It took my late husband Jeffrey almost a year to get me to say yes to his proposal even though he and I had known one another our entire lives. How long have you and your precious Chloe known one another?"
"We met in high school. She completely changed my life."
"So, you were high school sweethearts?"
Philip's mind flashed back to the various times he and Chloe had shared from the cruel teasing to their first date to their break-up after the web site scandal to the reunion and, finally, to their last break-up. "Something like that," Philip answered with a smile.
"And, you two have been dating ever since meeting in high school?"
"Not exactly," answered Philip with a hint of nervousness. Until then, he'd never realized just how unconventional his relationship with Chloe was. Then again, he wouldn't change a moment of it. "We dated for about a year before we broke up. Of course, the break-up was my fault. I acted like a total jerk instead of believing in her. Anyway, I finally won Chloe back, but we ended up calling it quits again while we were in college. After that, I moved to London and eventually, Chloe moved to Rome. Actually, until early this morning, Chloe and I hadn't even spoken for two years."
Mattie wasn't sure what to say in response to Philip's summary of his relationship with Chloe. In her day, courtships weren't quite that unruly. Then again, with the love the two seemed to share, Mattie was willing to bet that they had earned the right to be a little unruly.
"It's nice to know that true love won out in the end. Now, tell me if I get to be just another nosy old lady, and I'll stop bothering you with my questions."
"Nah, I'm glad that I've got the chance to talk to you, Mattie."
"Well, in that case, I just have to ask, are those the clothes the two of you were married in? I mean, they're lovely, but usually brides prefer white wedding gowns rather than pink."
Philip laughed at Mattie's question. He knew that she wasn't the only person on the plane questioning his and Chloe's attire, and he respected that she had waited until an appropriate time to ask about it. "That's a long story, but I think I can shorten it for you. Some friends of mine and Chloe's are getting married tonight in Salem, and we're members of the wedding party."
"And, those are the clothes you are suppose to wear in your friends' wedding?"
"Yeah, but since Chloe and I were in such a hurry to get married, these were the nicest clothes we had with us. Of course, we missed our flight to Salem anyway, so there was really no reason for us to be in such a hurry. We were just really lucky that this flight was going to Salem and had a few empty seats. Of course, I'm still not sure if we'll be able to get there in time for the wedding. If we do, it's going to be a very close call, not to mention a miracle."
"I know you've probably heard this before, but I'm going to say it to you anyway. The Lord works in mysterious ways. If it's meant to be, it'll happen. Don't you worry about that."
Turning to look at Chloe, Philip whispered, "I believe you."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Several of the travelers at Salem's airport took a moment to glance at the strange couple running wildly through the airport. The handsome young man was wearing a dimple-filled smile that looked only half as silly as his slightly wrinkled tux and pink vest. His hand was firmly clasped around that of a beautiful young woman also wearing a smile topped off with pink garments. It was apparent to all with eyes that they were a couple that shared a great happiness. They were a couple that catastrophes and disasters could not affect. They were a couple in love.
Slowing down just a little, Philip reluctantly stole a glance at his watch. Turning back to Chloe as they both continued to run through the airport, he stated, "Eleven minutes."
Pulling on Philip's hand, Chloe silently urged him to stop running for just a minute. Lightly gasping for breath, Chloe used one arm to support herself against Philip while the other relieved her feet of their uncomfortable pink shoes that matched her gown. Rewarding Philip's patience with her best smile, Chloe declared, "Now, that feels better."
With her shoes off her feet, Chloe managed to hold both the pumps and the bottom of her dress in one hand while allowing Philip to pull her through the large, crowded airport. There was something amazingly reassuring about having someone to lead her through the maze of not only the airport, but life as well. Chloe was no longer alone. Because of a chance encounter at an airport, Chloe was given a second chance at true love.
Arriving at the doors that led outside, Philip gave Chloe a moment to put her shoes back on while he found them a taxi. However, Philip had the hardest time concentrating on hailing a taxi when all he had to do was look over his shoulder to see his exquisite wife. He knew that he had a silly grin plastered on his face, but Philip didn't care. He was married to his true love and wanted the whole world to know.
Chloe hurriedly made her way to Philip just as a cab stopped. He couldn't help but laugh as he listened to her mutter something about never wearing another pair of heels as long as she should live.
As she shut the car door behind her, Chloe noticed that Philip was about to look at his watch yet again. Chloe placed her hand on his wrist, covering the face of the watch. "I know, time is running out. Let's just hope we can make it in time."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Jason was trying his hardest to think of a logical excuse for why his logical friend would miss Shawn and Belle's wedding. Getting nowhere, Jason threw logic to the wind and decided to try and weave a successful cover story to keep Philip from meeting his grave via Belle. Lost in his own schemes, Jason did not notice Belle approaching him until she was using her index finger to jab him in the chest.
"You said that he would be here! You said that Philip and Chloe would both show up!" Belle loudly exclaimed as her eyes fought back her tears. She was hoping that her fury would somehow keep those tears from falling. It was suppose to be the happiest day of her life, and she didn't even know where two of her closest friends were. Though she had said nothing to Jason and Mimi, Belle harbored a fear that some horrible tragedy had befallen Philip and Chloe.
Sending his girlfriend a pleading, almost desperate look, Jason tried to comfort Belle once more. "Belle, they'll get here in time."
Belle grabbed the collar of Jason's shirt and pulled his muscular frame down to her level before exclaiming, "Three minutes! The wedding starts in three minutes!"
Yet again, Mimi found herself pulling Belle off Jason. After the multiple attacks from Belle, Mimi wouldn't blame Jason if he never proposed marriage. After all, watching Belle's nervous behavior was enough to make anyone develop a phobia or two.
Before Mimi had a chance to say a word to Belle, John appeared at his daughter's side and took over the job of giving her peace of mind. Out of the corner of her eye, Mimi caught a glimpse of Jason slipping through the double oak doors.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
All eyes were focused on Jason as he made his way down the aisle to where Shawn was nervously waiting for his bride. Jason had not yet thought of what he was going to tell Shawn, but he felt certain that Shawn needed to know that there was a slight problem with the wedding.
Tossing Shawn an overly happy smile, Jason approached his friend and tried to ignore the stares that were sent to him from nearly everyone in the room. Clearing his throat, Jason lowly said, "Hey, pal. I just came to give you a heads up."
Forcing down his own feeling of panic, Shawn slowly asked, "About what?"
Jason kept his back to the crowd as he answered, "Well, don't get upset, but it would seem that Philip and Chloe haven't arrived."
"What?" Shawn yelled, effectively capturing the attention of those few people in the room who weren't already focusing on him and Jason. Lowering his voice, Shawn asked, "Where are they?"
"Nobody knows. It's like they just vanished. Anyway, I just thought that you should know."
"Yeah, thanks for telling me," returned Shawn as he watched Jason walk back to the doors. To himself, Shawn quietly added, "They'll show. And, if they don't, they'll never have to worry about being late for anything else - because my beautiful bride will just hunt those two down and choke the life out of them. Oh, what a day."
"Do you have any idea how lucky we are to just be together?"
"Very," replied Chloe, trying to stifle a yawn. It seemed like a lifetime since she had last had more than a nap. Between the varying time zones and multiples flights, Chloe wasn't even certain how long it had been since she had rose from her bed in Rome to get ready for her flight to Salem. After a very eventful day, Chloe was beginning to lose her battle with sleep and succumb to its demands.
Despite the fastly approaching deadline to be in Salem and his current inability to speed up their arrival, a calm peace settled over Philip as he kept his left arm wrapped around Chloe's sleeping figure. They were together and that was the way it was always meant to be. It had just taken their minds a little extra time to realize what their hearts knew from the beginning.
The heavenly peace remained with them until Philip felt the passenger to his right softly tap his shoulder. With a twinge of reluctance, Philip opened his eyes and turned to face the elderly woman sitting beside the window.
"I'm sorry, I do hope that I didn't wake you," sweetly said the woman with a smile that was as warm as Philip's was charming.
"No, I was just resting. Was there something that you needed?"
"Oh, I do hate to trouble a young man like yourself with this, but I must admit I'm terribly unhappy with flying. The only reason I am on this plane is to go and meet my first born grandchild. And, I was just hoping that if I could speak to you, it might get my mind off that silly fear of mine."
Philip bit back the urge to laugh. He wasn't sure what he found amusing about the situation, but after the wonderfully exhausting day he'd had, it was just funny. In fact, Philip felt that life in general was funny. Not to mention beautiful, ironic, baffling, and just plain amazing. For the first time in a long time, Philip felt good about not only his life, but his future.
Bringing Philip away from his roaming thoughts, the woman presented herself, "I'm sorry, why, I haven't even introduced myself. My name is Matilda Lewis, but I insist that you call me Mattie, it makes me feel young again."
With very careful movements, Philip twisted his right arm into a fashion that would allow Mattie to shake his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mattie. I'm Philip Kiriakis." Pulling his hand away from Mattie's, Philip motioned to Chloe, saying, "And, this beautiful woman asleep on me is my wife, Chloe."
Mattie felt a few tears building in her aged eyes as she listened to Philip introduce his sleeping wife. There was something so very enduring about the softness in his voice when he said her name and the love in his eyes when he looked at her. Mattie had a feeling that the young woman was the reason behind the radiating light in Philip's eyes.
Wanting to give Philip a chance to share that light, Mattie asked, "How long have the two of you been married?" She was happily rewarded with Philip's most cheerful smile. The moment he had the opportunity to speak of Chloe, his entire face lit up.
"Actually, we just got married today. That's the whole reason we were in Vegas."
"Oh, really? Now, are there going to be some unhappy parents when the two of you get home and your folks realize that their babies eloped instead of sticking to that engagement?"
Philip wasn't quite sure how to answer the woman. Nor did he want to consider what was going to happen when Nancy Wesley discovered that he had married her daughter in Las Vegas. In fact, Philip had been so ecstatic to just have Chloe back in his life, he had not even considered how he was going to handle the reactions of everyone else. Obviously, Nancy wasn't going to be the only displeased parent. Then again, Philip had a feeling that his father wouldn't be too hard on him and Chloe. After having another stroke while Philip was in London, Victor had softened incredibly. That much had been obvious when he was well enough to come and visit Philip. No, Philip doubted that his father would raise too much of a fuss over the marriage.
Realizing that he had drifted off into his own world and left Mattie behind, Philip sheepishly answered her question, "Well, that's a little complicated."
"How so, my dear?"
Under most circumstances, Philip was weary of sharing his personal life with strangers. Maybe it was the older woman's warm nature or just Philip's need to give voice to his thoughts, but he was more than willing to open up about his life.
"Chloe and I didn't exactly have your traditional engagement. To be honest, I just proposed to her this morning."
"You proposed to the girl and married her in the same day? My, I must say she is much braver than I was at that age. It took my late husband Jeffrey almost a year to get me to say yes to his proposal even though he and I had known one another our entire lives. How long have you and your precious Chloe known one another?"
"We met in high school. She completely changed my life."
"So, you were high school sweethearts?"
Philip's mind flashed back to the various times he and Chloe had shared from the cruel teasing to their first date to their break-up after the web site scandal to the reunion and, finally, to their last break-up. "Something like that," Philip answered with a smile.
"And, you two have been dating ever since meeting in high school?"
"Not exactly," answered Philip with a hint of nervousness. Until then, he'd never realized just how unconventional his relationship with Chloe was. Then again, he wouldn't change a moment of it. "We dated for about a year before we broke up. Of course, the break-up was my fault. I acted like a total jerk instead of believing in her. Anyway, I finally won Chloe back, but we ended up calling it quits again while we were in college. After that, I moved to London and eventually, Chloe moved to Rome. Actually, until early this morning, Chloe and I hadn't even spoken for two years."
Mattie wasn't sure what to say in response to Philip's summary of his relationship with Chloe. In her day, courtships weren't quite that unruly. Then again, with the love the two seemed to share, Mattie was willing to bet that they had earned the right to be a little unruly.
"It's nice to know that true love won out in the end. Now, tell me if I get to be just another nosy old lady, and I'll stop bothering you with my questions."
"Nah, I'm glad that I've got the chance to talk to you, Mattie."
"Well, in that case, I just have to ask, are those the clothes the two of you were married in? I mean, they're lovely, but usually brides prefer white wedding gowns rather than pink."
Philip laughed at Mattie's question. He knew that she wasn't the only person on the plane questioning his and Chloe's attire, and he respected that she had waited until an appropriate time to ask about it. "That's a long story, but I think I can shorten it for you. Some friends of mine and Chloe's are getting married tonight in Salem, and we're members of the wedding party."
"And, those are the clothes you are suppose to wear in your friends' wedding?"
"Yeah, but since Chloe and I were in such a hurry to get married, these were the nicest clothes we had with us. Of course, we missed our flight to Salem anyway, so there was really no reason for us to be in such a hurry. We were just really lucky that this flight was going to Salem and had a few empty seats. Of course, I'm still not sure if we'll be able to get there in time for the wedding. If we do, it's going to be a very close call, not to mention a miracle."
"I know you've probably heard this before, but I'm going to say it to you anyway. The Lord works in mysterious ways. If it's meant to be, it'll happen. Don't you worry about that."
Turning to look at Chloe, Philip whispered, "I believe you."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Several of the travelers at Salem's airport took a moment to glance at the strange couple running wildly through the airport. The handsome young man was wearing a dimple-filled smile that looked only half as silly as his slightly wrinkled tux and pink vest. His hand was firmly clasped around that of a beautiful young woman also wearing a smile topped off with pink garments. It was apparent to all with eyes that they were a couple that shared a great happiness. They were a couple that catastrophes and disasters could not affect. They were a couple in love.
Slowing down just a little, Philip reluctantly stole a glance at his watch. Turning back to Chloe as they both continued to run through the airport, he stated, "Eleven minutes."
Pulling on Philip's hand, Chloe silently urged him to stop running for just a minute. Lightly gasping for breath, Chloe used one arm to support herself against Philip while the other relieved her feet of their uncomfortable pink shoes that matched her gown. Rewarding Philip's patience with her best smile, Chloe declared, "Now, that feels better."
With her shoes off her feet, Chloe managed to hold both the pumps and the bottom of her dress in one hand while allowing Philip to pull her through the large, crowded airport. There was something amazingly reassuring about having someone to lead her through the maze of not only the airport, but life as well. Chloe was no longer alone. Because of a chance encounter at an airport, Chloe was given a second chance at true love.
Arriving at the doors that led outside, Philip gave Chloe a moment to put her shoes back on while he found them a taxi. However, Philip had the hardest time concentrating on hailing a taxi when all he had to do was look over his shoulder to see his exquisite wife. He knew that he had a silly grin plastered on his face, but Philip didn't care. He was married to his true love and wanted the whole world to know.
Chloe hurriedly made her way to Philip just as a cab stopped. He couldn't help but laugh as he listened to her mutter something about never wearing another pair of heels as long as she should live.
As she shut the car door behind her, Chloe noticed that Philip was about to look at his watch yet again. Chloe placed her hand on his wrist, covering the face of the watch. "I know, time is running out. Let's just hope we can make it in time."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Jason was trying his hardest to think of a logical excuse for why his logical friend would miss Shawn and Belle's wedding. Getting nowhere, Jason threw logic to the wind and decided to try and weave a successful cover story to keep Philip from meeting his grave via Belle. Lost in his own schemes, Jason did not notice Belle approaching him until she was using her index finger to jab him in the chest.
"You said that he would be here! You said that Philip and Chloe would both show up!" Belle loudly exclaimed as her eyes fought back her tears. She was hoping that her fury would somehow keep those tears from falling. It was suppose to be the happiest day of her life, and she didn't even know where two of her closest friends were. Though she had said nothing to Jason and Mimi, Belle harbored a fear that some horrible tragedy had befallen Philip and Chloe.
Sending his girlfriend a pleading, almost desperate look, Jason tried to comfort Belle once more. "Belle, they'll get here in time."
Belle grabbed the collar of Jason's shirt and pulled his muscular frame down to her level before exclaiming, "Three minutes! The wedding starts in three minutes!"
Yet again, Mimi found herself pulling Belle off Jason. After the multiple attacks from Belle, Mimi wouldn't blame Jason if he never proposed marriage. After all, watching Belle's nervous behavior was enough to make anyone develop a phobia or two.
Before Mimi had a chance to say a word to Belle, John appeared at his daughter's side and took over the job of giving her peace of mind. Out of the corner of her eye, Mimi caught a glimpse of Jason slipping through the double oak doors.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
All eyes were focused on Jason as he made his way down the aisle to where Shawn was nervously waiting for his bride. Jason had not yet thought of what he was going to tell Shawn, but he felt certain that Shawn needed to know that there was a slight problem with the wedding.
Tossing Shawn an overly happy smile, Jason approached his friend and tried to ignore the stares that were sent to him from nearly everyone in the room. Clearing his throat, Jason lowly said, "Hey, pal. I just came to give you a heads up."
Forcing down his own feeling of panic, Shawn slowly asked, "About what?"
Jason kept his back to the crowd as he answered, "Well, don't get upset, but it would seem that Philip and Chloe haven't arrived."
"What?" Shawn yelled, effectively capturing the attention of those few people in the room who weren't already focusing on him and Jason. Lowering his voice, Shawn asked, "Where are they?"
"Nobody knows. It's like they just vanished. Anyway, I just thought that you should know."
"Yeah, thanks for telling me," returned Shawn as he watched Jason walk back to the doors. To himself, Shawn quietly added, "They'll show. And, if they don't, they'll never have to worry about being late for anything else - because my beautiful bride will just hunt those two down and choke the life out of them. Oh, what a day."