Snowflakes and Misunderstandings
Chapter Two
Calleigh fought against the sea of people on the concourse as she tried to get to her gate. Luckily, she was one of the first ones in line to check baggage before the crowd came, and she managed to get done with almost ten minutes to spare. Ambling through the people, she knew she would have to pick up the pace if she was going to make her flight.
Coming to the security checkpoint, she noticed as the crowd had dissipated some and she was able to walk without bumping into someone. She took off her jewelry and dug in her pockets for the keys and the cell phone, and placed it in the tray as she walked through the metal detector. When nothing happened, Calleigh smiled to the security guard as she put her jewelry back on, and grabbed her belongings.
" Have a safe trip," the security guard said as she started to walk away.
Calleigh stopped and turned around, flashing a small smile, " Thank you, and you have a Merry Christmas."
The security guard nodded and smiled back at her, watching her walk to the terminal. Sometimes, his job was worth it.
The terminal was packed, but Calleigh kept her eyes on her goal, walking with determination to the desk of her airline. The pretty attendant smiled at her and nodded, asking, " Tickets please."
Calleigh went into her travel bag and produced her ticket, and handed it to the attendant.
" Um, ma'am is your companion coming ? The gate is getting ready to close."
Calleigh furrowed her brow, replying, " I'm sorry?"
" You gave me two tickets," the pretty attendant said as she held up the extra ticket. Calleigh stared at the ticket, feeling her heart plummet once more. It was his ticket.
" I'm sorry, I must've grabbed both of them," Calleigh said as she took the ticket, " I'm alone."
The attendant nodded with a hint of sadness on her face as she stamped the ticket, then proceeded to say, " Okay, well, you are ready. Have a safe trip, Ms. Duquense."
" You know , you are the only one who pronounced it right," Calleigh said , finally letting a smile burst forth.
" Oh, I come from a southern family, so I know. My family name is Bucher, but I've been called butcher too many times to count. Mainly by the Yanks," she said as he accent became more evident.
Again, Calleigh thought about Tim, but she continued to smile, " Oh I know ... I love being a southern gal. You have a Happy Holiday..."
"Celine," the attendant said as Calleigh moved forward.
"Celine," Calleigh repeated before disappearing into the tunnel.
Settling in on the plane, Calleigh looked out of the window to see the clouds that seemed pinkish in the glow of the lights that beamed from Collins Avenue. She was certain that the skies were going to open up, and judging by the cold air, Miami would see it's first snow. Her mind wondered what that would look like and she smiled at the sight of Eric in snow. He was Miami to the core, and seeing the white stuff would certainly shock him.
The sound of her phone chirping at her side brought her out of her thoughts and she put her hand on it quickly, hoping that it was Tim. A flight attendant passed by just as Calleigh was flipping up the phone.
" I'm sorry , ma'am, but I'm going to have to ask you to wait to call until we are in the air."
Calleigh nodded and put her phone down, thankful that she had emptied her voice mail earlier.
Maybe, he'll leave a message, she thought as she felt the airplane start to move forward.
In moments, she felt the plane lift up off of the ground, leaving Miami behind her. What a Christmas this was going to be.
T/C
Tim stepped out of the cab, pulling on his coat. The weather seemed to have gotten worse, the cold wind whipping around his head, leaving a stinging sensation around his ears. The cabbie smiled at Tim as he grabbed the luggage out of the trunk, and placed it on the curb.
"Looks like some one had some common sense. You aren't from around here ,are you?"
" Yeah, I live here, but I was born in Syracuse, so this is nothing to me. Although, I've been in Miami long enough to forget about this type of cold," Tim said as he smirked at the cabbie. He had on a light jacket zipped up to his chin.
" Well, I've been a Miami boy all my life, and I've never felt this before. This is unbelievable! You know , they are talking snow? Snow! In Miami," the cabbie explained as he shivered violently.
Tim pulled out his fare and an extra amount and handed it to the cabbie, " You go find a warm place to sit in and have a cup of coffee on me."
The cabbie looked at the money and smiled. Tim had given him a twenty dollar tip.
" Hey, thanks man. Have a safe trip," he said as he rounded the front of the cab.
" No, problem. Have a Merry Christmas," Tim called back. After the cab pulled away from the curb, Tim grabbed his luggage and eyed the plethora of people clamored at the baggage claim, raising an eyebrow. He sighed and walked through the doors. It would take him to travel on the day before Christmas Eve.
T/C
"Ma'am would you care for anything?" the flight attendant asked Calleigh. Calleigh glanced up from the window and shook her head . She had been watching as the plane made it's way from Florida airspace heading for north. The white flurries had started soon after take off and she wondered how much of the white stuff would be on the ground in Georgia.
" Oh no thank you," Calleigh returned as she sat up. " Is it okay if I use my cell phone now?"
The attendant smiled sweetly and nodded , " Of course honey. Although ,you are going to have to make it fast. We will be landing in about forty five minutes."
"Forty five minutes? Wow, that was fast!" Calleigh said as she grabbed her cell.
" Savannah's not that far, and we have been in the air for close to two and a half hours already. It beats the international hours."
Calleigh giggled and asked, " Is this your last flight?"
" No. I have a connection to Syracuse to race to when I get to Savannah, then I will be off."
Yet again, something to remind her of her missing boyfriend. She dropped her head and fidgeted with her cell phone. The attendant looked around then took a seat next to Calleigh.
" You want to talk about it?"
"Excuse me?" Calleigh asked as her green eyes got wide.
" You are a beautiful woman, with an empty seat next to her. What did he do?"
Calleigh felt a grin come up as she turned to the attendant, she wasn't at all uneasy with talking to the woman, " He made other plans."
" Really? Other plans huh?"
" It's not what you think. He wanted to go see his folks in New York, I wanted to see mine in Georgia. He says that we agreed to going to Syracuse, but how could we if I brought two tickets to Georgia?"
" I see. Well, did you talk to him before you left?"
Calleigh shook her head as she dropped it again, " No. I was just ... just so pissed."
" Oh, honey, it's alright. Men will do that... Just give him a call. By the looks of it, I'm sure you can patch it up," the attendant said as she glanced up to the front of the cabin, " I've been paged, but hon, remember this, if it hurts, it's worth saving."
Calleigh watched the attendant get up and move forward, thinking about what the attendant said. The more she thought about it ,the more it made sense. She eagerly flipped up her cell phone to see the voice mail icon blinking. She dialed her voice mail and listened to his voice .He sounded so lost, so vulnerable...
" Cal, it's me. Look, baby, I'm sorry. We can go to your grandmothers, we can go anywhere you want, just call me, okay? I love you."
Calleigh felt the tears start to rise inside of her as she saved the message. She then wasted no time to call him back. She was disappointed to here the cellular message:
The person you are trying to reach is either out of range or unavailable. Please try your call later...
She flipped the phone down with a defeated sigh and continued to watch the snow drift from the sky. The feeling that she had inside of her scolded her for acting rash, and she instantly regretted leaving Miami. Her only hope was that she could salvage this.
T/C
Tim settled into his seat next to the window, glancing out to see the white flurries as they drifted from the sky. It had begun to snow in Miami. Many people gazed out of their windows at this feat, some commenting on how close the world was to coming to an end. Tim smirked and laid his head back on the chair and closed his eyes, thinking of her. His cell phone rang and he quickly grabbed it, flipping it up without looking at the caller id.
" Hey,..."
" Speed, can you believe this? It's freakin' snowin' in Miami , man!"
Tim sighed and rolled his eyes, keeping them closed as he spoke, " Delko, it's just snow. It won't hurt you. I promise."
" I know it won't, it's just I've never seen snow before. It's really beautiful," Delko returned quietly.
" Yeah, it's pretty . Hey, if you go out , put on extra socks. And do you have a coat?" Tim asked, already knowing the answer to that.
" Speed, up until today, Miami's weather never dipped below seventy two. I wouldn't have any idea where to buy one."
" Go by my place, I have an extra coat in my closet. You can use it ."
" You have an extra coat, ... in Miami?"
" Do you want it or not, Delko?" Tim asked as he felt the plane begin to taxi.
"Alright, alright, I'll take it. So did you call Calleigh?"
"Delko..."
"Sir, I'm sorry, but you are going to have to end your call, we are about to take off," a flight attendant said as she passed by him. He nodded then spoke into the phone.
" Make sure you lock up my house, Delko. If it gets broken into , I'll kick your ass."
" Speed , such language during the holidays," Eric teased. " Call Calleigh ."
" Thanks, love doctor. I'll take your advice, even though I see that you are spending your Christmas alone," Tim returned sarcastically.
" That's beside the point , Speed..."
" Sir,..." the attendant said as she made her way back to him. Tim put up one finger then spoke again.
" Listen , Delko, I've got to go , but can you do me a favor and get Calleigh's grandmother's number off of the desk. And don't riffle through my things."
" I won't. I'll call you back. Thanks, Speed."
" No problem. Call me back," Tim said as he flipped the phone down . He smiled at the attendant who had a scowl on her face, as she passed him. Tim laid his head back on the seat and felt the airplane take to the sky. He was heading home.
Tbc...
A/N: hope you like it... please let me know...