Seat 20 B
…4 months later
Drake hated airport delays. Even in the wonderful technological age of cell phones,
laptop computers, palm pilots, and I-Pod's you could still feel your life span shorten the
longer you had to wait around the airport. He was at the San Diego International
Airport. He had a nine o'clock in the morning flight to New York City to meet up with
Alan Crimm from Spin City Records who heard good things about Drake and his band.
The thunderstorm would not let up and the whiny two and a half year old that was sitting
on his mother's lap who was sitting next to him on a dark blue plastic chair kept
throwing Pepperidge Farm cheddar cheese goldfish crackers at him. Some were
sticky due to the fact that he dribbled all over them before throwing them at his target.
Drake and his band wanted to make a sampler CD for Emme Jessica's Place. They
were going to self-publish it themselves, but a friend of a friend type of person saw
them play at the Gilded Cage which used to be the home of the Brew Note the cool
teenage coffeehouse hang out that Drake got his start at when he was fifteen years
old. And the next thing you new Drake was getting ready to board flight 647 to New
York City which was delayed due to the storm.
It was an hour and a half later when he was awoken by the static voice coming from the
intercom announced that his flight was now boarding. It was about time.
Drake was too exhausted from getting a "friendly" wake-up call from Josh a five thirty
and fell back asleep again as soon as he was buckled up in his seat, which was
number 20A.
He woke up a half hour later smelling the scent of light spring flowers. Someone was
sitting next to him. His eyes still slightly blurry from his nap focused on the book that
was on the person's lap. The title was Beating Cancer With Nutrition and Drake
thought that was quite the coincidence.
"Did I wake you?" A woman his age asked. She had long brown hair with blonde
highlights and she pinned her bangs with gold barrette. Her eyes were a deep shade
of green. He could appreciate sitting next to be a pretty female. "I'm sorry." She said
"No," Drake stretched and straightened his posture, "I woke myself up."
"You look familiar." The woman replied plainly. She wasn't trying to play or score. She
just disliked having to keep quiet.
"Did you go to the Gilded Cage recently?"
"That's it! You're Drake Parker. I'm Susannah Wagner."
She extended her thin hand. Drake shook it. He wasn't thinking of anything other that
he had someone he could talk with to take the boredom out of this flight. But there was
a nagging voice inside him that wanted to find out about that book on her lap.
"Interesting read?"
"Yeah. I read about you in the paper talking about the center."
"What else do you know about me, Susannah?"
"Only what is printed and that you put on a good rock show."
"Thanks. So tell me about you."
"I'm a nutritionist. I'm going to New York to see my family. I don't know why I feel the
need to tell you, but I tell everyone I meet, that my boyfriend Billy Sanderson died of
cancer when he was seventeen."
"I'm sorry." He was. A lot of people used that as an empty phrase to cover up their own
insecurities by "just being polite", but he understood what she was going through and
he meant it.
"I know. I'm sorry about Emme Jessica. She really was pretty. Do you want to see a
picture of Billy?"
"Sure."
Susannah opened up her plain purse that she bought on sale at the discount store and
took out a worn faded purple wallet with her initials embroidered on it in white threads
that were starting to unravel.
Billy was a jock and wearing a white baseball uniform with blue pinstripes. He was
wearing the number five.
In the picture he had in his own wallet Emme was the same age. Here Drake and
Susannah were getting older and their dearly departed were stuck on the ages they
were when they left their bodies. If they came back from the dead they'd both be hauled
to prison for corrupting a minor. How fucked up was that?
"I see he was a baseball player."
"Billy could've been in the major leagues."
Was she going to cry? Drake wanted to take out his cell phone if he could during a
plane flight and say to both mother's he knew this was going to happen. Not that he
had any future plans with Susannah. He just met her for God's sake. But, now it was
going to be his turn to wax nostalgic about Emme. It's not that he didn't love talking
about her. He did. But there was something about this that was all wrong.
It just seemed so expected. Yeah he wanted The Fates to prove it to him. He never
would have talked to her, but it was her cancer and nutrition book that made him open
up his mouth and start the conversation. If he still wanted to wrap himself around his
Emme then he knew damn well that Susannah wanted to do the same with her Billy.
She must have sensed his uncomfortable shift and took a blue highlighter out of her
purse and decided to nip this conversation in the bud.
"I need to focus on some work, Drake."
"Of course."
He put took his headphones out of his carry-on bag to listen to his custom Zero Gravity
mix.
Every part of Drake's body hurt. It's not that he expected anything other than friendship
with Susannah. But if they were doing anything it was settling. He didn't talk to anyone
for the rest of the flight. Drake kept his headphones on, but the volume was off when
they were exiting the plane after arriving at JFK.
New York City was awesome and right now Drake Parker could care less. He just
wanted to go on the next flight out to San Diego. He almost wanted to cancel his
meeting with Alan Crimm, but that wouldn't be fair to the band.
"Hey," a female voice called from behind making Drake miss getting his luggage from
the spinning carousel before it slid down the belt.
"Yeah?"
"Listen, Drake. I think I owe you an apology."
"No, no, no— you don't. You don't owe me a damn thing, Susannah."
"Do you think you are the only one going through this? I told you about Billy."
"Why don't you say it louder? The rest of the airport can't hear you."
"I don't get you," Susannah reached for her simple plain soft pink vintage style suitcase,
"How can you do the work you do and be a prick?"
"Because life is not about settling. I wanted FATE with big letters to prove it to me. But I
don't feel a thing, Susannah, not a thing." He picked up his black leather checked
suitcase that came with the carry-on. It was a gift from his parents when he graduated
college.
Drake walked away. He got as far as the two feet when his mind caught up with his
body.
Was he pushing Susannah away the way Emme did to him in the beginning? Drake
didn't love Susannah Wagner. He hardly knew her. He didn't know if they were going to
be a couple or not. He didn't know if they were going to be friend's much less sexual
partners. She was getting an overpriced water out of the vending machine when Drake
found her less than a minute later.
"What do you want?" she asked
"I don't know," he admitted. Was it so bad not to fucking know? "But we have to eat, so
do you want to grab something?"
She stood there taking a big swig from her bottled water before replying.
"I suppose. But I think we should split the bill."
"Fine. Oh by the way, I'm not a prick."
"I know. I apologize for that remark."
"No worries. I guess I should apologize for my attitude." Drake replied letting the taxi
driver put their luggage in the trunk.
"It's okay. I understand. I know where you are coming from."
Susannah briefly put her hand on Drake's when they were seated in the yellow cab.
"Thank you."
"Where to?" asked the middle-aged taxi driver
"Lombardi's pizza."
"Pizza is bad for you." Susannah did the 'shame shame' cross of her fingers.
"Too bad. You can order a salad, Miss Priss."
What did I just say?
It just slipped out
Damn it.
I'm fucking stupid.
"What did you call me?"
"I just don't know," Drake looked out the window rather than look at Susannah, "I just
don't know."
"That was your nickname for Emme wasn't it?"
Drake was surprised that she asked that question of him. He swallowed to get rid of
the tickle that was in his throat.
"Yes."
She knew how difficult this was for him and was trying not to pass judgment. There
would be plenty of time to talk about Billy Sanderson and Emme Jessica Watson later
right now they needed to redirect their energies or they weren't going to have a
friendship let alone anything deeper. But they had to be comfortable talking and being
with each other first.
"Lombardi's has the best pizza in New York City you say?"
"Yeah they do," Drake unwrapped a piece of strawberry hard candy and popped it into
his dry mouth, "So Susannah, why don't you tell me a little bit MORE about yourself?"
Carpe Diem
Seize the Day.