Inside the plane.

I look at the seats left and right, trying to decide where we can sit. There are only two seats nest to each other on each side. This plane is small, but I didn't expect it to be big to begin with. I stop somewhere in the middle of the plane and point. "You want to sit here?" I look at Britney. She didn't answer. She just went to sit down with Bella on her lap. I wonder why they didn't ask her to put Bella in a travel box. "I'll sit here, dad." I turn my head and see him sitting down on a seat on the row on the other side. "You don't mind sitting alone?" He smiles at me. "I don't, don't worry." He takes his phone and earplugs. I sit myself down next to Britney. A stewardess is walking up and down the aisle. She is checking if everyone has fastened their seatbelts. She stops at my row more often than normal. I look up at her, she smiles at me. She has big blue eyes, she is pretty, but not my type.

"Fasten your seatbelt, please." Britney looks at her and let out a noisy sigh. She pushes Bella in my arms, who starts to growl at me. I quickly hold her up in the air, away from my face as I look at the stewardess for a moment. Britney is finally done with the seatbelt and I give Bella back to her. "How long will the flight take?" Britney asks the stewardess. She was still looking at me. "About three hours." "Do we get drinks on this flight?" Britney asks. I inhale deeply, not wanting to show my annoyance. "Of course, and you can even eat something if you like." Britney snorts a little, shaking her head. The stewardess turns and walks to the front of the plane.

"She's staring too much at you. Isn't that bothering you, baby?" I look at her, letting out a deep breath. "No, it doesn't bother me." Britney smiles coyly at me. I give her a smile while I press my lips tightly on each other. "You're too gorgeous for this world." I snort about that. "Stop it, Brit." She looks at Bella for a second and then outside. I watch the stewardess sitting down, she takes the horn for the intercom. "We are going to depart now, please stay seated during lift off. When the sign for the seatbelt turns off, you can unfasten your seatbelt and walk around. Drinks and food will be offered a few times during the flight. Any questions can be directed at me. I hope you all are prepared for Pampa, because it's going to be really hot out there. I wish you a comfortable and nice flight."

I close my eyes when I feel the plane taking off. I inhale deeply and hold my breath. I feel the pressure on my bladder, just like always. I don't know what it is, but every time I need to fly, after takeoff I need to pee. I shake my leg in anticipation as I watch the sign to turn off. It takes another five minutes. I quickly unfasten the seatbelt the second I see the sign turning off. Britney looks at me as I stand up. "What are you going to do?" I look at her. "I'm going to pee. If they come by with drinks, will you get me something?" I see her nodding. "Thanks." I walk to the toilet. I lock the door behind me and turn. I inhale deeply as I try to pee. I look down and close my eyes, trying to focus on peeing. Then I feel the pressure going down and I hear the sound of the splattering pee in the toilet. I let out a deep breath, feeling truly relieved.

"Good boy." I whisper to myself. I think about how my family, and how they will react when they see us coming today. I'm sure mom will be really happy, especially to see my son again, but I'm not so sure about my father. I arrange myself and flush the toilet. I turn to wash my hands. I wonder why these plane toilets always need to be so small. I mean, claustrophobic small. I open the door and the stewardess walks against it. I heard the thud of her falling down. I quickly step out and see her laying there. I see the cups and cans laying on the ground, some are rolling away. I quickly kneel to pick them up. "I'm so sorry." She looks at me. "Are you okay?" As I help her back on her feet. She tries to smile at me. She straightens her skirt as she giggles nervously. "I'm okay, it happens sometimes on these small planes."

"Here." I hand out the cans and the cups. She takes them, trying to smile at me. "Thanks. Your drink will come in a bit." I nod, giving her a small smile. I move aside, so she can walk to the front. She looks at my face as she passes me. I went to my seat and look at my son. He's looking at me. I see him inhaling deeply and looking back at his phone. I look at Britney when I sit down. She is looking at her ring. "You think your parents will notice the ring?" I look at the ring, the diamond is huge. "Of course, how can someone not notice the ring?" She looks back at it with a huge smile. I lean in to give her a kiss on her cheek. She turns her head and grabs my chin with her thumb and index finger. She smiles and gives me a few little kisses. "I love your goatee, it's so soft." I chuckle as I look at her lips. I let my chin stroke her cheek, making her giggle. She pushes me away. I sit straight and lean my head against the seat.

Bryan is watching us. He rolls his eyes. Another boy has sat himself next to him. He is staring at Bryan nearly the whole time. Bryan turns his head to look outside and sees the boy looking at him. "Are you Bryan Castle?" "Yeah, how did you know?" The boy starts to grin. Bryan starts to frown. "I follow you on social media. I love your football playstyle. You're amazing." "Thanks, I didn't know that people are following my football career." The boy chuckles and extends his hand. Bryan shakes it. "I'm Sean Tyler." "Nice to meet you, Sean." "Likewise, why are you going to Pampa?" "Visiting family, and you?" The boy straightens his back. "Going back home, in what street does your family live?" "No idea, last time I saw my family was five years ago." They smile at each other. "You'll love it there."

Bryan looks at his phone again. Sean watches him for a moment and then looks outside while humming softly. Bryan didn't give him any attention. The stewardess came with the drinks. I take the cup she reaches out to me. I look in it and my eyebrows go up. I sniff a little and pull my nose up. I look at Britney. "What's this?" She looks in my cup. "That's carrot juice, why?" I look back in my cup. "You told me to order anything." I take a very careful sip. I choke and cough a little, this stuff is disgusting. "It's extremely healthy. I could've ordered beet juice too." I sigh deeply, laying my head against the seat. I close my eyes.

The plane shakes because of turbulence. Bella starts to bark, shaking nervously. Britney tries to calm her down, but she moves and turns. She bumps against my arm. I reacted in moving my arm, therefore spilling the content of my cup over my shirt. "Shit." I look down at the orange stain on my shirt. Britney looks at my shirt as she is still trying to calm Bella down. I look at Bella. "We should have bought a travel box for Beebee." "Nonsense, baby, she's just a little scared." "Exactly why we should have. Look at this, I can throw this shirt away now. You know this is my best shirt." Britney opens her purse and takes the tissues out.

In the meantime, the stewardess came to look at the situation. "Here." I look at her. She is holding up a towel. I give her the now empty cup and take the towel. "Thanks." I dip the towel on my shirt. It's really sticky. Britney wants to help me. "Don't, Brit, make sure Beebee stays calm. I need another shirt." "Then you need to wait until we land and get the luggage." That might be true, but I want to get this shirt off. "I'm gonna take it off, it's sticky." I start to unbutton the buttons. The stewardess stares at me. Britney rolls her eyes. "We'll buy a shirt at the airport." I look at Britney for a second as I unbutton the button. "There are no shops at the airport in Pampa, it's a small airport."

"It's fine. I can put a shirt on when we arrive at my parents. It will be hot outside anyway." I stand up and slowly take my shirt off. Britney looks at me and sighs. I see the stewardess drooling. Bryan watches how the people in the plane are staring at me, especially the women, but I don't care about it. I take the towel and wipe the juice off my chest. I roll the shirt up and sit down again. The stewardess blinks a few times. I reach the towel out to her. "You need anything?" "Some water would be nice." She nods and turns. "Put the shirt back on, everyone is staring at you." I look at Britney and inhale deeply through my nose. "No, I don't care if people stare." I close my eyes. "Since when are you like this?" "I've always been like this, you've never noticed?" She caresses Bella's head a little. I open my eyes to look at her. I see her thinking. "Don't think too much. I'll be putting a new shirt on when we get at my parents." "What will they say when they see you like this?" She points at my chest. I look down at my own chest. "I don't think they will say much about it. I mean, I've walked around like this most of the times when I worked at the ranch." Britney sighs again. I lay my head back and close my eyes again. I just want this flight to be over with.

Three hours later.

The plane has landed. I stand up and look at my son. "Son." He looks at me as he stands up. "Let's go. I need to look for a rental car." I lay my hand on his upper back and push him a little forward. I look at Britney standing up. She takes her purse. I follow her outside. When we are down the stairs. I pinch my eyes a little because of the sun. I look around and inhale deeply. Besides the smell of burned rubber. I could smell the air of the woods and it brought my mind back to my childhood. I have missed this smell, this place, the woods, and the ranch. And even if it was five years ago, it still feels like coming home. Britney looks around.

"This airport is literally in the middle of nowhere." I look at her with a smile. She turns to me and looks at my chest. I stretch my arms behind my head. "You really need to put a shirt on." I lay my hand on my chest, rubbing my fingers on my chest. Bryan looks at me. "Come, let's go." We walk to the door that leads inside to the luggage department. It's still not having an assembly line for the luggage. "Where are the lines for the luggage arrival?" I smile as I look at a counter. It's really still the same. It's like time is standing still. "It's over there." I point as I walk to the counter. Bryan follows me. Britney did too. "There? But that's not an assembly line." "This airport is too small for that. Look, it's not even crowded."

I stop at the counter and look at the staff working. "Johnny Castle?" I turn my head and see a big guy standing at the counter. "Ben?" He starts to grin as he came closer. "You haven't changed a bit, boy… look at ya." He points at my chest. I chuckle and we hug shortly. "How are you, Ben?" He grabs my head and pats my face one time softly. I look at his face with a smile. "I'm great, retired now but feeling great." I start to grin. He chuckles as he let my head go. He looks at Bryan. "Boy, you keep growing and growing. You look more and more like your father." Bryan starts to grin and hugs Ben shortly. "Thanks, Ben." Ben looks at Britney. I see him starting to frown. "Who's this?"

"This is my fiancée, Britney Martins." I can see what he's thinking. I guess they all wouldn't have guessed that I would be together with someone like her. "It's a pleasure to meet you, miss Martins, I'm Ben Tyler." Ben extends his hand, but Britney did not shake it. Ben looks at Bella and sees her shaking. "You need to let her walk around and give her something to eat." Britney looks at Bella and then back at him. "I know how to take care of Beebee." Britney says defensively. Ben frowns again as he looks back at me. Bryan is watching Ben as he's thinking. "Are you related to Sean?" Ben looks at him and starts to smile widely.

"Sean is my grandson. I came to pick him up. I wonder where he is." "I'm here grandpa." Ben turns around and sees his grandson. They smile and hug. "How was your holiday with your father?" "It was okay. I'm happy to be back home." Sean looks at Bryan with a smile. "I guess you've met Bryan in the plane?" "Yeah, he sat next to me in the plane." Ben smiles and lays his arm around Sean's shoulders. "Let's get your suitcase, your mother will be happy to have you back." Sean nods and smiles at his grandfather. Ben looks at me, giving me a nod. I smile as I watch them walking away. "What a weird man." I look at Britney. "Why would you say that?" She looks at me while she caresses Bella's head. I see her still shaking. "He told me what to do with Beebee. Like I don't know, I know what's best for her." I shake my head as I turn to the counter. Someone came to us. "Why the reaction?" I look at her for a second. "Ben was the best vet in Pampa. I think he knows what he's talking about." "Oh…"

I look at the woman standing in front of me from behind the counter. I see her looking at my chest. She looks familiar. She look up at my face. I smile at her as I recognize her now. "Bianca." She gasps as she makes big eyes. "Johnny! I didn't recognize you with the beard." I automatically touch my chin. She chuckles about my reaction. "Has my luggage arrived?" She turns and walks to the suitcases and the trunk. She looks at the names. "Yeah, they have. Bart can you put these on a trolley?" Bart came to get the luggage. She walks back to the counter. "I didn't know you work here at the airport." She was my girlfriend when I was eight, it wasn't anything serious since we were too young.

I got to admit that she looks really good. We became friends after the two weeks of what we thought was a relationship. We were just children who liked each other a lot. Britney looks at Bianca with little eyes. Bianca is the typical local beauty, brown straight hair with green eyes. "Yeah, I thought I would be able to have a career in gymnastics but turned out I wasn't good enough and because of that I dropped out of college. This is literally the only thing I can do." I frown a little. I remember she was being so ambitious about gymnastics. Bianca looks at Bryan and smiles.

"Who's this?" I look at my son. "This is my son, Bryan." Bryan extends his hand to her. "Bryan, this is Bianca, a childhood friend." Bryan smiles as Bianca shakes his hand. "I didn't know you have a son. How long ago was it that I saw you the last time?" "I think about twenty years or something." "That's such a long time. It's weird to think about it. It's really good to see you again. Still the bare-chested boy I see, like always." Britney snorts about it, making Bianca looking at her. "Your wife?" "His fiancée, I'm Britney Martins." Britney shows her ring. Bianca looks at it and then at me with a little frown. It's the second particular frown I get since we landed. I wonder what the people really think.

"Congratulations." Bianca looks back at me. "Thanks." Britney replies when Bart came with the trolley. I thank him as I take it over. "We need to go now." I look at Bianca, she nods at me. She turns to walk to the next customer. "Wait…" She turns her head to look at me. "You know if there are rental cars here at the airport?" She turns and takes a flyer. "Here, this is for getting a discount on rentals. It's outside, to the left, you won't miss it." I nod and smile. "Thanks." "Let's go."

Bianca went to Ben and Sean. They watch us walking away. "He has changed so much." Ben looks at her. "Not really, he's just hiding under the pretentious surface that his fiancée made him wear." Sean looks at his grandpa. "What do you mean, grandpa?" Ben looks at him and smiles. "I mean that the way he acts now, is not who he truly is. I could see the glint in his eyes when he saw me, the glint that made me realize he hasn't change one bit." "I hope he'll drop that surface. And what's with her? How in the world did he end up with someone like her?" Ben chuckles as he looks back at Bianca.

"I can see you still have a crush." Ben winks. "He's gorgeous but I don't think I ever will get a chance." "I think you're right, but someone else might." He winks at her again. Bianca knows exactly who he means. They look at Sean who is a little confused about their conversation. "Britney is the winner from the Bachelor last year. Johnny was the bachelor in the show." Ben frowns, and Bianca got confused. "Johnny doing such a nonsense show… I just can't imagine that." "It's true, I've been watching it with mom. She wanted to see it." Ben lays his hand on Sean's head. "Let's go, son, your mother is waiting. I bet you got a lot of stories to tell her." Sean takes his suitcase and turns. Ben looks at Bianca who only nods. He gives her a nod as well. The two walk away.