Chapter 2
When Alice arrived at the airport later that evening she found that her luggage had already been loaded onto the plane and that Baldwin was waiting for her. "Good evening" she greeted him. "Good evening" Baldwin replied, "Shall we?" he asked, gesturing up to the plane. Alice nodded and started up the stairs. As she stepped onto the plane she noticed that Baldwin had already set up one of the tables with a laptop and papers. She settled down into one of the chairs across the aisle. "Anything to eat or drink miss?" an attendant asked. "A black tea would be lovely" Julia replied. "And for you sir?" "Nothing for me" Baldwin replied already engrossed in his work. Alice pulled out her tablet and her earbuds out of her purse so that she could busy herself with her own work during the flight. She had a new exhibit coming up that she was designing for the Museum of Modern Art in San Francisco and she had barely started drawing up ideas. As the plane started to take off, Baldwin looked up from his computer and said "I'm sorry that I'm not being a good flying companion. Just some last minute things that need my attention." "It's all right. I have some of my own work to keep me busy." Alice replied. She then put in her earbuds and sipped on her tea as she started on her designs for the art exhibit. Baldwin went back to his work but found himself stealing glances at her. He was almost memorized by her as she worked. She was so focused on what she was working with and he loved watching her eyes light up when something seemed to really please her. He knew that she really enjoyed her work in the art world. He had visited one of the exhibits she had created for one of the museums in New York last year and wondered what project she was working on now. He could also hear that she was listening to Mozart as she worked and smiled slightly as the fingers of her left hand tapped along to the music. A memory of attending one of Mozart's performances in Vienna with Alice in 1783 invaded Baldwin's mind. Baldwin felt a heaviness descend upon him at the memory as well as a pain in his heart.
He then felt the sudden need to stretch his legs and got up and walked to the far end of the plane. He looked out one of the windows but there was not much to see since it was dark. As he returned to his seat he noticed that Alice seemed to have drifted off to sleep. Her eyes were closed and her head leaned on the wall of the plane. The tablet had slipped from her lap onto the floor. Baldwin picked the tablet up off the floor and placed it on his table. He then found a blanket and placed it over her body that was now curled up in her chair. As he covered her with the blanket he placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. She looked peaceful and Baldwin realized she also looked very vulnerable. After what happened in Venice it surprised him that she felt comfortable enough to let her guard down. It also meant a lot to him that she felt safe enough with him to sleep. He doesn't really remember the last time someone felt safe in his presence. None of his family members really even seemed that comfortable in his presence. He sat back down to his work feeling a little happier than he had felt in years