Ski Lodge

2// Where Do I Sit?

Sunday, December 26th

Reader, Christmas came and past, and my mother never gave up on this trip. She presented the whole thing to my father like a Christmas gift, and my grandparents, who had been at our house for Christmas dinner, had readily approved of the trip. They get to house sit our mansion with a pool and a hot tub and an indoor movie theater while we're gone!

So now it is December 26th, and I am sitting in the airport on an unusually hot winter day in Texas on my cell phone with six excitable adults, two young children, and my mortal enemy... I mean Emmett Becker.

In between rounds of my sudoku, I look up to see Weston and Laura playing Angry Birds on their iPad. They look so calm and considerate of each other, especially compared to the tooth and nail sibling fight that I'd had to break up when we were scrambling to find our terminal. Dr's Greene decided they would separate the youngsters on the flight just in case.

"Flight D12 will be boarding soon" the lady at the front desk says over the intercom.

"Trish honey," my mom pokes my arm, "did you pack gum? You know I always get those dreadful earaches whenever we go on planes."

"No, but I can go get some from that little shop we passed if you lend me five bucks. Stuff is expensive here," I sigh.

"Ok, take Laura with you, because her mom said she needed to go to the bathroom before we get on the plane," my mom smiles innocently as if that's not her purpose for asking me for gum.

"No problem, mom," I smile, getting up from my seat and taking Laura's hand.

"Weston said that you can see the ocean from planes, so I'm going to sit by the window and see the ocean," Laura states.

"I don't think we are going over an ocean," I reply.

"But it's a plane," Laura says determinedly, as if being in a plane automatically means we'll be going over an ocean.

"Well," I smile, "you'll have to keep watch then."

She smiles up at me as if I've just given her the greatest responsibility in the world. Kids are adorable.

"Weston isn't going to sit next to me because my mom thinks we'd get into a fight again."

"You probably would," I laugh.

"Yes, but that doesn't mean we don't love each other and don't want to sit next to each other and stuff."

"You are very insightful for a..."

"Can I buy candy?" she interrupts me, pointing to some candy bracelets sitting next to the gum at the store counter by the bathroom.

"Go to the bathroom, and I'll buy the candy and meet you right here. Don't go anywhere else," I say sternly but smiling.

Her little gel shoes squeak on the laminate floor as she skips to the bathroom, almost as if they are as happy to be getting a candy bracelet as she was.

I grab a chocolate bar for Weston as well, and after paying the clerk, I meet back up with Laura who is holding a shiny quarter she found on the bathroom floor.

"That's gross," I look at it cross-eyed as she holds it five inches from my face.

"It's my lucky penny," she grins, "I found it on the floor next to my stall, and I crawled under the wall, and the lady on the other side screamed, and then I crawled back, and left the stall, and washed my hands and the penny."

"Wow," I say debating whether or not I should tell Dr Greene that story, "also, that's a quarter."

"Really?" She holds it back to her face, "How much is a quarter?"

"Twenty-five cents"

"Wow! I'm rich!"

"Yes," I chuckle, "c'mon, let's go show your mom."

We make our way back to the terminal to find our parents all sitting around a side table on which lie all of our tickets. They shuffle them around like playing cards.

"Weston should sit with you, Patrick, my sweet," his wife Dr Midge Greene says as she moves two tickets together on the left side of the table, "you can play Angry Birds with him until he falls asleep."

"I'm going to sit with my hubby," my mom moves her ticket next to my dad's on another two seater.

"Well actually Betty, sweety, we were thinking," my dad points to Dr Eric Becker and himself, "that we'd sit together to have some guy time. And that you could sit with Midge and Erica in the three seat row towards the front of the plane where it is the most quiet so you can get in some sleep." He pushes my mom's ticket forward before planting a kiss on her cheek and whispering, "we will have much time to ourselves later, my dear."

My mom is fine with the new arrangement and smiles as she moves Dr Greene and Dr Becker's tickets up with her own. "That leaves... Laura to sit between Emmett and Trisha in the three seater by the back near the bathrooms and other little kids." My mom beams, probably happy to not be by the bathrooms.

I look at Becker whose face mirrors mine in disappointment. Laura looks at both of us and squeals. "This will be so much fun!" She screams in my ear before dancing off to watch her brother's intense Angry Birds game.

I push myself away from the side table and move down two seats away from the huddle of parents, plugging in my earphones and turning my sudoku game back on. I glance up to see Becker, nose deep in a thick book, sitting splayed out in his tiny black leather seat like he owns the terminal.

I roll my eyes at him, and return to typing in my app. I had just checked my last grid and finished the round when Weston appears beside me.

"Boo!" he whispers into my ear.

"Gosh, you scared me!" I clasp my chest in mock fear as I slowly pull an earbud out.

Weston giggles and leans into my arm, "whatcha playing?"

"Sudoko. You know how to play?"

"Mhmm. Can I play a game, please?" Weston peers up at me through his big round brown eyes.

"Sure," I hesitate but pass my phone to him.

I look over my shoulder to find Laura and see that she has quarantined herself under the seats and is playing a wizard battle game on the iPad.

I look back at Becker, who is still in that splayed position, although now his book is lower under his chest instead of hiding his face. I study his brown hair, long lashes, and tan skin and realize it is such a shame that his objectively good looks are wasted on such an egocentric, rude, and snobby human being.

I look down at my own pale skin and heavily freckled arms. I pull my purple sweatshirt from my backpack and pulled it on, trying to smooth my hair from the static.

I check to make sure my copy of Sherlock Holmes' Adventures is still in my backpack before zipping it back up and leaning back in my seat.

Weston finishes the game, well he tries to finish the game, and hands me back my phone saying, "that game is boring," before returning to his mom and asking for a turn on the iPad. He doesn't get a chance, though, because the announcer starts calling out our group numbers.