Lisa ditched her car at the curb of the airport departures terminal. She knew full well that it would be towed, but it didn't matter. She wouldn't be needing it where she was going. No one drives in New York.
She slammed the car door closed and dashed across the sidewalk toward the nearest set of revolving doors. It was nearly four o'clock already. She was cutting it close. She probably should have felt nervous. What if she didn't catch the flight in time? What if she did catch it, and Jennie wasn't happy to see her?
The thoughts flitted through her head as she ran, but she only felt an unnatural calm - the same calm that had settled over her in the car earlier, as she pulled out of the freeway rest stop and turned back toward the airport. Lisa knew what she had to do. There was no question in her mind. Of course she would get on the flight. It was fate. It was supposed to happen. Serendipity. Meant to be.
Lisa skimmed her eyes across the row of airline check-in counters and let out a brief yelp of triumph as she caught sight of a familiar face. See, she thought to herself. Talk about serendipity.
She jogged over to the United Airlines counter and pulled up to a stop in front of his favourite fangirl ticket agent.
"Hey!"
She looked up from her computer monitor at the sound of Lisa's voice, and her face broke into a smile as she realised who it was.
"Oh my God!" she squealed. "You again?"
"I couldn't stay away."
"Let me guess. You need to page someone?"
Lisa shook her head. "No no. Listen, I need to get onto flight 871. To New York."
Her eyebrows shot up at the request. "That flight leaves in 15 minutes!"
"I know."
"No, but..." She shook her head at Lisa and started tapping at her keyboard.
"I will do anything." Lisa said, leaning across the desk to look at the monitor while she typed. "Anything you want. Picture. Autograph. Godparent to your firstborn child..."
She froze in mid-keystroke. Her jaw dropped open. "Did you just offer to be a parent to my firstborn..."
"Godparent!" Lisa corrected, waving her arms wildly back and forth to expunge the record. "Not parent! Godparent!"
She continued to stare at Lisa, her eyes wide with shock. Lisa brought her hands together in front of her face in a gesture of supplication. "Please don't misquote me on that one. Please."
"I have a boyfriend."
"And I have a girlfriend. Who I love very very much and I cannot live without her." Lisa said, pointing back at the monitor. "That's why I need to get on the flight."
She nodded ruefully and returned her fingers to the keyboard, but she shook her head a moment later. "I'm sorry." she said, looking up at Lisa. "That flight is completely sold out. I can get you on the 8:30..."
"No, I need to be on this one. It'll totally kill the romance if I'm not on this one."
She shrugged at Lisa helplessly. "Maybe get her some flowers?"
"There's got to be something you can do."
"I can try calling the flight crew." she said with a sigh. "But I really doubt..."
"Please?" Lisa said. "It has to be this flight. It has to be."
She picked up her intercom and turned her face away from Lisa as she placed the call. Lisa looked down at her hands, watching her knuckles go white with tension as she gripped the edge of the desk.
"I guess it was meant to be!" Lisa heard her exclaim a moment later. "This never happens!"
"There's a seat?"
She nodded. "Someone got off at the last second. They're holding the plane at the gate. But you have to run!"
Lisa spun around and began sprinting in the direction of the security checkpoint.
"WAIT!" Lisa heard her voice call after her.
Now what? Lisa pulled up to a stop and turned back around to face her. Did she want a picture with her? Now? "Sorry!" she shouted, pointing at her watch. "No time for pictures!"
She lifted her arm and waved a piece of paper. "You need your boarding pass!" she yelled.
Lisa jogged back over to her desk. "Seriously." Lisa said, grinning sheepishly as she took the ticket from her hands. "I love you."
"I love you too, Lisa."
Lisa blew her a kiss and then turned again to dash for the boarding area. She looked down at her ticket as she ran.
There it was, like a gift from above. Her new lucky number:
Seat 27E.
