She sat there listening to the announcements coming over the PA System and watching the people walk past en route to the Security check point as they headed for departure gates. She glanced at the board again and then at her watch. Just fifteen minutes more. Another quarter hour to think and worry about how the young lady who she's there to meet is going to react upon finally meeting her face to face.
"How is she going to react when she learns the truth?" she thought. "It never came up during any of our conversations, or even during all the planning we did to arrange for her visit. Now she's almost here, and there's a serious possibility that she might hate me or accuse me of lying to her."
She rose from her seat to stretch her legs and walk off her nervousness. She peered through the windows of the airport shops as she did her best to ease her nerves and worry.
The chime of the PA caught her attention, and she glanced at her watch with a small dread.
"Announcing the arrival of Flight 2325 from Denver. Passengers arriving on this flight will be able to collect their luggage at Baggage Carousel 3."
She walked back to stand at the bottom of the stairs to await the arrival of the young woman who could be her "One and Only."
"Well, for better or worse, it's showtime," she whispered.
Standing at the base of the stairs, she watched for the familiar face of the woman who had without hesitation boarded a plane, and flown through multiple time zones and across an international border just to meet her.
"Here's hoping all of the planning and effort has been worth it."
The buzz of her phone pulled her out of her fog as she reached into her purse. Seeing a text alert, she opened the app and read the message.
"Keeping my fingers crossed for you, girl! Just be yourself, and she's going to love you."
"Thanks, Mija," she thought as she turned off her phone and dropped it back into her bag. "Sure wish I could have that kind of confidence right now."
She turns her attention back to the top of the staircase.
"9/11 sure threw a wrench in how they do business here. Before then, I could have just made my way through security and been waiting at the gate for her. Now she's gotta navigate through the crowds alone."
She continues to stare intently up the stairs.
"Oh, this is ridiculous," she thought. "Snap out of it, girl! You're winding yourself up tighter than an eight day clock, and probably for nothing. Just take a deep breath and relax. Everything is going to be fine."
Following her own advice, she inhaled deeply, shaking off her nerves as she glanced to the stop of the stairway again, and there she was.
She stood there smiling and waving in greeting.
"Ok, steady girl, you've got this," she thought as she waved back. She pointed toward the escalator and moved to stand at the bottom.
The young woman nodded and shifted to her left, then steped onto the moving tread.
Soon, she's at the bottom, smiling in relief that her day long journey is nearly at an end.
"Welcome to Reno, it's so great to finally meet you face to face."
"Thanks. It's great to finally meet you too."
"Baggage Claim is this way, Lara. Shall we go grab your bag?"
"Sure, K, that would be great."
"Before we do that, there's something I need to do."
Lara looks at her intently.
"And what might that be?"
K stepped closer and wrapped her in her arms. Lara instinctively tipped her face up and closed her eyes as K's lips touched hers. Seconds pass, then they part once more.
Lara stood there for a moment as the last of the bolts of electricity coursed through her body.
"Wow! I didn't expect her to be so passionate," she thought. "This is going to be an interesting trip."
Taking K's hand, they walk towards the carousel to retrieve her bag.
"I have a confession to make K. I didn't know what to pack for the trip, so I sort of packed everything."
"No worries, luv. Learning to pack comes with experience. How much could you have overdone it?"
"You'll get the idea when you see my suitcase."
K laughed as they walked down the corridor.
As they stood waiting, K pulled Lara close and kissed her again. Lara, for her part, was ready, and she surrendered to K's kiss, her lips slowly parted, inviting K's tongue to enter and explore. She let herself melt into the arms of the woman she'd ridden three planes for and moaned softly.
"Damn! How can I possibly be falling so hard for a woman I've never laid eyes on until today?"
The buzzer and a rotating amber light pulled her from her own thoughts, and she looked toward K.
"So, did you have any problems with your flights or Customs? I haven't flown internationally since before 9/11, so I've never had to deal with the newer restrictions."
"The flights were fine, and I only had one small hang-up with Customs in Edmonton. The officer seemed a little confused when I explained that I was flying all this way to see someone I'd never met before. I finally told him, "she's a cop," and he told me to enjoy my visit."
"Glad to hear that you didn't have any serious problems. I was worried about that."
Laura smiled and leaned against her.
"So what does your bag look like?" K asked as the carousel began moving.
"It's big and blue. You can't miss it."
They stood there watching suitcases and duffle bags move past on the belt.
"There it is," Lara said pointing out the large blue suitcase coming around the turn at the front of the carousel.
"I'll get it for you doll," K told her as she moved forward and grabbed the handle on the bag. "Good lord girl! You weren't kidding when you said it was big. It's heavy too. What on earth did you pack anyway?"
"I told you I wasn't sure what I should pack. Mostly because I didn't know what sort of weather I might be dealing with."
"Not a problem. We'll get things straightened out for you, even if we have to get you a second bag for the return trip."
K lifted the bag from the belt, and set it on its wheels.
"I left my truck in Valet at the hotel and caught a cab because it was faster. Shall we go?"
K took control of Lara's bag and taking her hand, led her out of the airport.
