I received my monthly email from Esther and started to read it. Ever since the accident, she had been traveling to different parts of the world and exploring. She seemed to be so happy from all the pictures and gifts she sent, but once in awhile her letters home weren't as happy. She would be stable and happy and then I'd receive an email in the middle of the month of her panicking and crying and there would be nothing I could do from across some oceans and continents. Something about this email was different. It was short when I opened it and it just said a date, a time, and an airline.
Esther was finally coming home.
I realized the date was a few days away and immediately got really excited. I ran into the living room as fast as I could, knowing Alex would be there and threw a pillow at his sleeping face.
"What the fuck, though?" He spat drowsily.
"Esther's coming home!" I beamed, grabbing the same pillow and hitting him again.
"Quit it!" He squealed grabbing the pillow and rolling over, tucking it under his torso where I couldn't reach it. "When is she coming back?"
"A few days," I blurted, almost cutting him off. I hadn't been this happy about something in a long time. Alex seemed almost surprised to see me that happy. I practically danced while excitedly talking about Esther while he reluctantly fell asleep. He snored lightly clutching the pillow I was hitting him with earlier and desperately trying to hold his head up. I rolled my eyes and went back to my room.
Most of my time waiting for Esther to get back was spent listening to random music on iTunes and making weird tweets about expensive clothes I really wanted to buy. It ended up being a pretty slow week, even with all my excitement. It was like time was teasing me and slowing down because it knew something was going to make me happy.
Last time I'd seen Esther, she wouldn't stop hugging me and telling me everything would be okay. It had only been a week since the accident and she was coping by trying to convince me everything was fine. We'd both lost almost everything in the same moment and had lost our will and guidance to do anything, but Esther initially tried to make me her comfort, but it stopped working. After a few months of depression, she decided she needed to get away, and she did. She took a year long tour to countries she'd never been on and a few places she'd always wanted to revisit.
Before I knew it, it was time to head to the airport. I planned to get stuck in traffic so I left the house almost 2 hours early and ended up getting there with a half hour to spare. The airport was almost empty, like I'd expected from how early in the morning it was. I guess landing at 10 am would be easier for someone who was almost 8 hours ahead before the plane ride. I parked my car and waited patiently for Esther to walk out those large glass doors with tons of bags. I got bored sitting in the car and started getting anxious. What if she'd reconsidered and was still sitting somewhere in Europe and she didn't ever want to come home? What if the only other person that understood what I had went through was never coming back? I started to panic. I parked, got out of my car, and started pacing slowly before giving up and leaning against the trunk and folding my arms. I took a deep breath and thought about the last time I was on stage, standing next to my best friends and having the time of my life. The lights from the stage heating my skin the the summer sun I patiently stood in and the screams from the crowd filled my ears and my heart with love and joy. I hadn't realized how much I'd missed being there.
"Mitch!" someone yelled from behind me. I stepped up on the sidewalk and turned around just in time for Esther's arms to wrap around my shoulders excitedly and squeeze as hard as they possibly could. I giggled and hugged her back, causing her to groan, since I always hug too tight. She pulled away and put her hands on the sides of my face. "Hi," she beamed with tears forming in her loving eyes.
"Welcome home, Esther," I smiled before she hugged me again.
Within the next ten minutes, I'd packed all of Esther's things into my trunk and noticed that she hadn't stopped crying since she started. I slammed the trunk and stepped closer to her. With her hand pressed to her mouth she briefly looked up at me before turning back to look off towards the horizon.
"For just a second, while I was on the plane, I thought Avi would be here when I landed. I thought my baby brother would be standing where you were, waiting with his awkward arms open and that goofy smile on his face." She sniffed and looked at me with a slowly forming frown growing across her face. "I wanted him to be okay," she sobbed. She hugged herself and let her head drop forwards for a moment. "He's not coming back. He's really..." Her crying over took her and she covered her mouth to keep the sound from echoing in the still almost empty arrivals driveway. I sighed and wrapped my arms around her, letting her weep into my chest until she calmed down and opening the passenger door for her to climb in. She sat down slowly and fastened her seatbelt in the time it took me to walk around the car and climb in myself. I looked over to make sure she was okay and started the car.
She continued to hug herself as I drove away from the airport and sat in silence until I pulled up and the house. I stopped the car and looked over at Esther, who at some point had started crying again.
"If you want, we can sit here until you're feeling better," I suggested sweetly.
She nodded and grabbed my hand tightly while she calmed herself down. It didn't take long before her tears stopped and she started to climb out of the car. I followed her in and shower her to the guest bedroom, since I knew she was going to be asleep very soon.
"I'll bring in your bags. You relax, okay?" I said in a weirdly maternal tone.
"Thank you," she sighed.
"Anytime," I smiled.
