Unexpected

The Stranger.

"Flight number 1589 direct from Pittsburgh international airport to Helsinki International Airport will be departing in 5 minutes from gate 16A."

The departure announcement came over the intercom and reached Marley who was across the airport in line for coffee.

This is Marley Stocke. Perpetually late.

"Shit." Marley mumbled under her breath and began to run across the airport without her coffee.

"Miss!" The barista shouted with Marley's cup in hand.

"I don't have time!" Marley shouted back, already 10 feet away. "Enjoy my coffee!"

Marley barely made it in the knick of time and skidded to a halt at the boarding gate and began to dig her ticket out of her back pack.

"You are seat number 36, Have a great flight-.."

"Thank you!" Marley said, cutting off the flight attendant and began to run again down the hall. Trudging up the steps and into the plane a wave of nervousness hit Marley. The same nerves she's dealt with every flight over the past 5 years before take off.

She found seat number 36 and thanked the heavens that it was a window seat. She pulled her cellphone and headphones out of her back pack, shoved it in the overhead compartment and sat in her seat just as the flight announcements began.

"Thank you for flying Delta, please fasten your seat belts and turn your phones off or set them to Airplane mode.- " Was all Marley heard before she already had her headphones in. She was already aware of the protocol after flying so many times over the years.

The plane started to ascend and she held her breath like she always does at the beginning of every flight and metally prepared herself for being 30,000 feet in the air for the next 12 hours. The plane finally evened out after what always feels like an eternity. She chewed her lip like she always has when nervous and looked out of the window.

When the sun started to set she finally gave into her heavy eyelids and dozed off. She slept through the rest of the flight until the Landing announcements started. She groggily pulled her backpack out of the overhead and made her way onto new land.

She gathered her one bag at the luggage department, silently thanked herself for learning to travel light and made her way out of the airport to wait for the cab she called for in her best broken Finnish.  The cold air stung her cheeks and nose. Colder climates were always her favorite.

She slipped into the cab when it arrived and handed the driver the address to the hotel she'll be staying at for the next few weeks. On the drive there she couldn't help but notice how different and beautiful the architecture was. The buildings were a mixture of modern and classic from centuries past.

She took a mental note of where one of the many coffees shops were so she could get her caffeine fix later on and a cozy looking book store she'd like to explore.

She checked in at the hotel and made her way up to her room. She hated elevators almost just as much as she hated to fly. She dropped everything in her hands by the door after walking into her room and collapsed onto her bed. She realized as her head hit the pillow that she hadn't let anyone back home know that she landed safely. Marley pulled herself off of the bed to fumble around in her bag for her cell phone.

"Hello?" Lina Stocke asked with a hint of her romanian accent still in tact. She somehow held onto it after living decades in the states.

"Hey mom, just wanted to let you know I've been kidnapped by strange Finnish men in ski masks."

"That's not funny! I can't wait until you are a mother."

"I love you, mother dear. Calm down. I'm fine. The plane landed without a hitch and I'm already in my room."