Capturing Moments

Chapter 1

~Vivian’s POV~

“Vivian!” I heard my absolute best friend Yesenia yell for the hundredth time. 

“Hold on! I’m coming, just a second!” I yelled back, slipping my shirt over my head. I slammed my door shut and walked into the living room where Yesenia was standing. She had on a pair of dark blue jean shorts and a loose white T-shirt, which revealed a hot pink tank top underneath. 

“Let’s go.” She said, dragging out each word. 

We walked out of the house and loaded our bags into the car. It was vacation time and I was so happy; we really need this break. I pulled the light jackets tighter around me as the usual chilly English wind blew. “Is Louis meeting us at the airport or on the island?” Yesenia asked and I felt the usual smile spread across my face as my boyfriend’s name was mentioned. 

“He told me last night that him and the boys had to do something today and they would just meet us there.” I said, looking out the window. We were heading into the heart of the city to catch our flight to America. I watched as the traffic got heavier and trees became buildings. I loved the city, but I much rathered my parents’ home in the country. My own apartment was just outside of the official city limits and while it was quiet, it was a step back from the hustle of London. 

“This is going to be so much fun.” Yesenia said, squeezing my arm as she was driving.

“Keep two hands on the wheel, Yes.” I joked, both of us laughing. My nickname for her was so unique. I made it up when we were in Year Six and it stuck ever since.

By the time we parked in the airport lot, we had to rush to get through the check in and to the gate. There was a bit of a crowd, but luckily none of the Directioners knew where we were headed this week so we didn’t have to be rude and ignore them. I knew it was part of dating a member of One Direction, but I was never comfortable with big crowds. 

“Now boarding Flight One-thirty-four to America.” I took the cue and gathered my carry-on bag as we walked through the detectors. I thought back to the time when Niall had made the plane late once because he had been arguing with the guard about bringing food on the plane. We sat on the plane, luckily beside each other, and put our bags in the overhead cabinet. Without saying a word, we both grabbed our phones and started taking pictures. Yesenia, being the photographer student she was, made me pose as she snapped a couple pictures. We were laughing to ourselves as an older man sat down beside us. He had to be in his late seventies and he carried a small satchel on his arm. 

“Hello girls.” He said, nodding his head at us. I watched him as he took his time sitting down. He moved slowly, although he didn’t seem like he was struggling; more like he was taking his time. 

“Hello.” We said in unison and then started giggling again because of it. He shook his head, smiling at us. 

“Where are you two ladies heading today?”

“Hawaii.” I said after Yesenia looked over at me. I wasn’t surprised because she was a shy girl, just not around the boys or me. “An overdue vacation.” 

“Ahh, Hawaii. Same here; I go every year.” He said with a smile, closing his eyes as he leaned back into the seat. I noticed that his left hand had a golden band around his ring finger and I inquired about it. 

“Is your wife with you?” I asked, looking from his hand to his face. If she were, I would have traded seats with her so they could sit together. I had gotten the middle seat, so I was right beside him and it was easy for me to see the tears that he was clearly trying to fight off. He didn’t answer immediately and I almost thought that he was just going to ignore me, but then he opened his eyes and I saw a tear fall down his cheek.

“No. She passed away two years ago of cancer. Our last trip together was to Hawaii and I’ve been going back every year since.” He explained. I didn’t know what to say; I had to be honest that it was sad to see the emotions of memories running across his face.

“I’m sorry.” I said and patted his wrinkled hand. “I bet she was a lovely lady.”

“That she was.” He said smiling again. The corners of his eyes crinkled up and I had to smile back at him. I loved talking to older people about their lives, even if it was sad. They always had interesting stories. I guess I had gotten it from my mum, since she worked in a nursing home. 

He let go of my hand and pulled out a book, signaling that our conversation was over. I turned back to Yesenia and we started planning all the things we wanted to do. Neither one of us had been to Hawaii before, so we wanted to try everything. About three hours after take-off I decided to take a nap for the rest of the flight. We had a layover in Atlanta, Georgia in about five hours and then another flight across America to Hawaii. It was going to be a long day; I didn’t see how the boys did it all the time. 

“Wake me up when we land.” I said to Yesenia and she just patted my head and called me lazy. I nudged her with my elbow, but laid my head on her shoulder and fell into a light sleep.