When I Met Her....

The Airport

The Airport

Laurel's POV

          Only having felt pain close to this once in my life, my breathing becomes shallow and quick as I'm riding in the car with Mel to the airport.

"Hey, are you okay?" Mel asks me, pulling one of her hands from the steering wheel to lay it on my arm.

"Um.." I gasp, trying to draw in a deep breath, "Can you let down the window a little."

"Yeah." Melony nods frantically, quickly reaching out to let my window down.

"Thanks." I exhale, resting my head against the door next to the window, letting the wind blow in my face.

"What's up with you?" Melony says, glancing at me and back at the road.

"I just...it's just hard ya know. To walk away from this beautiful life I've created here. It's painful. It's like a part of me has been ripped from my chest and I'm just barely holding myself together."

"Babe, if you don't want to go just say so. I know you're sacrificing and all but at what expense?"

"You don't understand." I sigh, closing my eyes in stress.

"I do. It just shouldn't be like this and you know it."

"Mel, please. Don't make this harder than it has to be." I say, straightening up in my seat as we pull into the complicated parking lot of the airport.

"Okay Lau, whatever." Melony mumbles, driving around the giant airport loop looking for a parking spot.

We find a parking spot and make our way into the airport with the few bags I can't go without until my things are sent back to Louisiana. I reject all the food we pass through in the food court. I just really want to get on with everything and my stomach is in no position to hold anything.

We're walking into Terminal 7 when I see my mother with her back against the water fountain with some grungy street-artist looking guy draped all over her. I roll my eyes and Melony's face is beyond disgusted.

"Amanda." I mumble, making my presence aware to her and her dirty little friend.

"What happened to mom?" Amanda smiles, pushing the guy off of her so she could face me.

"Mothers don't blackmail their daughter." Melony interjects, her front pressed up against my back as she leans over my shoulder.

"I don't think we ever got the chance to really introduce ourselves. And who might you be?" Amanda asks, grinning politely.

"Melony." she sneers, looking Amanda up and down. 

"Well, I'm Amanda, Laurel's mother."

"I know who you are." Melony grimaces, "And you're not her mother."

"What are they teaching you children over here in Texas?" Amanda chuckles, "Laurel came from me. I'm pretty sure that makes me her mother."

"Anyone can give birth to a child. That doesn't make them a mother."

"Melony if I didn't know any better I'd think we had a problem here." Amanda says, tilting her head to the side a little, moving her hip farther into the guys pelvis area that was leaned against her.

"Well," Melony grumbles.

"Hmm," Amanda murmurs, "Well it was nice meeting you Melony but I do believe our flight will be leaving soon. I'm sure you have somewhere else to be."

"Actually I don't." Melony smiles fakely.

"I see." My mother frowns, folding her hands together.

"Yeah," Melony smirks.

A few minutes later, my mother's loser friend dismisses himself. Apparently, he works at the airport in the food court and was only on break. Time is flying by and boarding time is getting closer and closer and my nerves seem to be getting worse and worse.

My leg starts to bounce up and down and Melony lays her hand on my knee, steadying it.

"Calm." Melony whispers to me.

"I'm trying." I whisper back.

A plague of sympathy covers her face.

"Don't look at me like that." I scold her, "It's not helping."

She throws her hand up in surrender and makes her face void of emotion.

"Thank you." I breathe, looking away and off into the distance.

          I can feel my eyes filling with the tears of the already expected and I turn away as the body become meerly silhouettes.

"United Flight 1208 will start boarding in 25 minutes." A nasal voice says over the loud speaker in the terminal.

          My heart starts racing and I stand up from my seat. Melony stands up beside me, her hand on my back. An uncomfortable sheet of heat seems to fold over my body.

"This is it, I guess." I say hoarsely, turning to look at Melony.

"No it's not." Melony says, confidently, "And don't you dare say good-bye to me because we'll be seeing each other soon. Okay?"

          My voice is too thick to speak so I just nod my head and she pulls me into a hug. I bury my face in her shoulder as I wrap my arms tightly around her.

"It's going to be okay, I promise." she whispers comfortingly in my ear.

We let go of one another and I bend down to pick up my carry-on. Melony starts to tap me repeatedly on the shoulder even though she knows I hate being tapped like that.

"What?" I ask, trying to keep the irritation out of my voice.

She continues to tap me as I'm trying to gather my stuff off the ground.

"UGH! WHAT?!" I practically shout, flinging my body up to look at her.

She's not looking at me, but over my shoulder.

"What are you looking at?" I ask frustratingly, spinning around.

In the distance but not too far is a body running towards us. It's obviously a woman because her beautiful blonde hair with just a hint of brown is airborne around her face as she moves through the crowded terminal.

Julia?