The Smile Always Fades

21. Reunited

Getting off the airplane wasn't too bad, all Anna had to do was grab her carry-on bag and exit out into New York City. It was quite a shock for Anna she actually told herself that she was clear across the country and far away from her home; she was in The City That Never Sleeps and she was beginning to become more and more energized by the realization of it all. The airport, on the other hand, was giving Anna a small panic attack. There were people walking all over the place; Anna was afraid that she'd get lost or kidnapped with all of these people pushing and shoving, trying to get to their own destinations. It made Anna a bit uneasy that she was somewhere so foreign to her--so different from her life in Oregon. I wonder if this is how Cassy felt when she first got off her plane too, Anna thought.

Anna looked up from the polished tile airport floor at the sound of her name.

"Anna!" Mr Stevens called again, waving his hand excitedly, a smile was spread all across his face. That was one thing that Anna had always admired about Cassy's dad--it wasn't just his mouth that looked happy and bright when he smiled, it was his whole aura of being that seemed to glow...but only when he was happy.

"Mr. Stevens." Anna walked over to him and shook his hand vigorously. "It's so good to see you again."

"As it is you, my dear," he replied back. "I'm sure you're anxious to see Cassy, but I'm afraid you'll have to wait a bit longer. She stayed home--it's easier that way, it'd be pretty difficult trying to maneuver through this busy airport with a wheelchair."

"I completely understand," Anna said sympathetically. She wasn't quite sure if she should try to keep the mood happy or just let it go the way it wanted to.

Thankfully, Mr. Stevens changed the subject quickly. "Let's get your luggage, shall we?" He stuck his elbow out, making a crook and offering it to Anna.

"We shall," she said merrily and took his arm, linking her wrist through his extended elbow. He's being awfully friendly, he never used to be like this when I would come over to visit while they still lived back home in Oregon. Oh well, Anna thought to herself. It's probably better that I stick close to him at the moment. Now I don't have to worry about getting lost...

Anna mentally slapped herself for letting her thoughts drift in that direction, she was not going to think negatively or wrongly about any of this--it wasn't Cassy's fault, it wasn't her doing, she had no control, and she certainly didn't deserve remarks such as that, even if they were mentally said or thought of.

...getting lost, or stolen and shot at.

The baggage claim was more crowded than Baker High's cafeteria on Tater Tot Tuesdays--everyone in school religiously waited for those crispy tots--but this airport was totally insane, it blew Anna's mind that there could actually be this many people occupying one place at the same time, and this was only the baggage claim!

It took about twenty minutes before Anna finally spotted her two suitcases. They had been a gift from her dad after had come back home from a business trip to Florida. The bags were olive green with periwinkle polka dots making up the pattern, Anna loved them from the moment she set eyes on them in front of her closet with a big red bow on top of each. They had been the best present her dad had ever given her, she loved them just as much now as she did the day she received them.

Anna quickly grabbed both of her bags before they traveled too far away from her on the conveyor belt. She froze as soon as she looked up from her luggage though. She could have sworn she had seen Steven, the guy on the plane ride, staring at her, but the moment she blinked he had disappeared, making Anna wonder if she had even seen him at all or if it was just her mind playing tricks on her.