take me back to the start

Chapter 24: Displaced

Late May, 2016. (a month later).

Rachel fidgeted with her napkin as a flight attendant made the 'prepare for descent' announcement. She leaned her head against the cool window and tried to find Los Angeles through the clouds. But there was no gap in the marshmallow blanket, and the city (much like the details of her future) was totally obscured.

Looking back down at her lap, she was surprised to see that she had been unconsciously tearing her napkin into shreds. She must be more nervous than she thought.

She had never been to the West Coast before. She had never felt the urge to leave New York, she had been so adamant to make it her new home.

She'd even waited until the absolute last minute to leave. She'd taken a red-eye flight (first class of course) and she already had a meeting scheduled later that afternoon. She'd barely have time to settle into her hotel before beginning work. But that's how she preferred it. Free time made her feel lazy. Besides, from what she had heard, there wasn't much to see in Los Angeles as a tourist anyways.

Home was a strange word. There were so many connotations to it. What did it really mean? The place where you lived? The place where you felt safe? The place where you belonged? Or was it like that old saying, 'Home is where the heart is'?

Rachel wasn't sure if she had a home. She liked to think and call New York her home, she certainly loved it enough, but maybe you'd never be able to shake the roots of your real hometown. You could take the girl out of Lima but you couldn't take the Lima out of the girl.

Her thoughts wandered towards images of sprawling cornfields and empty interstates. Ohio, the state of her origin. They lingered at one image in particular, that of a smiling six foot three Ohio boy, bred and born, decked in blue and white and flannel.

The image soon transformed, the face became a little thinner, a little sharper, a leather jacked replaced the button-up, and the background changed too. Sunshine and palm trees and an iconic Hollywood sign all sat behind him, and together they seemed to mock the world, gluttons in their own self-supposed superiority.

She knew she was being too harsh. In reality, Finn was one of the least self-assuming people she'd ever met. But the fact remained that he was no longer the Finn from Lima, and she was no longer the Rachel from Lima. Their new environments, their new 'homes', had changed them.

She was still sticking to her decision. Finn had had the right idea when he had 'given her away' in the first place. Now, they both had to let go of their past, and their past selves, to move on.

The elderly man next to her began to stir. His name was Bob. They had made small talk during take off, but he had been knocked out for the rest of the flight. He was a retired businessman, visiting his grandchildren. From their earlier chat, she had decided he was a kind, a little eccentric, wise old man. She liked him.

"So Miss Rachel Berry.." he started, making conversation again, "You're a movie star huh? Will my grandkids be upset if I don't bring them an autograph?"

Rachel laughed, "No, I'm really more of a Broadway 'star', who's temporarily testing the waters in the film industry. So unless you're grandchildren are avid fans of West Side Story or racy musicals about repressed teenagers in the 19th century, I'm sure they'll have no idea who I am."

"Well all the same," he chuckled, "It's always fun to meet a celebrity."

She felt a little color creep across her cheeks as she laughed modestly.

"So who's the lucky man?" he asked, pointing to her left hand.

She looked at the delicate sapphire ring on her ring finger and laughed again, "Oh this isn't an engagement ring," she responded, "It's just a little trinket I bought for myself, I wear it for decoration."