The plane was leaving soon, but Allison Candrid thought there should have been a separate boarding time for people with kids. She had 2, and they alone were enough to make her late for just about any social arrangement on the planet. She couldn't image what it would be like having more- they'd passed a woman like that in one of those crappy souvenir stores that line the terminal. Couldn't have been much older than Ally herself, but run down, you could tell. Ally counted 4 little ones prancing around her feet, and at least 2 more deeper into the store. Poor dear, she had thought, Ally Candrid being the type of person who saw a fat woman in one of the electric shopping cart/ wheel chairs in the supermarket, and offered to help carry her bags, not the type of person who thought with disgust, fat cow, and proceeded to buy a bushel of kale right then and there, just for the spite of it.
People like that, Ally figured, had never done either of two things. One, waited tables. Being at the complete dispense of your peers is the ultimate form of humility, her father liked to say as she was growing up. For Ally, who had been far from homecoming queen material with her braces and greasy bangs in high school, humility had never been hard to come by. Yet still, she had worked her way through college by waiting at diner after diner, and sub shop after sub shop. She liked to think it had made her a better person, even just in the long run.
She had outgrown the awkward stage too, along with the diners. After majoring in photography, she had cleaned houses for a few years in her early twenties, always staying close to the small southern town where she had grown up with her parents and brothers. It was there that she met George, and promptly made the stupidest mistake possible in the human agenda; she fell in love.
George was from Alabama too, but he shared her restlessness with their quiet, church centered town. Together, the two of them moved up the coast to begin their lives in bustling New York City. Ally took a job in a Bank of America, her love was photography, but money was tight and she had always been a practical girl. Still, she was determined to make her dreams come true, no matter how long it took. Life ain't worth living if you haven't left your mark, was another of her fathers favorite sayings, and Ally intended to do just that.
She and George saved up and traveled across the world for most of their late twenties, learning about different people and different walks of life. Neither of them wanted to turn a blind eye to a single cause or hungry child. They were both nostalgic and loyal to their southern roots, but religious, conservative small town life was not what either of them had in mind. Ally's interest was people; talking to them, photographing them, hearing their stories.
When she and George finally realized they wanted to have some little people of their own, they knew they had to settle down. Back in New York, taking a real job that would pay the bills once again, Ally didn't discourage. There were always ways to help out in her community, in fact, Katie and Joseph, her kids, spent the majority of their childhoods helping out in soup kitchens, voting booths, and volunteering at the local library and homeless shelter. All in all, Ally liked to think she and George had done pretty well, and neither of them were even 40 yet. They could appreciate all walks of life, and their children were learning to do the same.
If only they could get on the fucking plane.
"Katie!" Ally calmed a bit too harshly. She was never one to believe that yelling was the answer in any situation, especially one that involved children, but neither was she one to coddle.
Her 6 year old daughter Katie came bouncing up at the sound of her name, and for the millionth time, Ally thanked god at the sight of her. She knew how lucky she was to have two kind, healthy children.
"I'm ready, Mommy." Katie said happily, bouncing on the toes of her bright green crocs.
Ally couldn't help but smile. "Where's your brother, you know we can't miss our flight."
Thankfully, Joseph came scampering over on his chubby 4 year old legs, along with her harried but happy looking husband. At age 39, George was still the most handsome looking man in the terminal, according to his wife.
The family boarded the plane in the nick of time, and Ally finally breathed a sigh of relief as she settled into her seat. The small, plastic chair in second class was the most comfortable thing in the world at the moment.
"Excuse me." A young, breathless voice said from beside her.
Ally turned with a smile to see a young girl standing in the aisle beside her. She couldn't have been more than 16, but she was already very pretty, with thick auburn hair and big blue eyes. Her cheeks were flushed with stress that she shouldn't have had to feel at her age, and she was dressed older too, in jeans and a sensible button down, along with flattering makeup.
In her arms was a squirming but happy baby, dressed smartly in blue corduroy overalls and grasping a well loved blue stuffed elephant. His skin was bronze and his hair was tightly curled, in contrast to the girls pale complexion, but he clearly had his sisters wide smile and blue eyes.
"Hello dear." Ally said warmly. It was rare to find a girl so comfortable handling the responsibility of caring for a younger sibling, especially alone on a flight.
"I think this is my seat." The girl returned the smile and gestured to the aisle seat on Ally's left. The family had opted to purchase 4 seats in groups of 2, so that each parent could sit with a child. Joseph had not yet noticed the girl, and was busy trying to make faces at his sister in the seat behind him by cramming his face against the plane wall.
"Of course." Ally said, moving her bag off the aisle seat and allowing the girl to sit down. "I'm Allison Candrid." She held out her hand, being the kind of person who would never sit next to someone on a 4 hour flight without intruding herself first.
"Amelia Andrews." The girl said with a smile, situating her small carry on bag between her feet as she sat down. "And this here is Jeremiah."
She had the same faint southern drawl that Ally had grown up being accustomed too, but like her, she had clearly not lived in the south for quite awhile.
"Pleasure to meet you." Ally laughed, looking kindly at the baby, who was satisfactorily chubby and adorable.
"Visiting family?" She asked, not wanting to pry, but unable to hide the curiosity that mixed with her respect at a young girl traveling from Alabama to New York alone with her baby brother.
"Yes, actually." Amelia explained, bouncing Jeremiah on her lap subconsciously. "I grew up here, and we're just visiting my mother. I go to school in New York, you see. Yourself?"
Ally smiled, impressed by the child's manners and politeness. "Same thing, actually. My husband and I both grew up here and are just visiting our parents before returning home. You know how grandparents are about their grandchildren, if they don't see them at least twice a year you'll never hear the end of it."
Amelia smiled in understanding and squeezed the baby tighter. "Is this your son?" She looked across Ally to where Joseph was now staring intently out the window at the shrinking landscape as the plane took off.
"Yes, Joey, meet Amelia." Ally nudged the boy gently and nodded toward their seat companion.
Joey looked with childlike curiosity at the teenager and baby before remembering his manners. "Nice to meet you." He grinned, revealing 3 missing teeth.
"Boy, what good manners you have." Amelia smiled broadly. "Now, you must be quite a big boy to have lost so many teeth already. How old are you?"
Joey beamed proudly and launched into a lengthy discussion of his age, preschool, and the amount of money the tooth fairy had left him for each tooth.
Ally was impressed. At such a young age, Amelia was already great with kids, listening with patient interest as Joey's 4 year old banter became less and less on topic.
"How olds the baby?" Joey asked, breaking Ally out of her thoughts. She was curious to know as well.
"He's 15 months now." Amelia answered with a hint of pride in her voice. "This has been his first time on a plane since he was born, but he's been surprisingly good, thank god. I just couldn't put it off any longer, my mom's been on my back to come visit her for months now."
Ally nodded with a half smile, though something about Amelia's last confession didn't sit right in the back of her mind. "How long were you with your mother?"
"A week." Amelia answered as Jeremiah began to kick fretfully. "Shhh baby..." she soothed, her attention immediately absorbed by her brother. For what's felt like the hundredth time that day, Ally was impressed with the girl. Her resourcefulness reminded her so much of herself at that age. Wise beyond her years.
"It was good to be home, you know?" Amelia finally continued, once the baby was settled and contentedly chewing on the ear of his elephant. "I haven't been in so long..." she trailed off thoughtfully and Ally waited. "Anyway. It'll be good to be back in the city, it's where I really belong anyway. Plus, they say home is where the heart is, so I guess my home really is in New York now. I've built my life there." Again, her expression grew wistful, and she lifted Jeremiah on her lap to look him in the eye. "Are you excited to be home again baby? We'll be there soon, to see Daddy."
At the mention of his father the boy kicked and squealed. "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!" He cried happily, and the elephant bounced from his lap into the aisle.
"Oops." Amelia sighed affectionately but tiredly. "Would you mind-,"
Ally was already reaching for the baby, who was not shy at all about settling himself into someone else's lap for a spell. Amelia stooped to pick up the elephant, then looked longingly toward the bathroom at the end of the aisle.
Ally smiled at her in understanding. "I'm already holding him, you might as well."
The girls cheeks flooded with gratitude. "Are you sure? I'll just be one minute."
Ally smiled and nodded. Joey was very interested in the baby anyway, and the two were already making faces at each other. It had been awhile since Ally had had a baby to sit on her lap, and the warm softness was nostalgically comforting. Jeremiah was such a sweet baby too, kicking his legs and squealing with delight as Joey fashioned a hat made from a sock for the elephant to wear, but also quieting down quickly once the stuffed animal was back in his grasp. Of course, thought Ally, it shouldn't be surprising that he's so well behaved, what to be traveling such a long distance with just his sister. Then again, from what the girl let on, the pair must have been living with their father in New York, so they probably spent a good deal of time together. Ally sighed. She knew all about divorced parents and older siblings having to grow up too fast, though she did admit it was a bit odd for a toddler to be living with his father full time.
"Mommy, where did you get the baby?" Katie had appeared in the aisle, leaning over Amelia's seat.
"His names Jeremiah." Joey piped up, clearly proud to have more information than his older sister. "He belongs to the lady sitting in the seat next to us."
Ally smiled. To Joey, anyone over the age of 10 was no longer a child.
"Lady?" George has now joined the conversation, leaning over Ally's seat to get a look at the baby, who was obviously enjoying all the attention. "Do you mean that girl sitting next to you? I heard you talking... unusual to see a child that age with a baby on a plane.
Ally was defensive of Amelia's situation. "It looks like the two of them spend quite a bit of time together, traveling between divorced parents and the like." She exchanged a knowing look with her husband. His parents had divorced when he was 7, and he had practically been raised by his older siblings.
He smiled gently at his wife, and the baby in her lap. "It's been a long time since I've seen you with a baby." He smirked. "It's a good look on you."
Ally rolled her eyes. "Don't get used to it." At 37, she was looking forward to seeing her kids enter the next stage of life, and seeing herself enter the next stage of her career. The baby phase had been fun, but it was being her.
"Is this the rest of your family?" Amelia had returned.
Ally introduced her seat mate to George and Katie before handing the baby back over.
"He's very well behaved." She remarked, catching sight of the beverage attendant beginning to make her way down the aisle. "It looks like he gets it from you."
Amelia smiled proudly. "Lucky for me he does. I don't know what I would do if he was more like his father- all riled up all the time."
Ally nodded- the different skin tone and features, she had already assumed the two had different fathers.
"Can I get you anything?" A friendly stewardess with bright lipstick and nail polish to match asked, having arrived beside them.
"Mommy, Mommy, can I get an orange juice? Please?" Joey rugged at his mothers sleeve, knowing he was more likely to get what he wanted if he was as polite as possible.
Ally smiled. "Of course, honey. And a coffee for me, please, just milk."
The stewardess nodded, then looked to Amelia, who only shook her head. "I'm saving my money for the cab fare home, actually." She said in a polite, dignified tone.
"Another coffee, please." Ally told the stewardess before turning to Amelia. "How do you take it dear?"
The girl opened her mouth to protest, but one look at Ally and she must've known she wasn't going to get anywhere. "Milk and sugar, please." She agreed reluctantly.
"And could we get another orange juice, maybe in some kind of sippy cup?" Ally finished her order firmly, in the same no ifs- ands- or buts tone of voice she used with her own children.
After the stewardess had moved on, Amelia turned in her seat to Ally, who was busy stirring her coffee and looking through a magazine.
"Thank you." She said.
"For what?" Ally smiled knowingly and patted the girls hand. The two exchanged a warm look.
Soon after finishing their orange juices, the boys drifted off, Jeremiah starting off in Amelia's lap but eventually switching to Ally's at her insistence. She could tell that the girl needed a break, and it was really no trouble. The two chatted in that way that only occurs when two complete strangers are in close quarters for a long amount of time.
Ally told Amelia all about what had made her move to New York, what her first jobs had been, and the years she and George had spent doing charity work all over the world. The two compared their experiences growing up in the south, and Amelia explained her desire to go to school in the city ever since she was little, and how hard she had worked to achieve a scholarship to one of New York's most prestigious private high schools, even though it meant leaving everything she had ever known behind. By the end of the flight, Ally felt as though she had met her clone, albeit one who was 20 years younger.
Though she was polite and interesting to talk to, Ally could not help but notice that her seat mate steered clear of discussing her personal home life and living situation, quite understandably. It really was a shame the way every family was a little bit broken these days, and again Ally felt lucky to be part of one that was, besides an occasional bump in the road, so delightful.
•
"Mommy, Mommy, look, look over there!" Joey bounced on the balls of his feet, pointing to the ice cream shop in the airport that sold 50 flavors.
Ally smiled, and nodded. After a two hour flight and a week long visit with both sets of grandparents, she figured her kids deserved a treat. They were always so well behaved and polite, and there had been not a peep of complaining from either of them the whole trip. She couldn't help but spoil them a little sometimes.
"Go ahead and look at the flavors, but stay together." She directed her restless duo in that calm but firm tone that had become second nature in her years of motherhood. "Me and Daddy will be over as soon as we get the bags."
She watched her children scamper off until they had reached the safety of the ice cream parlor, then she turned and stretched deeply. Air travel, even a flight as short as that had been, always wore her out.
As she and George picked up their suitcases from the baggage claim, she kept an eye out for the name Amelia Andrews printed on one of the tags, but nothing. She had lost sight of her little seat mate soon after leaving the plane, I'm though the two had exchanged goodbyes. She left her phone number with the child on a whim, a girl that age could never have too many friends in a city as big and foreign as New York.
"Isn't that the girl who sat by you?" George asked, as if he had read her mind.
Ally turned to where he was pointing and smiled, for indeed it was.
Amelia was walking across the terminal in small, quick steps, her travel sized suitcase in one hand and Jeremiah positioned snuggly on her hip. She scanned the crowd, obviously looking for someone.
"Daddy!" Jeremiah suddenly squealed in delight, and squirmed free from his sister's hold. She let him down, and he scampered with surprising ease for a child his age across the terminal.
Ally followed the bright blue of the child's stuffed elephant with her eyes as he was met by a man- no. Not a man.
He was met by a boy, who couldn't have been older than 17, wearing a yellow polo and dark jeans. The kid picked up the baby with the widest smile Ally had ever seen, and scooped him high into the air. It was the smile more than anything that made the puzzle pieces fall together for Ally. Not the brown skin and curly hair Jeremiah and the young man shared, not even the declaration of "Daddy!", that had escaped the excited toddler's lips.
It was the smile, the wide grin that both the baby and his father shared, that made her realize.
Amelia caught up to the family reunion and kissed the young man who had scooped up the baby firmly on the mouth, before the three embraced together.
The boy looped his arm around Amelia's shoulders and hoisted their son onto his shoulder as the three of them began to walk out of the airport. Just before they would have been out of sight, Amelia turned and looked straight at Ally, still shock still by the luggage carrier.
The girl smiled, and in that smile were all the comments about grandparents and Jeremiah's father and her mother that she had dropped seemingly harmlessly in conversation. She smiled, and the smile said that she had known all along what Ally had perceived of her and her young son, that it was probably very different from what everyone else assumed. In the smile was a thank you for the coffee and the company, and maybe too, a thank you for not asking too many questions, because people so often do, and people so often assume the worst, and it's nice to just be treated like a regular person once in awhile.
Then she turned, and Amelia and her family walked away. And Ally walked away too, back into her own life, where her own picture perfect family awaited at the ice cream parlor that sold 50 flavors.
As she walked, Ally thought about people, and what people so often think about each other, and all the assumptions people make during first impressions, and how often wrong they were. And she realized that things are so often not what they seemed.
And that maybe people are just genetically programmed to ignore the elephant in the room.
And maybe that isn't such a bad thing.
YOU ARE READING
Washout
Short Storyshort stories. basically anything that comes into my head, everything from romance, heartbreak, death, lgbtq+, loss, racial issues, justice, etc.
