The Luggage // hemmings

Ch. 2: "Because I'm a Good Person"

Jilly

"Literally, what is up with you?" Kate asked, giving me this confused look.  "You've been smiling like that since you got back from Starbucks.  My bagel was hard and my coffee was cold, by the way."

"Maybe you should have woken up earlier," I said, only half paying attention.

"Ooh, did you meet a boy?" she asked excitedly. 

"Why would you think that?"  That got my attention.  I tried to make my voice sound casual, cool, but apparently it didn't work. 

"Oh, my Jilly did meet a boy!  Was he cute?  Was he British?" she asked, bouncing on her heels. 

I sighed.  There was no way I could convince her I didn't meet Robert. 

"Okay, fine.  I met a guy, but he wasn't exactly the speaking type, so I couldn't hear an accent.  I didn't expect him to be since I spilled my coffee on him.  That wasn't even my fault, though.  These two little boys pushed him into me," I explained. 

Kate's smile was big and scary.  I didn't get it, I mean, it was just a guy.  I could meet plenty more back home in New York, ones who didn't hide their faces from me, ones who actually liked to talk. 

"Does he live here?" she asked. 

"I don't know, and it doesn't matter anyway.   We don't live here, so whether he lived here or not, I would never see him again."

"You're such a pessimist."

"You're slightly bipolar."

Our friendship consisted of constant back-and-forth insulting.  I never understood how we put up with each other. 

A man with a scanner scanned our tickets and we boarded the plane. 

We weren't sitting beside each other, but I was right behind Kate.  We both had window seats.  I would be lying if I said I wasn't hoping Robert would be on this flight. 

A little girl sat down next to me.  Her mother looked at me and an elderly man on the right side of her daughter. 

"You're going to be okay, right, sweetie?" she asked the little girl.  The little girl fumbled with her pigtails and pulled at her skirt nervously.  I heard her sniff a little. 

Oh no, she's going to cry, I thought. 

"Why can't you sit with me, mommy?" she asked.  Her eyes were full of tears and I would cry if she cried.  I hated it when people cried because it made me cry a little too. 

"Sweetie--"

"Ma'am, I could switch seats with you," I found myself saying. 

"That's so kind of you, dear, thank you very much," she said. 

I sat down in what would have been her seat; it was just a couple of rows behind where I originally was. 

Since I couldn't talk to Kate, I tried falling asleep.  I was pretty peaceful until I felt someone plop down in the seat next to me. 

I opened one eye, and then both eyes popped open when I saw Robert. 

"Hi," I said. 

He gave me a small nod, still staring straight ahead.  He kept his hands positioned in a way that covered most of his face. 

The flight crew gave the usual safety precautions and the plane took off.  I kept yawning to clear my ears. 

Robert's long legs didn't fit quite right in front of him.  His shoe fell off and he bent over quickly to get it before it flew anywhere.  His sunglasses fell off in the process.