October

Chapter Four

Ramsey woke up the next morning with a heavy heart, she wasn't able to get a flight out until today, even though she wanted so badly to leave yesterday after she spoke with her father. Today was Halloween, usually she loved today, but under these circumstances, she didn't care what day it was. She walked into the bathroom to pack the remainder of things she needed into her overnight bag. Her plane didn't leave for another 3 hours but she wanted to leave now. She decided to take this time and call Amara. They hadn't talked in months but she felt it was necessary. The phone rang twice and then she was sent to voicemail, rolling her eyes at the thought that her sister declined her call, she left a message anyway. "Hey Amara, I know you're mad at me but if you could call me back, I want to talk to you about something. I love you." She hung up the phone and waited for a second, expecting her sister to listen to the voicemail right away and then call back. When that didn't happen, she wiped a tear from her cheek and called her dad. "Hi, daddy. I got a got a flight out for this morning. I depart at 7:05am my time, but because of the time difference, I land in Seattle at 10:16am." She was so eager to leave, she wasn't even sure if her dad had said hello back, let alone even answered the phone. "Sounds great, dear. I can't wait to see you." Once she got off the phone she walked over to her computer, where she had printed out her boarding pass. She folded it up and stuck it in her planner. Oh, her planner. Seeing it made her think of Maddox. She hadn't thought about him much because she'd been so distracted with everything revolving her dad, but right now, alone in her apartment she missed him. She actually missed someone she didn't even know. She then felt awful for the way she just walked away without even saying bye after he literally saved her life. She felt herself tear up, and then made herself laugh. Her fragile state of mind had her crying over something that wasn't anything. She didn't even know Maddox, and he didn't know her. And, he had a girlfriend, who could actually be his fiancé or wife, for all she knew. She put the planner in her carry on, grabbed her bags, took one last look at her apartment then turned and walked out.

Traffic to get to the airport was hectic. The roads were always crazy in Manhattan but throw a holiday on top of that and they're even worse. The cab ride took 45 minutes longer than it should've and Ramsey found herself thankful she'd left her apartment so early. Upon walking into the airport, she'd only been here one other time before. It was last spring when Amara had come to visit, before they lost touch. But because of the lack of attendance in her local airport, she had no idea where to go. She walked around in circles until she finally found a sign telling her what gate and terminal she was at. By the time she arrived at the correct gate, she didn't even have to wait because they were already boarding her row. She took a deep breathe and stood in line. "I can't believe I almost missed the damn plane." she thought to herself. The line went by quicker than she thought it would because before she knew it, she was sitting in her window seat, aboard the plane.

The flight was long, and exhausting. She had slept most of the way, cried a little bit, then slept some more. There was a couple in the seats across from her who were on their honeymoon, she had overheard that they were flying to Seattle to get on another plane and fly to Vancouver, where they would board a boat and cruise around Alaska. Ramsey couldn't help but feel happy for them, knowing she was on this plane for something so tragic, it made her happy to know that there were also people aboard who were going on a trip to celebrate their love. When she landed in Seattle, the air was thick with fog. She thought it was ironic that the weather matched her mood. Once she was off the plane she made her way to baggage claim, where she waited for what seemed like years. Knowing that she was in the same state as her dad made her want to forget the luggage all together and hop into the first cab she saw. Her father lived in Redmond so the cab ride, depending on traffic, would only be about 30 minutes. She finally got her bag off the belt and was walking toward the exit when she saw a woman in the crowd who looked a lot like Maddox's girlfriend. "There's no way that's her" Ramsey said out loud, but then she remembered that she did say she was traveling. "Oh, maybe it is her." She said out loud, again. But this time the man next to her was looking at her like she was some strange maniac who talked to herself. Ramsey smiled at him shyly, "Nice one, Rams." She said, to herself this time. As she got closer to who she thought was Maddox's girlfriend, she got a good look at her face and that's when she knew for sure it was her. But, she was kissing another man goodbye. "Anthony! Hurry up, man. I'm double parked!" A man yelled from the curb in a beat up Sedan. "Bye, Jennifer!" He added. "Jennifer." Ramsey repeated. She watched Jennifer and the man who wasn't her boyfriend kiss one more time, and then she said the same thing she'd said to Maddox the day she left Manhattan. "I'll call you when I land, Tony. I love you."