The Journey to Finding Me

And So It Begins

The sun had just began to rise when Emily turned grab her phone from the table beside her bed. Quickly she glanced at the time. Realizing she only had a few hours left before she had to catch her flight Emily quickly rolled out of bed and bolted towards the bathroom.

Time seemed to be moving much faster than she wanted but today was the day her life would drastically change. As she showered tears instinctively began to roll down her cheeks. She began to reflect on the memories she shared on the small island. The beautiful scenery of the blue waters and white sand that lay just a few feet away. The excitement of playing in the grassy fields. Her close knit family and most recently the heart felt conversation she longed for from her father. Smiling faintly she sighed and turned the shower off. Grabbing her towel she hastily place the toothpaste on her toothbrush and viciously brushed her teeth. She quickly rinsed her mouth and ran back to the bedroom.

It was already 11am she only had an hour left before she had to be at the airport. Quickly she dried her skin and began to get dressed. She didn't have much clothing options to choose from considering most of her clothes were packed away so she settled for simple jeans a red sweatshirt and some sneakers. Taking only ten minutes to get dressed she got off the edge of the bed and began to walk around the house. As she looked around she could barely keep down the bile that formed in the throat. Quietly she said to herself, " I'm really going to miss this place." it was the only home she really knew.

Emily was jerked from her nostalgia when she heard a horn blow outside. She quickly walked over to the window where she saw her cousin's car parked outside. She gave a slight wave indicating she would be out shortly. Emily headed to the bedroom to grab her bags. As she headed for the front door she couldn't help but feel the waves of sadness washing over her. She was leaving without one last glimpse of her old man or grandma to see her off. Dragging the suitcases out the door, her arms began to feel weak as she turned the keys in the lock for the very last time.

Danny rushed over to help Emily with her suitcases. Noticing the sad look on her face he smiles and say to her "Cheer up. Everything is going to be okay. You're going to see your mom for the first time in twelve years." Emily gave a meek smile, handed him the keys them marched over to the passengers side without saying a word. Danny finished loading the bags in the back and quietly slips into the driver's seat. Sensing Emily wasn't in the mood to talk he turned on the radio and begins driving to the airport.

The drive was about thirty minutes long. All Emily could do was look out the window and take in the beautiful island she was about to leave behind. It was long before they pulled up to the airport. Willing her body to move Emily slowly got out the car. Danny was already miles ahead of her. He had already grabbed the bags and placed them on the pavement. When she finally caught up to him he gave her a sad smile. Grabbing her into a bear hug he said " I'm so proud of the woman you have become. Please take care of yourself." At this point Emily was barely holding it together. She could feel the tears welling in her eyes. Slowly she pulled away from his embrace. Looking up at Danny she gave a weak smile and says " Thank you for everything." pausing for a moment she continued "I'll try my best." Emily grabbed her bags and began pulling them to the check-in line. As she walked she dared not look back knowing she wouldn't be able to stop herself from breaking down.

Meanwhile, a piece of her was hoping that her dad would show up to see her off. Looking at her phone to see if he had called she noticed there was only an hour left boarding. She couldn't afford to hang around to see if he showed up. She figured he was probably just as heartbroken as she was and could bare to see his only daughter off. She made her way to the check-in counter which was practically empty with the exception of the clerks. She handed over her passport and boarding pass then quickly placed the heavy suitcase onto the scale the watched it roll onto the conveyor belt. The clerk handed her back the passport and boarding pass the directed her where to go.

Emily made her way to the security check. That was the only time Emily attempted to look back. Saddened that her dad still wasn't there she forced herself to put one foot in front of the other. Practically resembling a zombie, Emily instinctively grabbed her stuff from the tray and headed to the waiting area to board her flight.

The two hour wait was torturous. Emily looked around the room to find a restaurant where she could grab a quick snack. Her eyes landed on the Big Banana stall. "Bingo" she thought to herself. She grabbed her backpack and carry on suitcase then made a beeline for the pizza parlour. "Hey! What can I get for you today?" asked the server. Emily took a quick glance at the display. She saw some very appetizing looking pasta. She glanced over at the salads but they looked pretty boring. Finally she decided to go for, a quick simple classic, a slice of chicken pizza. Emily paid the cashier grabbed her slice and a cranberry juice and headed back to her seat. She pulled a novel from her bag and read as she sat there finishing her as she waited for the time to pass.

Emily was so lost in her book she didn't even notice almost two hours has passed until she heard a woman's voice announced over the PA system. "Flight WS2738 Heading to Toronto, Canada now boarding at ." She Quickly tucked her book away grabbed her stuff and headed to gate 3.