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The first time I saw her was in an airplane which was about to take off any minute.
Maybe it was her luck (or perhaps it was mine) that she made it just in time for the plane to take-off or else I would have missed out on the most wonderful air journey of my life.
It was half past four in the evening and I was already on my second helping of apple juice. Alcohol never appealed to me somehow. I was seated in the middle row of the left aisle seats. It was not my favourite preference since I always went for window seats, but I knew better than to complain after booking at the last minute.
"Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Gavin Scott and I'm your chief flight attendant. On behalf of Captain Evans and the entire crew, welcome aboard American Airlines, non-stop service from Los Angeles to New York. Please make sure..."
I could hear the monotonous voice informing the passengers about the departure of the plane and maybe making the last call but I zoned out.
It wasn't until I heard a faint murmur pass through the passengers sitting around me that I looked up from the empty glass in my hand.
And then I saw her.
Her breath was frantic and I debated whether she had been running to get here. She probably was since she barely caught the flight. The next thing I noticed about her was that she was holding a bouquet of white roses, gorgeously wrapped around with a pink ribbon. It was the second most beautiful thing I saw that day.
Then I noticed her dress- her white dress. The ivory coloured piece of cloth covered her whole body, except for her shoulders. It had a sequins-covered bodice which must have taken months to perfect. The gown further came down in waves and touched the carpeted floors of the aircraft. It was the third most beautiful thing I saw that day.
I was broken out of my trance by the sound of claps going off in air. It was only then I realised that every passenger on the flight was looking at this girl, and congratulating her for her married life. With a small smile that didn't quite reach my eyes, I clapped for her too.
"Oh, stop it!"
We all stopped immediately, with our hands mid-air, when she interrupted us.
"I'm a runaway bride-" a few gasps broke out and I raised my eyebrows "-and I really need a drink."
This time it was definitely my luck when she walked down the aisle, the airplane aisle, and sat down right next to me.
Her puffy gown filled all of her seat and half of mine. But I didn't complain. This was the first time I noticed the brown paper bag in her hand. It looked like she had bought some last minute groceries before running to the airport. But when she emptied the contents in her lap, I saw that it was not groceries.
She chose one of the two miniature whiskey bottles and kept the other one back in the bag. Opening the bottle, she gulped a huge amount of the alcohol before gasping and coughing a bit.
