Phoenix

One Step at a Time

It was cold and quiet in my car, as I sat in the parking lot of Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport. The parking lot was jammed packed and a few people walked from their cars to a nearby bus stop. It was almost 6:00 a.m. and the sun was about to start rising. I was going to be flying to London in an hour. I felt excited, nervous, and scared. The last time I left the US was three years ago. I had been to England many times, and I had lived there for a few years with my family.

I climbed out of my car and walked over to the trunk, and quickly pulled my bags out. My suitcase felt like there was a load of bricks in it, but I tried to pack it as light as I possibly could. I pulled out a backpack and a smaller suitcase, and quickly double checked to see if I had everything that I needed before I left my car. Once I finished checking all my bags I locked my car, and made my way to the nearby bus stop. There were a few other people at the bus stop. Some of them looked exhausted while others looked wide awake.

It took the bus around five minutes to get to the bus stop. I quickly climbed on and put my suitcases in the front of the bus. The bus was incredibly small, and all the seats were a faded navy blue. As I looked around the bus I couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable. I had ridden in busses at airports before, but the way they looked and smelled always made me feel uncomfortable. I tried to push the feeling away as I sat down at the back of the bus. I held on to my backpack and watched as the bus slowly filled up with tried travelers.
Before I knew it, we were at the airport. I grabbed my things and walked inside the crowded building. There were lines that reached from one side of the airport to the other. I sighed as I looked at the hundreds of people that stood in front of me. "This is going to take all day." I quietly said to myself as I walked into the check-in line. There were around twenty to thirty people in front of me. As much as I loved traveling, this was the second thing I hated the most. Long ass lines.

After a sixteen hour flight I was finally in London. It had been a couple years since I was last in London, and I couldn't help but feel overjoyed to be back. I had just gotten off the plane and I was heading towards the baggage area. Before I got to the baggage area I checked to see if anyone had messaged me. There was a message from Jonathan, which I was expecting, but there was also a message from Harry. I swiftly read the messages and glanced around the baggage area. Someone was supposed to be picking me up. The only problem was I didn't really know who the man was or what he looked like. I looked around the massive room one more time, but I didn't see anyone that stood out to me.

I decided to go find my suitcase, so I pushed my way through the massive crowd of people and searched for my suitcase. After waiting a few minutes for my bag to finally show up I glanced around the airport one more time. Nothing had really changed other than it starting to rain cats and dogs outside. The sound of the rain hitting the top of the building sent a chill down my spine. The loud sound of the rain was haunting and echoed through the airport.

My stomach growling distracted me from the rain. The last time I ate an actual meal was around four hours ago. I wanted to get something to eat, but I also didn't want to leave the airport. I knew this part of London like the back of my hand. The only issue was that someone was supposed to pick me up. I sighed and headed towards the curbside pickup area. As I walked I kept looking at all the people around me, but no one stood out to me. Maybe they aren't here yet. I thought to myself.

I stepped outside and was met with a wave of cold air. A shiver few through me as I continued to walk. Quickly, I looked around at all the cars that were neatly parked outside the airport. A crash of thunder followed by a flash of lightning hit the earth. The sound of the thunder spooked me for a second. I took a step back towards the airport and kept looking around. I thought about checking my phone again to see if there were any new messages but I forced myself not to. Deep down I knew that there wouldn't be a new message waiting for me.