As I settle back into my seat, fear washes over me. But now I’m not sure if it’s because I’m going halfway around the world all by myself to masquerade as my sister while she undergoes major surgery, or if I’m terrified because I know that by the time I come back, my life will never be the same.
Chapter 5
One day before the first dive
The flight to Dallas is short. I watch one movie, read a couple of chapters of my book, and try to temper my panic. When I’m standing in front of the boarding gate for Cairns, I text Millie and my parents that I’m about to board my flight. Once I’m in Australia, I won’t have service, and I’ll only be able to talk to them on Wi-Fi, which I won’t have on the boat. I try not to think about the fact that I’ll have no idea how Millie’s doing until I’m back on land.
‘You’re gonna be great,’ Millie texts back immediately. ‘You’ll find that butterfly wrasse. I know it!’
‘Hugh’s gonna be sorry,’ I respond. Instantly, I regret it. Hugh should be the last thing on my mind, especially considering I hadn’t talked to him in almost a week. I watch Millie’s three dots appear in our chat, realising that she might think it’s weird for me to bring Hugh back up. Thankfully, all Millie does is love the message and send back multiple muscle arm emojis which are code for ‘you got this’. I breathe out a sigh of relief.
I am turning to make one final bathroom run when the intercom crackles. Everyone around me looks up, boarding is supposed to begin any minute. We wait as the gate agent behind the microphone, a middle-aged woman with perfectly coiffed hair, speaks.
‘Could a passenger by the name of Andi Paxton please come see me at the counter?’
Heat rises in my cheeks.Is this about Millie switching the tickets? What if they don’t let me board?I feel like I’ve just been called to the principal’s office. I half expect someone next to me to say, ‘Ooo, Andi’s in trouble,’ but no one around me seems to care – everyone returns their attention to their phones. I make my way towards the gate agent, falling in line behind a young couple whispering to each other.
I all but gape at the woman in front of me, who has managed to tie a silk scarf around her hair flawlessly. She looks like an old Hollywood movie star. I think back to when I’ve practised tying a bandana around my hair and all I ended up doing was making myself look like I got lost on my way to shovel hay. The gate agent peers around the pair and motions for me to come forward.
‘Andi Paxton?’ she asks, as I skirt around them. They don’t move an inch to let me pass them by, the woman is too busy looking at her phone. The gate agent shoots me a sympathetic look as I wiggle around.
‘Don’t worry,’ she says kindly, ‘nothing’s wrong.’
‘Phew,’ I sigh out.
‘Passport?’ she asks.
I slide it over and she begins rapid-fire typing into her computer.
‘We have notes in the system when there’s a last-minute ticket change due to exceptional circumstances.’ She drops her voice to a whisper. ‘It says here that your sister had to cancel due to unexpected health issues.’
I feel my eyes start to fill with tears, a lump forming instantly in my throat. I nod.
‘My sister is my best friend.’ The gate agent smiles kindly. ‘And we had an extra seat in first class.’
‘First class?’ I gasp, I can’t help myself. I laugh as a tear spills onto my cheek. Wait until Millie hears about this.
She smiles at me and slides back my passport and a ticket. ‘I’m glad it seems like you’ll enjoy it.’
Dazed, I pull my luggage behind me and swerve around the couple. The scarved woman gives me a thorough up-down, appraising my haphazard outfit like she wants to stop me from being in first class on appearance alone. I hear them approach the table to ask if the gate agent has been able to complete their upgrade.
‘Unfortunately, not at this time,’ the gate agent replies calmly.
‘But you just upgradedherto first class.’ The scarf-lady points at me. I scuttle further away from them, wanting to disappear into the faded airport carpet.
‘You asked to be seated together, and there was only one seat left in first class.’
The woman huffs and turns to go, but not before giving me a pointed glance.
Her partner remains behind, asking the gate agent if there’s anything he can do. After another minute of bargaining, he turns to go, lugging a mysterious and heavy-looking black box after the woman in the scarf.
When I land in Cairns it’s morning. My first-class experience was nothing short of blissful, even if I did spend an inordinate amount of it watching videos of Murphy as a puppy and wondering if he missed me. The food was so good I didn’t even finish my own snacks and when I reclined my chair all the way down, I almost let out a scream of excitement. Thankfully, I didn’t see the glamorous woman and her boyfriend again. Now that I know first-hand how wonderful a first-class upgrade is, I see why she was so disappointed.
I clear customs and try to tamp down my yawns. I glance down at the notes I’d written on the plane. The flight gave me time to make a game plan and I resolved to spend the next six days accomplishing two things: 1) finding the butterfly wrasse for my sister, and 2) using this time with no distractions, no work, space from a routine that used to be filled with Zach and our friends, to think about what I really want in life. I know I don’t want to stay at Sunshine Foods forever, and I also know I made the right choice breaking things off with Zach, but that’s about it.
Before I take my phone off Wi-Fi, I get a text from my parents wishing me well. Becca has sent me a barrage of texts, includingI miss you already loser!!!andCan you get an Australian hunk’s number for me please??? Tell him I’ll marry for a visa!I reply to them both before sending one last message full of hearts to Millie. I start to weave my way through the airport, towards the open air, hoping to find sunscreen on my way out.
Not a single store seems to be selling the sunscreen I need but my frustration clears as soon as I step outside. Instantly, I’m hit by a wave of humidity. I breathe in long and slow, a huge smile covering my face as I am blanketed with warmth. Compared to an Ohio winter, it feels incredible, blissful, even. It’s early enough that there’s still dew sparkling on the grass lining the parking lot. The airport is small, palm trees lining the building. I spot the sign for the shuttle to the docks right away.
