For a moment, I let myself imagine that this is the real thing. That she really is my girl.
When the flight attendant, an older woman, passes by, she winks at me.
“Do you need anything, honey?” she whispers.
I shake my head.
“How long have you two been together?” she asks, pointing at Iris on my shoulder.
I go to say we aren’t, but I want to pretend. I want to know what it would feel like.
So instead, I say, “Ten years.”
She looks surprised. “You better put a ring on that then. Girls like her don’t wait forever.”
As she walks off, I look down at Iris.
She’s right. Girls like her don’t wait forever. She’s missing something in her life. Something I could give her if I could find the courage to speak the words out loud.
For the next four hours, I sit there soaking in the warmth of Iris against me. I wait until the very last second before I finally wake her, letting her know we are descending.
“How long did I sleep?” she asks as she stretches.
“About three and a half hours. Only about twenty minutes left now. I figured you might want some water or to use the lavatory.”
She wrinkles her nose. “I hate those things. They are so small and gross. The horror stories of what’s on the floors…” She visibly shudders.
“I know, but you remember the last time you thought you could hold it on a plane. Twenty minutes turned into forty-five, and you nearly knocked down an eighty-year-old lady trying to make it to the restroom in time,” I remind her.
She gives me a look of betrayal. “We never talk about Dallas. That’s the rules.”
I hold my hands up. “I am only warning you. You had that entire tea and a glass of water before you fell asleep. I don’t know how long it will take to taxi to the terminal.”
She lets out an adorable little growl. “Fine, but I want a Coke Zero here when I get back.”
I smile as she stands and heads toward the bathroom. I wave down the flight attendant and order her drink.
When Iris is back, she looks at my empty hands and is about to complain when the woman brings back her drink.
“Here you go, sweetie. Drink it fast, though. I will need to take it from you in about five minutes.”
Iris nods, taking a large gulp before closing her eyes and sighing.
“I remember when you used to say anything other than regular Coke was disgusting.” I tease her.
“Yeah, well, then I drank Coke Zero since it was healthier. I got used to it. Nothing but this for me now.”
I reach forward, brushing a piece of hair from her face.
“I look like a mess, don’t I? I didn’t even look in the mirror. I was too scared I would touch something gross,” she tells me.
I shake my head. “No. You look beautiful. Like always.”
I don’t know if it’s my tone of voice or the way I’m touching her, but something softens in her eyes. Before I can explore it, the pilot comes over the intercom, breaking the moment.
“Flight attendants, prepare for landing.”
Iris throws back the glass, draining it in one go.
