Good Guy
Godspeed. x
fourteen
It’s pretty muchthe middle of the night when Lola approaches the departure lane at Denver International Airport. I feel bad she had to get up so early to drop me off.
“Make sure you do something that scares you every day. Text me details, and I’ll add check marks to theFuck-It Tally,” she says through a wide yawn. She’s been yawning the whole way here.
A copycat yawn escapes me. “I think keeping track is a moot point. Most things I do from the moment I wake up until my head hits the pillow scare me now. It’s all uncharted territory.”
“Too many generalities in that statement. I need specifics for the board.”
I let my head drop back against the headrest and roll it to meet her eyes as she pulls up curbside under the Southwest sign. “I’m flying. In a goddamn airplane.Today. That scares the hell out of me.”
She shakes her head. “That doesn’t count. It’s for work, not pleasure.”
I know I’m tired, but it’s hard to parse the logic, and I blink a few times before I counter, “That makes no sense, panic attacks are real whether there’s a job on the other end of the line or Disney World.”
“That’s what Xanax is for.” She reaches into her cup holder, fingers around, and then drops two tablets into my hand.
I’m still lost, and though I would normally turn them down, I don’t have it in me to argue this early and accept them. “Gracias.”
She reaches across the console and pulls me in for a hug. “De nada. Send me photos and gossip. I need to know if the brothers are still hot.”
I hug her back and kiss her cheek before letting her go. “I’m going out on a limb and going to say yes, they are.”
She sighs and shakes her head. “EverandJesse. Your luck has turned around.”
Reaching into the backseat, I grab the strap on my backpack and pull it through to my lap as I open the door. “Something to look forward to if I survive the flight.”
“Oh, I almost forgot. I bought you a going-away gift.” She slips her hand into the door pocket and presents me with a fistful of satin and lace. “Promise me you’ll burn your granny panties first chance you get.”
Eyeing the lingerie warily, I say, “Granny panties are comfy.”
“That may be, but I promise these will make you feel like a goddess. Even if no one else knows you’re wearing them, it will be your little secret.” She winks. “There’s power in that.”
I take them and stuff them in the front pocket of my backpack, and then I thank her sincerely because I know she means well.
She blows me a kiss. “Love you.”
I step out, hoist my camera bag on one shoulder and my bursting-at-the-seams backpack on the other, and then benddown so I can meet eyes with her before I shut the door. “Love you more, Lo.”
Walking toward the terminal doors, I must look like I’m lost and/or sleepwalking because a man in a boldly colored uniform that screams,I work here and can help, asks, “Do you need some help?”
I nod slowly.
He eyes my bags and lobs an easy question. “Are you checking either of your bags or are they carry-ons?”
“Carry-on,” I answer. I went with Good Guy’s suggestion, and I’m feeling pretty good about it.
“Do you need to check in for your flight, or did you already do that online?” How is this man so awake and efficient at this ungodly hour?
Hannah texted me last night to wish me ‘safe travels’ and after my eyes glazed fixating on the word safe, I snapped out of it and admitted that I was a newbie to air travel. I left out the scared shitless part because I don’t need to burden the woman with my neurosis. She told me to download the airline app to make check-in easier.
“I checked in online. I have my boarding pass.” I hold up my cell phone proudly, like it’s proof I’ve haven’t failed this mission yet.
He extends his arm and points toward the sliding doors and says, “Enter through these doors, take an immediate right, and look for signs directing you toward security. Shortest line is usually on the skybridge.”
