‘What’s his deal?’ She clambered over the two luggage belts that separated her economy class station from the business class check-in desk.
‘Thirty-eight. Loaded, I’d say. Married.’ She chewed on the inside of her cheek, dropping back onto her swivel chair.
‘Really?’ the second desk attendant fiddled with her silk necktie, craning her head to catch the final glimpse as he disappeared through customs. ‘The good ones are always taken,’ she scowled, killing power to the overhead information boards and dimming the lights at their stations.
Checking his phone, he found no notifications, no unread messages. It was a pleasant change.
He opened a new message and typed as he ran. ‘Are you here?’
‘Yep. At the gate,’ came the reply.
‘Just popping through customs now. Express lane. See you soon.’
At the boarding gate, Sarah sat cross-legged on the floor by her hand-luggage. Calmly sipping on a large takeaway juice, she chose to ignore the toxic body language of the flight attendants and ground crew milling about impatiently. She flicked mindlessly at some fluff caught in the seam of her yoga leggings, raising her glance every now and then to stare at the aeroplane through the large windows to her right.
The sound of shuffling feet ahead caught her attention, then Matthew suddenly appeared, running into the waiting area. He spotted Sarah sat on the floor and shook his head. ‘I’m so very sorry. The traffic. It was a nightmare.’
She greeted him with a warm smile. ‘It’s fine. I’ve been quite happy here on the floor. God knows we’ll be stuck on that thing for long enough.’ She gestured to the aircraft.
‘I’m literally the last one.’ He grimaced sheepishly, looking at the empty waiting area and grumbling staff. ‘I’m never late. To anything. Jesus Christ.’ He sighed, motioning to one particularly grumpy-looking crew member.
Sarah rolled her eyes. ‘Don’t worry about her. Her hair’s too tight. Not enough oxygen to the brain.’ She laughed. ‘Let’s get the hell out of here.’
He stood beside her as the crew scanned their boarding passes.
‘Are you ready for this?’ His eyes were intense as they narrowed in on Sarah’s.
‘Ready? I was born ready.’
‘Thank you, madam, sir. Yes, just here. 6A and 6B. I’m Patricia. I’ll be looking after you both on today’s flight. Let me just securely stow this suit bag for you. I’ll pop back in just a moment. We don’t have long. Captain’s keen to push away.’ Patricia disappeared from view, leaving Sarah and Matthew to navigate the safe stowage of their other belongings.
Matthew dropped into the large recliner seat and exhaled a little louder than intended. Leaning over, he carefully untied and removed each shoe, tucking the laces inside. He brushed the top of each with the back of his hand and slid them under his seat. With his attaché open in his lap, he quickly did a stocktake of his documents. Despite the rush, all was in order. Matthew stowed his bag in the side compartment then allowed his weight to sink further into the seat. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
Thank God for that, he thought.
Next to him, Sarah had tucked her rolled-up yoga mat in the crook where her chair met the armrest. She kicked off her runners and pushed them aside with her feet, making room on the floor for her large leather tote. From it, she withdrew her Kindle, an eye mask, a small pot of homemade beeswax salve and a reusable water flask. She tucked it all in the arm rest stowage space then flopped back into the wide chair.
‘It’s so good, right?’ he laughed, snuggling deeper into the chair, getting more and more comfortable as he did so.
She took a moment to arrange a series of pillows behind her lower back. ‘I’m going to sleep like a baby. Just you wait.’
Patricia reappeared in the aisle beside Sarah. ‘Mr and Mrs D’Adamo? Might I interest you in someveryquick bubbles before we take off?’ She handed each a flute. ‘Once we’re at altitude, I’ll stop by to walk you through everything. Here are today’s menus. Have a squiz while we take off.’ She lowered her voice before adding, ‘Don’t bother with the chicken.’ She gave a cheeky wink then disappeared as the seatbelt sign suddenly illuminated.
Sarah and Matthew looked at each other as the plane prepared to reverse from its parked position at the gate. A cacophony of motor-driven noises reverberated through the aircraft, followed by a series of rumbles and bumps from under their seats.
Matthew and Sarah clinked glasses and toasted to the adventure to come.
Sarah’s hand naturally found its way to Matthew’s forearm and she gave it a tender caress. Between the enchanting chestnut tint to her eyes and the sensation of her palm against his skin, Matthew’s heart found a new and unfamiliar rhythm. The touch of Sarah’s reassuring hand appeased his restless legs and calmed the choral thump of his heart.
Marked by a jolt, the aircraft began to reverse.
Bright-eyed, Sarah leaned across and smiled. In hushed tones muffled by the mechanical white noise, she said, ‘It’ssolovely to finally meet you.’
L’amicizia
Now that you have reintroduced yourself to your partner, it is time to turn your collective attention to the foundations of your relationship.
Think back to the period when you first embarked upon your partnership. You were developing, learning, reframing and co-constructing your identities as a unit, casting aside your ego-driven individualistic personas. During this period, you were building ‘a relationship house’, if you will; a house that would become the safety net and protector of your relationship. This phase, if you knew it at the time or not, was the birth of your friendship.
