“Are we really the last ones?” Ethan asks.
“Yep. You made it by the skin of your teeth,” the gate attendant says with a smile. We walk briskly down the jetway and onto the plane.
I can see Alex in an aisle seat toward the middle of the cabin. His head is back. He’s sleeping already…asshole.
“There’s one seat next to Dad, or one next to me all the way in the back. Who wants what?” I say. The boys hate making these kinds of decisions. They’re sensitive and feel like they’re in a constant state of choosing sides. They don’t respond. “Eenie, meenie, miney, Noah you sit next to Dad so you can ask him about the skateboard decks in the garage.”
“Okay,” Noah says.
As I get to the aisle where Alex is, I intentionally bump his shoulder. He opens his eyes and looks up at me. “You’re so late,” he says. “They kept calling your name. I texted you a million times.”
“A million times, huh? Is that a lie or an exaggeration?”
“Shh, we don’t have time to fight right now,” he says.
He stands to help put Noah’s carry-on in the overhead compartment. “It must be nice to only have to pack for one person,” I say.
He shakes his head. “You would have been late even if you were alone.”
I smile condescendingly at him and he smiles back. “Your insults no longer bother me. Isn’t that weird?”
“You better get in your seat before you get us all kicked off this plane. Why’d you book this insane flight anyway?”
“Because I had some work to do this morning. You could have gone with Kate,” I say as I walk away. He is right about the flight. I wasn’t thinking when I booked it. We’re leaving LAX at 7:30p.m., then a four-hour layover in Denver. We won’t get into Vail until almost 1a.m.
Alex and I haven’t really been bickering lately, but it still annoys me that he has the nerve to criticize something I did for him as a favor. When I get to my seat, I text him.
ME: Alex, you could have booked your own flight, or offered to take the boys since you’re not working at all this week. Or you could have gone with Kate. Any number of scenarios, but instead you let me take care of it and now you’re complaining.
He doesn’t respond. Ethan and I put our earbuds in and fall asleep on each other’s shoulders.
I wake up as I feel the plane descending into Denver. “Wake up, Ethan, we’re gonna land soon.”
He yawns groggily and stretches his arms. “I’m starving,” he says.
“We’ll get something in the airport. We have four hours to kill.”
As Ethan and I exit the jetway, we see Alex and Noah waiting for us. “I’m so hungry,” Noah whines.
“Here.” I start to get money out of my wallet and then stop. “Are you hungry, Alex?” It’s a habit to ask about his needs and I wonder if I will ever kick it. It’s like wanting a cigarette when I drink even though I haven’t smoked in twenty years.
“No. I had a big dinner before the flight.” He’s expressionless.
I hand Noah forty dollars. “Get something for yourselves that’s semi-healthy, please. Don’t leave this terminal.”
“What are you gonna eat?” Alex says.
Since when does he care?I turn to Ethan. “Grab me a sandwich or something, you know what I like,” I say. The boys start to walk away. “We’ll be right here,” I say, and then look at Alex. “Well, I will anyway. You can go do whatever you want.”
“No, I’ll sit here with you.”
“We have four hours,” I say.
He points to the small airport bar behind me. “Wanna go have a drink?”
“With you?” I say.
He rolls his eyes. “No, by yourself.”
