I reached for my phone and sent another text just as we prepared for takeoff.
Sorry for acting ridiculous when I said goodbye. I’ll text you when I land. Love you.
“Please make sure all of your devices are in airplane mode,” the flight attendant said, and I was fairly certain she was talking directly to me from where she stood up front talking into a microphone.
I tucked my phone away and reached for the tissue in my backpack.
“Yes. I hate goodbyes.” I blew my nose, and it was much louder than I expected, and I gave the man next to me an apologetic look.
My chest ached.
My head was pounding.
And I just wanted to make it all go away.
I stared out the window until my eyelids were so heavy that they finally closed.
And I’d slept for what felt like hours when a hand on my shoulder startled me from my slumber.
“You might want to start waking up,” the deep voice next to me said. “We’re about to land.”
I’d slept the entire flight.
I felt slightly out of it, but much more rested and less—on the verge of a meltdown.
The flight attendant asked us to put our seat backs up to the original position, and I did so.
“Sorry if I startled you,” he said. “Just figured you’d want a few minutes awake before we landed. I’m Tripp, by the way.”
I rubbed my eyes and yawned. “No. Thank you so much. I appreciate it. I needed the sleep.”
“Do you live in New York?” Tripp asked.
“I’m moving there.”
Nope. The waiting meltdown was still there in the form of a gigantic lump in my throat.
“Ahhh…big move. I’m sure it’s scary and hard, but trust me when I tell you, you’re about to experience the most magical city in the world,” he said confidently. “Born and raised there.”
I nodded. “I’m excited to be there. It’s just hard to say goodbye to the people I love.”
He turned to me and smiled now. “Trust me. If they’re your people, it won’t matter where you live. They’ll stick around.”
“I hope you’re right.”
We were quiet as we made our descent into JFK.
This next chapter was about to begin.
Once we landed, I waved goodbye to Tripp, then grabbed my luggage where Johnny was waiting for me.
“Hey, thanks so much for picking me up,” I said as he wrapped me up in a hug.
“I couldn’t wait to see you, darling. And I want to take you over to your new place. I live just a few blocks from you, so we’re practically neighbors.” He chuckled.
I smiled, though it felt forced.
We made our way outside to the waiting car, and we chatted the entire way to my new home until the driver pulled up in front of my building.
