I nodded.
The young man handed me two boarding passes. “Good luck.”
I was quite certain he didn’t mean he hoped our plane didn’t crash.
“Andre’s luggage has been checked?”
“He’s all ready to go.”
“I think you.” I turned to my newfriend. “Let’s head to security.”
He nodded. “Uh, yeah.”
Another two words. I’d take that for a victory.
The line was long, but I was determined to get us through and onto the plane. How we’d cope beyond that, I couldn’t be certain. “I’m not a nervous flyer, per se. Neither do I relish flights. I keep thinking how bad for the environment these things are. That said, I don’t like being away from my dog any longer than necessary.”
His eyes lit. “Pup?”
“She’s a senior rescue dog but admittedly, she can act like a puppy. She’s got a joie de vivre that I love. She’s, uh, helped me through some rough times. And, I suppose, I helped her through some as well.”
“Nice.” A small, but what I chose to believe, genuine smile.
“Do you have pets?”
He shook his head.
We’d advanced nearly to the front of the line. “Okay. Jacket off. Your phone and any change go into the same tray. You don’t happen to have any artificial joints? Or other metal in your body?”
After a long moment, he shook his head.
Poor guy—he really is out of his element. Well, he’s got me.Like, providential or something.
At the security checkpoint, we removed our coats. I had a laptop case, while Andre had no carry-on luggage. I loved the new scanning machines where we were no longer obliged to remove our laptops. Anything that made my life simpler was appreciated.
As Andre removed his jacket, I caught sight of a pin on it that I’d missed before. A dog with the colors of a rainbow.
We made it through the X-ray machines intact—something I was always grateful for—and we headed toward our gate. “We have a bit of time—would you like to stop and grab something to eat or drink? I think we should pass on alcohol—”
He pressed a hand to his stomach.
“Fair enough. I like to take a bottle of pop on the flight so I have something to sip.”
He nodded.
We headed into a store and paid an excessive amount for two drinks. I opted for a diet cola while he selected a Canada Dry ginger ale. I thought that was a good choice in case he got nauseous. I also grabbed a bag of gummy bears while he sheepishly selected a package of beef jerky. “It’ll just be easier if I pay, and then we can be on our way.” I had no idea of his finances, but a few extra bucks meant little to me.
He didn’t appear convinced, but he let me pay, and we headed off quickly toward our gate.
“Why don’t we duck into the washroom? I like to go so I don’t have to worry about having to pee during takeoff or even for a bit after. But—”
He gestured to the washrooms with his chin.
Maybe I should’ve found his silence unnerving. I didn’t. I took reassurance from the gestures, nods, and other nonverbal cues he was giving me.
Yes…but is the pin a hint? I just don’t know.I’d only seen a rainbow dog pin like that before in one place—Club Kink on Puppy Night.
Except I didn’t know if this was some kind of universal symbol. Did it mean the same thing in Toronto? And perhaps I was making a leap that the guy was from Toronto. Well, since he’d never flown before, it stood to reason he wasn’t from Vancouver or Abbotsford, or wherever his final destination was.
