La Vie En Rose

“Have a nice flight, Ms. Gigi King.”

The lady behind the counter flashed me a wide smile as she handed me my boarding ticket. I smiled back, replying with a “Thank you” and began my way down the small, claustrophobic hallway that led to the airplane.

It wasn’t as cold in Arizona as it was in New York, so I wore my God-forbidden black leggings (it is frowned upon to wear leggings as pants in some fashion blogs and magazines but desperate times call for desperate measures. I was going to be comfortable on this 5 hour airplane flight no matter what!), a very long, lose white tank with a plaid shirt thrown over it along with my brown cowboy boots. I like to call this “comfort 101”

After I found my seat and settled in, I couldn’t help but feel anxious about going home. It was finally time to go back! Thinking about it was giving me butterflies. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the city, especially during the holidays, but I was missing my family and the sun.

Every time I come back to the city for school, I always feel like I’m out of the loop back in Arizona. My sister, Lola, and mom try to keep me updated with everything that’s going on down there with weekly phone calls but it just doesn’t suffice. Since I left, my mom has finally found herself a man. For years, my mom has been looking for a stable relationship and it makes me so happy she found Tim. Good men are difficult to come by in Arizona (believe me, I would know) so I consider Tim to be a guardian angel. He’s good for her and I haven’t seen my mom this happy in forever. Their relationship is so stable, in fact, that they are moving in together...meaning my family packed their bags, left Tempe and moved into the lovely suburbs of Phoenix. At first, Lola and I kicked up a fuss about it but then we realized how stupid we were being because Phoenix is only a twenty minute drive from Tempe so it wasn’t a drastic change. Even better that Tim is “well off” which means a much bigger house with a nicer garden.

Lola has frequently texted me, telling me she “decked out” my bedroom and it was right next to hers so I had nothing to worry about. I knew I didn’t have to worry if she was around. If there was one person I missed the most, it was her. Only two years younger than me, crazy blonde hair, a personality that was out of this world, Lola was someone I appreciated more than life. Once we passed the awkward teenage years and petty sister fights, we realized we get along much more then we should. It was hard to move away from her because I was always so used to having her around when I needed her. Most of our phone call conversations are mostly wrapped around the silly boys she dates, high school drama on her side, the men I have to deal with in NYC and stress over my fashion design deadlines. She was definitely great to have around but she wasn’t my absolute favorite sibling.

Last, but certainly not least, Cole King. My four year old brother made it hard for anyone who crossed his paths, to dislike him. Blonde-curly head, bright blue eyes and a personality that was loud and proud, he was definitely a necessity to have around. When Gigi would pass the phone on to him, all he would want to talk about was the latest superheroes he was fascinated by and about the picture he drew earlier that day. He put a smile on my face no matter what and it was hard coming to terms with the fact that he was growing up. He was officially a kindergardener and he was becoming a smarter kid day by day.

So far, the flight was going smoothly. The plane wasn’t crowded, there was free wi-fi and hardly any turbulence. No complaints. I spent time mostly on my laptop sending emails, finishing up some late homework and reading articles on gossip sites that were relevant to my interests. I even fell asleep for an hour, waking up completely energized. I was content. By the time the battery on my macbook started running low, there was an announcement over the intercom:

“Folks, we have begun our descent to Phoenix airport, where the current weather is 62 degrees” The pilot’s voice said in a calm manner, “We'd like the flight attendants to prepare the cabin for arrival. Thank you for flying with us today on American Airlines.”

I quickly packed my laptop away and lightly pressed my forehead against the windowpane, peering down at the lights from the buildings, cars & streetlights. They illuminated the sky brightly as our airplane drew closer.

The next couple of steps I went through were a quick blur. Get off the airplane, walk through several wide hallways, pass through a passport check and then wait impatiently at Baggage claim for about a half an hour. When I finally picked up my Louis Vuitton duffel bag and other suitcase, I practically made a run for the exit.

The minute I walked out to the waiting area, I scanned the crowds to see if there were any familiar faces. I can’t remember what my mom said on the phone earlier while I was doing some last minute packing about who was picking me up; I was too distracted on whether I wanted to bring my Jeffrey Campbell or BCBG heels with me on account of only having room for one pair.

“GIGI!” I heard my sister’s voice practically scream.

I looked in the direction of where her voice came from and grinned. Lola and Cole started sprinting towards me.

“Hey!” I exclaimed as Lola immediately crushed me with her body which some people like to call a ‘hug’.

“Oh my God, oh my God” She kept repeating as she swung us around, “I missed you so FREAKING much!”

I laughed as I squeezed her back just as hard, “Are you kidding me? Taking on the city without you sucks so hard!”

When we finally released each other, Cole tugged on my cardigan, “Hey! What about me?”

“And you!” I exclaimed, lifting him up and twirling him around making him squeal, “I wasn’t expecting you! It’s past midnight! You should be asleep little bro.”
“Mommy says I can stay up tonight because it’s a special occasion!” He replied with a huge smile on his face.

“Come on, let’s get you back to the house” Lola said excitedly as she grabbed my suitcase and duffel bag and started walking towards the exit.

“Aw Lola, you don’t have to-” Before I could even finish the sentence, she cut me off.

“Shut up, you’re the one who has been traveling all evening” She called behind her.

I smiled as I took Cole’s hand and followed her.

The minute the sliding glass doors opened, a gust of cool, yet humidified, air hit us in the face. Clearly, nothing has changed in Arizona but I welcomed this fact with open arms.

The drive to Tim’s house wasn’t too long from the airport. A quick stop at a McDonald’s drive-thru and a twenty-five minute drive later, we pulled into a pretty neighborhood, occupied by substantial two-story houses.

“Here we are!” Cole sang happily as he unbuckled his seatbelt.

Lola turned the engine off while I sat there in shock, “Whoa.”

The house was two-storied, white and held a massive porch with a little cotton padded swing chair. It was gorgeous and a lot bigger than I imagined. The lawn stretched out in front of it, flower beds sitting delicately on the edge of the plush grass.

I got out of the car and stood there in awe. Just looking at the lights, illuminating the windows, made the house look so cosy and warm.

Lola read the expression on my face and laughed.

“Yeah, what did I tell you?” Lola smiled, “Come on, mom and Tim are waiting for you.”