Status: Alive
Come Fly With Me
Chapter 2
The first few hours of the trip weren’t too eventful, but after sitting for four hours my stomach started to cramp and there was no space to walk around or stretch out. I kept repositioning in my seat, causing the man next to me to give me dirty looks every time I bumped into him. I eventually, after another few hours of switching positions, found a position the baby and I could agree on and fell asleep.
I woke up by slamming into the seat in front of me when the bus lurched to a stop. There was instantly a mass of people getting up from their seats to get their bags before the rest of the bus could do the same. I decided to wait in my seat until most of the people were gone. I already wasn’t feeling good and I don’t think standing up would have made it any better.
I looked out the window and saw that the bus station was part of the Thunder Bay air port. I guess that makes since. Bus terminals are easier to fit into small towns then an air port would be, and people need planes for big trips so it’s convenient for buses to bring them to the air port.
The aisle finally cleared, and I made a b-line for the door. I made it off the bus, but not to a bathroom before I threw up. Most people kept their distance from me and the garbage I was hugging, but there was one hand holding my hair back and another rubbing my back. I wasn’t sure if I was done regretting all those snacks, but I was done being entertainment and stood up from my bent over position.
“Honey, I told you, you should have let me fly you out. You knew you were going to get sick on the bus. Let’s get you home, you probably didn’t sleep well in that seat. Oh, I missed you.”
I had no idea who the guy talking to me was but he wrapped me up in a hug and led me toward the parking lot. He stopped just short of the doors and headed to a vending machine. When he came back to me, he handed me a bottle of water and gave me a smile.
“Thank you, for the water and for back there. You didn’t have to do that, but I appreciate you taking the attention off of me. I’m Elara,” I smiled up at him and held my hand out. I didn’t think about how I was just holding onto a garbage for dear life and puking into it, but he took my hand anyways and smiled back.
“Jared and you’re welcome. You looked like you could use a break. It’s a long trip here from Toronto.”
“How did you know I came from Toronto?”
“When I was getting off my plane the speaker said that was where the arriving bus was from, so I just assumed being its 2:30 in the afternoon and the only bus in the drop off lane.”
“Oh, that would do it. Sorry I didn’t think about it,” now I feel dumb.
“No worries. Where are you headed?”
That was part of the plan I hadn’t gotten to yet. I’m sure mom doesn’t live right next to the airport and I have no money left to get a ride out there to where ever it is that she lives. “Um, this is actually my first time here and I’m going to see my mom but I don’t have a clue how to get there. I’m just going to go ask someone in the terminal for directions or to see if they know where her place is.”
“Maybe I could help. Do you have her address? Don’t you have her number to call and tell her you’re here and to come get you?”
“She doesn’t know I’m here and I never got her number. Actually I’m not even sure if the address I have is where she lives.” There is another really important part of the plan you never thought of. Nice Elara.
“Oh, well where are you gonna go if it isn’t her place?”
I felt small and defeated as I admitted “I don’t know.”
“Well, let’s see the address and we can go from there.” I handed the envelope to him and noticed for the first time how big he was. He had to be over six feet and the hand that took the envelope from me was strong, but not like Joe’s was. Even in the dim light I could see his hair was reddish, and he had a funny look on his face when he looked up from the address.
“Anne didn’t say anything about having a daughter when she moved in.”
I didn’t fully process what he just said; I was too happy to just know that it was the real address for her and she was still here. “Do you know where she is?” I couldn’t help but feel relieved that I was in the same city as her.
“Yeah, actually I do. She lives just down the road from my parents, which is where I’m going. Do you want to ride with me? There’s no reason to waste your money on a cab when I’m going that way anyways.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want to be a bother.”
“I’m sure. Let’s go get your bags and then we can head out.”
Again with the defeat, “I didn’t bring anything, so I’m as ready now as ever.”
“Ok, let’s go.” Jared smiled again and reached for my hand to lead me to his waiting vehicle. Thank you for not pushing for information.
We reached a black SUV, and he opened the passenger door for me. He must have just noticed my swollen stomach by the way I slid into the seat because his eyes get a little bigger before he shut the door and headed over to the drivers side.
He looked over at me before he turned the key and switched between me and the key before apologizing.
“What are you sorry for?”
“I didn’t know you were pregnant.” Oh god what if he wouldn’t help me anymore because of that. It wasn’t like I was thinking him giving me a ride to my mom’s was anything more then that. Ugh.
“Oh, yeah. I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable. If you don’t want to drive me anymore I can just go back inside.” What am I gonna do now?
“No no no. I was saying sorry for the way I just, I don’t even know what you want to call that. The way I stared. The way I reacted. I don’t know. I’m not uncomfortable, you just didn’t really show until you sat down, but that makes a little more sense for the scene outside the bus. Are you hungry at all, or do you just wanna get going?”
“Food and I aren’t on great terms at the moment, but thank you for asking. I would just about kill for a nap in a bed right now.”
“Haha I bet. I’ve spent plenty of time on buses to understand. There is nothing comfortable about those seats when you’ve been in them for more then an hour.” God he had a great laugh. If his personality didn’t set you at easy, his laugh was enough to make you feel like you’ve known him forever. “Feel free to fall asleep. I’ll wake you up when we get there. It’s about a 30 minute drive.”
“A nap sounds good but I doubt I’d be able to sleep again in a seat and then there are my nerves. I haven’t seen my mom in a few years and other then this letter I don’t know if she ever tried to contact me after she left. I don’t even know if she’ll want to see me; she doesn’t even know I’m coming. Oh God, what if she doesn’t want anything to do with me? What am I doing? I never should have come here. I have to leave. Take me back… I can’t do this.”
“Ella, settle down. You’re fine. Just take a breathe and relax. I’ll go with you to see your mom and then we can go from there. I won’t leave you stranded someplace. I’ll make sure you’re ok before I leave, and even then I’m only just down the road or a phone call away. Let’s just take this one step at a time.”
Jared had turned toward me and taken both of my hands in his. Somehow he managed to keep my eyes locked on his as if he was trying to send the message to relax straight to my brain. I stared back at him until he repeated the nickname he had giving me. “Huh, what?”
“Are you ready to try this Ella?”
He gave my hand a squeeze and I nodded. “Yeah. Let’s go.”
The ride seemed to last forever, but when Jared pulled into a drive way the drive seemed way to short. I hadn’t decided on what I was going to say when I knocked on the door ‘Hi. You may not recognize me but I’m your daughter Elara and I have just randomly shown up on your door step and hey, if that wasn’t great enough, I’m pregnant too. So, how do you feel about taking in your 19 year old pregnant daughter?’
“Are you ok? You’re kind of pale Ella. Do you want to get some food or crash at my house before you do this?” I shock my head no. “Do you want me to go up there with you?”
I shook my head no again, “but will you wait here for me?”
“Of course. Good luck.”
I thanked him and slide out of the vehicle. I didn’t know it was possible, but my hands were ice cold and sweating at the same time. Great first impression. ‘Oh, your daughter is the one with the handshake that feels like a frog.’ I finally climbed the last stair to the porch and walked to the door. I raised my hand to knock but the door opened before my hand even made contact. A man looked down at me with a look of disgust and asked “what the hell do you want?”
I woke up by slamming into the seat in front of me when the bus lurched to a stop. There was instantly a mass of people getting up from their seats to get their bags before the rest of the bus could do the same. I decided to wait in my seat until most of the people were gone. I already wasn’t feeling good and I don’t think standing up would have made it any better.
I looked out the window and saw that the bus station was part of the Thunder Bay air port. I guess that makes since. Bus terminals are easier to fit into small towns then an air port would be, and people need planes for big trips so it’s convenient for buses to bring them to the air port.
The aisle finally cleared, and I made a b-line for the door. I made it off the bus, but not to a bathroom before I threw up. Most people kept their distance from me and the garbage I was hugging, but there was one hand holding my hair back and another rubbing my back. I wasn’t sure if I was done regretting all those snacks, but I was done being entertainment and stood up from my bent over position.
“Honey, I told you, you should have let me fly you out. You knew you were going to get sick on the bus. Let’s get you home, you probably didn’t sleep well in that seat. Oh, I missed you.”
I had no idea who the guy talking to me was but he wrapped me up in a hug and led me toward the parking lot. He stopped just short of the doors and headed to a vending machine. When he came back to me, he handed me a bottle of water and gave me a smile.
“Thank you, for the water and for back there. You didn’t have to do that, but I appreciate you taking the attention off of me. I’m Elara,” I smiled up at him and held my hand out. I didn’t think about how I was just holding onto a garbage for dear life and puking into it, but he took my hand anyways and smiled back.
“Jared and you’re welcome. You looked like you could use a break. It’s a long trip here from Toronto.”
“How did you know I came from Toronto?”
“When I was getting off my plane the speaker said that was where the arriving bus was from, so I just assumed being its 2:30 in the afternoon and the only bus in the drop off lane.”
“Oh, that would do it. Sorry I didn’t think about it,” now I feel dumb.
“No worries. Where are you headed?”
That was part of the plan I hadn’t gotten to yet. I’m sure mom doesn’t live right next to the airport and I have no money left to get a ride out there to where ever it is that she lives. “Um, this is actually my first time here and I’m going to see my mom but I don’t have a clue how to get there. I’m just going to go ask someone in the terminal for directions or to see if they know where her place is.”
“Maybe I could help. Do you have her address? Don’t you have her number to call and tell her you’re here and to come get you?”
“She doesn’t know I’m here and I never got her number. Actually I’m not even sure if the address I have is where she lives.” There is another really important part of the plan you never thought of. Nice Elara.
“Oh, well where are you gonna go if it isn’t her place?”
I felt small and defeated as I admitted “I don’t know.”
“Well, let’s see the address and we can go from there.” I handed the envelope to him and noticed for the first time how big he was. He had to be over six feet and the hand that took the envelope from me was strong, but not like Joe’s was. Even in the dim light I could see his hair was reddish, and he had a funny look on his face when he looked up from the address.
“Anne didn’t say anything about having a daughter when she moved in.”
I didn’t fully process what he just said; I was too happy to just know that it was the real address for her and she was still here. “Do you know where she is?” I couldn’t help but feel relieved that I was in the same city as her.
“Yeah, actually I do. She lives just down the road from my parents, which is where I’m going. Do you want to ride with me? There’s no reason to waste your money on a cab when I’m going that way anyways.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want to be a bother.”
“I’m sure. Let’s go get your bags and then we can head out.”
Again with the defeat, “I didn’t bring anything, so I’m as ready now as ever.”
“Ok, let’s go.” Jared smiled again and reached for my hand to lead me to his waiting vehicle. Thank you for not pushing for information.
We reached a black SUV, and he opened the passenger door for me. He must have just noticed my swollen stomach by the way I slid into the seat because his eyes get a little bigger before he shut the door and headed over to the drivers side.
He looked over at me before he turned the key and switched between me and the key before apologizing.
“What are you sorry for?”
“I didn’t know you were pregnant.” Oh god what if he wouldn’t help me anymore because of that. It wasn’t like I was thinking him giving me a ride to my mom’s was anything more then that. Ugh.
“Oh, yeah. I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable. If you don’t want to drive me anymore I can just go back inside.” What am I gonna do now?
“No no no. I was saying sorry for the way I just, I don’t even know what you want to call that. The way I stared. The way I reacted. I don’t know. I’m not uncomfortable, you just didn’t really show until you sat down, but that makes a little more sense for the scene outside the bus. Are you hungry at all, or do you just wanna get going?”
“Food and I aren’t on great terms at the moment, but thank you for asking. I would just about kill for a nap in a bed right now.”
“Haha I bet. I’ve spent plenty of time on buses to understand. There is nothing comfortable about those seats when you’ve been in them for more then an hour.” God he had a great laugh. If his personality didn’t set you at easy, his laugh was enough to make you feel like you’ve known him forever. “Feel free to fall asleep. I’ll wake you up when we get there. It’s about a 30 minute drive.”
“A nap sounds good but I doubt I’d be able to sleep again in a seat and then there are my nerves. I haven’t seen my mom in a few years and other then this letter I don’t know if she ever tried to contact me after she left. I don’t even know if she’ll want to see me; she doesn’t even know I’m coming. Oh God, what if she doesn’t want anything to do with me? What am I doing? I never should have come here. I have to leave. Take me back… I can’t do this.”
“Ella, settle down. You’re fine. Just take a breathe and relax. I’ll go with you to see your mom and then we can go from there. I won’t leave you stranded someplace. I’ll make sure you’re ok before I leave, and even then I’m only just down the road or a phone call away. Let’s just take this one step at a time.”
Jared had turned toward me and taken both of my hands in his. Somehow he managed to keep my eyes locked on his as if he was trying to send the message to relax straight to my brain. I stared back at him until he repeated the nickname he had giving me. “Huh, what?”
“Are you ready to try this Ella?”
He gave my hand a squeeze and I nodded. “Yeah. Let’s go.”
The ride seemed to last forever, but when Jared pulled into a drive way the drive seemed way to short. I hadn’t decided on what I was going to say when I knocked on the door ‘Hi. You may not recognize me but I’m your daughter Elara and I have just randomly shown up on your door step and hey, if that wasn’t great enough, I’m pregnant too. So, how do you feel about taking in your 19 year old pregnant daughter?’
“Are you ok? You’re kind of pale Ella. Do you want to get some food or crash at my house before you do this?” I shock my head no. “Do you want me to go up there with you?”
I shook my head no again, “but will you wait here for me?”
“Of course. Good luck.”
I thanked him and slide out of the vehicle. I didn’t know it was possible, but my hands were ice cold and sweating at the same time. Great first impression. ‘Oh, your daughter is the one with the handshake that feels like a frog.’ I finally climbed the last stair to the porch and walked to the door. I raised my hand to knock but the door opened before my hand even made contact. A man looked down at me with a look of disgust and asked “what the hell do you want?”
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<3