Six Days of Thunder

Due to the oncoming hurricane all flights have been cancelled for the rest of the day. We recommend that you seek hotel accommodation as the hurricane shows no signs of dying down. We keep a constant contact with the right services to bring you up-to-date news as we receive them, and we seek to get the situation back on track as soon as possible. We apologize for the inconvenience.

I think I didn’t react until I saw the word CANCELLED in front of the flight I was supposed to fly home with. I just sunk down in front of the board, unable to move. What now?

“Whoa! Are you alright?” I didn’t react at first.

“Miss? Are you alright?” Suddenly a man was crouching down in front of me. He had short, almost black hair and chocolate brown eyes. I reacted to the small curls in his hair and that it looked like he hadn’t shaved in a few days. His lips had a serious grin, but his eyes looked warm and friendly. He was wearing a dark blue, knitted sweater with a black trench coat over it. His scarf looked like home made and it was tucked over the coat.

All this was details I noticed, because my mind was blocking out the other feelings. Daniel, accident, flight cancelled, hurricane, stranded, dead phone, no money…

He carefully lifted me up and put my arm around his shoulder. I tried to get my feet moving, and with his help we walked away from the crowded area, to sit down at an empty gate. He put me down at a row of seats by a large, wall to wall window. He was still standing in front of me, looking worried.

“Thanks.” It was all I could say for now.

He looked back towards the crowded area, but decided to sit down next to me instead. “Are you sure you’re alright? He turned towards me.

“I’m just tired, I got up really early. I just really need to get home.” I could hear my voice quiver, but I tried to remain calm, panicking wouldn’t get me anywhere.

“I think all here need to get home.” He was trying to comfort me, and somehow I felt myself relax just a bit. I wasn’t the only one in the world that had a hard time. This person in front of me could have a pressing matter to get home to as well.

“That’s true. I’m alright now, so if you need to get going, I’ll manage on my own.” I didn’t want to be alone, but I didn’t want him to think that he had to stay here.

He looked back to the crowded area again and the back at me. He gave me a smile and said: “No I think I’ll stay here instead. It was so crowded there anyways, and after five hours I need some space.”

“You’ve been here for that long? I didn’t even know there was a hurricane when I ordered the ticket. It didn’t say anything on the website.” It felt a bit weird sitting at an unfamiliar airport having such a normal conversation with this person I didn’t even know the name of.

“Are you sure? The hurricane has been moving closer to the coast pretty quickly the past 24 hours. I was hoping I would catch the plane before the storm hit, but I didn’t make it. But all the airlines have given out some warnings about delays and cancellations.” His brows squeezed together when a look of worry appeared on his face. I guess I hadn’t paid much attention to what I’d been doing the last few hours.

“Oh…I guess I was still half asleep when I ordered the tickets then, it was kind of last minute.”

“Family emergency?” His face still looked worried but his voice was light and carefree. My stomach constricted and I had a hard time breathing evenly.

“I just got some news… I, um…” I could feel the panic rising inside; I wasn’t ready to face it yet.

“You don’t need to tell me, I’m sorry, just…take a deep breath.” He carefully put his hand on my shoulder and demonstrated by taking a deep breath himself. “Just breathe.”

I took a few deep breaths and as the feeling of panic died down; I leaned back in my seat and closed my eyes.

“I’m sorry, didn’t mean to upset you.” His voice sounded worried so I opened my eyes to look at him.

“It’s ok; I just didn’t imagine my day would start out like this.” I tried to smile, but failed, so it probably looked like I was grinning instead.

“I’m Adam by the way.” He reached out his hand.

“I’m Penelope, but just call me Penny.” I took his hand and shook it lightly. It felt a bit formal to shake this stranger’s hand, but for the first time today I had something to take my mind of everything.

“Nice to meet you Penny.”

…

A sudden thump woke me up. I looked up to find a group of athletes sit down by some chairs opposite from where I was sitting. I looked at the huge clock by the wall next to the crowded information desk. 6.45 a.m. I’d managed to sleep for two hours. I looked to my right, Adam wasn’t there, and his duffle bag was missing as well.

I sighed and stood up from my seat to do some stretching. I’d been sitting in the same chair for almost a day now, and the lack of sleep and food was wearing on me. I’d called my dad a few hours ago when I got to borrow Adam’s phone. He was worried about me and tried to keep my mood high by talking about random facts. We both avoided talking about Dan, but I could hear dad wasn’t doing that good.

I’d been talking to Adam since we sat down, both of us hoping to get some good news about our flights. The airline people had been distributing some food coupons and encouraging us to stay at the airport in case a flight became available. Since yesterday, only one flight had been cleared for takeoff, but neither Adam nor I had been able to get on it.

The wait for new tickets was long, and as I’d arrived late, my name was way down on the list. The worst part was not being able to leave the airport. I had no money, because I’d left my credit card in the wrong jacket pocket. So I had my wallet but no card. And if you left the airport, you automatically gave up your place in the line.

Many people had left, saying they would return when the storm was over. Apparently many lived here so they had no problems going back home. For some though, like me, it wasn’t that easy. For many, this was just their lay-over, and therefore they had nowhere to go. Many chose to seek up a hotel they could stay at until the flight schedules were back to normal.

I didn’t know what Adam’s situation was, but because he’d stayed with me, I guessed that he was also waiting for a connection flight.

“Good morning Penny, I took the freedom to buy you some coffee, and you actually look like you need it too.” Adam was for some strange reason in good spirits, even after sitting in the same place for almost an entire day.

I turned around just in time for Adam to walk up to me with a cup of something I was hoping to be a steaming cup of latte. He was smiling, and as he handed me one of the cups he was holding I smiled back.

“A HOT cup of latte. I almost burned my hand just holding it. I hope you enjoy it, so that it was worth the pain.” He sat back down and handed me his cup so that he could put down his duffle bag that he had over his shoulder.

“Thank you Adam, I think I can rejoin you in the living world again after I devour this.” I took a sip of the hot liquid, and even if it was steaming I enjoyed the sensation. My tongue was resistant to hot liquids, and it was quite amusing seeing Adam quince as I drank my coffee.

“So did you get any sleep?” The easy tone in Adam’s voice was replaced by a worried one.

“Some, but it’s quite hard sleeping with so much happening around you. And this chair isn’t so comfortable. I wish I hadn’t forgotten my card at the apartment.” I sighed and looked at Adam taking a sip of his coffee. “I’ll say though, you don’t look like you’ve just spent almost a day at an airport. How come you look so fresh?”

“I have a magic bag and I found a restroom while I went on a hunt for coffee.” He zipped up the duffle bag and showed me his toiletries. He was fortunate to have all that, I hadn’t even packed a deodorant because I’d thought I would be home by now. I’d washed my face a few hours ago, but that was it.

“Unfair! I look like I just came out of the gutter and you look like you’re about to head to the office.” I gave him a bump to try and wipe the smirk off his face, but that just made him laugh.

“Soon you’ll smell like the gutter too. Here, I bought you something else.” He handed me his coffee again as he bent down to search through his bag again. He pulled out a small bottle.

“What…”

“It’s just some refresh spray that I found by the check out, but I immediately thought of you when I saw it.” He handed me the bottle and it was a kind of mix between deodorant and perfume.

“Oh, Adam. You didn’t have too, thank you so much, even if this means you think I stink.” Adam grabbed his coffee again as I put my empty cup on the floor next to my feet. I opened the bottled and sprayed the liquid on me. It smelled like a citrus garden and instantly I felt refreshed.

“Now you smell nice.” Adam smiled as he stood up to throw our empty coffee cups away.

“You should spray that all around you, and everything would smell better.” I jumped in my seat as I looked around to see who was talking to me. I located the voice belonging to a man sitting opposite from me and Adam. His light brown hair was combed back neatly and his blue-grey eyes were staring right at me. He was smiling.

“Was that a hint? You need some refreshments too?” I held out the bottle, ready to spray down the stranger.

“Whoa there cowboy! Not so enthusiastically.” Adam was back and he took the spray out of my hands.

“Don’t worry; she’s mostly kind and calm.” Adam smiled at the stranger.

“I can imagine, and thank you miss, but I’m in no need of refreshing myself.” The stranger sounded amused by us.

“I’m Adam, and this lovely lady over here is my new acquaintance Penny.” Adam walked over to the stranger and reached out his hand, just like when he’d introduced himself to me.

“Pleasure Adam, and Penny, you can call me Al.” Al nodded towards me and shook Adams hand.

“So how long have you been lacking in manners Al?” I tried to remain serious, but looking at Adam I couldn’t keep a straight face, and a smirk appeared on my lips.

“Oh I was born with good manners, and I like to practice them every now and then.” Al was smiling brightly. Suddenly I didn’t feel tired anymore. It was quite pleasant talking to this stranger.

“Good to hear Al. So where are you trying to get to?” Adam asked that question again. The question that seemed to be the one every discussion started with after the cancellations and delays.

“I’m flying back to Paris, or should I say, trying to fly to Paris.”

“Paris, as in France?” This answer was by far the most interesting so far. I wanted to hear more.

“Yes, France. But it seems like I will be stuck here for a few days more now.” The fact that Al’s flight had been cancelled didn’t seem to bother him at all, just the opposite, he seemed cheery.

“You’re a long way from home then.” Adam seemed just as surprised as I was.

“Yeah, well I don’t actually mind. I travel a lot, and this has happened to me before. Once I was stuck in Mexico for two days extra due to a bomb threat, and another time my flight was rescheduled twice due to a tropical storm in Indonesia.”

“Oh.” Was the only thing that left my mouth.

“I kind of enjoy when something unexpected happens, it’s what makes life more interesting.” Al just looked at us as if we would agree.

“So you’ve been to Mexico and Indonesia? What was that like?” Adam was more interested in what Al had to say about his trips.

“Mexico is never boring, and in Indonesia I got to go shark fishing, legally of course.” He said that as he saw my reaction.

“So you’ve traveled quite a bit then?” Adam wanted to know more.

“I’ve been around, when you have the means; you don’t want to be stuck in just one place.”

…

We enjoyed Al’s company for a few hours before he left the airport in search of new adventures. He tried to convince us to tag along, saying he would pay for the whole thing, but as much as the thought of just leaving felt enticing, the rising worry in my stomach held me back. I still needed to get home as soon as possible. Al left us with his contact information, saying that it was always nice to meet new people.

Adam and I had a light dinner a few hours later, consisting of packed sandwiches and a few bottles of water. There wasn’t really anything else on the menu that was close to edible.

I tried to get some sleep when the sun set, but the rising feeling of panic held me back. The information the airlines were handing out wasn’t positive. The flights out were all still cancelled and the line wasn’t moving either.

Adam fell asleep after we’d gotten some food, and just watching him sleep calmed my tense nerves. I still hadn’t cried for the loss of my brother, even though he was in my thoughts constantly. The absence of him buried me in darkness and every time I tried to close my eyes I could see him in front of me. I imagined thousands of different ways that he might have faced his death, and nothing would get me of that track.

Adam shifted in his sleep and leaned into me. I could hear his slow and steady breaths, which was the only thing keeping me from screaming out loud. The amount of people around us had again reduced as the night crept further on. I guess the last announcement had made people decide that they would rather wait in a comfortable hotel room than the unruly airport.

I carefully placed my bag under Adam’s head as I got up. I needed to move my legs and gather my thoughts. I walked down the empty hallway, looking around at the almost abandoned gate. I walked up to some windows and looked out. The airstrips were still filled with light even though nothing was moving there except for the wind and the rain. It had been raining all day today, and that made my thoughts even darker.

The connection on Adams phone was bad, and I hadn’t talked to my parents since that first day. I missed the steady voice of my father and the comforting hugs of my mother. I missed… I missed Dan’s voice. I realized I would miss being able to just call him when my car was giving me a hard time. He wasn’t a mechanic, but I called him the car whisperer, because he always seemed to know what was wrong with my car, even though he was miles away. I missed his laugh, and he was that person that would laugh at every joke, good or bad. And mostly I would just miss his presence, that always comforted me.

I was just so tired.

I hadn’t slept in over two days, with all the noises during the day, and the thoughts of Dan filling my head at nights.

I leaned my forehead against the cool window. It felt nice. I could hear my own heartbeat, that’s how quiet it was at the airport. Everybody was sleeping, and I was envious of their ability to just close their eyes and fall asleep.

…

“That’s it, we’re leaving.” It was the evening of our third day at the airport. No news, no food and no sleep and I felt more dead than alive. I had changed my clothes yesterday, the only pair of fresh clothes I had. I still hadn’t eating anything else but a couple of sandwiches a day, and even if I tried to wash my face and spray some of the refresh spray Adam had gotten me, there was no way I could feel fresh or relaxed anymore.

The dark circles under my eyes were scaring Adam, because he knew I hadn’t slept any. He was still earlier today reluctant to leave, because another flight had departed yesterday and we were scheduled to leave on the next flight. But apparently something had changed.

“What?” I could hear how weak my voice had become, but I didn’t care, after three days of not sleeping more than a couple of hours I wasn’t able to even focus on basic things anymore. I couldn’t focus my eyes long enough to read a line in a magazine, and even getting to my feet was a struggle.

“Were leaving, I’m taking you to my apartment so you can get some sleep.” Adam threw the duffle bag over his shoulder and carried my bag in his left hand. With his right hand he pulled me up carefully. I placed my arm over his shoulder, and together we started walking.

“Are you sure we should go?” I was asking just because it seemed important to restrain from going, but I was too tired to oppose.

“You won’t make it another day here.” Adam looked at me, worried.

We headed for the exit, and outside were two cabs waiting. It wasn’t raining today, but the winds were still awful, so I was surprised to see someone here. Adam placed me in one of the cabs, and about an hour later we pulled in by an eight story apartment building.

Adam almost carried me the rest of the way until we reached his apartment. He put me down on a sofa. “I’m going to take a shower, but make yourself at home, and try to get some sleep.” He left the room and I could hear him turn on the water.

…

I woke up and everything was dark. First I didn’t know where I was. I was lying on a bed with all my clothes on, just my jacket and shoes missing. I sat up, still shaken by the nightmare that had woken me. After a while my eyes got used to the dark and I looked around. The bed was located opposite the door to the left. It was placed against two walls and I had a window behind me. I could feel some cool air seeping in though the window, and as I looked out, I could see that the rain had been replaced by snow. It was still very windy.

I got to my feet and felt a soft carpet under my bare feet. Opposite the bed was a huge cupboard with drawers and on top a couple of plants. I stumbled my way towards the door, guessing this was Adam’s bedroom. But how I’d gotten in here was a mystery. The last thing I remembered was lying on a couch.

The door was slightly open and suddenly I found myself standing in an opened spaced living room, which carried along to a kitchen further away. I took a few steps and found Adam sleeping on the sofa. I didn’t want to wake him, so instead I turned and walked towards the bathroom that I’d seen Adam enter earlier. I didn’t know what time it was or what day, but by the way I felt I guessed that I hadn’t been sleeping for long.

I splashed some cool water on my face and borrowed some of Adam’s mouth water to feel just a bit fresher. I shut out the light and carefully stepped out of the bathroom.

“Did you get any sleep?” I turned towards the couch and I could see that Adam was sitting up, wide awake.

“I’m sorry I woke you. I tried to be quiet.” My voice was a bit hoarse.

“It’s alright; I’m a light sleeper sometimes. Come sit down.” He patted at the couch next to him.

I slowly walked over and sat down next to him.

“So, did you get any sleep?” I could see him looking at me, even through the darkness.

“Yes, thank you. I don’t know how I would have been able to stay at the airport for much longer. I’ve never felt anything like this. I just… I’m so tired; it’s hard to even concentrate my mind on speaking.” My head was throbbing again from the lack of sleep.

“I know there’s something bothering you and I want you to know that I’m here for you. Even though we only met a few days ago I want you to know that you can trust me. I care about you and I don’t want you to feel this way.” He leaned in a bit closer.

His words triggered something within me, and for the first time since I’d gotten the call from my parents, I felt my insides twist. I could feel hot tears seeping down my cheeks, silent tears for my dead brother.

Suddenly it felt hard to breathe, the pressure in my chest threatened to suffocate me. I tried to take a deep breath, but all I could do was cough as I drew unsteady, shallow breaths. The panic that I’d felt the last few days was overwhelming me.

“Penny! Penny… Look at me!” Adam was shaking me, trying to get my attention. “Penny calm down!” Adam placed his cool hands on my face, and that sudden movement pulled me back to now.

“Steady breaths.”

I looked him in the eyes and to a deep breath. It was still a bit shaky, but as I took another, and then one more, I could feel my heartbeat slowly return to normal.

“It’s alright, you’re safe here.” Carefully he lowered his hands and embraced me. Having his arms around me and feeling his heartbeat against my cheek return my pulse to normal. I could feel our heartbeats synchronizing and finally I felt next to normal again. The headache I’d been feeling the last few days was letting go, and the panic I’d felt before was gone.

“I’m so sorry Adam…” My voice was still unsteady.

“You have nothing to apologize for.”

“My dad called me in the middle of the night to tell me my brother… that my brother had been in an accident, and I needed to get home, but… the storm… I had no phone, no sleep, my brother… dead…” My words were slurry and I didn’t know what to say so everything got bundled up and nothing made sense.

“Schhh… it’s alright.”

“I…”

“I’m so sorry for your brother.” Adam carefully let me go. For a while we just sat next to each other, staring at the wall opposite the couch, not a word was spoken.

“I’m just so tired, and I need to see my family.” Every word was hard to pronounce. After letting it all out I felt empty inside and just so tired.

“You need to sleep.” Adam’s voice was barely a whisper.

“But I can’t seem to fall asleep; I have too much on my mind.”

Suddenly Adam placed his hands on my shoulders and turned me towards him. “Do you want me to get your mind off everything?” His voice was hoarse, the words filled with tension. I could feel a sort of electrified field between us. His hands were hot against my skin, almost like they were on fire.

I leaned towards him, placing my hands on both sides of his face. “Are you sure about this?”

He drew me closer and pulled me up in his lap. I locked my legs around his waist, just as he got to his feet. I leaned in and kissed him as he carried me towards the bedroom.

He placed me down on the bed and closed the door.

…

I was sitting on a flight back home the next morning. For the first time in the last six days I wasn’t thinking about my brother, instead my mind was focused on Adam. We hadn’t exchanged many words before I left, because I think there wasn’t much to say. He’d seen me during the worst days of my life and he’d helped me through the worst part.

I just couldn’t imagine us together for a longer time, I mean, we lived in different cities and except the past days, there wasn’t anything connecting us. I would always think of him fondly, like a saint almost, for staying with me even though it would have been so easy to just leave me in that seat at the airport.

I’d left him my phone number and address, but I wasn’t expecting him to hear back, because I had no intentions of doing so. It was one of those briefencounters I would never forget, where a total stranger made me feel safe. Now I was on my way home… to say goodbye to my brother.