Come Fly With Me

Sparkle barged into the tiny greenhouse that her dad had built just outside the kitchen. It was where her parents liked to have breakfast.

"What is it?" her mother asked, frantically dabbing at the tea she spilled on her leg.

"I've decided on Blue Sky Airways!" Sparkle declared.

While her mom jumped for joy, Sparkle's dad was hesitant. She knew he would be since this meant that she would be moving away, at least for a little while. Connor and Mya looked at their daughter proudly.

"If you thought last night's dinner was special," Mya said, "Just you wait. We're going to Bistro Niko tonight!"

Connor feigned a frown. "Are you suggesting their upscale cuisine is a match for my famous shrimp pasta?"

"Of course not! Never that, honey." Mya went to wrap her arms around her husband's neck. "Nothing could top your shrimp pasta, my love. It's just... I would like to spoil my daughter before she ventures out into the big scary world and has to resort to a cheese and cracker budget."

Sparkle rolled her eyes as her parents kissed. "Hello lovebirds. I haven't left yet."

Really, it didn't bother her. In fact, their displays of affection and their teamwork is what made it so hard for Sparkle to settle down. She wanted what they had and she wasn't sure if Hassan was the guy to give it to her or, perhaps, some other guy she hadn't met yet.

Mya giggled like a teenaged girl and stood up straight. "Alright, alright. I imagine we all have a lot to do today. Some of us need fancy new wardrobes to compete with those fancy New York types."

Sparkle smiled. "I'm just going to get a few things from the thrift store."

"You'll, at least, get a new tote or bag or briefcase or whatever it is young people carry their important documents in... and it'll be on me." Connor stood to hug his daughter. "I'm so proud of you Sparky."

"We should invite Trisha and Hassan to dinner. Won't that be nice?"

Sparkle glanced at her mom. "Trish, for sure. I'm not sure about Hassan yet. He might not be so thrilled about me moving away..."

Mya waved her hand. "If he's the gentleman I hope he is, he'll realize what a great opportunity this is for you."

"True," Sparkle said. She kissed each parent on the cheek and dashed back to her room.

She banged out a rejection letter to EveRy Airlines and sent it off. With a happy sigh of relief, Sparkle took her phone from it's charging place by her bed and called Trisha to tell her the good news.

Trisha yelled loudly on the other line. Her excitement multiplied Sparkle's own excitement tenfold. "Holy shit!" Trisha said. "This is fantastic! When do you leave? Do we have time to celebrate?"

"I've got plenty of time. They sent a whole bunch of stuff via email about what I have to know on the first day, June eleventh."

"Great! Cause we are going out tonight!"

Sparkle laughed. "My mom is way ahead of you. She wants you and Hassan to have dinner with us tonight."

"Yeah, I'll be there. So you've told Hassan already?"

"Not yet... The timing for something like this has to be perfect."

"I guess so. Will you be ready in fifteen minutes?"

"Ready for what?" Sparkle asked.

"To go shopping. Duh. Not only do we have to get you something killer to seduce Hassan in, but you need things for training right?"

Sparkle laughed. "Yes. It's like you have ESPN or something..."

Trisha laughed too. "Good, cause I'm already on the way."

While she waited for Trisha to arrive, Sparkle sent Hassan a text. She let him know that she was thinking about him and that she wanted him to come to dinner with everyone. By the time Trisha pulled up, he'd responded with a yes.

"Hassan said he has something to tell me tonight too," Sparkle said, closing the car door.

"Yeah? Something like what?"

"He wouldn't say." Sparkle frowned but didn't want to jump to any conclusions. If he wanted to break things off completely, he wouldn't do such a thing at a dinner where her parents would be in attendance. On their way to L5P, Sparkle drove any negative thoughts from her mind. Trisha parked on what they called Thrift Store Alley. It was a block or two of thrift stores in the most hipster part of town and the girls always found it to be a treasure trove. They went to Rag-O-Rama first. Sparkle wanted to be as classy as possible for her training and was happy with the selection at the store; after an hour, she walked out with three skirts, two blouses, and four dresses. Truly, one of the dresses she bought was for dinner that night.

As they walked over to the next store, Sparkle began feeling better and better. Starting that very moment, everything would fall into place.

"This blazer is everything!" she gasped at the blue tweed garment.

Trisha examined it over her shoulder. "It looks exactly like your style. It'll go great with the blouses you bought."

By lunch time, Sparkle had exhausted her credit card. The girls were resting their feet at the pizza parlor on the corner and enjoying two giant slices of pizza.

"So what time is dinner?" Trisha asked.

Sparkle laughed. "Not even done with lunch and you're worried about dinner?"

She rolled her eyes. "I just wanted to know what time to meet you guys...."

"Right... I'm not actually sure so I'll text you when I know."

The girls finished up their lunch and went their separate ways. Sparkle got home and did her daily P90X routine. Afterwards, she showered and washed her hair, adding a deep conditioner at the end. She wrapped herself in her robe and sat at her vanity mirror that separated her bathroom from her closet and began to put cold rods in her hair. About halfway through, her mom called to let her know their reservation was for seven.

"Ok," Sparkle said. "Hassan and Trish are coming too."

"Oh fantastic! So he was happy about the news?"

"Well, I'm going to tell him at dinner. I'm hoping the good food and wine and those purple glitter shoes in your closet will soften the blow."

Mya laughed, unfazed at her daughter helping herself to her shoes. "If he knows what's good for him, he won't need all that but it never hurts I suppose. I've got to get back to work now, honey. I'll see you tonight."

"Bye Mom." Sparkle ended the call and sent both Hassan and Trisha a time and address before going back to her hair. Once she finished, she retrieved her ancient heating cap from the drawer that contained all other hair tools. She turned her TV on and settled onto the rug at the bottom of bed. With the cap plugged in, she tied it over her rollers and turned it on. Luckily, the show she was currently enjoying was in Korean and volume was unnecessary since she needed to read the subtitles anyway.

Two and a half hours later, Sparkle took the cap off. It was a little after five and she realized the bags of her purchases were still on her bed. Sparkle went to her bathroom and took a face mask from her stockpile of facial cleansers. She unfolded the damp sheet and placed it on her face, meaning to let that work it's magic as she sorted her clothes.

Under her bed was the massive suitcase she'd used when she did her study abroad session to France. Sparkle set aside the tan dress she'd planned to wear that night and dumped the rest of the clothes from their bags. She refolded each garment carefully and placed them in the suitcase. It didn't amount to much when she looked at it but there was still stuff in her closet she would bring and shoes as well. With a shrug, she pushed the suitcase back under bed. Just then her phone rang.

It was Hassan.

"San, hey. What's up?"

"I got your text. Just wanted to let you know I'll pick you up at six thirty."

"Oh, you're picking me up?" Sparkle asked, pleasantly surprised.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I?"

"I dunno." Dont be awkward Sparkle, don't be awkward.

Hassan chuckled. "Alright. I'll see you in a bit babe."

Sparkle's heart fluttered when the call ended. She really wanted things to work out with Hassan. Looking at the time on her phone, she saw she had forty five minutes to get dolled up. She rubbed cocoa butter all over her body, giving her knees, elbows, and tattoos extra care; she used a different lotion for her feet. The dress crisscrossed in the back so Sparkle took her adjustable bra from her top dresser drawer and crossed the straps before putting it on. The dress itself soon followed. Back at her vanity, she put a touch of blush on her cheeks and highlighter under her eyes and eyebrows. After carefully applying eyeliner, she put on a pair of falsies. "My, your lashes are so luscious," Sparkle said to herself in a deep voice. "The better to seduce you with my dear," she answered herself in a falsetto.

She took out the countless rollers and her tresses bounced and sprung to life in voluminous blonde cloud around her head. "My, what beautiful hair you have," she said, once again her deep voice. "The better to run your fingers through, my dear," she said, blowing a kiss to herself in the mirror. From her well-organized jewelry drawer, she pulled a set of gold bangles and earrings. As she put them on, she debated whether or not to put on be of her septum rings. Neither of her parents had approved of her piercing but Sparkle thought it fit her face quite well. Foregoing the septum ring, Sparkle stood up and went in front of her full length mirror. She inspected herself and realized something was missing.

"Shoes!"

She took a clutch from her closet and dumped her lipstick, phone, and wallet inside as well as her keys and some gum before heading out to the main house. She went into her parents' bedroom and found the shoes on her mother's side of the closet. They were a glittery gradient purple, going from lavender at the toe to a dark violet at the heel. She looked at herself once again in the full length mirror in their closet.

"My, what sickening curves you have," Sparkle said. "The better to slay these hoes with, my dear." Sparkle laughed aloud at that one. As she primped her hair in the mirror, the doorbell rang. Sparkle spritzed some of her mom's perfume on her neck and wrists before grabbing her clutch and heading for the door.

Hassan stood on the front porch and his face lit up when he saw her. "You look..."

Sparkle smiled and looked down at her feet. He pulled her in for a hug and even in her four inch heels, Sparkle's eyes only reach Hassan's chin. God, he smells so good.

"You look beautiful, really."

"You look good too." He wore slim khaki trousers and a crisp red button shirt.

He offered his arm and Sparkle placed her hand on the inside of his elbow, allowing him to ease her down the porch steps. He opened the passenger door of his black Mustang and she slid in. She smiled as he walked coolly to the other side. He started the car and winked at her before pulling off.

Hassan pulled up to the valet right at seven and the pair walked in together. The waitress directed them to the table where her parents were already seated. They both stood and greeted the younger couple, kisses for Sparkle and firm handshakes for Hassan. Mya held onto her daughter's hand and had her do a little twirl.

"My baby girl is looking fabulous tonight!"

"I get it from my mama." Sparkle laughed and hugged her mom to her side. Standing beside each other, they could've passed for sisters and Sparkle would count herself lucky to look as good as her mother when she got to be her age. They simmered down their squealing and sat across from each other.

"We ordered a bottle of champagne for the table," Connor said. "And an appetizer."

"I hope you didn't pick something dry, Dad."

Connor shrugged innocently as the waiter approached with the aforementioned sparkling wine. He popped the cork and poured them each a bottle then set it in the ice bucket on the corner of the table. Right behind was another waiter with a tray of shrimp cocktail.

"Should we wait for Trisha before making our toast?" Mya asked, plucking a shrimp from the tray.

Sparkle glanced at Hassan. "Um, well, she already knows my good news but..."

"I had good news to share too," Hassan said, clearing his throat. "I think she'd kill me if she wasn't here for it."

Sparkle's parents exchanged glances and took deliberate sips from their glasses. A few more minutes of small talk and Trisha finally walked in. She gave Mya and Connor kisses on the cheek before sitting on the other side of Sparkle.

"Sorry I'm late guys. There was an accident on 75 if you can imagine that."

"No problem," Connor said, waving his hand. "We'll order and do our toast."

A waiter materialized at the head of the table, introducing himself as Griffin. He listed the specials of the evening and they went around the table, giving their orders. Sparkle noticed he didn't write anything down and hoped he would remember everything.

"Toast time," Trisha said, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Let's let the lady go first. The reason we're all here, really. Sparky?"

Sparkle felt the butterflies in her stomach as Hassan looked at her expectantly. She smiled uneasily. "Hassan, I didn't tell anyone about a couple of jobs that I applied for, you know, just in case I didn't get them... But I've been offered the job of my dreams. Blue Sky Airways hired me on as a flight attendant."

Hassan smiled widely. "That's amazing! You've always wanted to travel."

"Exactly!" Sparkle adjusted in her seat so she faced him. "This airline goes, literally, everywhere. The thing is... the training is seven weeks long. And their training center is in New York."

"Oh," he said, his smile slowly fading. "Seven weeks in New York."

"Yeah, and from what I've read, I might actually end up moving there because their Atlanta base is super senior and I'd be too new to get it."

"Oh..."

"But this is such an amazing opportunity and we're so proud of Sparky for going after her dreams," Mya said cheerfully.

Connor raised his glass. "To our sweet Sparkle, may you find happiness and joy and success as you leave our nest. Congratulations on your next chapter in life."

"Cheers!" They all clinked their glasses over the middle of the table. Sparkle watched Hassan gulp his entire glass. She set hers down and put a hand on his arm, attempting a smile.

He looked at her with a blank expression. "My news doesn't seem so great now so maybe I'll just talk to you later."

"All news is good news tonight," Sparkle said, moving her hand to Hassan's knee reassuringly.

He sighed wearily and dug into his front left pants pocket. He placed a small blue box on the table that looked like it came from Tiffany's. All five pairs of eyes at the table stared at it.

"It's not an engagement ring," Hassan said. The rest of the table sighed collectively. "As you all may know, Sparkle and I broke up a few months ago and I've been trying to convince her to get back together with me. She needed a gesture of good faith from me to show that I wouldn't jump ship again..."

Mya inhaled audibly as her daughter opened the box. Inside was a dainty gold band with a knot in the center of silver gold and bronze. Sparkle looked from the ring to Hassan then back to the ring again.

"I'm not sure how we can continue to move forward, though, if we're a thousand miles away from each other..."

In the back of her mind, Sparkle knew this moment was inevitable. She had been hopeful, of course, but she thought they could make a long distance relationship work if they really tried. Or one day, she'd move back home. Or Hassan could move to New York with her, a fresh slate and new town that they could truly start over together in.

"Can we step outside for a second?" Sparkle asked quietly.

The two of them stood from the table and Hassan led the way outside. The sun was just beginning to set and the air was still and warm. Sparkle looked at Hassan's dejected expression and it gutted her.

"Listen, San, I know this isn't the kind of news you would've liked to hear," Sparkle began carefully. "The ring is beautiful and I really love the meaning behind it..."

"But you can't turn down a dream job for me. And I would never ask you to."

Sparkle smiled and took a step closer. "A long distance relationship can be tough but it might be worth a try..."

Hassan was shaking his head before her statement was even finished. "I'm not down with the long distance thing, Sparky. You know that."

Sparkle sighed. "Look. You have time to think about it. I don't leave for another month and a half. If you change your mind about making it work, I hope you come to the airport to see me off. If not then..." She held out the blue box to give back.

"Keep it. If I do or don't show up, I bought it for you." Hassan pulled Sparkle in for a tight hug. His arms felt strong and safe around her and she turned her head ever so slightly to the side. He kissed her lips gently and it wasn't until his thumb caressed her cheek that she realized she was crying.

"Don't cry," he said. "Go back inside and keep celebrating. I'll just... I'll call you."

Sparkle knew he wouldn't but she nodded and snuffled and wiped her other tear away. Hassan kissed her forehead before nudging her back towards the door. She walked back inside and didn't look back. There seemed to be a void inside of her now but she couldn't dwell on it. Even if she wanted to break down right then and there in the lobby of a five-star restaurant, she couldn't because Trisha was approaching her with a wild look in her eyes and shots of tequila in her hands.

"I figured you could use this," she said.

"Thank you." Sparkle took both shots and tossed them back one after the other, wishing she'd had a lime wedge.

Trisha stared at the empty shot glasses. "One of those was for me, Boozy."

"Oh," Sparkle said with a loud laugh. "Sorry, T. I'll get you a new one."

Trisha waved her hand. "Get me back later. Shots of Patrón are ten bucks here."

"Girl, what?"

Trisha continued shaking her head all the way back to the table. Sparkle's parents obviously noticed Hassan wouldn't be returning but were kind enough not to mention it. Dinner carried on with a positive and happy vibe and by the time dessert came, Sparkle had pushed her issues with Hassan to the furthest corners of her mind.