Chapter 5

The doorbell was shrilling loudly enough to make me shift in my seat for a minute. Who would be at the door this early? Kate heard it again and was just beginning to grasp that it wasn’t the doorbell. I don’t have a doorbell. The alarm clock, that’s what that was. I rolled over just as the fog was beginning to wisp out of focus and clear my head. Reaching an arm out towards the table I felt around for that ringing box. Finding it, I smacked the snooze on top, and rolled onto my back and just let out a long sigh. Saturday mornings should not be started this way. Ever. And why was my alarm set anyways? Groaning in frustration I stretched, and it was then that my mind came fully alert. Then I remembered. I had a plane to catch. I glanced at the neon blue numbers and noticed I had a few spare minutes. A few blessed minutes of peace. But they never lasted as long as I hoped.
Two cups of coffee, a blueberry muffin, and a shower later I was dragging my bags to the door and convinced I never should have agreed to take this long weekend to go home. I should have spent it doing something productive, like taking Lori up on the offer to furniture shop, or starting that workout program I had in my bedroom. I could stand to lose a few pounds, like very other woman in America thought every time she glanced in a mirror. Oh, but who was I kidding? I didn’t want to work out anymore than I wanted to make the trip home. And if I stayed home now, furniture shopping would be the last thing on my list of exciting things to do for the day. It was all a bust. All of it. My life needed a double shot of something strong, and fast. I’d settle for a latte at the airport and pray that everything else worked itself out. It had to, eventually.

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The San Francisco International airport was fairly empty this Saturday. I got my bearings and weaved my way through the other departing passengers to head towards the baggage claim. I missed the times before September 11, 2001 when I was met walking off the plane with a hug and a cup of coffee. Now it would have to wait until I found my suitcase and managed to be tracked down there.
Watching numerous black bags roll by, I was once again thankful my mother refused to let me carry one. She insisted that every other person would be looking for an identical black bag and it didn’t help to own one of them. She just liked to have some say in making life easier and I wasn’t too prone to refuse it. I grabbed a dark green suitcase and flipped the tag to check the name. Jeremy Morris. I lugged it off the conveyer and began to walk towards the escalator. To my left I saw the opposite one descending. Casting a glance to the top I saw that Ben was just beginning to step on. I said his name and managed to catch him before he made his way down. Coming closer to him now, I realized the changes. He was a bit more filled out. Had a few more lines etched into his smooth shaven face. His hair was shorter now, cropped closer to his head, and it looked a shade lighter. He looked good. This city was doing him a few favors, the beach being one of them.
Ben was watching me and then I heard him say, “Are you going to give me a prognosis or just study me and not say a thing? A ‘good to see you’ is always welcome.”
I got to the top and grinned as Ben grasped my hand and pulled me into his chest. “Brother, you don’t want the prognosis; you’re too tired for it. Remind me later. Looks like you’ve been hitting the courts regularly though. How’s the three point line treating you?”
“Oh, it’s good as usual. The more frustration I let out, the better it is to me. By the time I’m done I’ve got it to a quick flip of the wrist, headed straight for the net.” Ben answered.
They both walked to the mini Starbucks and grabbed a coffee as they caught up on the brief points of life. How Steve and Lina were, when the baby is due, how their jobs were holding up, and whether this weekend would prove to be as relaxing as they planned.
Turning from the concourse and seeing the front doors was like a look at freedom. I couldn’t wait to begin this two week vacation. It was a long time coming. Taking a few steps and trying not to scald my tongue on this piping black coffee I realized Ben wasn’t next to me. I swiveled and caught a glimpse of him still at the counter, holding his cup, and lost to the world around him. I really have to make sure he sleeps more, he’s the walking dead. With swift clarity, I realized he wasn’t out of it, he was staring at someone. That someone was across the lobby. People didn’t get this focus from Ben very often. This couldn’t wait.
I turned too quickly and felt the heat wash over my hand in a flash of momentary pain. There were several people walking in and out, and a few at the airlines checking in baggage. I quickly took note of each one and then reduced the number of people it could be to three, judging by his line of sight from the counter. About five seconds later I figured he must know the guy at the American Airlines counter who was loudly protesting to his ticket arrangement, the woman behind him who could quite possibly be the man’s mother as she tried to settle him down in an indiscernible tone, or it was the striking brown haired woman briskly walking into the concourse. Bingo. She was fairly petite, had what looked like long brown naturally wavy hair, and about five foot five, give or take a few inches. She looked very comfortable in jeans and a UNC sweatshirt, confident by her walk albeit a bit tired, and determined to make a flight it seemed. How did Ben know her? In the past weeks on the phone he had never mentioned anyone. I took the mental inventory realizing it was hardly a habit I could break easily. Quick assessment was important. I took a glance back to see Ben watch her as she approached the ticket counter. Now this was piquing my interest. It would be fun to get a response from Ben.

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“Hi, my name’s Kate Drummond, here’s my ticket.” I rested my arm on the counter as I sat down my suitcase with the other and left my carry on over my shoulder.
“You’re all set Miss Drummond, let’s get this bag checked in for you.” She handed my ticket back to me and tagged my suitcase after it rolled behind the counter. “Your flight is on time and will be departing from gate 223 in terminal C in approximately twenty five minutes. Enjoy your trip.” She had pointed behind me to what I guessed was the correct terminal, smiled, and typed a few more things in the computer as I turned away and headed in that direction. Twenty five minutes. Not bad for assuming I was going to be late as usual. I swung my carry on a bit higher on my shoulder to readjust the weight. I didn’t need my laptop, but in some ways it proved a bit comforting to have. And if I was lucky, if there wasn’t too much turbulence in between the take off and landing, I might be able to write a few emails and send them later.
I reached down to pull my jeans up a bit on my left leg thinking that loving them long was sometimes a bit foolish, especially when I dragged them under my tennis shoes on occasion. Like now. It was a bit annoying. About ten steps later I had to yank them up a bit again hoping it was because I had lost weight, not that they were suddenly long. In the process my bag started falling from my shoulder and taking me with it. I stumbled rounding the corner by a group of people getting their morning coffee. Not here. Being clumsy is only okay when not surrounded by onlookers.
I managed to grab my bag, but not before my drawing pad slipped from the front pocket. It of course had to slide across the impeccably clean and traveler run floor.
“Let me get that for you.”
Right before I looked up and brushed the hair out of my face, I had a moment of recognition flare in the recesses of my mind. I knew that voice. But I couldn’t place it. I was only a few steps away now and had yet to let that deep voice register. But those eyes did.
“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me.” I let it out as my head came up and rested back into place. After my eyes swept up his roughly six foot three frame and settled on his face. It was the guy from outside my apartment! This couldn’t be happening. Not again. Embarrassment swept through my face within the blink of my eye.
“Nope, not kidding, I really did get it for you.” He handed me back the pad and just smirked. I felt the corners of my mouth begin to smile and my cheeks catch on fire.
“Well thank you. Sorry to have to inconvenience you, again. I can’t seem to make it too long without dropping something.” How I was staying calm I had no idea. All I knew was that he was still smiling and I hoped he hadn’t said anything yet, because I couldn’t hear much. He seemed so relaxed standing there. Like this happened all the time. I looked away.
“My name’s Ben.” He stuck his hand out, and I shook it.
“Nice to meet you Ben, I’m Kate.”
I was looking at him again. Memorizing. He had really great dimples when he smiled like that.
“Can I get you a cup of coffee?”
For a second my mind said turn and run, and I forced my feet to stay and my voice to work.
“A latte would be great, but I’ve got to make a flight in fifteen minutes so I’m afraid I can’t stick around.”
He ordered it for me and we stood there, unsure of what to say, but both unable to simply ignore whatever it was that kept us here, trying not to make it awkward. He looked down for a second and I saw his sun streaked brown hair. He must like to be outdoors. Wait, what was I thinking? I was headed home. Right now. Suddenly home didn’t seem too appealing. That chair beside me did though. No Kate! No. He paid for and handed me the cup as he looked back up.
“Well have a good trip then, enjoy the weekend. Maybe I’ll run into you again sometime.”
The sentence was said while I couldn’t look away. What was with me? This was ridiculous. By sheer force of will I looked down, swept my bangs behind my ear, and budged my bag onto my shoulder a bit more. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I’m nuts, I thought. I have to be.
“Don’t you have to catch your flight?”
My head snapped up. How long had I been standing there? Seconds, minutes, an hour? I was lost to time.
“Um, yeah… yes, I do. Thanks for the coffee,” I held it up and tried to smile as I said it. I had no idea how that smile came out.
“Not a problem. Bye Kate.” He turned and walked towards the lobby doors. There was another guy waiting there, watching. A darker, broader version of the man who had just introduced himself. The unknown one slapped him on the back as he met up with him, and they turned to walk out into the sunshine that had broken out of the clouds over the last few minutes. Ben caught the handle for the door as the other man stepped through. He glanced over his shoulder and his gaze went straight through me. He winked. And then he was gone. And my plane was about to be.