Love at 30,000 Feet

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

“But you worked so hard to become a field agent. Ashley are you sure this is what you want to do?” Nicole asked in disbelief as Ashley told her over drinks that she had decided to leave her dream career of over ten years. “I know it seems drastic, but Nicole… I just can’t put into words what I have been going through. I am so afraid to fly now, and you know that is ninety-eight percent of my job. And remember, these are not just local two-hour flights. This s**t could require me to fly fifteen and twenty-hour flights every other day and right now, I just can’t handle that. The bureau hates to see me go so, they are holding my position for me for two months after my FMLA runs out. But I don’t know… it just feels like I have another calling now.” “Another calling?” Nicole asked, stunned as she almost choked on her drink while letting out a playful laugh.

Ashley knew her friends could not understand what she was going through which was why most of her relationships had become so strained. Hell, Ashley was having a hard time herself understanding why she could not just get over it. She knew that she could not just give up flying altogether, but for now… she was going to stay grounded for as long as she could until her mental state improved to a more satisfactory level. “Yes Nicole… I know this is weird for you, Daniel, Melissa, and Rick- but this is real for me. Do you think I want to be afraid when I see a plane flying low, or too loud, or being off schedule when someone I love is on it? This s**t sucks for me too and I can’t explain it! All I can tell you is that this s**t has changed me, and yes… I feel like my path of life has changed because of it.”

“Speaking of Daniel, how is he taking it?” Nicole asked, wanting to quickly change the subject as embarrassment filled her face for coming off so unsympathetic. “I don’t know… he is… I guess just like everyone else. He does not understand why I can’t just move on. I want us to be able to move past this, but it must be at my speed and not his, and if he can’t understand that, then maybe I will need to make some changes in that area also. I love Danny but I love me more. Therapy is really helping me, but I am so tired of his snide remarks about my sessions. Not once has he offered to go with me to be by my side, not once has he asked about them. I need a partner through both good and bad- not just a body in my bed.” “Ashley!” Nicole yelled in disbelief. “Are you really thinking about ending your relationship over this!? You guys have been together since grad school, and if you were able to move past that thing that happened a year ago… I am sure he will come around to support you more and you will be able to move past this as well.

Just give him some time, it can’t be that bad… could it?” Nicole asked quizzically as she watched her friend of over twenty years carry an expressionless face while looking off in the distance. Nicole knew her friend and when she was done with something… she was done. As Nicole waited for an answer, it was obvious that Ashley was somewhere else. Her beautiful light brown eyes glimmered in the sun as she starred past her confused best friend while fumbling nervously with her straw. Her shoulder length, straight black hair blew in the soft breeze as the sides of her mouth curled upward slightly- hinting at a smile; something that had not come genuinely in a long while.

“Ashley?” Nicole asked, concern filling her voice as she looked behind her, trying to find what was locking her friend into a trance. However, the only thing she could see was a woman smiling as she handed out flyers to by passers on the sidewalk. “Ashley!” Nicole yelled as she waved her hand in her friends’ face. “What?! Why are you yelling at me? Sorry… I must have spaced out, but I heard you. Yes, I would certainly put me first and yes, it’s that bad. The length of time that we have been together does not matter, if he does not love me enough to support me and help me with what I am going through, then he is not the man for me. I am not asking him, or anyone for that matter to believe or understand what I am going through. But if you care for me then the least you could give is support and I just do not feel like I have that with him... or with anyone at this point. And by the way, I never got over that thing, I don’t believe any woman genuinely could. Nicole, if you could excuse me for just a minute.”

Before Nicole could blink her eyes, Ashley was up and taking a flyer from the interesting looking lady on the nearby sidewalk. For some reason, the smile that stretched across her friends’ face was the biggest that she had seen in the last couple months. As the two women talked, Nicole sat back comfortably in her chair as she continued to sip her wine while watching in sheer amazement at the interaction Ashley was having with this complete stranger. What's the deal? Nicole thought while watching the two women hug before Ashley began to walk back to the table they had occupied for the past hour- smiling from ear to ear. “So, what’s up with that?” Nicole asked, not wasting any time in getting to the bottom of the weird s**t that had just played out in front of her eyes.

“This s**t only gets weirder Nicole. Do you remember the woman I told you about at the airport? The one that told me this must be a sign… that my passport had expired? That was her! I was staring because I wanted to be sure, she looks much different out of uniform, but that was the person that convinced me to just call it. I just had to thank her.” Nicole was dumbfounded as she looked behind her again at the jovial woman that was passing out flyers or trying to pass out flyers to the people passing by. Most too much in a hurry to get where they were going to even pay attention to the tall and somewhat unusually, attractive, boyish female. Let alone the mysterious pieces of multi-colored paper that she was handing out. Ninety-nine percent of the flyers made their way to the ground by the people that aimlessly took them out of what looked like pity. After leaving her sight they ended up throwing them on the concrete once they were a few feet away, assumingly in order to not hurt her feelings.

“Shit...,” was all Nicole could muster to say. “So, what’s up with the flyer? What is she selling?” A curious Nicole asked, her eyes still on the person that may have played a part in saving her best friend’s life. “Nothing…,” Ashley said nonchalantly as she passed the flyer to her friend. “IF YOU JUST TAKE ONE SECOND OUT OF YOUR BUSY DAY TO TAKE TIME… BREATHE ... AND READ THIS SIMPLE MESSAGE, I WILL PAY YOU $20 RIGHT NOW. LIFE IS SHORT… ENJOY IT… SEE THE PEOPLE AND LIFE AROUND YOU AND DON’T GET TRAPPED IN THE HUSTLE AND BUSTLE OF IT… SLOW DOWN.” Nicole’s mouth and eyes widened as she looked up at her friend who was flossing a crisp twenty-dollar bill.

“I wasn’t going to take it from her, but she insisted,” Ashley said, smiling as she placed the new bill in her billfold. “So, what is she? An airport life-messenger?” Nicole asked, her eyes still on the woman who was now laughing with someone who appeared to be a homeboy while she stuffed the flyers in her shoulder bag- seeming to be calling it a day. “I don’t know about a life-messenger… but she is my guardian angel… that’s all I know,” Ashley whispered softly as she gazed in her direction and before she could finish her sentence, the two locked eyes. Warmth ran through her body as the unique woman signaled to her boy that she would catch up with him later before walking in the direction of and anxious Ashley and a curious Nicole.

“Hi again... hope I’m not intruding.” Nicole- now with an up-close view, fumbled to find words as she watched the tall, athletically built, brown-skinned woman greet Ashley, who seemed to be blushing on the other side of the table. “Hi… again,” Ashley nervously laughed. “You are not intruding,” she continued while unknowingly looking at this woman from head to toe. “Are you in a rush? Why don’t you join us for a drink?” Ashley said as she snapped out of her trance while shooting her friend a quick look for approval, which- Ashley could already see that Nicole was more than ok with the addition. “Cool… I will certainly take you up on the offer. I could use a drink right now. Can I get a Henny and coke?” The mystery woman politely asked the waitress, who was already at the table to refresh the drinks. “And six shots of Jameson please,” Nicole added as she downed the last of her wine. “So… B, I want you to meet my best friend, Nicole. Nicole… this is B,” Ashley announced as she broke the ice between the threesome. “B… so you have to tell me… what is that short for?” Nicole asked playfully with a huge smile on her face, never the one to be afraid to ask questions.

“Ya'll really not ready,” the mystery lady laughed as she gave a quick glance at Ashley who obviously did not know either. “Oh, I have been ready ever since you told me your name!” Ashley squealed as the waitress sat the round of drinks on the table. “Ya'll wrong for that s**t…,” B laughed as Ashley and Nicole joked at what names the B could stand for. “You two are hella funny. Nicole you were close with Bella, it’s Beatrice, but never call me that,” the sexy and mystery woman ordered through laughs as she sipped her drink, which was very strong according to her facial expressions.

“So… Beatrice… how much money do you give out daily doing the flyer gig, and more importantly… how can you just give out that kind of money like that?” Nicole had questions and it was also obvious that she was interested in B. It was no secret that Nicole loved women as much as she loved men, the problem was… Ashley was also feeling something that she didn’t quite understand. One because she had never been attracted to females, and two, there was this thing in her life called Daniel. “Well, due to the fact that no one ever reads them, I do not give out nearly as much as I should. On an average I probably give out about 60 dollars in a two-hour span. How I do it is simple. I am paying it forward for all the help that I have received along the way in this thing called life. For all the people that paused their life for me, this is my way of giving back. I have a few dollars put aside to do just this. Every day, seven days a week, I take two hours out my day and go to different areas of the city to try to brighten someone else’s day. All they have to do is just pause for a second in life to receive the small gift.” As B spoke, Ashley and Nicole looked on speechless, inspired by the beautiful soul in front of them.

“That’s four-hundred and twenty dollars a week!” Nicole yelled after doing the quick calculation in her head. “How long have you been doing this?” Ashley asked, giving her friend a chance to recollect herself. “For a little over a year now, but enough about me right now. Ashley, how are you doing? We did not get much time to talk when you came over a little while ago and I didn’t want to leave without coming over to ask that question. I can’t believe that was your flight. When you walked over, I knew you looked familiar, but I could not place where I knew you from. But look, like I said, there is no need for thanks… we were meant to meet that day,” B said as she looked intently into Ashley’s soft brown eyes as Ashley glared back with a warm smile across her lips.

“I am holding up ok… thank you for the concern. I… I am just so grateful for you and when I saw you, I had to come and say hello. Thank you is not nearly enough; I wish there was something else I could do. B… you saved my life…” Ashley’s words were coming from the bottom of her heart and she wanted B to understand how thankful she was of convincing her to not fly that day. “Nah… I didn’t save you- God just put me in the right place at the right time. You saved your life by cancelling that trip Ashley. I am glad you are safe, and it was really good seeing you again. Anyway, look, I don’t want to hold you up, I have already taken too much of your time. You ladies have a great day and thanks again for inviting me for drinks and those shots of Jameson,” B smiled as she shot Nicole a playful glance through very glassy eyes.

B, however, was also being very sincere as well and very focused on Ashley. She seemed to be genuinely concerned for her well-being and that did something inside of Ashley. “Can I give you my number?” The words came from nowhere as Ashley watched B preparing to leave. The words escaped her pretty and very glossy lips before she could even think. For some reason, she did not want this to be the last time she saw or spoke with B. Yes, we really supposed to meet Ashley thought as the expression on B's face changed to surprise at Ashley’s question. “Sure...,” B said slowly, as if there were a catch while she pulled her phone out of her front pocket- curiously looking back and forth between the two women. It wasn’t that B was not used to getting numbers from beautiful women, it was just that this took her completely by surprise coming from Ashley.

“It's 713-222…,” Ashley started as she read out the rest of her number while her friend looked on from the corner of her eye, her disposition was hard to read, but Ashley knew that Nicole may be feeling a type of way right now. “Cool... I got it… I just sent you a text, so lock me in as well,” B said before saying goodbye once again before stuffing her phone back into her front pocket and disappearing around the corner. “Sooo… what was that? Nicole asked slyly as she downed the remaining few sips of her drink. “Huh?... What do you mean?” Ashley asked innocently- but fully aware of the speculation as she typed away on her phone while quickly storing B’s information. “The way you about broke your neck to give B your number. Listen, I get it, but what if she starts calling you and texting you out the blue? Are you ready for that?” For some reason, Nicole seemed agitated at the thought, but why Ashley wondered as she lifted her head to meet her friend’s scornful gaze through the small, suspicious slits of her own eyes. Afterall, if she wanted to hook up with B then why did she not make a move sooner?

“Ok girl, so am I missing something? What’s going on with you? Listen, I know you can’t understand, or hell, for that matter, nobody seems to understand except my damn therapist! If I would have gotten on that plane as planned… I WOULD BE DEAD! GONE! Can you put yourself in my shoes and try to understand that!? Just for a minute! f**k the fact that I am here now! To know that you could be dead does something to the brain and this woman played a huge part of me not getting on that plane! So yes! I need to know her… I WANT to know her! Is that a crime?! What is it? Because she is an obvious lesbian and I am straight!? I could care less about that! I’m not trying to f**k her! I just need to get to know more about her! s**t! I am so tired of being judged and criticized by my own so-called friends and loved ones! This absolute stranger seems to give more of a f**k about me than everyone else does so hell yes… I gave her my number!”

Ashley was livid as she threw four crisp twenty-dollar bills on the table before storming off. She had been under so much pressure after going through her ordeal and the fact that no one cared enough to try and understand finally brought her to a breaking point. “Ash!” Nicole yelled out, but it was too late. Ashley was long gone as she rushed to get to get to the comfort and confines of her home.