The drive down to Boston was eerily quiet. Tom tried his best to keep the chit-chat going, but Rachel was quite clearly elsewhere mentally. Possibly already in LA. And who could blame her? Uprooting your life, that you’ve spent on the east coast for years, and starting afresh out west, would inevitably lead to intrusive thoughts. Is this the right choice? Will we be able to make it out there? Can this save our marriage? Tom tried to shrug these thoughts as best as he could. A quick glance at his watch told him that they had a couple of hours before boarding. Great, the morning traffic shouldn’t be much of an issue then. “I’m going to miss these crisp mornings so much”, said Rachel while glancing out into the horizon. Septembers had always been one of Rachel’s favorite months, with summer starting to show its rear end, and the fall tiptoeing into the picture. Tom held her hand and glanced at her with a smile. It was best to not go down this route, he thought. Not to engage in conversations that are loaded with reminiscence. They couldn’t get cold feet now. They had to make this move.
Tom let go of her hand and back on the steering wheel. Maybe some music will help? He turned on the radio and tried to find something somewhat upbeat. ‘Drops by Jupiter’. Tom didn’t care much for pop music. It’s the same new songs on repeat these days anyway. But he knew that Rachel is all about these tunes. He bumped up the volume a bit. They were soon pulling into Logan International Airport. After finding the rental car spot, Tom and Rachel grabbed onto their luggage and proceeded to departure. Rachel started slowing down and grabbed Tom’s hand. “Listen”. Tom turned around, half knowing what was coming his way. Rachel timidly mumbled, “I know it isn’t good for me, but maybe just one? One for the road?”. Tom tried to keep his composure. They had spent a lot of time and money trying to fix Rachel’s addiction issues with the smokes. He tried to gather his thoughts and asked Rachel “I thought you got rid of all your packs? Rach, come on. We’ve talked about this over and over. You can’t do that. It isn’t good for you. You know that”. Rachel looked away. Her evasive eyes told the story. She knew it. “Okay… Alright, yes let’s just- ”. Fighting back tears, she grabbed onto her luggage and started making her way into the airport terminal. Tom followed suit.
The perk of these early morning flights was usually the very minimal traffic inside the airport. Within about 10 minutes, Tom and Rachel had cleared security and found a nice little spot for a quick bite. Tom looked down at the boarding pass every 5 minutes to ensure that he didn’t forget the gate. He’d always been paranoid about travelling. Specifically, the flying part. He’s missed a flight in the past, and ever since, he’s been obsessed with getting there on time and camping out at the boarding gate. “We shouldn’t dilly dally too long around here. Let’s get to the gate” he said to Rachel. She nodded. They leisurely strolled towards their gate, both of them completely lost in their own thoughts. This isn’t how Tom pictured their last day on the east coast to be. Earlier that year, when he earned that promotion that would see him move to the west, they were both so jubilant. And obviously, a lot had happened between then and now.
As they got to the gate, they both grabbed seats that are closer to the counter. Tom held Rachel’s hand and smiled again. “This is it”, he said. “It’s going to be alright Rach”. She smiled back and rested her head on his shoulder. Her eyes were glued to the TV screen. Some sort of celebrity gossip that Tom didn’t care much for. Something about Tom cruise officially ending things with Kidman. As with pop music, this was all white noise to Tom. Time for some shut eye. They had plenty of time to spare before boarding. “Things will get so much better once we’re there”, Tom thought to himself. He had a gut feeling about this.
What is it about the perceived warped sense of time in airports? As soon as Tom started to drift off in sleep, the boarding announcement was being made. “Good morning and thank you for flying with American airlines Flight 11 to Los Angeles. Boarding will begin soon. We ask that you leave the boarding lanes clear until your boarding zone is announced”.
Tom looked over to Rachel, who was also looking back. That was probably the first time in a long time that he saw a glimpse of hope in her eyes. He smiled at her and rested his hand on her tummy. “To a fresh start. For the three of us”.