“Yes.”
“Which airport?”
“Uh, JFK.”
“I’ll make a deal with you. If you promise to stay just for the original twenty-four hours, I can get you on a private plane leaving New York in—uh—forty-ish minutes, and a flight back directly to Geneva on the same plane. You’ll have to make a short stop in Chicago to pick up my parents, but you’ll definitely get here faster than a commercial flight.”
I wrinkled my nose, pulling my bottom lip through my teeth as I considered her offer. “Whose private plane?”
“A friend’s.”
I shook my head quickly. “No. I can’t promise that. What if Abram isn’t better in twenty-four hours? What if he takes a turn for the worse? I wouldn’t be able to leave then.”
“Okay, if he’s better, then you have to leave, go back to Europe as planned, and get back to work so you don’t lose your funding. If he’s sicker, you can stay.”
A few sounds emerged from the back of my throat, all of which were disbelieving. “I’m sorry, but this doesn’t sound like a deal. This sounds too good to be true.”
“Do we have a deal?”
I didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”
Usually, I didn’t accept gifts. And I never accepted anything without knowing the source, definitely not anything as luxurious as a flight on a private plane. But desperate times call for a relaxation of rigid ethical codes. I would have to sort through my overthinking on this subject later. Much later.
“Is that a promise?” Marie pushed, as though she sensed a statement of explicit promise was necessary.
“Absolutely.”
“Good. I’ll text you the details once I work things out with my friend. I’ll also—hold on, Abram is trying to get my attention. Just a sec.”
The phone went quiet for a minute, maybe two, during which I calculated the precise moment I would have to leave LA to make it back to Geneva on time. To my delight, we’d actually end up with more time together than if we’d met in New York. This realization was tempered by the reminder that Abram was extremely sick. I’d prefer less time and him well, not because I felt like I was missing out on quality time with him, but because I just wanted him to be better.
“Okay, Mona. Are you still there?”
“Yes. I’m here.”
“Abram has a few stipulations for your visit, which I’m going to communicate. Item one: you can only come if you’ve had your flu shot. Have you?”