of being young and getting to tag along and go camping with my dad and my brothers on their “boys” trips to Olympic National Park in Washington, an instant mood-lifter, and head down the motorway to the airport, which isn’t that far away.
By the time I’m parking in the short-term lot, I feel more excited about seeing Helen rather than nervous, and because I’m early, I head into the airport to grab some flowers for her. Who doesn’t like getting flowers when they get off a plane?
They don’t have much of a selection, so I get roses that were probably grown in a factory somewhere. They don’t smell, don’t open, and they don’t have that same beauty as the ones that Alejo first bought me.
A thrill runs through me, making my insides feel buoyant and fizzy like champagne. I get that feeling every time I think about Alejo, but especially that night. That night he showed up, not wanting to let me get away. That night he made me speak my truth and admit to him the things I carried deep. I mean, I hadn’t even told Helen about my miscarriage, but I told Alejo. It’s like he knew there was a part of me that was dying to trust him, dying to let him in.
But I haven’t really let him in, have I?
Before I can dwell on it, I spot Helen coming through the arrivals with her Louis Vuitton luggage in tow, waving at me.
I go over to her, feeling strangely awkward all of a sudden as I present the flowers.
“So glad you’re here. The plane landed early for once,” Helen says as she embraces me, smelling like some powdery French perfume. “You look lovely, Thalia.” She grabs the flowers. “Oh, thank you, these look lovely too.”
I pull away and look her up and down. She looks the same, tall and thin, maybe a bit of a trim to her black bob. “New hair?” I ask.
She preens like a peacock and puffs up the ends of her hair with her hand. “Yes, thank you. Anastasia is always working her magic with me.”
“Need any help with the luggage?” I ask out of politeness since it’s just a carry-on.
“No, no, I’m fine,” she says, walking alongside me as we head out of the airport and over to the parking. It’s cold, and there’s a light wind whipping up, and she shields her face with her scarf. “Oof, I didn’t think it would be so cold here,” she says.
“Only at night,” I assure her. “During the day you can wear a t-shirt, I promise.”
“Well, anyway, I’m so glad I came, if only for two nights,” she says. “Too bad Kazzy and Liz aren’t here though.”
I rarely hear Helen mention anything about Liz, so it makes me think that perhaps she was looking forward to using those two as a buffer as well.
“This is the new car,” I tell her, pointing to the Audi.
“That’s quite the perk,” she says as I beep-beep unlock it remotely and start putting her suitcase in the trunk. “I don’t remember Stewart getting anything from Manchester.”
Here we go. Mention of ex-husband number one.
“That’s because Manchester doesn’t have Audi as a sponsor. They have Chevrolet. And that’s why Stewart chose to drive a BMW.”
“So, how are you liking living here? I mean, really?” she asks as we’re in stop-and-go traffic close to the city. “You can tell me the truth.”
“I would always tell you the truth,” I say to her, shooting her a curious look. “And I like it here a lot. Took some time to grow on me but I think I’m finally finding my footing, so to speak.”
“The team doesn’t give you a hard time?”
I shake my head. Even Dr. Costa has grown to tolerate me, and the Slovenian midfielder actually thinks I’m pretty funny. “No, everyone has been great.”
“They haven’t tried to bribe you for information about the Man U players, maybe get you talking about their weak spots and past injuries?”
“Actually, no. Not even a little. Everyone has been very professional.”
Well, almost everyone. But Alejo doesn’t count.
“Hmmm,” she muses, looking out the window.
“What?”
She shrugs. “I don’t know. I mean, I’m happy for you. Don’t get me wrong. You definitely have changed. You’re all glowy and you look happy too.”
“Okay…”
“But, I guess I thought this was just a temporary move for you.”
I stare at her before bringing my attention back to the road. First Alejo picked up on it, now her.
“No. Not temporary. I have a