1. Now Boarding

It feels like we’re all on the same flight, sitting together. But, somehow, we won’t arrive at the same place.

‘Dear Mom,

 

I know it’s been a little while since we talked. I just wanted to say that I’m not angry with you. I get what you were going through. Really, I do. I feel like I’ve been going through the same thing these past few months. Luke is doing okay and I think he’s missing you. We really do want to see you, maybe catch up? I think dad’s been warming up to the idea, I’ve mentioned it once or-‘

 

In that moment she tore the paper up.

 

Barbara’s face scrunched up in annoyance. She held the shredded pieces of the note in her palms and stared at them intently.

 

It really wasn’t that bad… she reconsidered.

 

Relaxing, the girl took a deep breath to try and calm down.

 

…

 

She grunted, exhaling a short burst of air in anger. Pressing her palms together, she bunched up every piece of torn page into a ball. She made it neat and crushed it together as packed as she could. Then she started to breathe easy. Shaking her head she leaned back. Spinning around in her wheeled desk chair, she tossed the ball into the nearby trash. Most of the time, she made it.

 

This time it missed and fell to the nearby collection of other discarded notes on the floor.

 

She stared at the pile of paper balls littered around her trashcan.

 

Quickly spinning in her chair, she reached for a fresh sheet of paper.

 

Again.

 

***

 

 

Barbara Wright walked into the living room with both hands pushing her blonde hair back in frustration. Glancing at the clock, she considered changing into her pajamas as she was still wearing a light blue tank top and white shorts from today. It was seven at night.

 

Looking down at the couch for two, she saw her dad sitting there with his feet up on a stool watching TV. Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, or some other game show. The couch was a dark red in color, which completely contrasted the rest of the apartment’s walls, a bright sunny yellow. Throughout the whole apartment, yellow walls, even in the bathroom, with white edging near the floor.

 

“Hey,” she said to him.

 

“Hey,” he responded. He didn’t take his eyes off the TV.

 

 She walked over to the other side of the room to the window, casually walking in front of her dad who didn’t fuss about it. Glancing outside through the blinds, she noted how long a sunset took to fall in the summer time. It was still bright enough to see outside. Then she looked down to the streets, four stories away.

 

“Is Luke home?” she asked, staring down, thinking maybe she’d even see him walking into the lobby entrance.

 

“Mmhmm. In his room.”

 

So he was home. She hadn’t heard him walk in.

 

“What do you want to eat?” she asked.

 

“…”

 

She took that as an ‘I’ll think about it.’

 

Stretching her arms out wide, she took a deep breath, filling her lungs with as much oxygen as possible before exhaling. She brought an arm up over her shoulder and pulled it back a little, feeling a pop. She turned around and looked at her dad.

 

He wore a t-shirt that was too big for him and blue jeans. The jeans were dirty because he had been working since five. She figured he changed his shirt when he got home for a clean one. Her dad worked in landscaping; since he rarely needed to shave, he usually had a scruffy face. His facial features were rougher looking, lines in his forehead and a tough looking jaw. His hair was brown in color but he was starting to lose both. He had light brown eyes and a light tan to him since he worked in the sun. While he did have muscles in his arms from working hard, he had a noticeable gut just starting to grow-

 

“Chinese?”

 

And that was why, she thought.

 

But she didn’t know how to cook, at least not well. So lately it had been Chinese one night, pizza another, McDonalds on the way home, and if they were feeling real froggy, they’d get some cheesesteaks at a nearby diner. Frankly, there weren't many choices in Chesterton Indiana.

 

Barbara looked down at her flat stomach and, she could thankfully say, decent figure - at least for now. People told her that she’d have to watch what she ate when she got a little older. She was nineteen, so she figured “a little older” was probably around the corner. Her height was a little above average and she was very slim with long blond hair that ran down her back just past the shoulders. Unfortunately, in every way she still looked like a teenager, where she would have thought that by now she’d start looking more adult.

 

But oh well.

 

It did probably help that she took the salad options and junior meals a little more often than her dad and little brother did. That, and back in High School she was a part of the swimming team. She tried to keep that up at the local outdoor pool.

 

But it didn’t change the fact that her family really didn’t have anyone cooking them real meals. Nothing homemade anyway.

 

She shook her head and smiled a little, despite everything. Walking over to the couch, she plopped herself down next to her dad and pulled out her cell. She leaned into his side while scrolling through her contacts.

 

“I can go for eggrolls,” she agreed.

 

-Carol-

 

-Chinese-

 

-Claire Davis-

 

She glanced briefly at the name under the Chinese takeout before pressing the call button. Barbara kinda knew what she wanted, but she wasn’t sure about Luke.

 

“He’s in his room?” she asked, already getting up.

 

“Yeah, I got some cash in my wallet on the table,” he nodded toward the dining room table, or the kitchen table since both rooms weren’t really separated. Their living room, dining room and kitchen were all one big room.

 

“It’s his turn.” She spoke with a demanding tone in her voice as she rushed past her dad to the hallway leading to the bedrooms. The dial tone started to ring.

 

She reached her younger brother’s room and knocked loudly.

 

No reply.

 

“H-ello, Panda Dining and Takeout…” a woman answered.

 

“Yeah hello, I’d like to place a to-go order,” Barbara replied. She knocked louder.

 

No answer, again.

 

She rolled her eyes.

 

“Hold on- I’m coming in!” she pushed on the door and opened it up, bringing the phone down to her side.

 

The room was dark with the blinds on the window closed, despite the sun still being out. She looked to see Luke with a headset over his ears watching a computer screen. His foot was taping to some private music and his hand was on the mouse, constantly being clicked. Lights and colors flashed across his face, and she didn’t care to look at what he was doing. He was either, playing a video game, watching TV, or listening to a music video… she hoped anyway.

 

His hair was uncombed and his eyes looked dull and tired, and he wore a black t-shirt that had Wolverine on it.

 

“Hey!” she shouted.

 

“What?” he said loudly, over whatever he was listening to.

 

“You’re turn to get the food,” she said easily, knowing he could probably hear her alright. Either that or he already figured that was the only reason she’d bother him at this hour.

 

He took off his headset and looked over at her. He had a conflicted look on his face as though he was deciding what to say.

 

“Babs, I got a game going on in just a few minutes…”

 

“Come on! A little fresh air for once,” she argued in a slightly edged voice. He was here in this room too much. “I did it last ti-”

 

“I know, I know! Please,” he said with a little pleading in his eyes. “It’s a tournament I’ve set up a few days ago, been looking forward to it all day while at school.”

 

They both didn’t say anything, just stared at each other. Both were waiting for the other to fold. They started talking silently through their eyes. Conversing out long reminders of whose turn it was to give the other a favor. She frowned like an annoyed older sister. He smiled like a cute younger brother.

 

But really, that’s just what they pretended they still had.

 

Barbara knew the truth. If Luke didn’t want to listen to her, he didn’t… have to anymore. He was sixteen now, and for the past few months things between them had changed. At some point he just figured out how to say no. Barbara and him still had arguments about chores and if she would drop him off at his friend’s house, normal stuff.

 

But if she really pushed him, pleaded with him to do something he didn’t want to do, only for her sake? If she ever started to talk with him for real, ask why he stayed alone in his room so much, why his grades were failing? To talk about mom? If she ever decided to shatter their fragile illusion, that things were just fine?

 

He wouldn’t care.

 

Luke made his own decisions.

 

And as she stared at him, and watched as his smile twitched just slightly and his eyes looked away for a second before returning to her gaze, she understood she had already lost.

 

“Hello? Hello?”

 

The echo coming off of the phone’s speaker broke their uncomfortable silence. Barbara brought the phone to her ear.

 

“Y-yes! Sorry, I’m still here,” she spoke up. She started to give out their food order, simultaneously reaching for the door knob to pull it close.

 

By then, the headset had already been placed back on.

 

***

___

 

“Dear Mom,

 

It’s been a while! I decided to send you a letter, like you always said was the right way to communicate. Yeah I still remember all those bedtime stories you used to tell me, and how the knights, or spacemen or anyone, always wrote to their friends by hand written letters. You told me to never get into emailing my friends, right? Just call them up. Anyway that’s what I’m doing, I hope you like it. My penmanship rocks, doesn’t it?

 

Luke and I have been talking about you a lot, and we both miss you. We’re staying close, though we’re both also busy. I’m working my new job over at Brew’s Black & Blues, that coffee shop down the street. I work there five days a week and the people are nice. Luke is busy too. But we’re getting along fine. Dad is too! Luke has found some friends at school, and they talk online a lot. I’m not sure what dad talked to you about last time he was on the phone with you, but just so you know I also got a lot of friends myself-”

 

___

 

She sat down next to her shoes by the front door and started to put them on one at a time. As she was done trying the first’s laces, her dad spoke up from across the room.

 

“You going?” he asked.

 

“Yeah.”

 

She could hear an audience laughing in the background, from the TV.

 

“I thought Luke was going this time?”

 

Pulling tightly on the loops of the second tennis shoe, she stood up. Barbara reached for the apartment on the hook near the door and pocketed it.

 

“He said no,” she told him, not looking over at him. It was the middle of summer, so she didn’t need a jacket. She reached for the knob and pulled the door open.

 

“…I’ll talk to him about that. Be careful.”

 

She walked out into the apartment and into the hallway, responding silently under her breath.

 

“Sure.”

 

Then she closed it.

 

***

 

Her cellphone buzzed while she waited in line. She sighed in exasperation at how long this was taking. In front of her was some old black guy that looked way too skinny and was losing his hair. He was arguing with the Korean behind the counter, claiming he had purchased some chicken and noodles that weren’t included in the bag.

 

For a place that was so small, it felt so crowded. Asian knick-knacks littered the place; a lot of shouting from the kitchen covered by a curtain; people coughing or tapping their foot while waiting in line.

 

Reaching into her pocket, she casually glanced to the floor where she could have sworn she saw a roach run by. Ignoring that, she pulled her cell out and checked the message on the screen.

 

Get extra soy sauce. We’re out. " Luke

 

“Thank you. Have a nice day!”

 

I got it, she texted back.

 

“Can I help you?” a voice asked up ahead. Barbara glanced up to the lady, realizing she was next. She pulled out some cash from her pocket and placed it on the counter.

 

“Eighteen-fifty…”

 

She nodded in response, pulling out an extra five dollar bill.

 

“The pork eggrolls are in there right? And can I get extra soy sauce?” The bag was placed in front of her on the counter as the woman nodded. She pointed to the left where a basket of condiments were left for anyone.

 

“Yes, all eggrolls are there. Two pork, two beef fried rice…”

 

“Okay, okay. Thanks a lot.” Barbara interrupted and reached over, grabbing the bag as the woman opened the cash register, placing all the money inside. Slowly she took a one dollar bill out and some quarters and counted the amount out loud. The change was a dollar fifty.

 

Barbara grabbed it and briefly glanced at the tip jar to her right. The woman hadn’t bothered her, she had been really nice. Babs thought about placing the fifty cents inside… but kept it instead.

 

She carried the bag against her chest with one hand underneath, and moved out of line to grab some packets of sauce.

 

***

___

 

‘Dear Mom,

 

Seems like shock for me to write you, right? I haven’t spoken to you in a while, but I hope you’re doing well. I just wanted to talk a little bit and let you know how things were going. Just to catch up. I miss you.

 

To start off with, I’d like to tell you about my friends and how the family is doing…’

 

___

 

Cars drove past her as she continued along the sidewalk with the large brown bag in her hands. It was now getting pretty dark, houses to her right had their front porch lights on and traffic had turned their headlights on as well. Her town was a mixture of small shops and restaurants, appliance stores, schools and libraries. It didn’t get too hot in the summer, and there wasn’t much excitement throughout the rest of the year.

 

In Barbara’s opinion, Chesterton, was very dull. There were plains and evergreen trees, and that was about it. Older buildings, like churches or old forts, historical sites; the entire town was very quiet.

 

She turned right on the next street, a block away from the apartment buildings where she lived. Safe Haven Apartments, they were called. The buildings were large enough, four stories high and about sixteen rooms total in each. Their apartment was on the top floor, and her bedroom window looked out to the north. She could see just a little of Lake Michigan from her room, but only because their apartments were located on a hill, giving a nice view of the town and the ocean-like lake in the far, far distance.

 

Eventually Barbara made it to the parking lot of their building and took the elevator to her floor. It really wasn’t a bad place to live, though it wasn’t kept up very well. The stairs and elevators weren’t cleaned often, and it was no surprise when the occasional outdoor light stayed off for weeks at a time. The apartment doors and walkways were exposed to the outside weather, including rain and snow during the winter. The people kept to themselves and the rent was somewhat cheap. Cheap enough anyway.

 

And it worked for her family of three, at least until they found something better.

 

There was no music in the elevators. It had a white interior and little else, so as she stood there waiting, Barbara just counted as the lit numbers reached four. The doors opened and she exited, her tennis shoes slicking against the rough concrete. Moving parallel along the railings, she took a right down her hallway and to her room.

 

Placing the key in the lock, she turned it just when she caught sight of someone to her right.

 

Thomas.

 

Her throat became dry and her palms started to sweat, like always. She always felt this… great feeling, when she was around him. But just like always, she ignored it and greeted him with a regular and friendly voice.

 

“How you doing, Tommy?” she turned and smiled.

 

The boy of eighteen glanced over her way and jolted where he stood.

 

She hadn’t missed that, he looked surprised like he had been found out. As usual.

 

“You okay?”

 

“Y-yeah! I’m good. Nice to see ya, Babs!” his face then relaxed and he gave her a big smile. She smiled back, amused. Thomas was a lean and tall boy. He never slouched and kept his head high. He had soft facial features, like he hadn’t fully grown into a man yet, but was almost there. He also had green eyes that shined. His hair was dark brown, combed and trimmed. She really liked the boy and they had been friends for years now. He was mature, kind and honest. He liked a good laugh and could be funny. When it came to looking out for people, like his single mom, he took it seriously.

 

And she liked him. Maybe really liked him…

 

“Nice to see you too,” she replied.

 

“Grabbed some Chinese?”

 

“Yeah. How about you? You just got home?”

 

“Yep.”

 

“Really?” she cocked her head just a little and thought for a moment. “I didn’t see you as I was walking up.”

 

And that’s when he flustered a little…

 

“W-well, I took the stairs. I mean, I did earlier, but was just checking out something on the door here-”

 

“Okay, okay!” she laughed lightly. “Don’t worry, it’s cool! Next time I’ll see if I can spot you beforehand.”

 

“Ah,” he relaxed again and stared right at her. “Sure.”

 

Silence between them. They just watched each other, now somewhat awkwardly.

 

And even though she could definitely praise him, and trust him as a friend, she could also easily say that without a doubt, Thomas Davis was a weirdo.

 

These awkward exchanges had all started just a few months ago. It was like they were both playing a game with each other.

 

Thomas was always a little nervous around her, but lately, he’d been acting stranger than usual. He got jumpy when she was around, stuttering when he tried to explain things, like what he had done for the day or how his last few weeks of school were going. He had been gently pushing her to hang out with him more, or completely avoiding her.

 

And for her, she had been avoiding him. She hadn’t tried too. Things just were out of place between them. Movies, walks and eating out, all of that they had stopped doing together with friends. It was like there was this invisible wall now, and it wasn’t something she could explain.

 

Barbara wasn’t an idiot… she had a feeling he liked her. And if she were honest, she kind of liked him too. That was probably all it was.

 

Yet…

 

It wasn’t just his awkward and flustered body language and speech that she noticed. Something had changed. He’d get home five minutes after school let out. Five minutes after three, somehow right at his doorstep. Or he’d get home real late in the day. Every time he would not give out a specific reason as to where he was.

 

Then there were his clothes. Barbara stood there and looked him up and down quickly. He caught the look and shifted his eyes away.

 

“W-what?” he asked quietly.

 

He wore a long trench coat dark brown and swayed in fabric. It was older looking, a little raggedy, but he had only had it a few months. It was a nice coat, but he had been wearing it a lot lately. Everywhere. Even in the middle of summer on a Saturday afternoon in the hot sun, she’d catch him returning or leaving home in that getup: trench coat, blue jeans and an average dark red t-shirt. His hair used to be combed and trimmed all the time, something his mom kept up with. But now often it was messed up with cowlicks, as though he had an invisible pillow constantly stuck to his head.

 

And on his forehead, the most peculiar thing of all was that some nights when he got home, Thomas Davis, wore goggles.

 

She brought a hand up to her head and gestured like she was lifting reading glasses up.

 

“You still need those on?” she asked kindly. She pushed open her door and started to walk inside. “See you.”

 

He quickly took them off his head and placed them into his coat pocket.

 

“Hey… Babs?”

 

She stopped midway. A small part of her was hoping he’d tell her what was going on in his head lately. “What’s up?”

 

He looked right at her eyes, and for a change she felt her nervousness come back while he remained cool.

 

“My mom wanted me to let you guys know, that’d we’d love to have you all over for dinner some time.”

 

She tried not to react in disappointment.

 

“Uh-oh, yeah,” she got out and quickly recovered, nodding. “That’d be great. Really, I’d like that a lot.”

 

“Yeah, I’d love if you would come over some time.” He replied with a smile, suddenly looking calmer then he had in a while. He looked like the boy she knew months before. He looked like her friend again.

 

She turned away and shook her head, making her way back inside with a grin on her face.

 

“Night, Thomas.”

 

***

___

 

‘…And that’s my life mom. It’s going really great! Dad and Luke are well and we’re getting along okay without you, just so you know.

 

But like I said before, I do want to see you. I hope you respond back when I send you this letter. It’s a long one, but I like it. It feels complete, and has everything I’ve ever wanted to ask you. When you respond, I hope you can let me know about certain things.

 

Either way, even if you don’t respond with those answers, even if you don’t write me back, you should know that I lov-‘

___

 

 

With the large spoon in her hand she dug down into the box of beef fried rice and shoveled out a heap into the bowl. Reaching in the bag of egg rolls she pulled one out and bit at the top of it, tearing off the “skin”. She opened a packet of soy sauce and dumped it inside, before placing the eggroll on top of the bowl of rice.

 

Kicking her shoes off underneath the table where she stood, she reached for some napkins and swept up the rice that had fallen off the spoon. In her socks, she passed her dad still watching TV.

 

“I left you a bowl there,” she said, moving into the back hallway.

 

“Thanks!” He called to her loudly as though he had just figured out she had gotten home.

 

Before entering her room, she knocked on her brother’s door lightly and didn’t say a word.

 

Her room had a twin bed, a desk and chair, laptop computer on top with some books on a shelf above the desk. A poster of the world map was above her bed on the wall and the window’s shades were raised. She moved over to the desk and placed her rice there. Looking at the window, she decided to open it up.

 

Barbara walked back to her door and flicked off the lights, the bright yellow walls now looking dark blue. Grabbing her chair in one hand and her bowl in the other, she rolled and carried it over to the window, right in front. She sat, brought her feet up and crossed them. She laid them on the edge of the window, sticking them outside.

 

She ate with a small spoon and watched the sky in silence.

 

The dark clouds covered the barely visible full moon, and gave everything up there a white glow. Crickets sang songs and the wind blew like it was whistling. No stars in the sky tonight, and she wished she could see some. But they were absent for her. Just like her family.

 

Barbara sat back, closed her eyes and tried not to dwell on things. She let the world do the talking for a while. And it felt nice, kinda. It felt like the whole world was out there, alive and moving like it had a place to go or return to.

 

And well … all she could do was watch, as the cool night air flowed against her.

 

 

Michael Presents:

 

Air

Author's Note

And here it starts! =D More to come soon!

Reviews

[Sesame]

Hi Marcel,

This was quite a large chapter to review, and therefor I will not provide the extensive review that I would like to give and as you might have come to expect of me. In general, I think it was well written and because of your powerful descriptions I now have a mental image in my mind of the three of them living in the apartment. My first suggestion regards your author's note. I would never write something like 'it will get much more interesting soon', because it suggests that this chapter is not interesting. Besides the fact that I only partially agree with that statement I think you SHOULD make your first chapter very interesting, because it will engage readers and make them read the chapters to come, which I believe should be your goal as a writer and the purpose of a first chapter. So my suggestion is: if you feel this chapter is not interesting enough, make it so and remove the author's note. Next to that some suggestions

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, or some kind of money winning game show was on. -> from the title I know that if it is not exactly this show it will be a similar game show, therefore "money winning" is superfluous . -> "...or some other game show"

pajamas -> "pyjamas"

how long a sunset took to fall in the summer time. -> "how long it took for a sun to set in summer time"

you just get home - > "..got home"

he flustered up a little -> "he flustered a little"

chesterton, indiana -> I think you should mention earlier that this is where the story takes place

in the winter -> "during the winter"

“Yeah, I’d love if you could come.” -> 'could' implies that there has been set a specific date and Barbara either can or can not come on that date. -> "would come over some day/time"

In her socks, she past -> "passed"

She sat and brought her feet up, crossed. -> "crossed" is missing something here, or you could change the sentence structure -> "She sat down, put her feet up and crossed them"

With her small spoon, she silently ate and watched the sky. -> rephrase "She ate with a small spoon and watched the sky in silence." or "Watching the sky in silence, she ate with a small spoon."

Hope it helps!

Regards, Sesame.

@followsesame on Twitter
www.themagiccave.com

[Marcel Grant]

Again, thank you so much. :( You totally rock Sesame, and I'll totally fix the corrections and remove that note, cause I really do think the chapter is interesting enough. >=)