Airport 13

chris leaves rose's house. justin was there. he drives to a local coffeeshop, the local coffeeshop, and considers his options. He calls katie.

So much for the element of chance, of fate. Not that it would have been a waste of time, but at this point there didn't seem to be much to gain from pressuring Rose. I walked down the steps to the sidewalk below. I turned around, and there she was, looking down on me from a second floor window. She waved, almost shyly, and I smiled back at her. It was time to leave this place, before I did something I might not be able to take back. And yet, as I climbed back into the cab of my truck, it seemed to make little sense that I would be leaving what I knew myself to love, rather than fighting to keep what I knew was mine.

I was exhausted, to say the least. After so much time immersed in a separate world, a different method of living, I had dreamt only of coming home and being welcomed. If not by Rose, then surely Katie. I drove down Columbia Boulevard to the intersection at 8th Street. An all-hours coffee shop, the one and the same which had become a permanent focal point in summarizing my personal life gone past, was situated here on 8th, just across from the downtown park. I walked inside and ordered, and found the table Rose and I had sat at, the last time we met here. Sitting there, looking out through the bay window at the street lamps and light traffic passing by, I felt like I would never need to leave. I could just sit here, the cup of tea warming my hands and the words from Rose's letter twisting themselves in my mind.

I should call Katie. Perhaps she had reconsidered our last conversation, maybe she saw the value in what I felt, in what I had to say. Rose may have finally realized tonight that my perception of her was not easily tested, but Katie was a different sort of girl. Not mirror opposites of each other, no, but they maintained an appreciable difference. I pulled out my phone, and dialed Katie's number.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Katie, its me."

I felt a bit confused avbout what it was exactly that I wanted to say. I wanted her here, but to get her away from Dom, this late in the evening, was unlikely.

"Look, I feel like we ended things on a bad note, earlier today. Trust me, I'm not trying to change your mind about what happened, I'm not trying to bring anything back up. But I was hoping we could talk, in person. Just me and you."

"Okay. Let's talk," she replied.

This felt a little too easy. Dom must not be home.

"I'm downtown, I thought you could join me. For coffee."

"Can't we just talk on the phone?" Her voice was sincere, but she was weighing her options. Apparently she had participated in an unwanted conversation after dropping me off. Since when did I become the bad guy?

"You know, we can. But I would rather see you, it would be better if we could do this in person. We've had so many phone conversations over the past year, and most of them have missed the point. I realize you may not be comfortable with me right now, but just give me the chance to make things right. Will you meet me?"

"Okay. Give me 15 minutes."

"Great. See you soon."

I ended the call and placed my phone to the side. Perhaps tonight will not be a lost cause after all. An entire month of leave, and already its as if there will be little or no point to have made the trip home, besides visiting my parents. When--

My phone vibrated on the table. Katie...

"Hello?"

"Chris? It's Rose," came a familiar voice on the other end.

Tonight is definitely not lost.