Road to Casablanca by Leah Leonard Page A

 
    Hundreds of people were packed in the tight corridors and Cindy felt completely overwhelmed as she looked at each person there and tried to read the signs.
    A moment later, she saw a tall gorgeous man standing near the back of the crowd and recognized her name on the sign.   Was that Erick?   He was far better looking than she imagined, even from his picture.
    He was an absolutely gorgeous specimen. From what she could tell he stood well over six feet tall, with hazel eyes, sun streaked hair and a tan. His round-collared white shirt was unbuttoned just enough to expose his hairy chest and well-developed muscles.  
    Her initial impression of him was the same as it was when she first saw his picture.   He was clearly the most handsome man she had ever seen.    Just looking at him, standing there with her name handwritten on that sign, forced a huge lump into her throat and an equally big knot into her stomach.  
    How will I be able to speak to him, let alone stay with him all week?  
    Afraid to approach him at first, Cindy didn’t call attention to herself right away, and it was clear he hadn’t yet seen her.
    Finally, she realized she would have to face the music. She took a deep breath, walked toward him and noticed the moment they made eye contact.
    “Erick? I’m Cindy.”
    Erick stood staring at her, not smiling in a way that made her feel welcome or secure.   He simply stared for a few seconds too long before finally speaking.
    “Hi.   I’m Erick.   Glad you could make it.”
    Was he being sarcastic?
    “I’m sorry about the delay.   They gave my seat away to someone else.”
    “I heard you were sick.   Are you okay?”
    Cindy didn’t tell anyone she was sick and wondered how he knew that.  
    How embarrassing!     
    “Oh, it was nothing.   I’m fine now, thanks.   I’ll be right back.”
    The look on Erick’s face told her he wasn’t too happy about her delay, although Cindy could hardly wonder why.   She needed to get away from him for a minute, regain her composure, take a few deep breaths. Cindy stepped into the ladies room and finally got a good look at herself in the mirror.  
    “Oh my god, I look hideous!”
      She stepped close enough to the mirror to see the sleep gathered in the corner of her eyes and promptly wiped them clean.  
    The corners of her mouth were dry and flaky which she also remedied with a few splashes of cold water.  
    It was no wonder the guy was in shock over her.   A horrible feeling filled her gut as she realized Erick was more than likely completely repelled by her. Now she was stuck here and would have to spend an entire week with him.   She wanted to curl up in a tiny ball and hide, but realized that wasn’t possible.
    She splashed water on her face and pulled her hair down for a minute to straighten it and her band broke.   Oh, great. Now she would have to let this greasy mess hang free past her shoulders.   She wanted to run kicking and screaming far, far away from here, but where would she go?
    Staring at her exhausted image in the mirror, Cindy began thinking of Erick, who wore an obviously expensive white silk shirt and linen khaki pants, his blonde wavy hair slicked back perfectly, his pearly white teeth glistening in the hot desert sun.   He was a dream man—a fantasy for someone else.
    But not for her.
    Why she thought for a minute that she would be able to be with someone like him was the question she was now forced to ask herself as she stared at her reflection.  
    “It’ll be okay; it’s only for a few days.”
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter Nine
     
    Erick’s eyes grew wide as he stood there speechless, staring at the tall lanky brunette as she walked out of the bathroom, greasy hair pulled partially out of an unkempt ponytail that looked like something from the ’70s, gazing at him through the thick smudged lenses of her glasses.  
    My god! What have I done?
    “Hi. Thanks for