she was a slut. Or, maybe he found a beautiful Eskimo girl somewhere on the arctic ice and no longer wanted her.
Another part of her worried. Maybe something happened to him. He could be sick, or hurt, or maybe even… The word ‘dead’ must not be allowed to cross her mind. If she didn’t think it, it couldn’t happen. Still, she imagined a naval expedition to the arctic would be dangerous, even in peacetime. The more she tried not to think about him, the worse it got.
By the time six days passed without the smallest life sign, she had scoured the Internet for any news about ships in trouble, and found nothing. She read online newspapers, even Russian ones with the help of translation software. Nothing. The lack of disasters should have comforted her, but she was too deep in self-induced paranoia.
When the phone finally rang, it was in the middle of the night, and she fumbled to answer. Alex didn’t offer an explanation, but he sounded tired. “I’m so sorry I haven’t been able to contact you. It’s been… difficult. I can’t talk long.”
When almost four weeks had gone by since he left America, Jenny got an e-mail saying they were heading back towards port. She read the words, “I will arrive in Boston on Friday,” over and over again, and blinked tears out of her eyes as she answered, “I will meet you at the airport.”
He replied, “I was hoping you would say that.”
Chapter Eight
Jenny drove the long way to Boston in her old Mazda. She was several hours early, but she could sit and wait for time to pass anywhere. It would be terrible if he came all this way and found no one waiting.
Alone in the hotel room, staring at the walls, time crept by slowly. She kept checking her looks in the mirror, telling herself to stop fretting. Her hair wouldn’t get blonder or curlier from looking at it.
The room made her claustrophobic, and she gave up after an hour. She took a shuttle to the arrival gate and sat down to look at the crowds, hoping time would pass faster among people.
Jenny waited, and when time drew near, did her best to look as if she wasn’t waiting. She sat close to the gate, trying to look in all directions at once. It hadn’t been all that long, just a little over a month, but it seemed an eternity. What if it wasn’t the same when they met again? Maybe he’d turn around and go right back home.
After all her waiting and anxious searching for him amongst the crowds that swept by, she still didn’t see him coming. Someone put a bag down next to her, and when she looked up into his warm eyes, the rest of the world ceased to exist. She jumped off the chair to hug him, and he wrapped his arms around her, lifting her off the floor.
Not until he put her down, and she felt the solid floor under her feet, did she realize she hadn’t been walking on clouds. He had been holding her.
“I got a room for us here, but if you’d rather go home we can do that. Home to the house, I mean. My apartment in town kinda sucks. I didn’t know if you’d be up for the drive, and…”
He watched her with a smile playing on his lips and in his eyes, and she fell silent, suddenly embarrassed. Lifting her hand up to kiss it, he said, “I’m sure the hotel will be fine, sweetheart. Lead the way.”
In the room, Alex tossed his coat over a chair and looked out the window. He sounded every bit like a little boy when he said, “I like airports.”
Jenny shrugged. Crowds and planes weren’t all that exciting. The lovely feeling spreading through her body was a different matter; he was caressing her back. She glanced up with a smile playing on her lips, and found him looking back. A moment later he pulled her close and mumbled something indecipherable, “ ya soskucheelsya .”
“What did you say?”
He pressed his lips against her temple. “I have missed you. More than you know.”
The statement made treacherous tears well up under her eyelids. She wanted to ask him to never go away again,
Another part of her worried. Maybe something happened to him. He could be sick, or hurt, or maybe even… The word ‘dead’ must not be allowed to cross her mind. If she didn’t think it, it couldn’t happen. Still, she imagined a naval expedition to the arctic would be dangerous, even in peacetime. The more she tried not to think about him, the worse it got.
By the time six days passed without the smallest life sign, she had scoured the Internet for any news about ships in trouble, and found nothing. She read online newspapers, even Russian ones with the help of translation software. Nothing. The lack of disasters should have comforted her, but she was too deep in self-induced paranoia.
When the phone finally rang, it was in the middle of the night, and she fumbled to answer. Alex didn’t offer an explanation, but he sounded tired. “I’m so sorry I haven’t been able to contact you. It’s been… difficult. I can’t talk long.”
When almost four weeks had gone by since he left America, Jenny got an e-mail saying they were heading back towards port. She read the words, “I will arrive in Boston on Friday,” over and over again, and blinked tears out of her eyes as she answered, “I will meet you at the airport.”
He replied, “I was hoping you would say that.”
Chapter Eight
Jenny drove the long way to Boston in her old Mazda. She was several hours early, but she could sit and wait for time to pass anywhere. It would be terrible if he came all this way and found no one waiting.
Alone in the hotel room, staring at the walls, time crept by slowly. She kept checking her looks in the mirror, telling herself to stop fretting. Her hair wouldn’t get blonder or curlier from looking at it.
The room made her claustrophobic, and she gave up after an hour. She took a shuttle to the arrival gate and sat down to look at the crowds, hoping time would pass faster among people.
Jenny waited, and when time drew near, did her best to look as if she wasn’t waiting. She sat close to the gate, trying to look in all directions at once. It hadn’t been all that long, just a little over a month, but it seemed an eternity. What if it wasn’t the same when they met again? Maybe he’d turn around and go right back home.
After all her waiting and anxious searching for him amongst the crowds that swept by, she still didn’t see him coming. Someone put a bag down next to her, and when she looked up into his warm eyes, the rest of the world ceased to exist. She jumped off the chair to hug him, and he wrapped his arms around her, lifting her off the floor.
Not until he put her down, and she felt the solid floor under her feet, did she realize she hadn’t been walking on clouds. He had been holding her.
“I got a room for us here, but if you’d rather go home we can do that. Home to the house, I mean. My apartment in town kinda sucks. I didn’t know if you’d be up for the drive, and…”
He watched her with a smile playing on his lips and in his eyes, and she fell silent, suddenly embarrassed. Lifting her hand up to kiss it, he said, “I’m sure the hotel will be fine, sweetheart. Lead the way.”
In the room, Alex tossed his coat over a chair and looked out the window. He sounded every bit like a little boy when he said, “I like airports.”
Jenny shrugged. Crowds and planes weren’t all that exciting. The lovely feeling spreading through her body was a different matter; he was caressing her back. She glanced up with a smile playing on her lips, and found him looking back. A moment later he pulled her close and mumbled something indecipherable, “ ya soskucheelsya .”
“What did you say?”
He pressed his lips against her temple. “I have missed you. More than you know.”
The statement made treacherous tears well up under her eyelids. She wanted to ask him to never go away again,
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