Action/Adventure

Twinkles and Dimples in Paradise

            The plane skidded to a stop abruptly jolting Cynthia awake.  Could she really be there already?  Not wanting to lose any time she jumped up to claim her bag, knocking her elbow into her neighbor’s nose.  “Ouch,” he said, “Please be more careful lady.”

            “Sorry.  I need to catch my next flight” Cynthia spoke over her shoulder as she jostled to be first in line off the plane.

            Finally reaching the terminal she raced to the transfer desk only to find that it was empty and she had no knowledge of her assigned gate for the connecting flight.  Turning around she spotted a display announcing arrivals and departures. Reading the list out loud to herself she eventually came to her destination city and discovered that her connecting flight was delayed 55 minutes and the gate was just around the corner.  What a relief.  What was a 30-minute layover was now over an hour.  

            With time to spare she ordered her favorite coffee at the nearest coffee shop and settled into a chair facing her gate. 

“Final boarding call for Expedite Airlines flight 55 with service to Honolulu, boarding at gate number five.  Passengers who still need to board please come to the gate immediately.  Thank you.”

            “I believe that is you miss,” a friendly voice interrupted Cynthia’s daydreaming thoughts of Hawaii.

            “What? How do you know?” a frightened Cynthia shouted at her stalker. 

            “Your ticket is open as a bookmark” the barista apologized a little too sweetly.

 “Oh! I suppose it is. Thank you.”  Cynthia gathered her belongings and once again sprinted to the rapidly closing gate and handed her ticket to the agent.  Once aboard she collapsed in her seat exhausted from the effort of traveling alone. 

“Miss, you are going to have to gate-check your bag.”

“I can’t do that.  Is there any other way?” Cynthia pleaded with the flight attendant.

“I’m sorry but this is a full flight.  No more room in the overhead bins” he replied. 

“She can have my space.  Here is my bag,” a man interrupted handing the flight attendant his bag.

“Why thank you sir. “ Cynthia whipped around and found herself staring at the man she had elbowed in the nose.  His eyes twinkled and his mouth curved upward in such a way as to reveal the cutest dimples.  If he were willing to forgive her rudeness maybe this would not be such a bad trip to paradise after all.