Stay Together Chapter 4 by Maira Dawn
Chapter 4
(COPYRIGHT©2024 MAIRA DAWN)
James weaved between clusters of travelers, his worn leather boots pounding against the scuffed airport floor. One hand gripped the handle of Emily’s rolling suitcase, the other clutched the straps of his faded backpack.
He turned to catch his son’s eye. “Come on up here by me, Mike.”
Michael sprinted to his father’s side to walk beside him.
James glanced at Elizabeth, who nodded back. This way she wasn’t the only one watching out for their boy.
After herding the family through the lobby and a couple of hallways, they got close to the check-in. James’ heart fell when he noticed the line. It seemed to stretch down the endless corridor, passengers shuffling at a slug’s pace.
“Come on, come on,” James muttered under his breath. He craned his neck, searching for an agent at one of the three kiosks.
Somewhere baby wailed. Luggage wheels squealed, grating on his nerves.
“Wow! Looks like a looong line,” Michael said, stating the obvious.
“Sure is,” James said as he scanned the auditorium-sized room for a second check-in area, but it seemed the line they were in was the only one.
The family stepped into the back of the line. James rand a hand through his dark hair, exhaling sharply.
The man in front of him turned around. “I feel the same way, buddy. I really need a vacation right now, but this isn’t a great start. I guess everyone else had the same idea we had.”
James chuckled. “Seems so. I guess I can’t hold that against them.” He glanced at the man’s children. “Ten and sixteen?”
“Yep,” the man said slinging his arm around his son who was the same age as Michael. “It’s a great age, isn’t it?”
He nodded. He hadn’t really thought about it before, but the guy was right. “It is.” James looked at his son, who beamed.
James and the man continued to chat, and they soon discovered they were both guests at the same resort. “We should have dinner together,” James said.
The other man readily agreed.
The halted line began moving again and the man and his family turned around and stepped forward.
After a tense twenty or so minutes, James and his family shuffled up to the counter. The agent greeted them with a strained smile when James provided their documents. As he waited for the agent to check them in, he scanned the crowded terminal. Most of the soon-to-be passengers were families, most with a hint at their beach vacation. One woman wore large dark sunglasses, a little girl had on bright pink flip-flops, and a dad seemed to be already wearing his swim trunks.
James smiled. The pandemic had made this year a hard one for many families, no wonder so many were eager to fly to a beautiful beach somewhere and let off some steam.
Please remember this is a developing story and in a rawer state than what I publish. As such, it has only been self-edited and you will see some errors.
In addition, some changes may occur between now and publishing, including major storylines. I try to avoid this, but it sometimes happens.
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