The chaos begins, passengers scrambling to grab their belongings to exit the plane. Erika thanks me for the advice, and I say goodbye, following the line that begins to move toward the exit.
Along with everyone else, I walk through the corridor, then turn the corner and see the crowds of people waiting at the gate.
Charlie’s standing at the front with one of her daughters. I immediately recognize her even though I haven’t seen her in years. Her normally brown hair is slightly darker, chopped into a shorter style that reaches her shoulders. Back when we were younger, she was a lot paler, but I’m assuming living in California is why her skin is so olive. She’s always been a beautiful girl, a reason why every boy in town wanted to date her when we were young.
I wave hello, distracted by a tap on my shoulder. I turn around as Erika hands me a piece of paper. “My number. I’m taking your advice. Make sure you call me, okay?”
Wow! So even when I’m trying not to be sexy, I must come across that way. Talk about an ego boost. I wink back at Erika, following it up with a smile, shoving her number into the pocket of my pants.
“Uncle Noah!” The little girl runs toward me, wrapping her tiny arms around my leg. What the hell am I supposed to do? I don’t even remember her name. She looks exactly like her dad—mousy brown hair with bright green eyes. I’d expect a little girl should be dressed in some sort of frilly dress, but not her. She’s wearing a white T-shirt with #Superhero printed on it in bright green along with a cape. Okay, seriously, the kid already rocks.
“Well, well, well… look who finally made it to LA.” Charlie grins.
“Hello, cuz.” I smile back, placing my bag on the floor, then leaning in to hug her.
I may have left my mom behind, but Charlie is family. Something about her makes me feel at home. Perhaps it’s the years of torture she inflicted on me when we were growing up—tea parties, wedgies—you name it, she made me do it every summer.
Pulling away, she holds onto my arms to look at me. Her eyes glass over, and she’s on the verge of crying. I can see her small pregnancy bump and assume the raging hormones are on-setting the tears.
“You’re a grown-up man now.” She smiles proudly. “And I see you made a friend on the plane already.” Raising her brow, she waits for me to respond.
“Californians are very welcoming.”
The timing is impeccable. Ivana, the stewardess from the flight, walks past and stops just shy of where Charlie stands.
“I’m staying at this hotel. Call me.” She slides the paper into the breast pocket of my shirt. Charlie frowns, shaking her head back and forth.
“Let’s go, Noah. We have some rules we need to set in place if you’re staying with us.”
I let out a groan, a gesture that Charlie’s daughter notices.
“Uncle Noah, you won’t get bored at my house. We have a ton of things to do! Maybe your girlfriends can come visit, too?”
Leaning over to Charlie, I whisper, “What’s the name of this daughter?”
“Amelia,” she reprimands with an annoyed look. “She’s the oldest.”
“Right,” I respond, smiling at Amelia. “Uncle Noah isn’t used to being around kids, so you have to be patient. Do you know what that means?”
“Well, duh,” she responds with a bored look on her face. “I am almost five. Daddy says that men like you only have women friends, not boy friends. Unless, of course, you’re like my Uncle Eric. He has boyfriends. He’s gay.”
I stop mid-step. “Uh… kid, should you know that?”
“Daddy also says I’m super smart and one day I’ll run his company. He says if I’m the boss, I can make everyone wear capes to work.”
“That’s a pretty awesome idea,” I tell her. “How about if you become the boss, I’ll come work for you. I’d like to wear a cape to work every day, too.”
“Deal.” She smiles, happily skipping beside me.
Charlie directs us to the baggage claim area. Along with the hoard of people, I wait until my suitcases move toward us. The rest of my stuff is on a truck headed here. I didn’t know what I’d need to survive living with Charlie and her family, a move in my life I never expected to make.
On the car ride to Charlie’s house, Amelia falls asleep, giving us time to chat.
“Your mom told me about what happened back home.”
“My mom has a big mouth,” I tell her, staring out the window.
“You okay? It can’t be easy to lose your friends like that, especially the ones who were like brothers to you.”