My messages to Ana had gone unanswered and the number she gave me for Gordon just rang and rang. Of course, I could only think of the worst possible reasons why she had not contacted me after arriving in America. She knew I was waiting for her call! I was angry as hell at her for not calling me, but that anger was stifled by the feeling that something might be terribly wrong with her trip.
I hoped once I got there, I could figure out where she was and make sure she was safe. I knew Ana well enough to
know she would have called me if she could. Something horrible must have happened to her. My brain couldn’t think of any other reason that she would not have called me or at least sent me an email.
As I packed my suitcase with my things, I said a little prayer that Chase was who he said he was and I would be all right. I couldn’t imagine not being able to talk to Ana or my mother before I left on my journey, but I had no way of reaching them.
Finally, I decided to send them each an email. They weren’t the type of people to check their emails very often, but hopefully they would at least get my note, eventually. I also left a voicemail on Scott’s home phone. Although, I knew they would be traveling for weeks and not able to check those messages because they were trying to live off the earth and bond. Eventually, they would return, and she wouldn’t have to worry about me. I left all of Chase’s contact information and told them to email me as soon as they could.
My little apartment actually looked big when it was emptied of all my belongings. I grabbed my suitcase and looked back one last time when I closed the door. I said a little prayer that I would never have to live like that again. Not that I didn’t appreciate our apartment, because I did. We had heat in the winter and that was more than many other people had. It was a safe building, and my mother and I had been comfortable there together.
But it was time for me to move on. I had always wanted to see the United States, and it was actually happening. I was done with the old, disgusting world of my past and on my way to a brighter future.
The dirty walls and horrible brown water was all in my past. I was on my way to America and would live there for as long as I could. It was the land of the free, and I wanted it. I wanted all of America. I needed to live in the land of opportunity.
It was weird to have a purse full of money as I got into a taxi heading toward the airport. My entire life I had not seen as much money as I had in my purse that the time. It was at least $500 U.S. dollars, and I knew it would be enough to get me by if I got to America and couldn’t stay with Chase, or if he turned out to be someone I didn’t want to stay with.
The airport felt oddly familiar, as I waited in the same line as I did with Ana only a few days before. The check-in clerk was the same one as Ana had used, and I felt like she knew exactly why all of us young women were going to America. But she didn’t judge. Instead, her eyes were filled with understanding and compassion for our journeys. She had the same bright smile on her face as she had when I was there with Ana.
“Good morning,” she said. “Can I have your identification? Is that the name your registration is under?”
“Morning. Yes, my ticket is under Jordan Miller.”
The woman typed my name into the computer and compared what she saw with the confirmation number I had written down.
Chase had had his assistant book the flight for me and I had written down every word from her email. I didn’t have a printer, so I wanted to make sure I had everything exactly right for when I got to the airport. I checked and rechecked everything I wrote down several times to make sure I didn’t miss anything.
It seemed to be taking the check-in girl much longer than usual to get my ticket. I started to get nervous. I knew I had written everything down correctly.
She kept checking my confirmation number and my identification. Her face seemed so serious that I had to assume something was wrong. I started to panic and wanted to just leave and go back to my empty apartment.
“Okay, I have exciting news,” the woman finally said with a huge smile.
Her grin instantly put me at ease.
“What is it?”
“Your reservation is for first class.”
“What?” I said loudly, unable to hide my excitement.
Everyone around me turned to look at me, as I had yelled so loudly that they wanted to see what the commotion was all about.
“Yep, I checked it several times. You will be riding in the first class cabin for your trip to Atlanta, Georgia.”
I stood there stunned, as I stared at the woman. She seemed very understanding of the situation and why I was so shocked. I suspected she had seen hundreds of women fly to America from our little airport, which was on the border in St. Gallen, Switzerland. I couldn’t help but wonder how many of them had received a first class ticket for their flight.
“This is good. This means he’s really who he says,” I said under my breath.
The front desk clerk smiled and nodded. Her eyes told me she knew exactly what I was saying. It certainly did put Chase in a new light for me. Not because he had spent so much money, but because it added a legitimacy to his story of who he was.
“Yes, this seems like a pretty good guy. Good luck to you.”
She handed me my ticket and pointed me toward the gate. I had a bit of a bounce in my step as I made my way through the line and walked toward my gate. I stopped at a coffee shop and bought myself the most expensive drink they had. My heart soared with excitement as I sat down in front of my gate. Life definitely seemed to be looking up for me.
I bet he hadn’t even known it was a first class ticket; his assistant probably just purchased it for him, I thought. It was hard to imagine anyone being willing to spend that much extra money on me. But still, his assistant or him, whoever had purchased the ticket and said I could go first class, I was going to give them a great big hug when I got to Atlanta.
Tears started down my cheeks as I felt overwhelmed by the situation. No one had ever spent so much money on me. I know my mother would have gladly spent money on me if she had it, but we never did. To get to fly first class was a dream I didn’t even know I had had.