My mouth hung open in shock, so I quickly covered it with my hand. I didn’t want anyone to see the look of disgust on my face, so I straightened up.

As my eyes returned from wide open to normal, I felt someone staring at me. I looked at the person seated across from me, and realized that she was glaring at me with anger. 

I’d just watched her travel companion pick a booger from each of her nostrils one at a time and then lick them from her fingernails; and she was mad at me for looking. 

When the captain turned the seat belt sign off I quickly stood from my Jump-seat and disarmed the aircraft door. 

The ride back to the hotel was short.

“What are you doing for the layover?”

Reign asked me as we stood in the lobby waiting for our room keys.

“I think I’m gonna walk to the beach. One of the other flight attendants said it’s only a ten minute walk.”

“You’re also welcome to use the bikes parked out front for free.” The guy at the front desk added.

“That sounds cute.” Reign said. “I’ll go with you.”

“Ok.” I smiled.

I was usually what airline crews called a slam clicker which means when I go into my hotel room, and the door locks; I stay there. Now that I was with a new airline, I wanted to try something new.

I liked Reign’s energy, so I exchanged numbers with her so we could meet later.

“Why are you always asking me questions?” Afam asked.

We hadn’t been back together for more than three months on this stretch, and we’d already been on bad terms since the first month.

“I asked you what time you’re going home because I’m going out for a walk later and I know because of the time difference you might be sleeping. I was just hoping to talk to you at sometime today since I flew all day and you knew what time I landed. It’s like you’re purposely busy when I’m free.”

“All you do is complain.” He growled.

“Well I don’t have to. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” 

“Now you’re just being dramatic.” He said. I could feel his impatience through the phone.

“No not really.” I sighed, “because I already know that if I call you when I get back and you’re asleep, ands it’s going to piss me off, so to avoid the argument I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

“I’ll call you when I’m home.” He yelled and then hung up the phone.

I was annoyed with myself for getting back with him. He knew exactly how to draw me back in with grand gestures just to treat me like I’m a burden. 

The last romantic gesture was the greatest. I traveled to Nigeria for his birthday which was two days before Valentine’s Day. For his birthday we went out and celebrated, and then the night before Valentine’s Day he told me to get dressed because we needed to go shopping.

His football team was having a banquet for the wives after the match and he wanted me to have a new dress. 

The next day, after the match, we went to the banquet hall. The chairman of the team requested that I sit at one of the front tables as the special guest. I guessed it was because I came from so far away to visit the team.

The team had a short meeting, and then the chairman stood to welcome me again and introduce me to the team. As I stood, a solo saxophonist came into the room playing happy birthday with his instrument. 

I giggled and tugged Adam’s shirt because the team had gone out of their way for his birthday.

The saxophonist walked through the crowd, and when he got to me he stopped and seranded me. I was confused and looked up at Adam. 

“But it’s your birthday.” I whispered.

Suddenly the whole group of players circled me and the saxophonist started playing “With You” by Davido. The whole team brought out their phones and started to sing and dance as they recorded me.

My skin got hot and I hid behind Adam. 

“Are you feeling shy?” He laughed.

I nodded yes like a little girl afraid to speak.

“You don’t have to be.” He smiled.

“Does the team do this for everyone’s birthday?” I asked.

“I did all of this for you.”

When the music stopped, someone came and presented a big pink heart shaped cake in front of me. It said happy birthday with my name written on it.

It made me laugh because I always told him that it was my birthday every day. 

It was the most creative thing he had done and it made me feel like he loved me, but now that we were back together, everything had changed.

“Should we walk or bike?” I asked Reign as I approached her in the lobby.

“Let’s walk.” She said. “I don’t know if we’re allowed to ride bikes on the pier plus it’s really nice outside.”

Reign and in exited the lobby and took the scenic path to Venice Beach. We didn’t stop talking for the whole twenty minutes that we walked.

We had so much in common; it was a breath of fresh air meeting her. We were around the same age, both grew up with all brothers and we both had a lot of projects and passions that we were pursuing outside of being flight attendants.

“So your blog is about wellness?” I asked.

“Yes, it’s like a journal about mindfulness and living slowly. I want to do so much more with it though.” She smiled.  “I just want my subscribers to live their best lives and truly be happy.” 

“I can tell.” I I said sincerely. “I’m excited to see where it goes. Especially once you open the wellness resort in Portugal.”

“Girl yes!” She clapped. “It’s going to be nice. What about you though? When are you going to pick up with writing your series you told me about?”

I sighed before speaking. I wanted to keep my life to myself. I was always guarded when it came to people. I was afraid of women and I hated men.

I just wanted to open up to someone for once without writing it in a fictional blog.

“I keep wanting to write.” I said. “ but I had something bad happen to me by a man who I thought was my family and ever since then I’ve just been angry and I feel like it will take over my writing.”

She was quiet as she waited for me to speak.

I told her about what happened with the man I grew up calling my uncle and she just shook her head and disbelief.

“I think that instead of continuing the series I might write another book.” I said changing the subject. “There’s so much I want to address and not just personal. I really want to capture the state of the world in a book.”

We finally got to the end of the pier and both stood in silence for a moment as we looked out at the waves.

Water was cleansing to me; I loved standing in front of it.

I thought about all of the good things happening in my life. They far outweighed the bad. I was making money now, my life was turning around in a major way and I was meeting great people. 

If I hadn’t gone through everything I went through, I wouldn’t have left the nonprofit and I would still be stuck in the same place. 

I remember my grandmother telling me that all things work for our good. Even though the things felt like shit at the time, I can see what she meant because life was getting good.

I exhaled and thanked God in my mind for everything that was coming.

“Ready?” Reign asked.

“Let’s go.”

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