“Well this must be my lucky day because I’m in 35B,” stated David.
“What about you, Adam?”
“I’m in 25D.”
Adam did not appear pleased with his seating arrangement. I wondered if he already knew who he’d be sitting with on the flight.
“I’m going to run to the ladies’ room before we board. Do you guys want to come with me?” I asked Hannah and Alison.
“Yeah. Would you watch our bags?” Alison asked David and Adam.
“Sure, no problem. Why do girls always go to the bathroom together?” David asked.
“So we can gossip about the men we meet,” flirted Hannah, causing me to laugh for the first time in what seemed like forever.
After washing my hands in the restroom, I washed down a Xanax with some tap water. Hannah and Alison watched me with a questioning gaze.
“It’s a Xanax to relax me on the plane. I’m not a good flyer, as the old lady sitting next to me on the flight here discovered.”
“Here. This should help, too,” said Hannah, pulling a small bottle of vodka she’d gotten past security.
“I’m not sure I should mix them.”
“We’ve got a ten-hour flight. You’ll just sleep it off.”
“I never sleep on planes.”
“Well then, you really need this because if you don’t sleep on the plane, you’ll never make it through the first day. We go immediately from the airport to the Doggy School for the Blind and the Water Treatment Plant before even getting to our hotel. You’ll definitely need to get some sleep on the plane,” Alison informed me.
“Wow, did you memorize the entire itinerary?” Hannah asked Alison.
“Yes. I’m Type A and a control freak. I also have a very good memory. I memorize everything without even trying. It comes in extremely handy sometimes.”
“Did you guys know each other before today?”
“We’ve been best friends for twenty years,” Hannah said.
Just like Missy and me they could practically finish each other’s sentences. I missed her so much it physically hurt to think about it. I felt grief, a loss, almost like she’d died. But I wasn’t on this trip to dwell on the past.
“We also know a lot of people coming on this tour. If you want an introduction, let us know.”
“Did you know Adam before today?” I asked, trying to sound casual.
They gave each other a look. They didn’t have to say a word because they knew what the other was thinking.
“We’ve seen him around at various events, but we’ve never met him before today. What do you think about him?”
“I, um, he seems nice.” For a moment, I almost confided in them we had known each other for years, but then I realized I liked sharing a secret with Adam.
“He seemed into you,” Alison said, while Hannah nodded.
“Well, um, I’m not here to pick anyone up.”
“Why? Do you have a boyfriend?” Alison asked.
I should have said yes and told them about Caleb. I wanted to leave all my worries in Michigan, so instead I answered, “No, no one special.”
“Then you should go for it. Just use this time to have a little fun. Don’t think too hard about it.”
Alison had a point. Not about Adam, but about allowing myself to have fun while I’m in Israel. After all, this might be my last chance to have a fling before marrying Caleb.
At the announcement our flight would begin boarding, we returned to our bags.
“I hope you don’t mind, but I need an aisle, so Adam agreed to switch seats with me. I hope we’ll get a chance to know each other better in Israel,” David flirted.
Alison and Hannah shared another one of their knowing smiles then looked at me as if to say “told you so.” I sent them a look which hopefully they’d interpret as “not gonna happen.”
“We’ll come visit you on the flight if you’re still awake,” Hannah said.
At least I’d have two friends in Israel. The idea of being alone in a foreign country terrified me. Not that I’d be alone since I was traveling with a group of forty people, but now, I wouldn’t feel alone.
I found my seat sat to Adam. I’d never been on such a large plane before and regardless of the Xanax and vodka, I felt a spike in my anxiety.
“Are you all right, Sara?”
I couldn’t speak. I shook my head and started taking deep breaths.
“Not fond of flying, huh?”
“No. That’s an understatement.” Then it occurred to me I had just admitted a weakness to him. “Please don’t tease me about it. Okay, Goldman?”
Anger flickered across his face. “I told you my name is Adam. Has Adam ever given you reason to think he’d be so cruel as to tease you?”