The Long Flight Home
      Chapter 1
 

Dedicated to Shay, who challenged me to write it in the first place.

Madrid International Airport-First Class Lounge

Michelle looked at her watch again. Now that she had made the decision to return home to Springfield, time seemed to be moving way too fast . Her visit with her father had come upon the heels of a soul searching move to break off her relationship with Jesse. Just thinking his name caused Michelle to feel a twinge of regret. Her heart knew that Jesse was not the light of her life, but at one time he had been her eyes in a world filled with darkness and shadows. She could never repay him for the strength of will he had offered her at that time, but her reliance on him had limited her own growth. Their relationship had really been the stuff of make-believe. She had believed in the romantic notion of happy ever after, and he had so wanted to be with her, that he had bought into it too.

Michelle's reverie was broken by a commotion at the door of the first class lounge. A rich and beautiful laughter preceded a gorgeous woman with a long mane full of rich black hair. Michelle's eyes were drawn to her. There was such a life force about her. Every eye in the room turned in unison at her entrance. The woman made her way laughingly to the center of the room where she collapsed in a chair amidst a fit of laughter at something her companion was saying. Michelle felt a twinge of jealousy at their obvious comfort with one another. She wondered if she would ever feel that easy camaraderie with anyone ever again.

Michelle's thoughts turned back to her musings about what awaited her when she got back home to Springfield. This time in Spain with her father had been one of healing, but there were still wounds that needed to be closed. Even though she had broken off her relationship with Jesse, she had been stunned at how swiftly he had run to Drew. It had hurt on some strange and inexplicable level that while they were breaking up, he was pursuing Drew. Just the thought of her name caused Michelle to cringe. Drew had never apologized for her interest in Jesse. In fact, she had loved to taunt Michelle with her prowess with men. Michelle remembered many a conversation that ended with Drew telling her that she always got what she wanted. Well, she had Jesse now. She was welcome to him, Michelle thought. Her feminine ego had taken a beating at Jesse's hands, and Drew's, but she knew it all had worked out for the best.

The blare of the airport intercom interrupted her train of thought, thank God. She was tired of re-hashing her relationship woes. Michelle heaved a deep sigh at the intercoms announcement of yet another delay of her flight. She would have to call Rick now and let him know that she had no idea when she would actually arrive in Springfield, and therefore she would make her own arrangements to get home. As she glanced around the lounge trying to locate a phone, her eyes once more were drawn to the handsome couple at the center of the room. They sat so close they looked as one. He was darkly attractive, with a large smile and a hearty laugh. The woman was obviously besotted with him because her eyes never left his own, even for a second. They spoke with heads bent close, quick snatches of conversation in between nibbling kisses. Michelle looked away, embarrassed by the thoughts that invaded her mind while watching them visibly worship each other with their eyes and mouths. Michelle wanted to feel that kind of breathless excitement. She wanted a man to have eyes only for her and no one else. She wanted to feel as if she was the most beloved and cherished woman on earth. She wanted time to stand still. Giving herself a shake and stifling a giggle over where her thoughts were leading her, she spied a phone and got up to use it.

On the way to the phone she had to pass close to the young, beautiful lovers. She couldn't help but eavesdrop just a little to their conversation as she walked by. From the look on her face, the young woman had just had something erotic whispered in her ear, because she playfully punched her companion while an obvious red hue stained her cheeks. "Oh Nino, you are very naughty", she exclaimed! "I know you love it Pilar, you can't get enough of me and my naughtiness", he replied. Michelle smiled as the woman's face softened and she leaned in for a kiss from her naughty beau.

She wondered if the time would ever come that she could feel such abandon in a man's arms. She and Jesse had always had a Romeo and Juliet type of love, based on staying together despite the protests of both their respective families. That Jesse carried Maureen's heart in his body had only added further resolve to their will to stay together. Michelle had come to realize that that type of love was based on an ideal that could never be lived up to. It was the love of youth, highly romanticized and unreachable. They hadn't counted on the "real" world breaking in on their softly spun cocoon of happily ever after. So, when that world had begun to unravel, they had nothing to hold onto. "I guess that's what growing up is all about", Michelle said to herself out loud.

As she picked up the phone and spoke to the overseas operator she vowed to make a new and better life for herself when she got home. No more feeling sorry for herself, and certainly no more thinking about Drew and Jesse. This time in Spain had changed her, had given her some much needed confidence in herself. It had opened her eyes to the possibilities of a life filled wither own accomplishments and dreams, not anyone else's. For the first time, in a long time, she actually felt it was O.K. to be her own. It was better than O.K., it was a blessing in disguise. After telling Rick of her change in plans she hung up the phone determined to stop1 thinking of the pain and fickleness of love. She had almost convinced herself, but as she walked back by the young lovers, she caught the eye of the woman named Pilar. She looked up at Michelle with a knowing glint in her eye, one that spoke volumes of the mysteries of a deep intimacy between a man and a woman. Michelle had to quickly look away lest her eyes gave away her own deep longings.

After another hour of re-reading the same magazine over and over, and watching the young lovers caresses and hearing their sighs of pleasure, Michelle's flight was called. It couldn't have come at a better time. Michelle was tired of sitting and thinking, and above all else, tired of letting her own worries and fears get the best of her. She had had a wonderful month with her father, but her conscious mind knew that was over with now. It was time to get back to her life, what was left of it anyway. Gathering all her reserves of strength, she got up from her chair and walked toward the boarding gate.

As she steadfastly put one foot in front of the other she watched other passengers say good-bye to loved ones. It was hard to witness their tearful good-byes and promises of return visits soon. She had said good-bye to her father at his rented Villa just so that she could avoid this very thing. She couldn't take anymore tearful good-byes and no more empty promises. Her life was a blank canvas now, and she planned on painting it the way she wanted to, alone if necessary. As she handed over her boarding pass to the smiling attendant, she heard the woman named Pilar sobbing audibly. The man, Nino, was rubbing her back and kissing her passionately in between hiccupping sobs. He calmed her with the promise of a visit when his business obligations in Spain were finished. After a tearful last caress of his face, Pilar too joined the long line of passengers waiting to board the DC-10.

Michelle dismissed them from her mind as the business of boarding and finding her seat took her concentration. As she stowed her carry on bag filled with souvenirs for Rick, Abby, Aunt Meta and other members of her family she smiled at the thought of Rick in the poncho she had bought him, Abby carrying the funky bolsa with bulls embroidered on it, and Aunt Meta wearing the rebozo she had purchased. Fun and silly things that had lifted her mood, and made her smile. Michelle removed her overcoat, as the plane was not as chill as the cool, crisp air of Madrid had been. She settled herself, shifting her position, to look longingly out the window, watching the bustling of the crewmen readying the plane for take-off. The tarmac was slicked with rain, and her heart felt heavy to be leaving such a place of beauty during a rainy, cloudy day.

Shaking herself to banish her negative thoughts, she became aware of someone taking the seat next to her. As she looked up with a polite smile on her face, her eyes met those of the woman who had caught and kept her attention for such a large part of the afternoon. The woman smiled through teary eyes. Opened her mouth, and said: "Hi, my name is Pilar. It looks like we'll be traveling together today". Michelle smiled and said slightly breathlessly, "Hi. I'm Michelle". As Pilar struggled with all her packages, Michelle stood up to help her. They shared a little giggle as Pilar stuffed packages in the overhead bins of other passengers, taking up precious luggage space with her purchases. With a laugh that was obviously a tension release, Pilar collapsed into her seat. She looked at Michelle as if to say, "to hell with everything". Michelle didn't say a word, but her eyes said she understood only too well. Perhaps this flight home wouldn't be so bad, she thought. For some strange reason she felt an immediate bond with this beautiful, young woman. As inexplicable as the feeling was, she knew immediately that they had been destined to meet, why she didn't know, but her intuition had never failed her. As the flight attendant offered them champagne, and the plane made it's final preparations for take-off, Michelle knew deep down that her life would never be the same again. She stole a quick look at Pilar, and as their eyes met, she smiled, a smile that said: "I understand". Pilar gave her a half smile that seemed to communicate the message, "I know".

As the plane rumbled down the tarmac, and lifted off, Michelle had no idea that because of this chance encounter with Pilar, her future would be forever altered.