It was early when we went to the airport.
John drove. It was Ruthless and me and Stoney.
The airport was so small they barely had coffee, and though they had tea bags, they had no hot water, so Ruthless was left with no tea.
We were animated and probably loud. Complaining about the trail. Laughing about our adventures. Standing up with huge arm gestures. We’d forgotten there were other people there. Pickles was at the airport too, and we went on and on until Pickles almost missed her flight.
The lady next to me smiled. You all sound like you had a pretty great adventure, she said.
It startled me. I suddenly noticed all the people around us. Embarassed, I flushed and felt a little small. I looked around. People all around us were watching.
Rapt.
How long had we been on a stage without realizing it? I looked at the clock. About 45 minutes.
I smiled.
We were having A Grand Ol’ Time.
Ruthless and I hugged and got on our same plane, sad that we weren’t sitting together, and knowing we wouldn’t see each other again this go around. We hugged Stoney too.
I thanked her for being such a great adventure partner. She did the same.
We practiced high-fiving, laughed a lot, and then I was gone.
And suddenly I was at home in my husband’s arms, and my puppy remembered me.
And Everything Was Right With The World.