Flying Backwards (29 page)

Nora was able to grab a nap on the flight home. But her waking hours buzzed with thoughts and questions concerning her future.
Can I really move to London? I don’t know anything about where to live, but Bree will know. I’m sure she will want to live near Ashley or Evan. They could certainly help us in the transition. Would Ashley be mad if Bree moved in with me instead of her? Or what if Evan wants Bree to stay with him after I move all that way? As much as I want it to work out with Ben, what if it doesn’t? I definitely don’t want to move across an ocean for a guy!
Nora shuddered at the thought. She had just won her independence, true rely-on-herself independence. She had to know that this move would be good for her no matter what.

The alterative to moving to London was staying in Philadelphia and finding another place. She would probably need another roommate. She might have considered asking Rebecca, but she’d already moved back to North Carolina.

Nora liked Philadelphia well enough, but she would have no trouble leaving it behind. Besides, if she lived in Europe, she could easily travel on her days off and see more European cities.

She checked off the pros and cons in her mind. Leaving her family was the biggest con, but she was an international flight attendant who could fly home whenever she wanted. Even though, she hardly saw them now.

Pros included living in England with her best friend and hanging with Ashley and Corrine; that would be great. Traveling the world with Bree was what they had talked about. It was an opportunity to immerse herself in European culture. And dare she include Ben in this equation?

The pros for going to England outweighed the cons.

Nora plotted out a timeline. If they put in their application for transfer as soon as the end of September, which was a few weeks away, then they might be moving by early November.
Huh, I could be spending Thanksgiving in another country–weird
.

It was just getting dark when Sergei knocked. When Nora opened the door she was welcomed by a balmy September evening. Sergei held up a six-pack of beer and asked if they should sit outside. Nora stepped out and gave him a friendly hug. They hadn’t sat out on the stoop in a while, not since the summer heat had pressed in on Philadelphia. During that time they preferred indoor air conditioning to the muggy nights. They settled on the steps, and he handed her a frosty bottle.

“How’s your family? Have you talked to them? They were so happy to see you.” Nora took a long swallow.

“They are good. My mother and sister asked about you. They liked you. Of course, who would not?”

Her lashes lowered at his comment, hiding her thoughts, and she knocked her knee against his. “Your family was great. So nice of your sister Lydia to be my personal guide. It was wonderful to experience Russia with you. I can’t thank you enough for inviting me along. Sergei, you are such a great guy–”

“But…” he interrupted.

“What happened between us… Well, I think we should just be friends,” she said sympathetically.

“Is there someone else?”

She nodded meekly. Nora had wondered if their time together in Russia would blossom their relationship. She’d been willing to give it a try after she’d broken off with Antonio. And besides, at that time she did not know Ben was truly interested in her. Now she just felt…‌bad.

Sergei cupped her knee with his large hand. “I knew there was someone else before we left. You even spoke of a complicated relationship. It does not matter. I am glad we went to Russia together. I am glad for any time we have spent together, and I do not want you to think this will ruin our friendship.”

“Really?” She held her breath.

“Yes! But if you want to have sex I am available any time,” he joked.

She laughed out loud. The complicated relationship Sergei mentioned had been with Antonio. And the “someone else” was Ben. She laughed to herself about the tangled web she had woven.

All her tension eased away while they talked for the next two hours. They drank all the beer. Nora insisted on a big hug before she went up to her room alone. She no longer felt regret about what had
almost
happened between her and Sergei. She chalked it up to a lesson learned.

* * *

In September, although the temperature in Rome was pleasant, the smog was a bit stifling. The flight crew’s taxi was just dropping them off at the hotel when Nora’s cell phone rang.
What a coincidence, it’s Antonio.
Nora regretted answering the call as soon as she hit the button. “Hey, Antonio.”

“Nora, it is good to hear your voice.”

Just then, a very loud doorman called to a porter in rapid Italian. The crew’s captain waved away the porter and assured the doorman they could handle their roller bags. The crew entered the quiet lobby of the hotel.

“You are in Rome!”

Damn!
Antonio had heard the exuberant doorman.

“Ugh…‌yep.” She didn’t fancy herself as a liar, so she couldn’t say that she was just
leaving
Rome.
Why did I answer the phone!?
“How are you?” She tried not sound like she was caught off guard. She rolled her bag up to the desk and was handed her room key.

“I am well. And I am so pleased to hear you are in Rome.”

Her heart compressed. She felt melancholy; as much as she’d enjoyed their brief relationship, Antonio wasn’t for her. He had other plans in life, including marrying and having children with a nice Italian lesbian. She was not going to settle, even if it meant losing a remarkable lover. He was a broad-minded thinker, a little too broad-minded for her taste. She wanted more from life.

“Nora, can I see you?”

She could picture his perfect full lips on the other end of the phone.

“I’m stepping into the elevator, so I might lose you.” The crew squeezed in and the doors closed. The elevator went up four floors and the doors opened.
Figures, the call didn’t drop.

Antonio continued. “I know what you said, but I have been thinking about us. We should talk some more. Let me take you to dinner.”

Nora opened her room door with the key and went in, now safely in her room, away from listening ears. “No, I’m sorry. I think it’s best we don’t see each other. Please, Antonio. Please stop calling me.”

“You are playing hard to get. That is very sexy.” His voice purred.

What!
“No, I’m not. I mean it.” Her tone reflected the seriousness of this conversation. He was the one who didn’t want a serious relationship, so why this reaching out? Then it dawned on her that it was all about the pursuit. “
Hard to get!” He has probably never been rejected in his life. I mean, look at him. He just can’t stand the idea that I don’t return his calls with baited breath.

“I have to go. Good-bye.” Nora disconnected with a heavy sigh. True: she had been flattered that he found her attractive. True: she had been flattered that he had pursued her. True: she was his plaything, just as he was hers. This Italian Stallion was too wild for her.

Nora had met a new crew member named Debra on the flight to Rome. They got on well, so while in Rome they hung out, visiting sites and restaurants. They had just walked back to the hotel from dinner when Debra said out of the side of her mouth, “Oh Lord, look at that hunk.”

Nora’s eyes followed her gaze to a darkly handsome Italian guy leaning against one of the hotel columns, looking like a Roman statue for all to admire. It was Antonio.

Debra took a sharp breath. “He’s coming this way!” she whispered franticly.

“Good evening, Nora,” Antonio purred as he sauntered up to them.

Debra’s eyes grew wide. “You know him?” She sounded astonished. Nora gave a weak laugh and tight smile.

“Hi, Antonio, this is Debra. Debra, Antonio.” His smoldering eyes shifted to Debra, and Nora thought her companion was going to faint. She barely squeaked out a hello.

“It is very nice to meet you, Debra, but would you mind if I spoke with Nora?” He sent her an alluring smile.

“Oh no, nooo, not at all.” Debra couldn’t walk away fast enough. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said to Nora. Once she was behind Antonio, Debra almost tripped, thanks to her lingering look backwards.

“Please don’t be mad.” He put his hands up in surrender. “I have to tell you something, eh?”

Nora couldn’t see a way around it, so she just nodded. They walked away from the bright lights of the hotel entrance down to a quiet nearby garden, where they found a secluded bench. Antonio grasped her hand as he always did, bringing it to his lips. After a moment he began. “Nora, I have to tell you, you have captured my heart. I cannot stop thinking of you.” At her closed expression, he plowed on. “I told you before how much you mean to me, but I realized later what I needed to do. I have spoken to my mother and told her the engagement is off. I told her that I would be the one to choose who I spend my life with, whether she is Italian or not.”

“Wait! What?” Nora couldn’t quite grasp what he was saying. “You are going to break up with her for me?”

“It is done.”

Nora was truly shocked. She looked at his handsome face. This was a
huge
move for him. Nora shook her head. Before she could deny him, he spoke. “I think you are worth getting to know better. And I think that I am finally ready to settle down and…‌see what happens.”

“Antonio, I am overwhelmed by your grand gesture. I have to admit, I wanted that at one point in time, but now… I don’t really think it was only because of that, that I allowed our relationship to end. We are very different.”

He waved away her excuses. “We have passion.” He leaned in closer. “You cannot deny this.” He was defiantly playing his irresistible card. He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and slid his arm around her shoulder. He dropped his head next to her exposed ear, whispering, “Nora, I want to love you.” His breath was hot on her neck, and she shuddered at the sudden chill up her spine. She felt his lips brush her neck, and then his hot tongue licked her salty skin.

Nora jumped to her feet. “I’m sorry, Antonio.” She shook her head. “Please don’t call me again. I’m sorry.” She left him on the bench in a beautiful garden drenched in moonlight. She couldn’t look back. And she didn’t know why tears were blurring her vision.

Nora curled up in her bed, listening to the evening sounds of Rome’s traffic, distant sirens, and loud pedestrians. She reflected on all that had happened in the past year. Last September she was planning her wedding with Phillip. In October she broke off her engagement and moved back home with her parents. She managed to survive the holidays, biding her time, until she left for her new job training. The New Year took her to Pittsburg, where she spent six weeks of her life learning everything there was to know about becoming a flight attendant. She met a new best friend. In March they became roommates in Philly. Then she was off, visiting amazing countries and meeting new people, making some good friends. She had been flying for six months now. In just six months she had met and become involved with three very different men.

My life has changed so completely
, she mused.
A year ago, I was a wallflower.
She’d been engaged to Phillip for years. No other guy had paid her any attention. She’d lived like a ghost in her own life. But something had changed. She had made a choice. She’d left a man who loved her and wanted to marry her. She’d broken up with a hunky Italian lover who still wanted her. She’d made up her mind that a relationship with Sergei would not work out. And within six short months, was she now ready to fall completely for Ben? It seemed too soon. She was glad she’d
dated
–she used this word loosely in her mind–both Antonio and Sergei. A part of her thrived on the new sense of freedom, but the other part of her, the part that grounded her, was her sense of tradition. She relished this fun freedom, but she didn’t want this to always be her life. She just wanted to meet the right guy, who would complement her, respect her, and keep her interested, both mentally and physically. Ben could be that guy. She held her phone in her hand and swiped to the picture she had of Ben.

She decided to transfer to London. She was going to take a chance on having a great life. After all, that was what she’d wanted all along–a chance to change her life and be happy, no matter what. She couldn’t wait to tell Bree. She knew her best friend would be elated.

* * *

It was days later before Nora and Bree finally had a day off together. Nora was sitting in front of a basket of clean laundry, drinking her second cup of coffee, when Bree came in from an early-morning run.

“Hi, Bree! I was wondering where you were. I didn’t hear you leave. Actually, I didn’t even hear you come in last night. Was it late?” Nora was not alarmed at the thought of Bree not coming home, because often enough a flight schedule was altered. When that happened, the airline would put the crew up for another night at a hotel. Sometimes mechanical or weather-related problems delayed or canceled a flight.

“Hey.” Bree kicked off her Nike tennis shoes. “I got in around 10:30. You were out like a light when I peeked in to say hi.”

They sat on the living room sofa, sorting and folding clean laundry while they watched the Travel Channel on television. Nora studied her friend as Bree prattled on about some designer handbag shop she found in London. She was describing a bag she had to have, but she’d promised herself to
try
and stick to a budget. Bree talked about wanting financial independence from her parents, but she confessed her extravagant taste was way more expensive than she could ever afford on her salary. Still, she was going to give the concept of a budget a try.

“So I resisted the urge to buy it,” Bree concluded with a sigh. She matched a pair of socks and asked Nora, “So have you considered moving across the pond?” Her voice sounded nonchalant, but she pinned Nora with an anxious gaze.

“I think this is your sock. I’ve picked it up three times.” Nora tossed the cotton gym sock in Bree’s direction. Bree did not even blink. “Yes,” Nora replied, hunting for the mate to her sock.

“Yes, you’re considering it? Or yes, you want to move?” The excitement built in Bree’s voice.