The Flight

Our eyes meet and she smiles at me with an open mouth; I recline my head back in ecstasy for several moments before I remember our friend and look up. She's smirking at us, her chin sitting in her hand. She gives us a small, inaudible applause before reaching up to turn her light off to retreat back into the darkness.

********

I wake up to the jolt of the airplane's wheels hitting the runway at Haneda Airport. The consideration that my dalliance with Rae was just a dream is extremely fleeting, as the slightest movement in my chair reveals recently dried boxers. I smell my hands -- her perfume is still prominent on my fingertips.

As soon as we gate, everyone rises to reach their luggage; I expect that Rae might be long gone by the time I make it past the throng of people to exit the plane. With bleary eyes, I reach the terminal, only to see Rae glancing back at me, head crooked to the side with a smile on her face. As I walk to her, she grabs my arm and locks it in hers. She stares at me and wipes the crud from my eye with her index finger and thumb. We start walking toward customs.

"How did you sleep, killer?"

"Good. Well...I slept alright, I think. You?"

"Like a little baby. Have you ever had an experience like that before?"

"Not even close."

"Well, I'm glad to be the one to give it to you."

"So...what are you here for? Who are you here to see? I'm by myself and it's my first time here? Maybe you could...."

Rae puts her index finger on my mouth as we walk. She shakes her head and smiles at me, unlocking her arm from mine.

"I gotta make a call before we have to stand in that customs line. It was great meeting you...I had a lot of fun."

Rae walks away. I am perplexed. I shout back at her.

"But wait...you don't even know my name!"

She turns back, smiles, puts her phone to her ear and walks out of my existence.

-30-