Crashing Stephanie

12 Peanut Butter Snacks

They were at the airport only a short time before her flight was called. Steph and Tom exchanged phone numbers, and then they hugged each other. Steph asked, "What do you say to someone after what we have gone through?"

Tom smiled, then replied, "Just keep taking that next step. It got us here. It will get you where you need to go. That big thing you hoped would happen when we walked out of those woods, maybe that store was not the end of this journey. Maybe it's just around the next corner."

Steph had not said anything to Tom about his ex-fiancé. The first few days, Steph had thought his ex was right to have dumped him. But she knew Tom now and wanted to say something.

Steph said, "Tom, you deserve better than your ex-fiancé. When she hears about all this she will want you to take her back. Tell her to get lost. I haven't forgotten my promise, and I've had plenty of time to devise incredibly painful ways to murder you. If you take that miserable woman back, you're a dead man. Understand? And don't think I can't murder you. Remember, I fished naked in Alaska!"

Tom smiled and said, "Understood, but you were only partially naked. Remember?"

Steph kissed Tom on the cheek, then said, "No goodbyes, my dear friend. I will see you later." Steph smiled, then turned and approached the woman who was checking IDs and boarding passes. She made it through the metal detectors and heard Tom yell, "Next time, we are taking the bus!" Steph smiled and waved before disappearing down the escalator.

The first leg of her flight was to Chicago O'Hare, then a flight to a regional airport in Kentucky, before the final leg to New York. It was the only option to get to New York City that day. There were not many people on the flight to Chicago. There was no one in her row or the one in front of or behind her. Steph felt alone for the first time since the crash.

She had always loved New York but was in no hurry to get there. She had a few friends, but none were close. Given how she had been before the crash, she was not surprised. There were millions of people in the City and, other than her parents, no one had missed her or was waiting for her there.

She had been disappointed when they walked out of the woods. She felt that something good was on the horizon and thought it would be when they finally reached civilization. But, to put it simply, it was a bust. Get in the Jeep, get on the plane, spend ten days in the hospital, and then a plane ride home.

Maybe Tom was right. Perhaps this journey that started with a plane crash was not over yet. She had tickets to a destination but had no idea why she was going there. "That doesn't even make sense!" Steph thought to herself.

Once at O'Hare, Steph was surrounded by people again. She enjoyed looking at their faces as they walked past her. She smiled at the children being pushed or dragged along with their parents. The kids were either wide-eyed at all the activity or preoccupied with whatever the parents did to distract them.

Steph bought coffee and a peanut butter snack before heading to her gate. Most women craved chocolate, but Steph had a newfound love for peanut butter.

Steph sat with her legs crossed in the waiting area of gate 28. She chose the chair closest to the plate glass window so she could watch all the activities going on around the B757 airliner that would take her on the next leg of her flight.

When she was told there were no open seats on any direct flights back to New York, she thought making two connecting flights would be a hassle, but at the moment, she was enjoying herself.

She had never paid any attention to airports, the people servicing the aircraft, or those airline employees managing all the gates, departures, and passengers. All these things had new meaning now, and Steph took it all in.

She shifted a little to pull the hem of her Armani skirt out straight as the fold of cloth underneath her thigh became a bother. Steph liked the way she looked. She was dressed impeccably, groomed, and polished. Her black designer heels reflected light like mirrors.

After spending so much time in the wild being dirty, then over a week in the hospital, and that awful diet to recover from "malnutrition," being clean and wearing nice clothes was therapeutic.

A man had taken a seat diagonal to her. He had on a pair of brown and tan hikers with the laces tied in double knots. His blue jeans looked and fit like Wranglers bought at Walmart and a department store brand Polo shirt. He wasn't wearing a wedding ring or other jewelry she could see. His wristwatch looked old and had black hands on a plain white dial.

The old Steph would have rolled her eyes at "Mister Off-the-rack," but that was not who she was now. Steph looked again, intrigued by this man.

The man's hair was short and neatly combed, with no trace of hair products. His face was cleanly shaved, and his fingernails were clean and trimmed. The man was typing intently on his phone when he suddenly said, "Come on, Suz, how would I know which color is best? They both look blue to me."

The man looked up at Steph and said, "Sorry," then looked back at his phone. Steph smiled, something else she would never have done before the crash. The man looked up again and, seeing Steph smile, smiled back at her. He had a friendly smile and the cutest little dimples on his cheeks. He had light brown eyes with just a hint of hazel coloring.

Steph thought to herself, "How cute," as the man, more than a little embarrassed, looked back down at his phone. She asked the man, "Wife or girlfriend?"

The man said, "Younger sister. She is sixteen and has been asked out on her first date. The guy is taking her to a very nice restaurant, and she is shopping for a dress. We've always been close, which, I guess, is why she is asking for my opinion." Steph picked up her bag and sat down next to the man - again, something she would have never done before the crash.

The man was wearing no cologne or musk, but Steph detected the scent of Lifebuoy soap. Her grandfather had been a blue-collar factory worker, and Steph remembered he always had that faint scent of Lifebuoy soap.

There was something about this man, and Steph instantly felt comfortable beside him. Steph said, "Do you have a recent picture of your sister?" The man clumsily opened the photos app, selected a picture of his sister, and held the phone for Steph to see.

Steph asked, "Do you mind?" and took the phone from the man. "Pretty," Steph commented, then switched to the messaging app and looked at the image of a dress his sister had sent.

Steph said, "Oh no, yeah, that won't work." Steph typed, "Call me," then hit send. Steph realized what she was doing and quickly apologized to the man, saying she should have asked him first. The man said, "No problem, do whatever you need to do."

He smiled again, and, seeing those cute dimples appear near the corners of his mouth, Steph melted. Steph just looked at the man. She couldn't believe it, after all that had happened, even fighting off wolves, and she would be done in by dimples. The phone rang, breaking the spell.