Maggie quickly sat up as an adrenaline rush tore her out of her sleep. She reached for the remote which was still on top of her novel and turned on the flat screen. It was five a.m., and she had only slept a few hours. She immediately found the news channel and read the small print at the bottom of the screen…DUE TO THE HAZARDOUS WEATHER CONDITIONS, ALL FLIGHTS ENTERING AND LEAVING NEW YORK AIRPORTS HAVE BEEN CANCELLED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. PLEASE CONTACT YOUR AIRLINE CARRIER FOR NEW FLIGHT SCHEDULE INFORMATION. MANY OF THE RUNWAYS ARE GLAZED OVER WITH ICE AND NO LONGER MEET OUR SAFETY REGULATIONS. WE WILL UPDATE YOU AS WE GET IN NEW INFORMATION, BUT FOR NOW, THE ICE STORM HAS CAUSED FLIGHT CANCELLATIONS. THIS IS A SPECIAL NEWS BULLETIN FROM JD 2 NEWSROOM IN NEW YORK CITY. DUE TO THE HAZARDOUS WEATHER CONDITIONS, ALL FLIGHTS ENTERING AND LEAVING NEW YORK.... Maggie continued reading, until she realized the information kept repeating the same thing.
“Yes!” she exclaimed in a fierce whisper, with her hands clenched into fists under her chin. She got out of bed and picked the t-shirt up off the floor, holding it close while dancing around her room. Another day with Antonio! Now she only had to wait for his call. It would be their last day together, but she resolved to be strong and not indicate that she was devastated to be leaving. She thought they had a special connection that maybe in time, somehow would...What am I thinking? Her mind brought no conclusion as to how it would ever work out. All she knew was that there was no turning back the clock or removing what she felt in her heart. As quickly as she felt the train on the tracks of destiny, speeding her along to fall in love, she already felt the bumps from the railroad ties slowing things to a screeching halt! She dropped the t-shirt on the floor and crawled back into bed.
Maggie lay wide awake, scrutinizing the situation. An hour passed, and she eventually fell back asleep, but suddenly awoke to the hotel phone ringing on her nightstand. She rolled over, groggy, picked up the phone, and heard Antonio’s voice.
“Maggie?”
“Yeah,” she answered with a yawn.
“Were you sleeping?”
“Uh, yes…”
“The flights are cancelled.”
“Okay,” she acknowledged, not wishing to mention that she had been jolted out of her sleep at five a.m. and already checked the news.
“You sound tired. Should I call back later?”
“No...No…” She picked up her voice, sounding more alert. “I’m up.”
“Did you pack a swimsuit or should I send Stanley out to get one?” Antonio sounded amused.
“I don’t know. Let me check.” Maggie deliberated, failing to recall whether or not she had remembered to pack her suit.
Her suitcase was stuffed to capacity. Hopefully, it was in there somewhere. Then she saw it—her one-piece suit that she used for exercise. Great! She had been too preoccupied to recall that plan. It was made from thick solid navy knit, a retro look from the 1940s. And she even remembered to pack her swim cap! She did not like chlorine to get in her hair. Not the look she wanted to present to Antonio, of all people. He would probably die laughing if she wore her swim cap. She considered telling him that she was without a suit, but thoughts of Stanley purchasing some skanky bikini sent her racing back to the phone.
“Yep, I got one.” She spoke reluctantly.
“Come down to the pool at nine.”
“Okay, I’ll see you then.” Maggie hung up the phone. Sorry, Antonio. No bikini! And now, no choice but to humor him…or shock him…and it was about his turn for that!
