Steph made it to the gate for her next flight and again sat by the window, watching what was happening on the tarmac. She thought about everything she had been through since the plane crash. How she came to see herself in a different light and how she wanted to be a different person. She could not stop thinking about Paul or forget what the older woman had said as she left the plane.
Steph returned to the exit and watched Paul's family through the plate glass window. Like she had told Paul, she had great parents but never felt like part of a family, and she envied Paul and Suz.
Tom had been a different kind of man than she usually encountered. The type of man Steph now thought men out to be. Paul was that kind of man, too. He had a strength and honesty about him. She saw the same strength in Earl as he stood watching over his family members, waiting for his son to return.
Steph suddenly had no idea why she was going back to New York. That was where the old Steph wanted to be. The new Steph didn't want that life anymore. She wanted more. She wanted a life where she was part of something. She wanted Paul. She wanted to be welcomed into his family and be sitting with them when he arrived.
That thought took her aback. She would be risking everything and taking a monumental leap of faith. Would Paul want her? Would it work out between them? Could someone like her be part of a real family? And the biggest question of all, was this really what she wanted as her forever?
"Yes," Steph said out loud, "This is what I want." She still had doubts about the future but remembered what Tom had said when she asked how he knew west-southwest was the right direction. Steph told herself, "Sometimes you just have to have faith."
Back at the gate, Steph told the ticket agent she had already checked in but would not take the flight to New York City. Steph laughed out loud when the Ticket Agent said the tickets were non-refundable. Steph replied, "I couldn't care less." She was committed now.
Steph hurried back to the plate glass windows, walked through the exit, and turned straight for Suz. As she approached, Earl looked directly at her. Both brothers also focused on this woman approaching their family. Men had been looking at Steph for as long as she could remember, but not like this.
When close enough, Steph said, "Excuse me, are you Suz?" It took Suz a second, and then Suz yelled, "Stephanie?" Steph smiled as Suz jumped up and embraced her. It had been a long time since anyone had hugged her like that, and Steph could not believe how good it felt. As Suz hugged her, Steph saw Earl's expression soften as he looked away. She had made it past Earl's defenses, one hurdle down.
Suz introduced Steph to her mother and her sister, Alice. She pointed to Earl, stating he was her father and those were two of her big brothers. Suz introduced Steph to her brother's wives and said their children's names as she pointed them out.
Paul's mom insisted Steph sit beside her with Suz on the other side. At first, the conversation was about Suz, her date, and her dresses, but eventually, it got around to how Steph and Paul had met. Paul's mom smiled as Steph explained they had just met today and had enjoyed each other's company. Steph tried to make it sound like no big thing but could tell Paul's mom was seeing right through her.
Paul's mom told Steph to call her Margaret, then quickly changed the subject to where Steph would stay while in town. When Steph said she would find a hotel, Margaret said, "Oh no, I won't hear of it. You are staying with us."
Margaret turned and motioned for Earl to come over, then told Earl, "This is Stephanie, Paul's friend. She will be staying with us while she is here. Make sure you get her luggage." Steph stood and held her hand out to Earl, who ignored her hand and leaned across a row of chairs to hug Steph.
Steph smelled Lifebuoy soap on Earl. It reminded her of Paul, and she almost cried. Earl told her she was welcome anytime. Steph said, "I don't have any luggage besides this bag." Earl looked a little confused. Steph said, "Long story," and could tell Margaret had a curious look on her face. Earl said, "We will get you everything you need." Steph could not help but smile. She already felt like one of the family. Another hurdle down.
Steph sat back down, pulled out her iPad, and told Suz, "How about we look at some shoes? You can't have the perfect dress without the perfect shoes!"
After a while, Margaret leaned in close and asked, "What happened to you, Stephanie? Are you okay?"
Steph replied, "I was in a small plane crash, and the pilot died. I then spent forty-three days surviving in the wilds of Alaska with a man named Tom, the only other passenger. Wolves attacked us, and a grizzly bear trailed us for part of the time. We eventually found a store where we called the police. I then spent ten days in a hospital and was on my way home when I ran into a wonderful man I think I am falling in love with. Am I okay? I don't know yet. Do people fall in love like that?"
Margaret nudged Steph with her shoulder and said, "Yes, they do. I met Earl at a church picnic when I was eighteen. I was in love with him from the moment we met." Margaret laughed and then added, "Earl was in love with me from that moment, too. It just took him a few months to figure that out."
Steph said, "I've not always been a good person. It took a plane crash and forty-three days in the wilderness to see myself as others saw me. I am trying to be a better person now. I am not sure I deserve to be loved."
Margaret told Steph, "My mother used to say that each person is made of two parts: Their heart and their mind. A woman's mind and heart are separate. Sometimes our hearts are in charge, and sometimes our minds. Sometimes, they want to go in opposite directions, which is why we get a little crazy from time to time. But when they both want the same thing, that is when a woman is unstoppable."
Margaret continued, "Maybe your mind was in charge for too long, and that crash woke up your heart. So if your mind and heart tell you Paul is the man for you, don't let anything stop you."
Margaret smiled, then added, "Mother would say that men are much less complicated. Their minds and hearts almost always want the same thing, which is why we get so furious with them!" Then, she added, "It's not who you have been that determines whether you deserve to be loved. It's the person you are now. They call it 'the past' for a reason."
Margaret showed Steph a text Paul had sent her earlier. The text read, "Mom, you know how you said you fell in love with Dad the moment you met? I met a wonderful and amazing woman today, and I think it happened to me. I'm not sure, but I think she likes me too." Steph eyes teared up as she put her hand to her heart. Maybe Paul wanted her too. Margaret told Steph, "Don't tell Paul you saw that text."
Steph kept an eye on the arrivals board with the rest of Paul's family. She was surprised at how excited she was when the status changed to "Arrived." Suz and her mother were still sitting on either side of Steph as all three half looked at the clothes on Steph's iPad and kept an eye on the door where they expected Paul and the other passengers to exit.
Steph saw herself sitting among Paul's family in her reflection in the plate glass window. She thought about what Margaret had said. Steph knew this was where her heart wanted to be, waiting with the family for Paul to arrive. Looking at her reflection in the window, she tried to imagine herself anywhere else.
Her parents were very wealthy, and she could live anywhere in the world she wanted: New York, LA, London, Paris, Brussels. She had been to all those places and more, but in her mind, she could only see herself sitting exactly where she was right now.
Steph realized the person she had been crashed along with the airplane. That version of herself lay dead and broken in the valley with the rest of the wreckage. The Stephanie who walked out of the wilderness was a different woman. The reflection in the plate glass was of the woman she was now.
Steph also realized that walking out of the woods had not been the end of her journey. The good and exciting thing she had hoped for was right here. It was the start of a new journey with Paul. She had already taken that next step without even knowing. All she had to do now was keep putting one foot in front of the other.
Steph's phone rang, and she was embarrassed when it displayed that the call was from "Paul - the cute guy at the airport" on her phone, where Suz and her mom could see. Steph quickly answered her phone and said, "I figured you'd get around to calling me some time. I didn't expect you to call the minute you got off the plane." Paul responded, "Well, when we traded numbers, the contact information you put in my phone says, 'Hot babe named Steph, who you had better call.' It seemed like the right thing to do."
Steph replied, "Sometimes a girl can't leave things to chance." Paul said he expected to get her voicemail and asked if her flight had been delayed. Steph said the flight had left on time but did not mention that it left without her. Paul told her she would get in trouble for using her phone while the plane was in flight. Steph responded that it would be worth it. Hearing the conversation, Suz giggled almost loud enough for Paul to hear.
Paul said, "If your flight had been delayed, I could have introduced you to my family. Maybe you could have stayed a few days." Steph said, "I'd like that. I saw your family through the window on the way to my gate. Suz has a big sign, and Earl is standing guard over them all. You are very lucky, Paul."
Paul replied, "Sounds like them, and yes, I am very lucky. Especially so today when I met you. I've been thinking about you ever since you boarded your flight. I need to see you again soon." Steph smiled.
Suz and her mom were looking at each other with an excited look on their faces as they listened to Steph and Paul's conversation. Margaret put her arm under Steph's arm and held Steph's arm tight.
Steph and the family could see Paul through the plate glass window as he walked towards the exit. They all stood. Suz held her homemade welcome sign above her head. Paul walked through the exit, stopped, and started scanning the crowd. Steph asked, "What are you doing now?"
Paul said, "I am looking for my family. I am hoping they are all here."
Steph replied, "We are all here, Paul. Look to your right."