You're smile is on fire

How could he let Kayla down?

Yes, the whole flight scared the willies out of Oliver. It did. He'd never really left the village. Ever.

"I'm quite sheltered, you know." He told her. They weren't even suspended in the air yet, but he held her hand as if it would be the death of him, anytime now. "I know I'm much to old to be acting like such an imbecile, but really it's quite frightening." No telling what bizarre behavior he might conjure if he'd had a drink in him.

"You're doing fine." Kayla smiled. She was after all, holding on to him.

"Am I?" The next thing he knew they were taking off on the runway of the heavy jet packed with passengers. It was exhilarating. Oliver had never felt anything quite like it. Then they were airborn. He could slightly feel his heart falling. A vacuum, it seemed quickly followed. But he was steady. Steady. He breathed in. Breathed out.

"So you did call them?" Kayla asked sometime later when the drink cart came around.

"Who?" Was that important?

"Ian, perhaps?" She looked at him.

"No. I didn't because..because, I-I really didn't believe I'd make it this far.." He supposed that was the reason. Suddenly, he felt cold, or was he feverish? He really wasn't so good with this part-time family stuff. It was just himself for the most part. Well, Aunt Imogene, but she'd been there since his birth and gave him about as much attention as the cat she could hardly put up with. "I'm sorry."

"No. Its all right. They know." She had taken care of it.

"Christ, Ian's step-mum, too?" Suddenly a nerve hit him. He knew she couldn't quite stand him. Not that he'd ever met her. But he knew. He knew what his mother had spoke of. She hated them. She was a bitch, and he wasn't to forget it. It was like a promise. He didn't know why he'd kept it. He wouldn't bother them. He wouldn't. He thought he might be sick. He closed his eyes and tried not to think about what was to come. He didn't mean to start anything. "Promise, I can only stay with you. Promise me?"

"I promise." He thought he heard her say. He squinted to look out into the clouds, but as they broke, he saw the ocean. A shiver ran through him. He was really leaving home.

When he awoke, the plane felt as if it were dropping. "There's ice." She told him.

"Where?" He thought he might look out and see icicles hanging from the plane's wing.

"The runway." But soon enough, they were on the tarmac and on their way to the next plane to catch. She was better at this, than he. He didn't question it. He just followed. They were soon off again. She was such an old timer in these airports. She of about the security and the questions asked. He really wanted to be good at this traveling, for her sake. Especially when he went back alone. It was scary to think about, already. But they were seated by some old lady who looked him over as if he might not belong on the plane.

"So this is what the Internet is doing to us?" She hadn't been able to understand a word he said.

"No. No its not like that at all." Kayla set next to her. "We've had a very long correspondence, thanks to his brother. That's all. His brother is a co-worker of mine."

The old woman still made it sound they'd been up to something vile. Oliver suddenly had a laugh when he figured out, she only thought he was after a green card. Kayla just smiled. He felt calmer now. Somehow. It wouldn't be long til they were there, and he was still nervous about the situation. But he could cope. He could very well do this. He took Kayla hand.

The old woman told them a story then, how her brother had met someone in England during the war. "And she ran away with him. They got married 3 days later after they met."

"How's that going?" Oliver asked.

"She still dresses to fancy for my taste. She found out she was from Scotland, anyway. Her parents never told her she was adopted." The woman told him.

Oliver nodded. He guessed he had nothing to worry about.