Boarding for Love

Cassie wiped away a stray tear, trying to hold it together. She exhaled deeply, trying to focus on the notes in front of her and the class she would teach in seven minutes. A glance at her phone showed a few more messages from Dan, but they’d have to wait.

They’d been in a long-distance relationship for 15 months, ever since they first met. He’d been visiting his brother in Chiang Mai, who used to teach at the same school as Cassie. Dan had joined a dinner with the other teachers, and afterward, they began chatting at the bar. They found so much in common, even a mutual friend in Doha, where Dan lived. The night turned into dawn before they’d stopped talking and ended with a kiss that made both of them smile for the whole day afterward.

That time Dan had spent five days in Chiang Mai, mostly with Cassie showing her the sights - taking a motorbike up to Doi Suthep, eating at Chang Phueak market. Then he’d asked her to join him in Pattaya, where he was flying next. Even though she thought it was crazy, she did it anyway; she was off school, and you only live once, right?

After a week at the beach, neither of them wanted to say goodbye, but he had to go back to his job in Doha. Their relationship consisted of seven-hour FaceTime dates, barely unpacked suitcases, and weeks where they tried to pack as much in as possible. If she was honest, Cassie loved the thrill of it, but you can’t touch your lover through a screen. Sometimes they’d just gaze at each other, not wanting to make the other one feel bad, with a lump so huge in their throat that it was difficult to swallow.

Dan’s text that morning had been to say that his flight had been rescheduled. He was supposed to fly to Bangkok tomorrow and onto Chiang Mai. Now, it looked like that wouldn’t happen. The airline had rebooked him on a flight for Monday, but Cassie knew that was no good as Eid started tonight in Doha. These were public holidays in Qatar, and they tried to make the most of every one. If he couldn’t come tomorrow, there was no point, as they only had five days anyway.

They’d been through this before, both scrambling to make rearrangements, Cassie desperately scrolling through airlines looking for a cheap flight for either of them. Sometimes it worked, like the time Cassie struck gold and managed to get a standby flight to Doha from Chiang Mai at the last minute. This time, as Cassie saw her class file in, she knew that she couldn’t go anywhere, there were a few more weeks of school, and she was pretty much out of savings. They’d learned to accept that these things would happen; getting angry was pointless, but it was still upsetting.

At lunchtime, Dan FaceTimed Cassie.

“Babe, I am absolutely gutted… I’ve been on to Thai Airways, but they’ve changed the flight schedule….” Looking at her glum expression, he paused,” I know, it’s just awful.”

Cassie shrugged, “I know… it is what it is. We’ve said it before.”

Dan really wanted to cheer her up, “It’s only five weeks until your holidays. it’ll fly by!”

Cassie tried to raise a smile, but she knew the weeks wouldn’t fly. For some reason, they seemed to get longer the closer they were to their next meeting. This week felt interminable, and now he wasn’t coming.

Cassie tried to fill her time over the next five weeks, usually ending with a call to Dan. Sometimes they kept it short, particularly if Dan had plans in the evening. Both tried to live as full a life as possible away from each other, her playing volleyball, him playing football, but it was the nights in front of the TV when they wished they could just be snuggled up together that seemed longest and sometimes meant spending hours on FaceTime. Sometimes they’d light candles, pour wine and eat their dinner together, yet over 3,000 miles apart.

Then it was time, and she was boarding the plane. She was excited to finish school for a few months after the whirlwind of exams and grading but much more excited to spend three whole weeks with Dan - the longest in nearly a year. Her phone buzzed in her hand, and she knew it was Dan, one last message before she put it on airplane mode. 

“I’ll be at the airport, see you tonight!” it said, and she couldn’t help but feel a flutter in her stomach.

She always enjoyed the inflight entertainment, particularly when she was on her way to see Dan, rather than leaving, so she picked one of last year’s Oscar winners to watch. This time, she didn’t need to dream of his face or touch, as she’d be experiencing it so soon.

On the other end, Dan was counting the minutes to leave for the airport. He had something that he knew would make Cassie even happier. He stood waiting at arrivals, without a bouquet this time, as she had said she hated flowers being picked out of the ground.

He saw her brunette head bobbing along, and their eyes met. Cassie never ran into his arms, she thought that was for the movies, but her smile was as big as he’d ever seen it. They walked up and grabbed each other in a firm embrace that seemed to shut out all the passengers streaming by. She stood back, “You’ve grown!” she said, a private joke they always shared, making light of their months apart. He laughed and took her hand as they headed into the hot Doha air, and she felt like everything had settled in her world again because she was by Dan’s side.