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“I don’t understand why we can't go to the airport with you.” Erich Strauss said.
“Because you're just going to make me cry more and I'm not doing that.” Erin hugged her father.
“I'm going to miss you so much.”
“I’ll miss you too, Daddy.”
“I don’t think I can ever put into words how proud I am of you. This will look quite good on your transcripts for Columbia.”
Erin just smiled as she hugged her mother. Joanna tried not to cry but it wasn’t easy. Erin was her only child; letting her go was difficult. They'd always been close even though Erin was a daddy’s girl. American University wasn’t far but it was nearly too much for Joanna. How would she handle a semester with an entire ocean separating her from her daughter?
“Call as soon as you as land.” She said.
“I will Mum.”
“Remember to work hard but always find time to experience new things and to have fun.”
“I will.” Erin nodded.
“Did you speak to David?” Joanna asked. She said it in a low tone but Erich heard and it showed on his face.
“We talked last night.” Erin replied. “Don’t make me cry again. It was probably the hardest part of all of this.”
“Your mother is right, darling. This is your chance to meet exciting new people and do exciting things. There will be other students there, from all over the world, students who want the same things you do.”
“I’ll call as soon as I land.” Erin smiled, held back her sigh, and hugged her parents again.
“Can we at least walk you to the lobby?’ Erich asked.
“I'm leaving now Daddy. I love you so much. I love you Mum.”
“Love you too darling.” Joanna blew her a kiss.
Erin pulled her big suitcase and her small one out of the door, closed it behind her, and walked to the elevator. She took a deep breath knowing that she couldn’t cry anymore. She was a big girl and would suck it up. Being over 5000 miles away from the people she loved wouldn’t be easy. But this program was quite selective and they selected Erin Strauss.
Completion would open so many doors in her future field. That was nothing to cry about. Manhattan, DC, Tri Sig, even her parents and David Rossi would be waiting when she got back. She hoped David Rossi would be waiting when she got back.
Erin needed to stop thinking about that too. It wouldn’t be easy but she needed to let the positives of this experience hold her thoughts. Dave told her he loved her, he said he would wait for her. She would have to take him at his word. He’d given her no reason not to.
“Do you need a cab, Ms. Strauss?” the doorman asked as Erin approached the desk with her suitcases.
“Yes, thank you so much.”
He held the door and she walked outside. It was freezing; January in Manhattan could be brutal. The temperature wasn’t actually below freezing…a light but steady rain fell. Erin didn’t have an umbrella but wouldn’t need one. A cab would be there in a matter of moments.
“Erin?”
“What are you doing here?” she turned to look at Dave.
“I thought I’d take you to the airport.” He said.
“We talked about this last night.” Erin talked slow, again holding back her tears. She wasn’t going to cry. She was not going to cry dammit. Didn’t everyone know how much she hated to cry?
“We talked about it, I'm blatantly disobeying your wishes, and I'm willing to endure the spanking if it comes to that.”
“It wasn’t my wish.” She smiled and shook her head. “I just thought it would be easier for the both of us.”
“There's nothing easy about you leaving me. I can only be consoled, barely, by the fact that you're just leaving the country and not my life.”
“Do you still need a cab?” the doorman asked.
“No, it looks as if I don’t.”
The doorman went back inside the building as Dave took hold of the big suitcase. She walked over to the Jeep Cherokee with him. He put the two bags in the backseat before holding the passenger door for her. Erin climbed in, taking a deep breath. When Dave got in he started the ignition. A song that Erin never heard before began to play from the speakers.
Watching terrible TV
It kills all thought
Getting spacier than an astronaut
Making out with people
I hardly know or like
I can't believe what I do late at night
I wanna know what it's like
On the inside of love
Standing at the gates
I see the beauty above
“I can turn this off if you want.” Dave said. “This is my sister’s Jeep and her music.”
“This is a beautiful song…just leave it.” Erin replied.
She played the song three more times after it faded to black. As soon as she got to Cairo she would be sure to Google the lyrics and find out who sang it. Having music playing, even songs that she didn’t recognize, was better than silence. It was surely better than conversation. Erin said all she needed to last night and yet here they were. It was hard just to sit there saying nothing. Talking with Dave was one of her favorite things in the world.
Traffic was as horrific as usual but Dave got them to JFK in a reasonable time. He drove to the Egypt Air terminal, putting on his blinkers. Climbing out of the Jeep, he got the suitcases out of the backseat. Erin had both her laptop and Kenneth Cole leather satchel bag on her shoulder. She checked the bags at the outside kiosk and then she went into the airport with Dave.
“There was a time when a man could walk his girl to the gate. Those times are long gone.”
“Yeah.” she nodded.
“Have a safe trip. Call me when you get to Cairo.”
“I will.” Erin took his face in her hands. “I love you, David Rossi.”
“I love you too. I'm going to miss you so much.”
“I’ll be back before you know it.”
“I have a feeling counting the days is in my near future.”
“Soon you'll have school and fraternity responsibilities to take up your time.”
Dave kissed her. Erin closed her eyes and held him tight. He kissed her again.
“I want you to take this and always keep it close to your heart.”
“What is it?” Erin took the box. Dave bought her several lovely gifts for Christmas. She wasn’t expecting anything else.
“Open it.” he kissed her nose.
Erin smiled and lifted the top from the box. OK, now she was crying. It was useless trying to stop the tears from sliding down her cheeks. She looked at him and tried to find her voice.
“Oh David…”
“It’s always been yours. I was just waiting for the appropriate time to give it back to you. I couldn’t think of one more so than this.”
“You kept it all this time.” she said.
“Absolutely.” Dave nodded.
Erin held the necklace in her hands with the diamond encrusted cursive E pendant. A year ago he gave it to her and she returned it. They were barely friends and a gift of that magnitude was overdoing it. This morning in the airport it was perfect.
“I hate you for being right.” Erin said.
“And what was I right about this time?”
“You swept me off my feet and made me your girl.”
“You're my woman.” he had to kiss her again; feel her lips against his once more.
“I have to go.”
“I know.” Dave nodded. “Let me put the necklace on.”
Erin handed it to him. She turned around and held up her hair. After it was around her neck, she hugged him.
“I love you David.”
“I love you too.”
She didn’t want to say goodbye so Erin just walked away. It took all of her willpower, and she had a lot of it, not to turn around. The escalator would take her upstairs where she and her carry on luggage would be properly searched. Then there was about 90 minutes before her flight, barring any delays.
If the temperatures dropped and the rain turned to ice there would surely be delays. Hopefully the freezing rain would wait until she was in the air to fall. At the top of the escalator Erin couldn’t fight it anymore. She turned around. Dave was still standing there. He held up his hand to wave, she did the same, and then he walked away.
The semester without her might be close to unbearable. He knew how excited Erin was about the program and opportunity. Dave was excited for her. He just wished she didn’t have to go all the way to Africa.
And if the summer internship she wanted came through then that meant she would be in The Netherlands for another three months. Walking out of JFK Airport on a cold January morning it was hard to imagine that he’d ever see his girlfriend again. He would, and it would be awesome, but he’d have to get through this rough patch first. What didn’t kill David Rossi would make him stronger…he hoped.
***