other?
Olivia white-knuckled her armrests as the plane bounced up and down and listed from side to side as it made its descent. As they neared the ground, she held her breath. There seemed no possible way the unsteady plane could make safe contact with the earth at such a speed.
Mom let out a tiny snore and shifted in her seat. How could she sleep through all the chaos while Olivia’s life flashed before her eyes?
The moments before The Accident flooded Olivia’s memories. She squeezed her eyes shut against the vision of her daddy hitting the roof of the car. Why hadn’t he fastened his seat belt after he secured Olivia in hers? Oh, how life would have been different if only he’d done that one thing. That one decision, or lack thereof, ruined everyone’s life—forever.
The plane broke out of the turbulent air as it flew low and parallel to the ground while making its final reach to touch the earth. The wheels made contact with the asphalt, and the plane bumped along topsy-turvy until it skidded to a stop. A collective sigh of relief was heard and felt throughout the plane.
“Oh, did we land?” Mom yawned and stretched her arms above her head.
Olivia exhaled and unpeeled her cramped fingers from their grip on the armrests.
The intercom beeped. “This is your captain speaking. I’m glad to be on the ground. How about you?”
Cheers erupted throughout the cabin.
“Well, be assured, it wasn’t nearly as bad as it probably felt—you were safe the entire time. On behalf of myself and the rest of the flight crew, I thank you for your patience with the turbulence. If you have a connecting flight, you’ll be met at the gate with your flight information. Please be aware that some flight times have been adjusted due to the weather. And if this is home for you, welcome to Denver.”
Olivia snorted.
Home? Never
.
“Come on, Liv. Let’s get out of here.” Mom picked up her carry-on, and Olivia grabbed hers from the overhead compartment. They wedged into the narrow aisle, waiting for the dad in front of them to gather a stroller, car seat, and four carry-ons while the mom wrestled a cranky toddler. The dad glared at a teenage boy who stood behind them, lost in whatever blared through his iPod.
Olivia wondered if he really had music on, or if he was just pretending so he could avoid his family. Olivia chuckled.
I feel your pain, kid
.
Finally off the plane, they took a series of escalators, glided on two moving walkways, and navigated several long corridors before they found the exit to the carpool lanes. “This is what I love about not checking bags—no waiting.” Mom smiled as they bustled past the passengers waiting at the baggage carousel and stepped outside.
“Uh-huh.” Olivia stared at the ground.
“Okay. That’s it.” Mom pulled Olivia over to the side, away from the waiting cars. “Listen to me, Liv. We aren’t here as a punishment. We’re only here to see if maybe these people could be of some help to you. Believe me, it’s not what I want. But you’ve slipped away from me these past couple of years, and I want my daughter back.”
Then be my mom. Simple as that
.
“I know you think I’ve changed. I know you think I don’t know a thing about real life anymore. But I hope you realize, losing your dad was hard on me, too. I still miss him every single day. This hasn’t been as easy on me as you seem to think.”
Olivia nodded, counting the tiles around her feet.
“Would you give it a chance … please? Worst thing, we hate Diamond Estates but get in a day of skiing and go home. How bad could that be?” The lilt of hope filled her voice.
“Promise you’re not planning to leave me here against my will?” Olivia tried to sound defiant but suspected that it came out more like the plaintive mew of a kitten.
“Oh, Liv. You can’t possibly think I would do that.” Mom pulled Olivia into a tight embrace. “I would never leave you here like that. I promise.”
“Okay, then
Olivia white-knuckled her armrests as the plane bounced up and down and listed from side to side as it made its descent. As they neared the ground, she held her breath. There seemed no possible way the unsteady plane could make safe contact with the earth at such a speed.
Mom let out a tiny snore and shifted in her seat. How could she sleep through all the chaos while Olivia’s life flashed before her eyes?
The moments before The Accident flooded Olivia’s memories. She squeezed her eyes shut against the vision of her daddy hitting the roof of the car. Why hadn’t he fastened his seat belt after he secured Olivia in hers? Oh, how life would have been different if only he’d done that one thing. That one decision, or lack thereof, ruined everyone’s life—forever.
The plane broke out of the turbulent air as it flew low and parallel to the ground while making its final reach to touch the earth. The wheels made contact with the asphalt, and the plane bumped along topsy-turvy until it skidded to a stop. A collective sigh of relief was heard and felt throughout the plane.
“Oh, did we land?” Mom yawned and stretched her arms above her head.
Olivia exhaled and unpeeled her cramped fingers from their grip on the armrests.
The intercom beeped. “This is your captain speaking. I’m glad to be on the ground. How about you?”
Cheers erupted throughout the cabin.
“Well, be assured, it wasn’t nearly as bad as it probably felt—you were safe the entire time. On behalf of myself and the rest of the flight crew, I thank you for your patience with the turbulence. If you have a connecting flight, you’ll be met at the gate with your flight information. Please be aware that some flight times have been adjusted due to the weather. And if this is home for you, welcome to Denver.”
Olivia snorted.
Home? Never
.
“Come on, Liv. Let’s get out of here.” Mom picked up her carry-on, and Olivia grabbed hers from the overhead compartment. They wedged into the narrow aisle, waiting for the dad in front of them to gather a stroller, car seat, and four carry-ons while the mom wrestled a cranky toddler. The dad glared at a teenage boy who stood behind them, lost in whatever blared through his iPod.
Olivia wondered if he really had music on, or if he was just pretending so he could avoid his family. Olivia chuckled.
I feel your pain, kid
.
Finally off the plane, they took a series of escalators, glided on two moving walkways, and navigated several long corridors before they found the exit to the carpool lanes. “This is what I love about not checking bags—no waiting.” Mom smiled as they bustled past the passengers waiting at the baggage carousel and stepped outside.
“Uh-huh.” Olivia stared at the ground.
“Okay. That’s it.” Mom pulled Olivia over to the side, away from the waiting cars. “Listen to me, Liv. We aren’t here as a punishment. We’re only here to see if maybe these people could be of some help to you. Believe me, it’s not what I want. But you’ve slipped away from me these past couple of years, and I want my daughter back.”
Then be my mom. Simple as that
.
“I know you think I’ve changed. I know you think I don’t know a thing about real life anymore. But I hope you realize, losing your dad was hard on me, too. I still miss him every single day. This hasn’t been as easy on me as you seem to think.”
Olivia nodded, counting the tiles around her feet.
“Would you give it a chance … please? Worst thing, we hate Diamond Estates but get in a day of skiing and go home. How bad could that be?” The lilt of hope filled her voice.
“Promise you’re not planning to leave me here against my will?” Olivia tried to sound defiant but suspected that it came out more like the plaintive mew of a kitten.
“Oh, Liv. You can’t possibly think I would do that.” Mom pulled Olivia into a tight embrace. “I would never leave you here like that. I promise.”
“Okay, then
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