understand.”
Now he was playing with her.
It was as if they were never apart.
Not for one day, not for one moment.
He still loved her. Nothing had changed.
“Forgive me,” Misty said.
“I forgave you the moment I left your father’s house.”
“How could you, I mean what I did was unforgivable.”
“You could not know I was telling truth. Eva must have been very scared to lie like that.”
“My father threatened to deport Jose and her unless she lied.”
“Someday you must explain this to me.”
“I’ll explain on Tuesday when I see you.”
“You are coming here?”
“You did ask me to marry you, darling.”
“Misty, this is wonderful. I must find us place to stay, arrange things.”
“I love you Daniel. With all my heart and soul. I will never leave you again.”
“We shall be married. I know just the place to do so. On the beach.”
“I can’t believe it. I am so happy, my love. Tell me all about Thailand.”
They talked on the phone for hours.
They made plans.
They expressed their eternal devotion to each other.
They even named their first three children.
Only an ocean stood between them.
Happiness was just a plane ride away
CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN
“What day is it here?” Misty asked the stewardess.
“Tuesday, December twenty sixth.”
“Oh, I can’t keep it all straight. You add a day when going west?”
“Yes.”
“How soon do we land in Manila?”
“In forty minutes. You’ll have to hurry to make your connecting flight to Bangkok. It leaves thirty minutes after we arrive.”
“May I have another cup of tea?”
“Sure. Drink it quickly, though. We are starting our descent.”
Misty looked at her watch. She did the math in her head.
It was ten am in Thailand.
She wondered where Daniel was, what he was doing.
All she could think about was what it felt like to touch him, what he smelled like, the taste of his bare skin on her lips.
She could not wait to look into his eyes again and get lost.
Get lost forever.
She nearly knocked over an elderly couple scrambling down the jet way.
Courtesy was taking a back seat to urgency.
She knew the gate number she needed to go to.
She spotted the sign and headed off toward the gate.
Misty noticed that large groups of people were gathered around the tvs.
Probably some terrorist bombing, she thought.
She reached Gate 122.
The sign said, “Flight Delayed”.
“Great, just great,” she muttered.
Everyone at the gate was gathered around the tv.
She walked over to see what everyone was watching.
An Australian couple was talking.
“The whole town is gone?”
“Looks like. Wiped from the map.”
“How big was the wave?”
“They’re saying over twenty feet.”
“Crikey. How many carked it?”
“Thousands. They’re all shark biscuits.”
“Where was that,” Misty asked. “Where did the wave hit?”
“Thailand, miss. The town of Phuket is no more.”
It took a second to register.
Phuket.
That’s where she was headed.
That’s where Daniel was right now.
Please God, no.
Misty strained to hear every word the news reporter was saying.
There had been a massive earthquake out to sea.
A tsunami had just struck Thailand.
Reports were sketchy, but it appeared that the devastation in Phuket was total.
The talking heads were speculating that few in the town could have survived. It just wasn’t possible.
She ran to an empty bench and tossed her luggage down.
He’s okay. He has to be, she told herself as she dialed.
She could not get through. The telephone system in Thailand was down.
She ran back to the gate.
“I have to get to Thailand,” Misty said to the man working behind the counter.
“Miss, that’s impossible at the moment. Haven’t you been watching the news?”
“That’s why I have to get there. He may need me. I can’t wait.”
“I’m very sorry. Bangkok airport is closed to all commercial air
Now he was playing with her.
It was as if they were never apart.
Not for one day, not for one moment.
He still loved her. Nothing had changed.
“Forgive me,” Misty said.
“I forgave you the moment I left your father’s house.”
“How could you, I mean what I did was unforgivable.”
“You could not know I was telling truth. Eva must have been very scared to lie like that.”
“My father threatened to deport Jose and her unless she lied.”
“Someday you must explain this to me.”
“I’ll explain on Tuesday when I see you.”
“You are coming here?”
“You did ask me to marry you, darling.”
“Misty, this is wonderful. I must find us place to stay, arrange things.”
“I love you Daniel. With all my heart and soul. I will never leave you again.”
“We shall be married. I know just the place to do so. On the beach.”
“I can’t believe it. I am so happy, my love. Tell me all about Thailand.”
They talked on the phone for hours.
They made plans.
They expressed their eternal devotion to each other.
They even named their first three children.
Only an ocean stood between them.
Happiness was just a plane ride away
CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN
“What day is it here?” Misty asked the stewardess.
“Tuesday, December twenty sixth.”
“Oh, I can’t keep it all straight. You add a day when going west?”
“Yes.”
“How soon do we land in Manila?”
“In forty minutes. You’ll have to hurry to make your connecting flight to Bangkok. It leaves thirty minutes after we arrive.”
“May I have another cup of tea?”
“Sure. Drink it quickly, though. We are starting our descent.”
Misty looked at her watch. She did the math in her head.
It was ten am in Thailand.
She wondered where Daniel was, what he was doing.
All she could think about was what it felt like to touch him, what he smelled like, the taste of his bare skin on her lips.
She could not wait to look into his eyes again and get lost.
Get lost forever.
She nearly knocked over an elderly couple scrambling down the jet way.
Courtesy was taking a back seat to urgency.
She knew the gate number she needed to go to.
She spotted the sign and headed off toward the gate.
Misty noticed that large groups of people were gathered around the tvs.
Probably some terrorist bombing, she thought.
She reached Gate 122.
The sign said, “Flight Delayed”.
“Great, just great,” she muttered.
Everyone at the gate was gathered around the tv.
She walked over to see what everyone was watching.
An Australian couple was talking.
“The whole town is gone?”
“Looks like. Wiped from the map.”
“How big was the wave?”
“They’re saying over twenty feet.”
“Crikey. How many carked it?”
“Thousands. They’re all shark biscuits.”
“Where was that,” Misty asked. “Where did the wave hit?”
“Thailand, miss. The town of Phuket is no more.”
It took a second to register.
Phuket.
That’s where she was headed.
That’s where Daniel was right now.
Please God, no.
Misty strained to hear every word the news reporter was saying.
There had been a massive earthquake out to sea.
A tsunami had just struck Thailand.
Reports were sketchy, but it appeared that the devastation in Phuket was total.
The talking heads were speculating that few in the town could have survived. It just wasn’t possible.
She ran to an empty bench and tossed her luggage down.
He’s okay. He has to be, she told herself as she dialed.
She could not get through. The telephone system in Thailand was down.
She ran back to the gate.
“I have to get to Thailand,” Misty said to the man working behind the counter.
“Miss, that’s impossible at the moment. Haven’t you been watching the news?”
“That’s why I have to get there. He may need me. I can’t wait.”
“I’m very sorry. Bangkok airport is closed to all commercial air