Chapter 27 Gabe
Gabe mechanically went through security, then he mechanically found his gate. He plopped into a seat and sighed, the sigh of a man who had missed the opportunity of his life.
Originally, he had thought Egypt was the opportunity of his life. He loved archeology. It was as much a part of him as breathing, or his dog, or even substitute teaching, of all things.
But Egypt wasn’t Avery. Regret settled into his chest as he played over the many, many times he could have told her how he felt. At the school. At her house. At the library. In the car. In the airport. What had held him back?
His own cowardice. And he called himself Indiana Jones. Would Indiana Jones let a girl slip through his fingers? Maybe not. But Indiana Jones wasn’t exactly the best person to emulate when it came to women. Adventure and treasure? Yes. Women? No.
For so long Gabe had sought out anyone, anywhere to fill the void. To be the connection he needed. All the while, he hadn’t found the right person. He knew that now. Except he had let her go.
He looked up, double checking his gate with his tickets. Yes, he was in the right place. There were two stops before he’d reach Cairo, the first in Washington, DC, then Frankfurt. It would be a long day of travel.
What time was it in Austria? He hadn’t called his parents to officially thank them for their generosity. He fiddled with his phone, tapping around apps hoping to calm his nerves. Who cared what time it was, he couldn’t sit here stewing about Avery. He had to talk to someone. He already knew what Claire would say. Doreen wouldn’t be at the school until when? Maybe soon. But he felt like he owed his parents more honesty. If Claire had taught him anything, it was to be there for the ones you love.
“Hey mom. Oh, hey Dad. Yeah, I’m about to take off for Egypt. Crazy right? I wanted to tell you both how much I appreciate your help. I know we haven’t been in touch, but you guys have always come through for my passion in archeology, and I want to say how thankful I am for that.”
His parents said it was nothing, they wanted to see him happy. “Ever since you saw your first Indiana Jones movie, you were hooked,” his mom said.
Gabe smiled. “I’m bringing the hat you guys got me for Christmas. I’ll put it on as soon as I land.” He paused, taking a deep breath and rubbing the back of his head, wishing he could settle his fidgety legs by pacing the entire terminal, but that would be awkward with his carry-on.
An announcement came over the loudspeaker at his gate. “Flight number 7549 to Washington, D.C. has been delayed by about forty-five minutes.”
Gabe ignored the announcement. “Can I talk to you guys about something else really important?” Getting the words out proved difficult. He was nearly thirty years old and wasn’t used to coming to his parents for things like this. But he was desperate.
“I sort of… well.” He sighed then closed his eyes. “I fell in love with someone, but I didn’t tell her. She dropped me off at the airport, and we left as friends. I don’t know what to do. I can’t forget about her. But I’m leaving.”
Silence on the other end, to the point that Gabe worried their connection had been lost. Had he made a mistake in telling them?
His dad finally replied, “You know we support whatever you do, Gabe. You tend to love easily. But you also are used to leaving people behind. What’s special about this one?”
Gabe tightened his eyes, the fatherly advice he had longed to hear coming through. The kind of stuff he should have asked for all his life. “Everything, Dad. Avery is beautiful, thoughtful, caring, smart, she laughs at my jokes.” he could keep going forever, making an infinity list.
“You really do love her,” his mom said.
“Does she love you?” his dad asked.
Gabe rubbed the back of his neck as it prickled with uncertainty, more people shuffling around him and trying to find places to sit at the gate. Did Avery love Gabe? That was the question he wanted the answer to more than anything. “I don’t know.”
The way she talked to him, laughed with him, helped him, hugged him, kissed him, he couldn’t deny she at least liked him. But love?
“You’d better find out, dear. Otherwise, you’re going to spend your whole trip wondering,” his mom said.
“If you want something, or someone, you gotta go for it, son,” his dad added.
Gabe nodded. They were right. Yes, if he wanted Avery, what was he waiting for? He shouldn’t let a short-term trip stand in the way. He could figure it out. Make it work. He was a substitute teacher, wasn’t he? Gabe had figured out the days with no sub plans, classroom full of chaotic teenagers, and somehow made it all work.
Avery was worth it. Even if she didn’t love him, he had to know. And if she did love him, his heart needed it.
“Thanks, Mom. Thanks, Dad. Can I call you when I get to Egypt?”
“Of course. Call us anytime,” his mom said.
“We’ll be closer to your time zone,” his dad added.
Gabe ended the call and noticed the flight to D.C. had been delayed. Again. It wasn’t going to take off for another hour and a half. Would that give him enough time to change planes in D.C.? Gabe tapped the airline app and looked at the new arrival time along with the departure time. It would be close. Plus he would be going international, so that would take up more time.
An alert popped up on his phone. The flight from D.C. to Frankfurt was delayed, too. What was going on?
Gabe headed to the counter and got in line behind about 10 people, who were likely also concerned about their connecting flights. The general hum of noise in the airport had risen, people at the gate pointing at the departure display and checking their phones, clearly annoyed and concerned.
A ping came to Gabe’s phone. A text from Avery. His heart leapt. But then he was immediately distracted.
The attendant talked into the P.A: “Announcement. Unfortunately, due to a bad storm in Washington D.C., flight 7549 has been canceled.”
A collective groan sounded across the entire gate, Gabe more surprised about the cancellation than anything, like he was observing this fiasco play out in front of him. His phone pinged again. Now the flight from D.C. to Frankfurt was canceled. Gabe frowned. Great. This was going to be a hassle to figure out. He texted his professor, and who knew if he was even awake right now in Egypt. All around him, people frantically left, made phone calls, all the stuff expected when plans quickly change.
Gabe realized he didn’t share their franticness. Disappointment? Sure. He was anxious to get to Egypt and get started already. But the more he looked around, the more he realized these canceled flights, the big storm in D.C., were blessings in disguise. A few people in line in front of Gabe left, and when Gabe reached the attendant, the woman was furiously typing and answering the phone. She finally looked up at him. “Can I help you?”
A smile formed on Gabe’s face. “I want to say thank you,” he said breathlessly.
The woman raised an eyebrow. “For what?”
“For making me do what I should have done a long time ago. I’m going to go tell Avery I love her.”
The lady gave him a side eye then nodded, a smile emerging. “Way go, buddy. Go get the girl.”
Gabe rushed out of the gate and down the terminal, calling the high school as he raced.
“Good morning, Desert Scorpion High School. How can I help you?”
“Doreen!” Warmth filled him at the sound of her voice.
“Mr. Manwaring! I thought you were on your way to Egypt. Did Avery drop you off?”
“She did.”
“And?” Doreen held out the word.
“Uh, my flight got canceled. Bad storm in D.C. I’m guessing I’ll need to reschedule.”
“Gabe, no. I meant when Avery dropped you off, how was your goodbye?”
He navigated the chaos of people going every direction, turning from the terminal towards the exit that would take him downstairs and outside. “Our goodbye? Terrible.”
“So I hand her to you on a silver platter, and you don’t take the opportunity? Gabe!”
His mouth opened wide. “Wait, how long have you been planning out my relationship with Avery, Doreen?”
She laughed. “Wouldn’t you like to know? By the way, if you were wondering, yes, Miss Williams is subbing today. In art class.”
Immediately, he imagined her picking up a sub binder and welcoming students into class. If he had stayed, he might be subbing next door, figuring out ways to pop in and talk to her all day.
“Gabe? You there?”
He shook his head. “Yeah, here.” Gabe rounded the corner and exited past security, realizing he’d have to figure out his luggage, but if he got a flight later today or even one tomorrow, he figured it would be fine to come early and grab the luggage then.
What mattered now was what he was going to do next.
“I need your help, Doreen. I’ll call you when I pull up to the school. Say 30 minutes?”
His heart pumped as he raced, partially from moving quickly but mostly from what he was about to do. Was it crazy? Yeah, it was.
Was Avery worth it? Definitely.
Quickly he tapped through his phone, pulling up a ride share app and setting his destination for the school, then headed outside.
His phone pinged again. Another text from Avery. Oh! He practically floated over the crosswalk towards the ride share waiting area. She had texted earlier when he was at the gate, but he was too consumed with his cancelled flights to take a look.
A third text from Avery. What was going on? Was she okay? His heart pounded is his chest. The ride share app pinged, and Gabe glanced up to find the car approaching. He threw his carry-on in the trunk and got in the backseat.
“Just getting into Phoenix?” the driver asked as he pulled away from the curb.
Gabe put his seatbelt on, a smile spreading across his face as he remembered the time Avery had taken off his seatbelt outside the medical clinic. Their cheeks had been touching, and it had taken every ounce of his self-control not to kiss her right then. Maybe he should have. So many missed opportunities since he met her. But no more. Whether Avery loved him back, he was going to take a risk and tell her.
“No, my flight was canceled,” Gabe said, giddy.
The driver peered at him from the rearview. “And you’re…excited?”
Gabe nodded. “Uh huh. You see, I didn’t take the chance to tell Avery I love her when she dropped me off. So now I’m going straight to her and tell her now.”
Navigating from the onramp to the freeway heading west, the driver nodded. “Wow. That’s great.”
Gabe looked down at his phone. Okay. Now he had two seconds to open the texts from Avery and read them. He scanned the first one… the second one… then the third one. His heart melted into a puddle onto the floor, and he sniffed back tears.
“You doing okay back there?” the driver asked.
Gabe let out the kind of laugh that results from a joy so full that it causes tears. “Yeah. More than okay. Can I read you the texts she just sent?”