One Way Ticket

LOLA

"Are you sure you can take care of it for me? All of this?" I ask, standing in my home that once was full of love and laughter. My best friend Gracie is helping me sell it while I'm gone.

"Of course, Lola. Don't you worry ‘bout a thing. Although, I wish there was something I could say to convince you to stay." She lets out, gazing at me with sorrowful eyes.

"Please, Gracie, don't make this harder than it already is." My own gaze hopefully conveys that I'm praying she leaves my decision alone. She sighs, and I take my last glimpse around the primarily vacant space.

I never thought my life would come to this. Once upon a time, I felt happy. Life was my canvas waiting to be painted with a brush of my choosing. Air felt easier to breathe in; I felt things like love, compassion, and courage. I loved where my life was leading. Now, all I feel is sadness, grief and regret. The things that once made me love living in this crazy world have vanished in the blink of an eye. I'm done feeling this way.

"I completely understand your reasons, Lola. I'm just going to miss you so much. We've been practically inseparable our entire lives. What am I going to do without you?" She pulls me in for a hug, sniffling on my shoulder.

"You have Joe, Gracie. I'm sure you'll be just fine without me. Besides, the world is full of so much new technology these days. We'll be able to video chat whenever. It'll be like I never left."

Gracie tries to force a smile on her pale face, bringing in the realization that this is the part I was dreading the most. It doesn't take me much to turn into a blubbering mess these days.

"Let me know when you’ve arrived so I can stop worrying about you."

"I will. Thank you again for everything, Gracie. I love you."

"I love you too, Lola bean." A slight smirk makes the corners of my mouth upturn, recalling how she used to call me that when we were kids. Still to this day, she uses it when things get emotional in our conversations. In a way, I sort of love it. It's a reminder that life was once simple. I could smile and laugh about things effortlessly. I was grateful for the mediocre things in life, a roof over my head, friends, family and a promising career. But that's the crazy thing about life; your story can rewrite itself over and over. Leaving you in a cyclone full of despair and an unknown future…

"Alright. I better go before I change my mind." Picking up my bags, I take a few steps towards the door.

"Safe travels, babe. And make sure you get a window seat. I don't need to remind you about my last awful flight experience."

"I will, Gracie. I'll call you as soon as I arrive." Grabbing onto her hands, tears threaten to fall from my already bloodshot eyes like the inescapable dam my life has become. Reaching for the door handle, wiping the stray tear, I swivel back for one final view. Smiling at all the happy memories playing in my head like a highlighted movie reel of my prosperity. The joy shortly withers as the pain comes roaring back at me like a lion, loud and fierce. My heart aches just thinking about him. I wish I could see him, feel his touch deep in his embrace. He always knew the right thing to do… I don't know how I'm going to go on without him.

"Hey babe, are you sure we should go out there today? It looks like it's going to storm later."

"You're always such a worrywart, Lola. Where's my adventurous girl?" Grant steps towards me, placing his hands on my hips.

"I'm still here. I'm just a little nervous when it involves large bodies of water and myself. You know they've always freaked me out."

"I know, I'll be right there with you, Sweet Girl. Don't worry so much."

"You’re always in the zone when you're on the water. You know I can't help but become a panicked mess thinking about it." He chuckles, placing a sweet kiss on my lips to calm my nerves.

Grant and I have been together since we were in tenth grade. Both of us turning twenty-five last month has us closing in on ten years together. He's my high school sweetheart. My world. My future and my everything. He sees me for who I am, without hesitation or thought. I never have to feel alone because he's always right there, reminding me just how strong I am.

Losing both my parents when I was eighteen years old to a car accident, I need all the strength I can find these days. The roads were icy the night of their accident and another vehicle had approached the intersection they were at. Before they knew it, they collided with each other. Both parties involved were dead on the scene. I tried to reach out to any relatives of the other couple involved because the police had told me they had a son, but he was M.I.A. at the time. I never found him.

Grant was there for me every step of the way. He was my light in the deepest, darkest place I’ve ever been in my life. Him and I had plans to move to California for college. It was always a dream of mine to go to Harvard Law School. It was also my parents’ dream to see me get there. My father was the best lawyer on this side of Montana, and I was more than confident that I’d follow right in his footsteps. But that dream was shattered the day I lost them forever. So we stayed in our hometown of Billings. With Grant by my side, I eventually felt like things were going to be okay. I made peace with my parents' sudden deaths and I had my future with Grant to look forward to.

Kissing his soft lips a few more times, he pulls back from me. Clearly onto my plan of distraction. "If you keep kissing me like that, Lola, we're never going to get out of here."

"I'll accept your challenge," I smirk, crashing my lips onto his, sliding my hands up his shirt. "Mmm..." I groan, hoping the sound incites him to forget about this trip and he’ll take me to bed instead.

"You're not helping, Lola. Come on; we have plenty of time for that later, I promise." He grabs my hand, tugging me towards the door.

"Fine, but you owe me!" I let out, giving in to his impatience.

Grant rented a sailboat for the two of us this weekend. It's always been his dream to sail the ocean, like George Mendonsa. If he had one wish granted, that would most definitely be it. Grant lives and breathes for the scenery of open water. He always says that life is like the ocean. It can be calm or still and rough or rigid, but it's always beautiful.

We're headed to Flathead Lake, which is about an hour from Glacier National Park. We thought it would be fun to camp it out and cruise around the lake for the weekend. Well, Grant thought it would be fun. I'm just happy to spend any alone time with him. We both have busy careers, me a veterinarian and him a Project Manager for Western Ecosystems Technology. Our jobs are both extremely demanding of our time.

"We're all packed and ready to go. Let's hit the road, Baby!" Grant taps the trunk of our Jeep Renegade like it's a snare drum.

"Settle down there, Sailor." I tease him. Grant's like a kid on Christmas morning when it comes to sailing.

Jumping into the car, we make our way to the lake. We've decided to go sailing right away, well I did; Grant is a little less paranoid than I am. The radar showed some nasty weather headed this way later this afternoon, so I just wanted to ensure we were out of there before it hits.

An hour and some odd minutes later, we pull up to the lake and get the sailboat on the water. "This is so beautiful, babe. I'm so glad we did this!" I announce as the sun rays hit my face, bringing in a beam of relaxation and refreshment. I soak in its glow.

"See! I knew you'd appreciate it once we got out here, Lola. There's nothing like the big open-air to help settle rising nerves in the pit of your stomach."

Looking at him, completely bewildered, I ask, "What could you possibly be worried about, Grant? You live for this sort of thing. Are you feeling okay?"

He ties up the rope and lowers himself in front of me, kneeling.

"Oh my God! Grant! What are you doing?" I shriek, my hand flying to cover my mouth.

"Sweetheart, Lola..." He clears his throat and wipes the sweat from his forehead. "We've been through so much together. Despite everything life has thrown our way, there's always been one steady thing that's as crystal clear as this beautiful lake surrounding us today. And that's you." My eyes gloss over, listening to his beautiful speech.

"You've always been my anchor in this whirlwind storm of a life we have, Lola. It hasn't always been easy, but there's no one else on this Earth that I would rather have by my side through it all. You've loved me unconditionally and never once made me question that. You would make me the luckiest man in the world if you would accept this ring and become my wife. Will you marry me?"

He pulls out a black velvet box, and my heart flips. This man means everything to me. Feeling like my heart might combust at any given moment, I sob, waving my hands to try and soothe the tears. "Yes! Yes! A thousand times yes, Grant!" His eyes light up, and he fuses his lips with mine in a sweet kiss, pulling me close. Breaking apart, beaming like the sun illuminating the sky on a cloudy day, he slides the ring onto my ring finger.

"Grant, this is so beautiful! I love you." I admire the shimmer of the ring before looking back at him.

"I

love you too, Sweet Girl." He pecks my lips and we share a few more sweet kisses, basking in our newfound togetherness. Life simply can’t get any better than this!

"So, this must've been why you were so adamant about going on this trip, huh, Mister Sneaky?"

"You’d be correct. I know you always wanted a grand gesture proposal. You deserve the best and this to me, was precisely that."

"This was so perfect! I couldn't imagine it any other way." Stealing another kiss, I realize just how deep my love for this man goes. Every little thing about him makes my heart flutter and drift into euphoria.

We continued sailing the lake for about an hour. Deciding to take a dip in the water, I lift my arms, taking off my sundress. Catching Grant eyeing me, I shake my hair out from my ponytail, purposely letting

him stare a little longer.

"Damn!" He mutters under his breath, rubbing his fingers across his stubbled chin.

"You like what you see, Sailor?" I ask him, slowly stepping closer to him.

“Always. You're like a fine wine, Lola. You only get more sensational with age.”

Beaming from his earnest gaze, I ask, "Care to join me for a swim?" Grant quickly ties up the ropes stripping his clothing in record time. He runs, jumping into the water, splashing me in the process.

"Ah!" I shout, feeling the cold lake coat my body.

"Get that sexy ass in here already!" He hollers. Giggling, I plunge head first into the water. Grant swims up next to me and hooks his arms around my waist.

"Can I help you with something, fíancé?" Grabbing

my hand, he sets it over his throbbing cock.

"You could help me with this..." His lips feather down my neck, coercing me to throw my head back in pleasure. Our lips eagerly find one another; every massage back and forth makes my need to be intimate crash into me like the waves pushing us up against the boat.

Wrapping my legs around his waist, I arch my back feeling his hard cock jab into my center. Grant's kisses resume down my neck. Plucking out one of my breasts from my swim top he lathers his tongue around my pink rosy bud, flicking it around and then biting down. "Mmm...That feels so good, Baby."

Feeling his lips curve into a smile against my breast, I lean my head back against the boat. Closing my eyes, taking in the satisfaction as he continues to ravage my body. One of his deft hands slides down my stomach and underneath my swim bottoms, his fingers brushing over my thirsty lips makes me open my eyes and moan

, "Oh my God! Grant!"

"Somebody's hungry. I'm just getting started, Sweet Girl..."

"No! Look!" I shout, pointing behind us. Grant swivels to see that the sky has suddenly gotten dark. You would hardly be able to tell it's early afternoon; it's so black all of a sudden.



"Oh fuck!" Grant yells.

Grant quickly swims over to get back on the boat, pulling me up. Setting our course back to shore, I take notice of the rapid change in the water. We're on the far side of the lake, away from the docking area, so it's a little nerve-wracking with the wind picking up. The waves crashing into the boat make it hard to steer in the right direction.

"Grant, I'm scared..." A rush of terror washes over me, causing my lips to quiver.

"It'll be okay, Sweet Girl. We can make it." Grant

tri

es to reassure me.

Suddenly a huge wave comes at us, tipping the sailboat over, swallowing us whole.

Clawing my way to the surface, I bring my head above water, fighting for air as the waves continue to crash into me, I cough out bouts of water. Trying to catch my breath and control the panic settling in my soul, another tide takes me under. Frantically pushing myself back to the top, I search for any sign of Grant. My fogged gaze caused me to rub my eyes and shout out for him, “GRANT!”

Unexpectedly another wave hits me from behind, devouring my body underneath its monstrous surge.

Wiping my eyes, I board the plane, finding my seat near the middle of the airplane cabin. Setting my carry-on in the overhead compartment, I take my seat, gazing out the window at the big blue sky. My emotions feeding off the grief realizing that this is the final moment. The dreadful step I need to take to move on with my life.

Twisting my engagement ring on my finger as the tears stream down my cheeks, remembering the pain from that day like it happened yesterday instead of three months ago, I’ve realized that I need a fresh start. Pretending that Grant is just going to walk through the door after being on an extended business trip is not how I want to live my life anymore. So, I'm moving to New Zealand. It was always a dream of ours to go visit. I have an aunt who runs a veterinary clinic there and she's been begging me to come and see her. Being in the practice myself and loving it, I figured what better time than now when I'm wanting a drastic life change.

Being a veterinarian for five years now, it's obvious that my love for animals runs deep. I just never thought it was in the cards for me to make a career out of it. Grant always talked about going sailing on the shores of New Zealand. They have some of the best waters in the world, he always said. What better way to honor the man I love than living out his dream and making it my own.

My thoughts are suddenly interrupted by a man's thick voice. "Is this seat taken?"

Glancing up at him, I wonder why he's asking me instead of just taking it. Looking at the seat next to me, I realize I left my purse and jacket on it. "Oh sorry..." Removing my belongings, I set them by my feet and gaze back out the window.

"Thanks. I'm Laedon by the way." He sits down as I look back at him, extending his hand. "If we're going to be plane mates for this extended flight, we should be properly introduced."

My eyes bounce from his gaze to his hand not wanting to continue this conversation. But in the spirit of new beginnings, I oblige and shake his hand. "It's nice to meet you, Laedon."

"And your name?" Laedon implores, my hand still fused in his.

"I'm Lola." Retracting my hand, I flash Laedon a friendly smirk.

"That's a great name. I had a dog named Lola when I was younger tha..."

Eager to continue my reflections in silence, I interrupt him. "Listen Laedon, I don't want to sound rude, but I'm more of a quiet flier, so if you wouldn't mind?"

"Right, I'm sorry. Flights always make me nervous. I tend to babble."

"It's fine." Laedon smiles and pulls out his laptop. Grabbing my earbuds, I press them into my ears and let the soothing sounds of Dan & Shay alleviate my suffering. Or at least they try to. Relaxing my head against the cushion, I close my eyes, focusing on the words to help keep the tears at bay.

Trying to concentrate on anything but the ache in my chest seems foolish. Why did I get to live and he didn't? It's not fair. I'll never forgive myself for agreeing to go on that trip. A trip that completely pulverized any prosperity that I had left of my life.