08-16-2018, 01:20 AM
His first sight of the States were the spires of New York City. The plane glided into the airspace of JFK, but the airport was faded and aged. The city itself was darker. The spires lost their gleam. The buildings slathered with graffiti. The pride drained away. Maybe the contrast was all the sharper coming fresh from Moscow. The airport was no better.
They passed the plastic drapes and barricades of a recently closed terminal on the way to their next flight. The floors were old. The architecture of the once-famous landmark was outdated. Customs halted them only a few moments longer than others in the line, but those moments were infinite. Jay cast a diffusing smile at the woman behind the counter, enough that it distracted her from whatever she studied on the screen, then she shrugged, laid the stamps and returned his identity tags.
He breathed a sigh of relief.
The flight to Des Moines was only a few hours duration. The plane was half occupied, which made the few faces on board all the more heavily studied by Jay. The cost of fuel was outrageous the past few years. National travel was greatly diminished as a result. These people had to be wealthy, but none stood out. He didn't even bother to put his bag in an overhead bin this time, rather he dumped it in an empty seat, sank into one near Natalie, and rubbed his eyes. The remnants of a breakfast was wadded up and deposited in a trash receptacle.
Almost there. He thought, knee bouncing rhythmically as his foot tapped itself. He checked his wallet. Then fidgeted with the papers in the seatback. Fiddled with the fuzzy entertainment screen. Opened and lowered the window shade. Stretched. Looked around again. Then he scrubbed his hair, tapped fingers, and started the routine over again. Somehow, the pacing soothed the choppy waves in his gut.
They passed the plastic drapes and barricades of a recently closed terminal on the way to their next flight. The floors were old. The architecture of the once-famous landmark was outdated. Customs halted them only a few moments longer than others in the line, but those moments were infinite. Jay cast a diffusing smile at the woman behind the counter, enough that it distracted her from whatever she studied on the screen, then she shrugged, laid the stamps and returned his identity tags.
He breathed a sigh of relief.
The flight to Des Moines was only a few hours duration. The plane was half occupied, which made the few faces on board all the more heavily studied by Jay. The cost of fuel was outrageous the past few years. National travel was greatly diminished as a result. These people had to be wealthy, but none stood out. He didn't even bother to put his bag in an overhead bin this time, rather he dumped it in an empty seat, sank into one near Natalie, and rubbed his eyes. The remnants of a breakfast was wadded up and deposited in a trash receptacle.
Almost there. He thought, knee bouncing rhythmically as his foot tapped itself. He checked his wallet. Then fidgeted with the papers in the seatback. Fiddled with the fuzzy entertainment screen. Opened and lowered the window shade. Stretched. Looked around again. Then he scrubbed his hair, tapped fingers, and started the routine over again. Somehow, the pacing soothed the choppy waves in his gut.
Only darkness shows you the light.