I See You

A story about finding each other again. It's long, I'm sorry, but I think the end it worth the trip.

Millie stood before the bathroom mirror.

Who was she anymore?

The eyes and the wrinkles looked like her. She knew the face staring back. It was familiar, but not… her.

If she didn’t know who she was, how would the world?

Millie lingered longer than she should have.

She used to be so carefree. So wild. So bea…

“Hon! You about ready to go? I don’t want to miss my flight.”

Mark was a good man. Good. She reminded herself of that daily. More than daily.

Good was okay. Good was predictable. Good was… boring.

He was leaving for a short trip to see his aging parents.

Millie loved his parents. They were sweet and still in love. She wondered how they did it.

She wasn’t going though because as much as she loved them. She hated airplanes more. If it was a longer trip… and they were driving she would be going too.

Their house needed some repairs, and they needed help getting to and from some appointments. Mark, being the good son, was more than happy to help.

She didn’t begrudge him that. She just wished he would…

… never mind.

She held the door handle a moment, took a deep breath, then walked out with a look of faux refreshment on her face.

It was what he… expected.

He was a good man. She didn’t want to let him down.

Millie had become… predictable as well.

She drove. They didn’t talk much on the way. Reminders about flight numbers and times. Which restaurant in the terminal had the fries he liked. Making sure he packed antacid for his heartburn.

A song came on the radio that played at their wedding.

The Promise by When in Rome.

Millie knew the words by heart but did not sing along.

Neither did Mark, although he tapped the rhythm on his knee.

The song hadn’t felt right in a long time.

When Millie stopped the car, she didn’t know whether to get out or not. Mark only had a carry-on and needed no help.

She put the car in park but left it running.

At the curb there was an awkward moment. He leaned in to kiss her cheek, but she leaned in for a hug. They bumped heads instead.

“Sorry,” he said.

“It’s okay,” she said back.

It wasn’t okay.

“Be safe. Let me know when you land.”

Mark blew a kiss, then turned around and vanished behind the automatic doors.

She caught a glimpse of herself in the rearview mirror before pulling out.

Who was she anymore?

She turned the radio up on the way home. The volume did nothing to fill the hole left by the empty seat beside her.

This wasn’t the first time Mark had left her to visit his parents. He was a good man.

Why did something good feel so lonely?

His flight was supposed to land at 7:34 PM.

Millie opened her phone, for the tenth time.

7:36 PM.

She didn’t know if she was more worried or bored or lonely.

Probably all three.

Laid out on the sofa in a shirt that used to be Mark’s, Millie skipped dinner and went straight to a pint of Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate Fudge Brownie.

Some of the ice cream had fallen onto the MTV logo on the shirt. It wasn’t the first time.

What was she going to do with herself while he was away?

The screen on her phone went dark.

Millie caught a glimpse of her reflection staring back.

Who was she anymore?

Her phone buzzed and her face on the screen vanished as a text message came in.

Unknown number.

Maybe something happened to Mark’s phone. It wouldn’t have surprised her if it had.

She opened the text.

Unknown number: Hey Susan. Are we still meeting for lunch tomorrow at the club?

Wrong number.

Millie: sorry. I think you have the wrong number

She was about to delete it when another text came in.

Mark: landed. finished thirty-two levels of my word search game.

The wrong number texted again. Millie ignored it and replied to Mark.

Millie: k say hi to yr mom and dad for me

Mark: …

He was taking a long time, so she went back to the wrong number to delete it.

Unknown number: sorry. this isnt Susan?

Millie: no wrong number sorry

Unknown number: oh sorry to bother you i hope you don’t mind this is the number she gave me

Millie: it’s okay i hope you find your friend

Mark still hadn’t replied.

Unknown number: i hope I didn’t interrupt your evening im heather

Millie looked around.

Interrupt what?

She was alone. She had fudge ice cream running down her chin.

Why not chat back? Just to pass the time.

She knew it was probably some sort of scam, but Millie would cut Heather or whoever she really was off before anything happened.

Mark’s text finally came through.

Mark: … rental car. Yes a sedan. An upgrade. If you say so….

It went on and on like that. He must have accidentally set his phone to voice-to-text.

It wasn’t the first time.

Millie sighed and went back to the wrong number.

Unknown number: what’s your name

Millie hesitated.

She knew she shouldn’t.

She texted back anyway.

Millie: millie

Mark didn’t text back for the rest of the night. Millie hadn’t expected him to. The drive to his parent’s house was long and it would be late when he got there.

The unknown number did text back.

Millie and Heather texted back and forth all night.

Millie changed the name in the text chat.

They talked about travel.

Millie: never been to france

Heather: you should u would love it

And they talked about music.

Heather: I love smooth jazz don’t u?

Millie: actually no not at all I like 80s

Their conversation roamed from dream jobs to favorite foods to hobbies.

Millie was careful not to give away any actual personal information. It was a fun chat and she found herself looking forward to each new message as it came, but she still did not trust Heather.

Then at 2:46 AM…

Heather: u still awake

Millie: i am

Heather: can I ask u something

Millie: ok

Millie braced herself. What’s your bank account number? Social Security Number? Date of Birth?

The real question surprised her.

Heather: if you had one wish what would it be

The time on her phone was 12:04 PM when Millie woke up the next… afternoon.

She didn’t remember going to sleep. At least she was in her bed.

Something felt strange. Millie didn’t sleep in the nude. She hadn’t done that since… well, it had been a while.

She rolled out of bed only to find she wasn’t naked at all. Mark’s MTV shirt was still on, but it hung very loosely on her.

What had she done last night to stretch it out so much?

She stumbled to the bathroom with her eyes almost closed.

She flopped onto the toilet seat. It felt… firmer… than she was expecting. Maybe a bit bigger too. Her bottom didn’t seem to fit on it like it normally did.

She wiped when she was finished. Even that felt… off.

Millie vowed never to have late night Ben & Jerry’s ever again.

She got to the sink to wash her hands.

They looked… different. Smooth.

Her head shot up to the mirror.

Surely it was a dream. That’s what was happening.

Millie pinched herself.

The face in the mirror winced.

The young face in the mirror.

It was a face she knew… from her past.

But how?

Heather!

She grabbed her phone, looking for the text messages from the night before.

There was nothing there. The only recent messages were from her husband.

What the heck?!?

Millie went back to the bathroom, curious to see the reflection again.

She made faces. She poked her cheeks. She recited the alphabet backwards. She hopped up and down on one foot.

Everything she tried, the young her in the mirror did right back at her.

The hopping. Oh. That was different.

She pulled the collar of her shirt wide and looked inside.

“Oh my god! I missed you two!”

It was a silly thing to say and Millie realized it right away. Her breasts had never left… they had just gotten… yeah… never mind.

She looked… oh wow… like her wedding photos.

Millie was thrilled... at first.

She was young again!

Who wouldn’t wish for that?

No joint aches.

No sore muscles.

She could bend over and touch her toes again!

She put on some music. 80s. First song in the queue. Kim Wilde – Kids in America.

Millie danced in the mirror, spinning and smiling, belting out the lyrics into her hairbrush.

She hadn’t danced in years. No, decades.

She laughed.

Out loud.

It felt so good to not ache again!

And then Millie took a shower. What happened in the shower will stay in the shower and as long as the shampoo bottle doesn’t talk, everything will be fine.

Later, when she went to get dressed, that’s when reality set in.

Her panties fell right back to the floor the moment she pulled them up.

Was she really that much… smaller?

The scale!

She skipped to the bathroom to look.

Yes, skipped.

Oh. She was way, way smaller.

Millie needed to go shopping. She needed clothes that would fit this new her.

That was money she hadn’t planned on spending, but it was an emergency, right? Mark would understand.

Wait.

Mark.

No. First things first. Find some clothes. Worry about Mark later.

Millie had no choice but to go… what did Mark call it… commando.

None of her skirts or capri pants would stay on so she put a dress on. The green floral print had been one of her favorites.

Now it looked like an ugly pillowcase on her.

She sighed.

Looking cute would have to wait.

Millie was nothing, if not sensible.

Before heading out, she checked the fridge and the cabinets and left armed with a hastily scrawled list of groceries.

Why waste the trip buying only clothes.

One last addition, scribbled at the bottom of the list, was a bottle of wine.

After what happened to her, she was going to need a drink to process everything.

She would think on that.

Millie knew her way around the store. She had been there countless times. Finding the crackers and cheese and milk was easy.

It was the clothes that gave her pause.

Should she dress her age?

Her real age?

The age she looked?

What would Mark think? Would he like to see her in something more…

She blushed at the thought.

Oh God. What would Mark think? She wasn’t the woman he married anymore. Or rather… she was the woman he married.

How would she explain this to him?

While lost in thought, staring blankly at a pair of hot pink yoga pants, a store associate asked if she needed help finding anything.

She did, but the things she needed help with weren’t in the women’s athletic wear section of the store.

Millie seriously doubted the girl that was half her age would know which aisle to find a way to make sense of everything… especially now that she looked the same age as the salesgirl. They could be… what was it… besties or something.

“No thanks. Just looking,” she said, hoping she came off like a normal human being.

“Those yoga pants would look good on you,” the sales girl said.

“Okay?” Millie said, more as a question. Without thinking she grabbed them and dropped them in the cart.

One bottle of wine wasn’t going to be enough to handle all of this.

She picked up a second bottle on the way to the front of the store.

At the register all was well until the cashier asked to see Millie’s ID.

Flattered, Millie handed it over. She hadn’t been carded in ages.

The cashier looked at the card, then up at Millie, then back at the card, then at Millie again.

“I’m afraid I can’t take this. Is this, like, your mom’s card or something?”

“Oh, for crying out loud!”

Photo by note thanun on Unsplash

Luckily, Mark had a case of beer in the fridge.

She hated beer, but they would have to do.

She was still embarrassed about the store.

How could she not be?

She got called her own mother! Or her driver’s license did at least.

That and the wine stayed at the store.

Every time she thought about it, Millie mumbled obscenities under her breath.

The salesgirl was right about the pink yoga pants. They did look good on her. Like really good.

Millie vowed to never eat Ben & Jerry’s in them.

There had been a few messages to and from Mark during the day. His parents were keeping him busy. Apparently, their fridge had a strange smell. It turned out to be something no one could identify.

Mark sent a photo.

Millie responded with the throwing up emoji.

In the evening, when the sun was just right… after downing five of Mark’s beers… Millie pulled her phone out.

She wanted to take a better look at… well… her.

Selfies? That’s what everyone does now, right?

The first one, she forgot to turn the camera around so it’s a gloriously blurred shot of the ottoman.

The second one she gets right.

She’s not satisfied so she takes another, then another and another after that.

She puffs her lips out.

“Do people really do this…”

She pouts.

“.. for fun?”

She blows a kiss.

“I just don’t…”

She raises the phone and leans her head back.

“The appeal…”

Oh.

Oh my.

That one’s really good.

Like wow good.

“Damn girl. I’m frucking hot!”

Millie cursed whenever she drank.

She hadn’t drunk in years.

It showed.

She stared at the image. It was hypnotic in a way.

Was that really her?

You know who would love it?

Mark!

He’d think she was so hot.

He’d want to…

Millie’s freshly painted fingernail, bright pink like the yoga pants, hovered over the send button.

No.

He couldn’t see her like this.

What was she going to do about Mark?

Millie put the phone face down on the coffee table and pushed it away.

What good was being young and pretty…

… and she was pretty…

… the selfie said so…

… if she couldn’t share it with her husband?

She sat in silence. Sad. Afraid. Confused.

Twilight became night.

She picked the phone up again and turned the camera on herself again.

Fuck me. I’m even pretty when I’m sad!

She contemplated her smooth skin… her messy hair… her lips…

Did that young face want another beer?

Mark wouldn’t mind, right?

The phone buzzed.

Mark was texting.

It scared her so much she dropped the phone.

Mark: hey. mom and dad went to bed already. you up?

Millie stared at the screen. Oh good. He didn’t know about the beer.

Why did she feel like a teenager stealing her dad’s bee….

She would not let herself finish that thought. It was far too uncomfortable.

Millie: im up

Mark: miss you.

Did he? Seemed like the predictable thing to say.

Millie: yeah?

Mark: of course i do. dont believe me? 😊

She wasn’t sure she did. He hardly noticed her when he was home. Why would this be any different?

Millie: k

The next text from Mark was a selfie. He had a flower in his hand.

Mark: i plucked this from mom and dads garden. sssshhhh. thought youd like it

It was a nice camelia. He had a big, stupid grin on his big, stupid face.

She missed him.

His big, stupid face was rather handsome.

That was the beer talking, wasn’t it?

The beer.

Oh no.

His beer.

Oh. Oh God, the beer.

Her head…

…spinning…

…her stomach…

Millie dropped the phone and ran to the bathroom…

…where she threw up…

…and passed out in front of the toilet.

She pulled herself up by the rim of the toilet.

She had forgotten how awful having a hangover was.

Maybe the beer wasn’t the best idea.

Just the thought of beer made her gag a little.

On wobbly legs she pulled herself up to see the damage in the mirror.

Well, she was still young,

Millie wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not.

There were lines criss-crossing her cheek from the tile floor.

She was a mess, but damn it, still pretty.

Why didn’t she remember feeling pretty when she was that young the first time?

The hot pink yoga pants had been puked on.

Dang it!

She hoped it would wash out.

Millie stumbled to the kitchen, took one look at the fridge, and changed her mind.

Instead, she dragged her feet to the living room and found her phone on the floor.

There were twenty-seven unanswered texts from Mark.

She opened up the conversation.

The first text was at 9:27 PM. The last was at 12:04 AM

Mark: i snuck one of their hydrangeas too but it fell apart

Mark: hope dad doesnt notice in the morning. said hes going to water

Mark: hopping in the shower. feel so dirty

Mark: back now

Mark: still there

Mark: i really do miss you

Mark: i know I don’t act like it

Mark: think I got a mosquito bite on my butt

Mark: dang it. it itches but i cant see it

Mark: don’t worry. i wouldn’t ask you to scratch it or anything.

Mark: guess you’re asleep. it is after 11 now.

Mark: can’t sleep. you up?

Mark: guess not

Mark: its weird being in my old room. feel like a kid again

Mark: found my old hot wheels. cant believe dad didnt throw them out. zoom zoom

Mark: lonely withut you

Mark: think im finally getting sleepy

Mark: miss you nest to ne

Mark: woke up snoring

Mark: was afraid I woke you up bot forgrt you rnt here

Mark: mss your face

Mark: do you mss meee

Mark: knock knock

Mark: whos thrre

Mark: what was I gna say

Mark: lve you

Mark: fghaihjhjfohaoiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

Millie cried. No. She sobbed.

He did love her.

She was a little bit angry too.

Where was that Mark when he was home?

Why didn’t he being her flowers when she was right there?

Why didn’t he ask her to look at the bug bit on his butt when he was he…

Oh wait. He actually had done that before.

You really have to love someone to trust them to look at a bug bite on your ass, don’t you?

Don’t you? I mean who does that?

What does that even mean.

She nearly lost her balance when she understood… or she lost her balance from the hangover… either way.

Mark did love her.

He had never stopped.

What should she do?

What should she say?

She opened the texts to respond but only got as far as “I”.

I what?

I drank your beer and threw up?

I’m glad you found your hot wheels?

I don’t need to see your butt.

Although really, she wouldn’t mind seeing that. It had been a while.

What if she just said, “I love you too”

She took a deep breath. She was going to do it.

Her thumb pressed down on the L and…

… the battery died.

Fuck!

She plugged her phone in and decided to have a shower.

Maybe she could think of what to tell him while she was in there.

She didn’t.

But she did think of him… with the shampoo bottle.

Let’s just leave the shower at that then, shall we?

She thought all morning about how best to reply to Mark.

Should she just say she loves him back?

She should, but…

At lunch time, Millie felt better. The headache was mostly gone and her appetite had returned.

She pulled a personal pizza from the freezer and was about to open the box when she caught her reflection in the microwave door.

The youthful face still surprised her.

What was she doing?

Crap food?

Oh heck no.

She would look after herself better this time around.

She went for a salad instead.

It was bland and tasteless, but at least it was healthy, right?

While grazing, she read and re-read Mark’s texts.

One question nagged at her every time she read one particular message.

That’s how she needed to respond.

Millie: did you really mean that

She stared at her phone wondering if he would reply right away.

He didn’t… which hurt.

Millie finished her salad, telling herself he was busy, that he was with his parents, that he wouldn’t have said it if he didn’t mean it.

Mark was a terrible liar. The worst. He wouldn’t have said it unless he meant it.

Then why didn’t he show it when he was home? Or ever?

She checked her phone three minutes later.

Still no reply.

As Millie put the salad bowl in the dishwasher, she told herself that she would do more than just eat better. She would start exercising too.

Her old routine… not that she was old anymore… was to walk a few times a week.

Becoming young again was complicated. How were you supposed to navigate this sort of thing? She looked young, but she really wasn’t young.

She thought her phone made a noise.

It didn’t.

Still no reply from Mark.

While it was in her hand, she turned the camera on.

She pouted. Not because she was trying to look cute… which she did anyway… but because she was genuinely perplexed.

She snapped a selfie. Her thumb must have… slipped.

Millie talked to the face on the screen.

“You’re going to do it right this time, okay? Diet. Exercise. No more waiting until tomorrow to… to be you.”

She nodded and put the phone down, but not before her thumb accidentally slipped again resulting in yet another selfie.

Millie decided she would go for a walk.

No.

Walks were for old ladies. No offense to herself, but she wasn’t old anymore.

She would actually exercise!

The puked on yoga pants were too disgusting to consider, and she hadn’t bought anything else like them at the store. She found a pair of Mark’s shorts with a drawstring. They went down to her knees. They felt ridiculous, but they would have to do.

She was dressed.

She was ready.

What was she supposed to do though?

Millie realized she didn’t know any real exercises.

While contemplating her dilemma, she checked again to see if Mark replied.

Still nothing.

With his parents, she told herself. He’s busy, she told herself. He still loves you, she told herself.

Right?

Millie wondered what young people do these days to keep fit.

Yoga maybe?

Sure. Why not?

Ummm, okay so how do you yoga?

She pulled out her phone again.

Still no Mark.

Ugh. Where was he?

Just as she was about to pull up the camera again… to talk to herself… or maybe take another selfie… not that she liked doing that now or anything… she remembered YouTube.

Mark was always on there using videos to help him fix a clogged drain or change an electrical socket.

Surely there was a video for yoga too!

There were. Thousands of them. It was a bit overwhelming.

Her thumb hovered over one called YOU’RE NEVER TOO OLD TO LEARN YOGA.

One word gave her pause. Old.

She found another that was called YOGA FOR BEGINNERS. She opened that instead.

Yoga was exhausting, but the good kind of exhausting.

Millie forgot that such a thing existed.

If there had been any lingering doubts about being young again, her newfound bendiness shooed them away very effectively.

Who knew being a pretzel would be so… not rewarding, but not-not rewarding. Educational. We’ll go with that.

Millie wanted to continue with the healthy choices and had a salad for dinner.

She couldn’t think of anything else healthy to have after discovering what a downward -facing dog was and how surprisingly good she was at it.

It had been hours and Mark still hadn’t replied.

This was not like him.

Millie was worried.

Boring, predictable Mark wouldn’t ignore her like this.

Was he okay?

Was he in a car crash?

Was he alive?

She texted him.

Millie: you there

That wasn’t enough.

Millie: worried abt you

Then she said the thing… or one of the things she had been avoiding.

Millie: miss you

She had been missing him for a long time.

A long, long time.

She didn’t want to miss him anymore.

She stared at the phone on the kitchen counter, trying to will it to buzz.

When it didn’t, she went upstairs for a shower.

She left the phone on the counter by the sink.

The shampoo bottle tried its best pick up line, “rinse and repeat”, but she wasn’t interested.

Shampoo bottle was good for a one-night stand, but she wanted something more… committed.

She wanted Mark.

Stepping out of the shower, Millie dried herself off and put a towel over her hair.

She was alone. There was no need to put on more than that.

She picked up the phone.

There were three new messages from Mark.

She hopped onto the bed and sat cross-legged against the pillows.

Mark: sorry. mom and dd took me antiquing. all day. don’t worry I didn’t buy the Civil War era washbasin. was tempting though. then we went to an all you can eat buffet. they go every saturday. the green beans were amazing. like wow

Mark: and yes. of course i meant it… dad really did keep all of my hot wheels

Mark: kidding. sorry. terrible joke. yes. of course i meant it. i love you.

That dork! He would answer like that.

He was typing another message.

Mark: miss you too.

Millie didn’t hesitate to write back. She remembered telling herself no more waiting until tomorrow.

This was her husband.

She was his wife.

Millie: you dork i was so worried glad youre ok.

Mark: saw my texts from last night. was lonely. did you fall asleep early or something?

Millie: about that…

Mark: what happened?

Millie: well I had some of your beer you see...

She explained about having the beers, but not why she had the beers. Mark was very understanding.

The conversation flowed from there. They talked more than they had in years.

Mark said his father did notice the missing hydrangea but blamed the neighbor’s dog.

Millie: didnt that dog die years ago

Mark: yeah. i kept my mouth shut when he said that

Millie: good youre a terrible liar

Mark: i am not

Millie: you just did it right there

Mark: fine. maybe i am

They talked about the all you can eat buffet.

Mark: I ate five whole plates

Millie: liar

Mark: fine. four and an ice crem cone.

They talked about wanting to see that new superhero movie that just came out. If Millie didn’t know any better, it sounded like a date. Mark even proposed having dinner out.

They talked about their beds feeling empty without the other.

Millie took the towel off of her hair and threw it aside.

Mark: …

Millie watched as Mark had been typing for a while.

Finally, a photo of Mark came through. He was lying in bed next to one of his hot wheels.

Mark: youd be way more fun to have here than the car for sure

Millie: oh yeah better than a toy

Mark: much better. youre more fun to play with too

Millie: wait where is your other hand

She knew where it was.

Mark with his stupid handsome face maybe wasn’t so predictable after all.

Her hand wandered down as well.

Oh. Oh my. She was… lets say excited.

Mark: oh i thik yu know whre it is

Millie: are you typing with one hand

Mark: ys. nt easty

Millie was typing with one hand as well, but having a better time at it

Millie: like that

Mark: u too

Millie: mmmhmmm

Mark: …

It was taking a while to send this one. Millie scrolled back up to look at the picture with the hot wheel. She zoomed in to those brown eyes. She loved his eyes.

Mmmm. Oh. She REALLY loved those eyes.

His text finally came.

It was another picture. He was shirtless, laying in his childhood bed, phone in one hand while the other went beyond the bottom frame of the picture.

Mark: can i see your face

Well shit!

Millie was still cursing herself the next morning.

She hadn’t slept… or if she had it couldn’t have been more than half an hour.

How was she going to explain to Mark why she… what was it called… ghosted him in the middle of their… fun last night?

What could she do though?

He wanted to see her face.

HER FACE!

Her beautiful, young stupid face.

It was time to drive to the airport to pick him up.

She stared into the bathroom mirror, dressed in a brand new outfit, in a brand new body, wondering how best to tell her husband that while he was away she woke up one morning half as old as she should be.

She picked up her phone and took a selfie.

It was becoming a nervous habit.

She had taken seventy-four since getting out of bed… and thirty-eight while she was still in bed.

Doing it didn’t make her feel any better.

“Who are you?” She said to the reflection. “That’s what he’s going to say when he sees you.”

Millie took one more selfie. This one was… important.

She sent a very short text message to Mark, who was in the air, probably playing his word search game again.

At the airport, she had a posterboard with “MARK” written on one side. The other side said, “I promise it’s me”.

She made a quick stop at a craft store on the way.

Millie waited at the bottom of the escalator, watching the arrivals board.

His flight landed on time.

Her stomach was in knots. She felt like she was going to poop, not throw up, which was weird. Maybe it was all the salad the day before?

She looked at her phone. Seven minutes had passed. He hadn’t texted. He hadn’t come down the escalator.

Where was he?

Was he mad?

Was he confused about the text message before she left?

She opened her phone to look, doubting herself.

It was the last selfie she took with the words, “promise u wont be mad” beneath it.

Wait. It was him… his name… he was texting back!

Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit.

Millie couldn’t look away from the three dots next to his name.

A message appeared

Mark: who’s she

Then another message.

Mark: wait. is that an old pic of you?

Then one more.

Mark: but thats our bathroom. i don’t get it.

Millie swallowed hard. She texted him back.

Millie: just come. please.

Mark: okay. need to pee though. like bad. about to explode.

She could use a bathroom herself. She really did feel like she needed to go, but she refused to miss him coming down that escalator.

Millie stood her ground… clenching.

Music had been playing in the background. She had been ignoring it. She had more important things to worry about.

That all changed with a few piano notes that Millie knew all too well.

It was their song.

The Promise.

Mark’s shoes appeared at the top of the escalator.

Red Converse All-Stars. There was a hole near the tip of both shoes, but he said they were his lucky flying shoes.

He only said that because Millie gave them to him. He promised they would always keep him safe when he flew.

They had never let him down. Or Millie.

She looked right at him.

He scanned the terminal, then saw her.

He looked confused at first.

She pleaded with her eyes for him to recognize her.

He didn’t say a word.

He leaned in close. He looked at Millie, then at the sign, and then at Millie again, squinting.

“Millie?”

She turned the sign over.

Mark read it, then looked up into her eyes again.

He pushed the sign aside, leaned in and kissed her gently on the cheek.

“There you are. I see you.”

They walk hand in hand to the car. They haven’t held hands in years.

Mark’s phone buzzes.

He pulls it from his pocket to see who it is.

“Weird,” he tells Millie. “Wrong number. They’re looking for someone named Susan.”