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We sit together on the airplane.
We are on our way to Paris—our stopover before heading to Cape Town. Jared and I swop places so that he is sitting in the aisle, because his long legs looked cramped sitting in the middle seat. Aaron is sitting next to the window.
My mum and Sean were so accommodating when I asked them if Jared and Aaron could go with. I, of course, had to tell them the whole sordid story of how their parents were planning on leaving them home alone for Christmas. They upgraded our holiday accommodation to a three-bedroom self-catering house and their only condition was that Jared and Aaron pay their own airfare.
As the airplane ferries down the runway, I think back to the last time I was on an airplane, and how much happier I am now. The last time I was praying for a miracle to keep me in South Africa, not knowing that sometimes, even though life might knock a person off their feet, things happen for a reason. Everyone’s life has a natural progression toward its predestined greatness.
Jared puts his hand over mine as I grip the armrest. I feel the power of the engines vibrate through me as the airplane speeds down the runway. Turning my face to look at him, he already has his face turned toward me, smiling that crooked smile.
As the plane lifts into the air, we look at each other and it is as if I get lost in that powerful moment.
Once we fly over Paris, I lean over Aaron to see if I can see the Eiffel Tower, but the city is hiding under a cover of clouds.
Aaron sits quietly, staring out the window next to him, and has not said a word since we boarded the plane. I smile at him and he smiles back at me, but the smile does not reach his eyes, and this makes me feel a little sad.
We leave Charles de Gaulle airport that evening and board the airplane to Cape Town, a fourteen-hour flight ahead of us. Luckily, the flight is during the night and we can sleep, if we choose to.
There are monitors attached to the back of the seats in front of us and Jared takes one of his earphones, hands it to me and puts the other one in his ear. We choose a movie and watch it together. I sit with my head resting on his shoulder, while he is holding my hand, softly drawing circles in my palm with his thumb. Halfway through the movie, I feel him relax, fast asleep.
Before we came on this holiday, my parents voiced their concern about our relationship, saying we are too serious for our age. I could not find the right words to explain to them, that sometimes I also feel as if it happened too fast and it could evaporate like mist before my eyes, but it just seems inevitable. Maybe it is as Sean said; I was destined to move to Ireland, and of all the places I could have gone, I ended up here. I did not want to go into too much detail of how Jared makes me feel – obviously. I told them though that I feel as if I would stop existing without him. They maintained at my age every boy I fall in love with would make me feel as if 'he is the one'. Although I might not have a lot of experience in this department, I know deep down that Jared is the completion of me.
After we land at Cape Town International Airport, Sean rents a car and the woman at the car hire desk programs the GPS. We drive around the majestic Table Mountain to a small coastal town, at the foot of Chapman’s Peak.
We arrive at about lunchtime. My mum chose a perfect holiday destination. The cottage is on the beach with a big open porch facing the ocean. There are three bedrooms and Sean allocates the rooms, making sure Jared and Aaron’s room is as far away from my and Esther’s room as possible, saying he would give up the luxury of the main bedroom, if necessary. I smile embarrassed, because he is being controlling as always.
We unpack our bags and then Sean takes us out to a late lunch at a quaint seafood restaurant.
After lunch, they go to the shopping centre to buy supplies, while Jared, Aaron, Esther and I explore the sites of the small town huddled at the foot of the mountain. The girls who walk past us are pretty and I notice them staring and gaping at Jared as if he is a movie star. Strangely, I do not feel any jealousy. I suppose that is a feeling reserved for Sarah, for very obvious and real reasons.
That evening we are all too exhausted to do anything. My mum and Esther have already gone to bed and I can see Sean is struggling to keep his eyes open. I smile amused, because he is waiting for me to go to bed first and deciding not to be spiteful, being tired myself anyway, I say goodnight—relief evident on Sean’s face.
Jared stands up with me and I see a quick flash of apprehension in Sean’s eyes. I wonder if he really thinks Jared and I are going to jump into bed together.
Jared squeezes my elbow gently, looking into my eyes and then sits down again, saying, “Goodnight,” softly. He must feel uncomfortable with the way Sean is acting. I am sure anybody else in the natural world would be. Even if I discreetly spoke to Sean, to stop him from acting so awkwardly toward Jared, to act the same toward him as he did at home, he would still carry on. Apparently, according to the wisdom of Sean, holidays make people lose their minds and do things they would not do in normal circumstances.
I am barely in my room when I hear Jared and Aaron say goodnight to Sean.
The long flight and the heat made me more tired than I would have expected, and I am fast asleep even before my head touches the pillow.
