From the Glittering Thames to the Murky Hudson
A chaotic stream of strangers – dragging bags and children behind them with no regard to those around them – pushed, ran, and pulled as they made their way out into the arrival's lounge, like a school of salmon making that last energetic effort to leap over the rapids and return to their birthplace. He was not too far behind them. A tall young man dressed in a loose fitting black hoodie, which hid the muscular build of his upper body, and snug blue jeans came walking from behind the security barriers – an older man, his father, in tow right behind him. He strode forth with wide, heavy, and confident steps in his black and white Converse sneakers, lugging a large back pack behind him on one shoulder. Down the corridor, he could see his goal – the very family he had come to see. Yet someone was missing.
As he completed his journey down the corridor, he greeted the middle aged woman and her boyfriend. After hugging her tightly and allowing his father to greet them too, he waited and looked about. Where could she be? Sensing his impatience, the woman stepped aside and revealed to him the young woman standing behind her. Shyly, she shuffled her feet and glanced up at him with timid eyes. His own hazel eyes lay sheepishly on the figure before him. What seemed like an eternity passed before, finally, he dropped his back pack to the floor and stepped forward, embracing her in his arms. His shoulder-length brown hair found its way in her eyes and mouth and she could feel the brush of his bristly mustache and beard as well as his soft skin against her cheek and neck. The scents of their cologne and perfume danced and meshed into one. Together, their embrace was warm and tight and occasionally he would squeeze her closer against him, fingers laced together to strengthen his hold. Neither of them spoke and for a full minute, they stood lost in this trance, his arms growing ever tighter around her.
Finally, she cleared her throat and whispered very quietly, “I can't believe you're here.”
“I can't either,” he finally uttered, the touches of his British accent causing his every word to dance into her ears like a soothing melody.
Although reluctantly, they at last let each other go and soon the group started their trek to the parking lot. Walking besides her, he would glance over often and yet not another word was shared. The tension between the two was thick – this much he could tell. Finding themselves in the backseat of her mother's boyfriend's car, he tried to strike conversation.
“Did you hear what happened with Ozzy Osbourne?” came his shy attempt at breaking the ice as they began their drive.
She nodded and so he recited the story of what occurred from start to finish, laughing at its absurdity. Yet, she merely giggled shyly before heavy silence fell upon them again like a blanket. This silence persevered throughout the night. As they sat through dinner, she never spoke and though she sat right besides him, her gaze was fixed intently on her plate and the table. He spoke with his father, her mother, her mother's partner – and yet his thoughts remained on the shy girl. Thoughts, rushing through his mind and saddening him, distracted him from his food.
“What if she's disappointed in me?” he thought. “What if she hates me?”
The first day seemed to be over in a flash as they drove through much of northern New Jersey. Their silence was rarely broken and even her mother commented jokingly on how quiet they seemed to be. He knew this was true; yet as the moon skimmed across the starry night sky, he knew that there was nothing more he could do that day. After they arrived at the hotel, he hugged and shook hands with his gracious hosts. He embraced the young woman one last time for the day, even tighter than he had at the airport. Looking back one last time as his extended family drove away from the parking lot, he promised himself, and secretly to her, that the next day would be different. Tomorrow, the barriers would be broken.
