Chapter 4: Chapter 4

Later that night, at the airport, there were fewer people there than there are at Christmas time. And the people who were there didn’t seem rushed at all, except the business men and women who, unlike Olivia, had a job to return to. The October fall air seemed to relax Olivia more than ever before. She took a deep breath before boarding her plane. Flying Economy isn’t the best, but it’ll have to do for now, she thought.

She always loved to lie against the airplane window that overlooks the thousands of lights of San Francisco. My other half of home, she thought, as the plane took off into the night sky. Her mind started to shift back to what had happened that day. She didn’t know what to make of the day’s events, especially one. For the first time she saw Tyler Brown opening up a side of him she wished to discover further. That side of him he wanted to cover up with a fancy suit and perfect Windsor knot. His smile always made her heart tango.

Yet, he wants me to take a break, she thought. Does he want to get rid of me? Am I just too much of a nuisance?

“So much for self-confidence, Olivia,” she whispered to herself to prevent the sixty-year-old lady, who was lying on her shoulder and snoring, from waking up. She always got sat next to an old lady who always fell asleep midway through the flight. Feeling too bad, Olivia always pulled through a flight without much sleep.

He must have an exceptionally good reason for his decision, she thought. Just like the other million dollar decisions she had seen him make every day, he must have a good reason. She watched silently as the city lights started to disappear below them.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we have just landed. Thank you for using Delta Airlines. We hope you enjoyed your flight. Please make sure you have all your valuables with you,” the flight attendant announced with a high-pitched voice over the intercom. The whole plane started getting ready to disembark, except Olivia. She had not woken up.

“You need to wake up, kid,” the old lady who sat beside her said. “We’re the only ones left”. She shook Olivia’s shoulder.

“Huh,” Olivia said sleepily, still unaware of her surroundings.

“I figured I better make sure you get off the plane, considering I slept on your shoulder for the whole flight,” the lady added, pulling Olivia out of her seat.

“Thank you. You really didn’t have to.”

Barely standing up from exhaustion, with frizzy hair and some smudged makeup, her eyes struggled to adjust to the bright mid-evening light. She soon noticed that the old lady was shocked by her appearance.

“I know. Excuse me, I need to go to the bathroom,” Olivia quickly said. She started walking towards the airplane’s bathroom, when the old lady pulled on her arm.

“No, dear. I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong impression. I’ve never seen someone quite as beautiful as you before. I just love the way your hair fits you. I don’t know why I didn’t notice it before, while sitting next to you.”

“Thank you,” Olivia said, blushing and shaking the lady’s hand. “Olivia. Nice to meet you.”

“Martha. Lovely to meet you too, dear. Let’s get going, before they fly us somewhere else.”

Not taking her compliments too seriously they walked side by side into the airport, Olivia’s interest in Martha was piqued.

“You live in Montana?”

“Yes, I only visited my son and his family in San Francisco. I’m coming home. You,” Martha asked.

“Oh no, I got a few days off at work. Feels like I got suspended actually,” Olivia said. She wasn’t sure why she revealed so much to the stranger, but she decided she might as well spill all the beans as she would not see Martha again.

When Olivia had finished, Martha said, “Oh, dear, everything will work out, I promise. I know what I’m talking about. I got a lot of experience in that area of life.” Martha got into the nearest offered taxi and said a final goodbye. Watching Martha’s taxi drive off, her words stuck in Olivia’s head.

Everything will work out.

Olivia repeated these words to herself as she turned around and headed home herself.

Olivia thought how funny it was that she still called her parents’ house “home”, instead of her apartment back in San Francisco.

“We’re here miss, Oakdale Farm,” the taxi driver announced like a robot toy.

“Thank you, sir,” Olivia said, climbing out.

As usual, Olivia felt bad for letting a taxi driver drive out of town on dusty roads and so she handed him the usual tip just to clean his car afterwards. As the drivers put it, “It’s all about the image.” In a country town like Livingston, you don’t really need to portray the perfect image, she always wanted to say to them, but she never got so far.

As the driver drove off, it became clear that the surprise had been ruined by the taxi’s idling engine which disturbed the quietness of the farm. Olivia’s mother, Renee, and father, Gideon, ran to embrace her with open arms.

Lots of memories flooded over Olivia as she entered the house. Memories of her and Lilly growing up as ranchers, riding horses, milking cows and helping to build fences. She ran her fingers over the photos on the wall in the house’s entryway. Photos of her and Lilly’s graduations, when they each lost their first tooth, the two girls sitting by a fire to roast marshmallows and the first time Olivia learned to ride a bicycle. Home is where none of the world’s problems matter, she thought.

Her parents’ home was just an ordinary, middle-class farmhouse with three bedrooms, a living room and a big open kitchen. Nothing more. Just enough.

“Welcome home, Honey,” Renee said, hugging her daughter.

“What a lovely surprise,” Gideon added, taking Olivia’s bags to her room.

“I hope I didn’t come at a bad time.”

“Oh no, it’s just the busiest time of year, but your favourite. Some cows are almost ready for calving,” Gideon said, walking to the kitchen to finish his meal.

“I can’t remember the last time I saw a calf being born; I always loved seeing that. What a good time I picked.”

“Indeed. You on vacation,” her mother asked.

“Yes, only for five days,” Olivia replied, getting cold on the topic of work. “What’s for dinner,” she asked, trying to change the subject.

“My famous cooked beef,” Gideon replied.

Olivia could not believe her luck. This was probably the best family recipe ever. Not even the fancy restaurants in San Francisco could compete.

When lunch was over, Olivia went to shower before taking her evening nap that was needed after a day of exhaustion. While the hot water ran down her back, she only thought of one thing or one person rather. Tyler Brown. She couldn’t help imagining them as a couple, walking down the street hand in hand, sharing a peck on the cheek every now and again.

Shake off the idea, before all the warm water is used up, Olivia told herself. You’re here to get away from it all, she reminded herself.

Climbing out of the shower, she wrapped herself tightly in the lovely warmth of the towel. In an instant, she was imagining Tyler’s warm, strong arms wrapped around her in embrace.