Chapter Five: A Lot of Firsts
Wearing his brand new blue shirt, Cole stood with his one carry-on bag in hand, listening for his boarding call. Only ten minutes until his flight. His mother sat nearby, anxiously glancing from Cole to her watch to the flight attendants milling about by the gate. She kept looking at him like she wanted to say something, but in the full forty minutes they’d been waiting, she hadn’t said anything yet. Cole supposed she’d already said everything in the days leading up to this one. As they’d shopped for the new shirt she insisted he buy, as they sat down to dinner every night, she kept trying to talk him out of it. She wasn’t ever going to understand, so Cole had decided to stop trying to explain it to her. She thought he should be happy working fast food and living the rest of his life as a known wannabe mass murderer.
His mother sighed and reached into her purse, digging through to find a piece of gum. She couldn’t sit for more than a few minutes without a piece of gum in her mouth. She’d been trying to quit because of her periodontal disease and all of the issues that came with it, but she was struggling. Cole supposed this time travel business probably didn’t help.
Stuffing his hands into his pockets and jiggling his leg, Cole looked out across the bustle Newark airport. People puttered about, many of them disheveled and carrying numerous bags. Here and there, business professionals strode through the airport in crisp suits and ties, marching through with an easy elegance, like they hadn’t just spent several hours on a plane. Cole’s pupils dilated as his eyes caught on a young woman with dark brown hair and bangs. She walked his way, a briefcase in hand, wearing a knee-length pencil skirt and cream-colored blouse. He continued to watch her as she came closer, her face fixed in a neutral position. She swung her briefcase gently at her side, and passed Cole by with a clacking of her heels against the linoleum floor.
He gripped the strap of his backpack tighter and swallowed as he watched her slender form disappear into the crowd. Something about a woman in business clothes and heels. He could feel himself start to harden and willed his thoughts away from the brunette. He didn’t want to get a boner in the middle of Newark airport, especially not with his mother three feet away.
He drug his thoughts back to the matter at hand. He would be arriving in Boston around six-thirty in the evening. Someone from Speculative Science would be meeting him at the gate and taking him back to the office. He’d be meeting the team and having dinner with them and the other candidate. This was important, because if they were both chosen, they’d be time traveling together. Cole wondered what the other guy would be like, if he’d be older or younger than him.
He hoped the guy was loud and energetic like Clay. Cole had always gotten on with Clay, because Clay was the talker. Clay was the crazy, loud, outgoing one. With Clay, Cole had the space to hang back and observe. That’s what he liked to do best. He usually didn’t get on with other quiet dudes like him. Two quiet guys didn’t make for a great time.
“Flight 213 for Boston is now boarding,” a flight attendant’s deep voice crackled over the speakers. “Please have your boarding pass ready. Priority boarding will line up at the gate now. For all other ticket types, please form a line behind the yellow line.”
Mom rose shakily to her feet and stepped forward, wrapping him in a hug.
“Okay, Ma, that’s good. You’re gonna make me miss my flight.”
She pulled away and smiled at him, her eyes shimmering. “Don’t be upset if you don’t get it, Coley.”
“I won’t.”
“I mean it, I know how you get.”
“Ah what are you on about? I don’t get like nothing.”
“I see it. You’re already all set on this idea. If they don’t pick you, you’ve gotta move on from it.”
“I will. Hey, they’re lining up. I gotta go now.”
Cole moved to take his place in line, but a small hand clamping down on his upper arm caused him to pause mid-step. He sighed, turning around. “What?”
His mother gave a tight smile. “I love you, Coley. Good luck.”
“Thanks, Ma.”
And with that, Cole took his place in line with the other passengers, and five minutes later he was seated in the center of the plane.
He’d never taken a plane before.
His first flight. His first visit to Boston.
A lot of firsts.
He might be the first to ever time travel.
As the plane took off, jolting into the air, Cole gripped the arms of the seat and closed his eyes. His head spun from sudden lightheadedness and his gut shifted dangerously.
He should’ve known he’d have this reaction. He’d always been so sensitive to motion sickness.
