Rick was leaving again, a seven month trip this time. After so many of these excursions, there wasn't much to talk in the car as Jessie drove to the airport. Years of taking similar long trips meant that preparation for them was rote. All the finances were in order, the kids were prepped for the start of school in the next coming weeks, and all the odd jobs around the house were complete. There was no need to finalize any details.
Cars flew past her going ten over the speed limit. Normally, she would be with them, shaking her head and muttering under her breath as she wove around slower vehicles. Not today though. Today she took it slow, keeping a cool five under the speed limit. Trying to hold on to every second they had left.
Their hands were entwined on the center console, their contrasting skin picturesque. His dark brown was the life he lived in the field with his men. Her pale white a reflection of the long hours spent studying the human psyche. They and their lives were very different. Yet, when woven together like their fingers, they made such a beautiful image.
Jessie reflected on that as she pulled into airport parking, turning into the short term parking and ascending to the top deck. There were no other cars on that level yet so she parked next to the elevator. Rick jumped out of the car and walked around to the trunk to get his duffel bag. She came after him, leaned against the car, and watched him pull his gear out. He set it all down neatly next to the elevator then came back and closed the trunk.
The two lovers stood three feet apart from each other. They had barely spoken a word since they left the house this morning. Jessie felt a familiar tug at her heart as reality set in. Those three small feet were soon to grow to thousands of miles with limited communication. She quickly crossed the distance now and collapsed into his arms. They stood there for a time, holding each other. Eventually he pulled back from her and looked into her eyes, searching her soul.
