|
|
Chapter 2
After circling over the airport for about 15 minutes we finally landed. I
was ready to burst with excitement. I hadn’t seen Stacie or Deb since
spring break.
As I exit the gate I see two figures fling themselves at me. Not being smart
enough to move they nearly knock me over. Laughing, I recover my balance
and give them both hugs. There is a constant stream of conversation and banter
between the three of us until we reach the baggage claim. "What do your bags
look like?" Deb questioned.
"Oh, you know the one, the blue and teal duffel bag. The other is a black
suitcase with a red stripe and wheels on the bottom."
"That’s all you brought?" Stacie asked in disbelief. All I had were
those two bags, the backpack I had brought on the plane with me, and the
CD player I was carrying. The black bag WAS fairly large, though.
"You know I travel light," I replied.
"But only two bags for a whole month!" Deb practically screeched. "That’s
ridiculous!" Deb and Stacie are not light travelers, especially Deb with
her shoe fetish. What I pack for a week is what they pack for three days.
Deb continued on in disbelief. "For a month I’d need at least four,
more likely five bags!"
"So how much did each of you pack for two months?" I asked, letting curiosity
get the best of me. They both just kinda grinned at me sheepishly.
"Umm…….do ya really wanna know?" Stacie asked.
"Yup," I replied, "in terms of bags."
"Well……." Deb hesitated, "twelve."
I stared at her for a moment and then began laughing. In between laughs I
managed to choke, "That’s how much I pack for ten months of school!
I’m surprised the car didn’t break down on the way to Newark Airport!"
Once I’d calmed down I turned to Stacie. "OK, your turn."
"Ten," Stacie stated.
"Well, you’re not as bad as Deb yet, but you’re certainly getting
there," I replied, very amused.
By this time I had gathered my few bags. "OK, everyone ready to go?" I
questioned. Both replied "Yup!" and began leading me outside to their rental
car. "Where have you been staying?" I had just thought to ask that question
now.
"That’s a surprise," Deb said slyly.
We drove for about twenty minutes and pulled up in front of a beautiful brick
building. "What is this building? It’s not a hotel, is it?" Both Stacie
and Deb just grinned again and then began dragging all of my bags and me
though the front door.
We went up a flight of stairs and down a corridor. When we reached the end
of the corridor, Stacie flung open the door to my left. My jaw dropped as
Deb and Stacie began to laugh at my reaction. They had rented the most beautiful
apartment I’d ever seen!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~