The Journey

She booked the first flight she could find to Scotland. She had no idea how she let it get this far. Eric had changed and definitely not for the better.

As she looked out the window, into the vast sea of clouds, she wondered if this was the adventure she had been waiting for all her life. Finally she would step out of her shell and fly to unknown places, cities that she has only dreamt of going to.

She abruptly came out of her daydream to find the man next to her, snoring extremely loud, had begun to slide towards her in his sleep. He was practically sleeping on her when the captain announced they would be landing in Glasgow in half an hour. She would finally be free from this huge man snoring on her. She could deal with him for another half hour. Let him rest, then GOODBYE!

The landing went much smoother than she had expected. For some odd reason, she thought it would be a rougher landing that would say “WELCOME TO SCOTLAND!! Here Comes Adventure!!!” Sadly it did not. It said “Hey, good to have you here. This is a place you can feel comfortable in. Nothing to force you into exploring and getting lost. Nothing to make you come out of yourself.”

No one was there to greet her. No one knew she was coming, but she still felt like someone would notice her and say “Hi” and “Here, let me take your things for you so you can rest.” Not many people would think having a huge balding man sleep on you, would make you tired. But she was exhausted.

She looked out into this new land called Scotland and called a taxi. Pounds were much different than dollars, so the taxi driver helped her out. He seemed to be an honest fellow.

As he drove her to the inn she hoped she would be staying at, Maureen felt scared. It just now hit her that she was in a foreign country and no one knew where she was. What if there were no rooms? What was she doing? Trying to start over? Find inspiration for her music? Visit a friend? She really had no idea.

She took her luggage out of the trunk, paid the driver, and went inside the Dunbar Inn. She asked if there were any rooms available and luckily someone missed their reservation time and there was only one room open. It was one of the biggest rooms they had too. As she opened the door to her new life, she realized she might as well and try to find John. He lives in Scotland, near Inveraray, so he should be relatively easy to find. Hopefully. She looked on the map and found it to be quite a while away. At least she had his phone number, so she could tell him she was here and maybe they could meet up somewhere. Now, where she put it was another story.

She searched threw all her jeans and all her books and finally found his number amidst the pages of music she had written. Even through her exhaustion, she wanted to prove to everyone that she could go out and explore and not be stuck in her room all day. Who was she trying to prove wrong though? No one. Well, after she asked the woman at the desk where the closest shopping was at, she set out on her journey.

The shop that caught her eye first was small yet filled with wonders inside. Books. The ultimate passport to other countries and worlds. A young man was working at the desk, helping a little girl find a book. As Maureen browsed around the store, the same young man came up to her to see if she was finding everything alright.

“Yeah,” she replied. “Just looking around.”

Right off the bat he knew she was American. They have such a distinct accent that usually made him cringe. Her accent, however, was charming and seemed to fit her look.

“My name’s James. You’re from America right?” His smile was enchanting her.

“Yeah, I’m Maureen.”

That name sounded so familiar to him.

“So what brings you to Scotland? School? Or just a trip?”

“I really have no idea. I booked the earliest flight I could find and here I
am. I think I’m gonna meet up with a friend who lives here though. He’s a model so I’m sure he’ll be easy to find.”

That was it! John had mentioned her name many a time. Her deep brown hair should have given him a clue as to who she was.

“John? You know him?” He asked her.

“Yeah! How did you know? We are pretty good friends. I’ve only met him once in person but we’ve kept in touch since we were ten. You know him too?” She was astounded that someone else knew her John. Sure, he’s a model and everyone thinks they knew him but James seemed to know him better than someone who admires him.

“He’s one of my best friends! I think I remember him talking about you. Your hair and eyes should have given you away. So, does he know you are here?”

“No, not yet. I almost called him when I got to the inn, but I decided to go out first.”

“Well, he has a photo shoot today here in Glasgow. I could take you there after I get off work. I mean, if you wanted to.”

“That would be awesome! What time should I meet you?”

“I get off around five, so meet you here around then?”

“Yeah sounds great! Guess I’ll go look around at some other shops. See ya in a couple of hours.”

As soon as she left the store, James’ older brother Gabriel came out from behind the shelves with a grin on his face.

“So…you like her don’t you?” His grin was so big that you couldn’t help but laugh when you looked at it.

“No, I don’t even know her.” James blushed so deeply, his face heating in embarrassment.

“Yeah, ok. Sure.” He laughs. “Well, just be careful with her around John. You know how he gets.” He added. A serious tone in his voice.

Yeah he knew how John could get. But hopefully his vanity will outweigh any jealousy he may feel once he sees her. Who knows what he’ll do when he sees his old friend from America.