“The entire crew here on Delta would like to welcome you to Tampa, Florida. Currently it’s 7:30 PM in Tampa and a warm 75 degrees. It’s a little cloudy with a chance of scattered thunderstorms,” the pilot announced over the loud speaker. “We hope you enjoyed your time flying with us and you enjoy your time in the Sunshine State. Thank you for flying Delta!”
I sucked in a deep breath and glanced around me. There were families all over the place, as well as a few businesspeople here and there. I called my brother, Brad, earlier and he promised he’d be here to pick me up. I felt the plane as it came to a landing and I gathered my carryon items together.
As I walked off the plane, I immediately spotted Brad. A huge smile came over my lips as I ran towards him and jumped into his arms. “I missed you so much!” I exclaimed.
“I missed you, too,” he smiled back. He glanced down at my left hand and I figured he knew before he looked that I had broken off the engagement. “I’m proud of you.” He wrapped his arm around me and we headed to the luggage claim.
“Thanks,” I smiled back at him. “I’m proud of myself. But hey, did you know Ryan was coming to see me?”
“Not until he got home this morning. Mom told me he went to Georgia to visit old relatives,” he rolled his eyes. “I guess she knew I would give you a fair warning if I knew.”
“Does mom know about me breaking it off?” I bit my bottom lip.
“No. She wasn’t home when Ryan got back this morning. She knows he’s back, but she thinks that everything’s fine between the two of you,” Brad sighed. “But don’t worry,” he began when he saw my face drop. “Everything’s going to be fine. I’ll be right there with you when you tell them. I’ll help you pack up and I’ll even drive you up to New York next week. Sam can handle our house.”
“Thanks, Brad,” I smiled and leaned into his warm embrace.
“No problem,” he smiled. “What are big brothers for, anyway?”
I smiled as we gathered my luggage together off the moving belt. After we got it all together, we headed back out to the parking garage for Brad’s 2006 Honda Civic. “How is everything at home?”
“Crazy, but I guess you’re probably used to that,” he sighed. “When mom called me to come home for a little while, I was surprised. But then I realized it was just because she wasn’t speaking to you and she had no one to bitch at besides dad.”
“Yep,” I laughed. “That would be the main reason why I left.”
“Well, she’s been in a wedding frenzy, not to freak you out or anything,” he sighed. “But she’s practically planning it for you.”
“I knew she would,” I rolled my eyes as we headed off for home. Lightning struck and a boom of thunder was heard off in the distance.
“Well, just break the news to her lightly,” Brad said as he watched the road. “She’ll still freak out, but she’ll get over it.”
“She never got over you and Samantha,” I looked over at him and he shrugged.
“It’s tough not to have your own mother’s support in life,” he said. “But you get through it. I talk to dad every week. We talk about baseball and stuff. Whenever he’s in town or vice versa we go to games together. You can always find a way to work around mom.”
“True, I guess,” I sighed. “Thanks for supporting me, Brad.”
“Of course! You were always there for me when I dropped out of college and married Sam. I’ll always be here for you,” he smiled over at me. “I love you, Chel.” I smiled. When we were kids, I called Brad “Rad” because I couldn’t say the “B”. So Brad came back and would call me “Chel”, pretending like he could say the “Ray”.
“I love you too, Rad,” I smiled. I had to admit I was glad to be home.
Author's Chapter Notes:
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