[sixty-four]

2nd post in the same night... hot damn!! =P Make sure to read 63 before 64 in case you haven't yet. And once again, thanks you guys for reading and commenting. The feedback really boosts me to write more. I'm happy to have this story up and running again! You guys truly are the best!!!

Max

I stared at her in disbelief. She called a cab and she was gone? GONE?! I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket and typed up a text message and sent it out to a few dozen guys. I know it was a day off, a day to regroup after the end of the season, and I knew a bunch of guys were settling in to watch the Flyers, but I needed them. I was about to turn this in to a search and rescue mission. She couldn’t have gone far. She has no car, not a whole lot of cash, there’s only so far a cab can take you. Immediately I begin to receive messages back from the guys I had texted, all asking what they could do. I called Marc, hoping he could somehow run this mission. “What do you mean she’s gone?” He answered after the first ring. “I showed up and she told them I wouldn’t be able to come, and she left by cab. I have to find her Flower, why the fuck would she do this?” I stormed out the front door of he facility, knowing sticking around wasn’t going to do me any good. I climb back into my car and toss the flowers into the passenger seat. “I need you to go to the airport,see if she shows up there, I’m gonna race home see if she’s there. Send the other guys to Alicia’s, Diesel, Starbucks, the train station, just wherever. I have to find her.” “We’ll find her Max. Drive safe okay, don’t do anything stupid.”

I didn’t know where to go. I was a hour outside of Pittsburgh, and Lillianah had a 15 minute jump on me wherever she was going. I turn the radio on to a low rumble as I speed on the highway back towards town. I passed a few cabs on my way, and each time I would slow down next to them and look in, none of which were transporting Lillianah. Why the hell did she do this? Why wouldn’t she have waited a few more minutes? Hopefully she’s just going back home, hopefully she was just impatient . . . hopefully. I couldn’t think about what’s going on in her head though. Two weeks in rehab now she’s out on the loose. I could only imagine the absolute worst, and that was two options. She was either in search of drugs, or she was in search of her way out of western Pennsylvania. “Fuck Talbot, think positively!” Why wouldn’t she wait? Why did she rush out? “WHAT THE FUCK LIL?!” I slammed my hand down on the steering wheel and kicked up my speed a tad bit more.

When I got home, I didn’t even bother pulling the car into the garage, I left it part way in the driveway and part way in the street. I ran through the front door and yelled out for her, no response. King appeared at the top of the stairs and I walked up to him. “Where is she King?” I looked around the living room before making me my way up to the bedroom. She wasn’t here, and it didn’t look like she had been here. I didn’t know what to do now. Where do I go next? Do I just sit and wait and see if any of the guys found her? I head back down to my car and decide to drive around the block a few times, just to feel like I’m at least looking. My phone rings from the passenger seat and I lean over and grab it. “Hello?” “Hey Max, I’m at Diesel, no one here has seen Lil, where are you at?” I sigh upon hearing Sidney’s news. I guess it’s good news, this probably means she’s not out searching for drugs. “I’m just driving around the block.” “Well come get me, we’ll go look elsewhere, alright?” I nod my head not caring that he can’t see me before hanging up my phone. I pull on to East Carson and head toward what used to be my favorite place in town. Now all it is, is my own personal hell. How could one establishment turn my life upside down. It was there that I met Lillianah, and it will be there that I lose her.

I pick up Sid and we decide to head up to Mount Washington. I remember her telling me once that when she really needs to think she’ll sit down on a bench overlooking the city. As soon as we reach the peak my phone rings again and I have Sid answer it. “Where at? . . . we’ll be right there!” He quickly hangs up my phone and looks at me. “She’s at the airport, Flower is trying to stop her from going through security.” I had a feeling she would be there, but I didn’t want to believe it was true. “In my phone, the text message I sent out, can you call those guys and tell them we found her?” I asked Sid with a shaky voice. I wasn’t expecting my words to come out so broken, and I definitely wasn’t expecting the tears to fall from my eyes. Why was she doing this to me?

Once I finally make it to the airport, I jump out at the departures and Sid takes over driving to go park. I run into the airport and look around trying to find them, I don’t see them anywhere so I head down to the security check point. “Wow mom! Look two Penguins in one day!” A little boy shouts as I looked around desperately. A smile finally appeared on my face as I approached the small boy. “Hey there buddy, did you see Marc-Andre Fleury earlier?” He nodded his head vigorously. “Where did he go?” “He went through there to get on a plane and go somewhere,” he pointed to the metal detectors and I nodded my head. I gave the little boy a high five and pulled my cell phone out, calling Flower. “Where are you?” He asked after answering. “I’m trying to figure out how you got into the airport.” “You owe me $100 for the ticket I had to buy to get in here. Where do you think she would be flying? That would help me track down which gate she could possible be at.” I headed back up the escalator and made my way to the nearest airline ticket agent. “Philadelphia, that’s where her family is.” “Alright, I’ll call you back in a few minutes.” I snapped my phone shut and looked up at the women smiling at me. “I need a ticket.” She laughed and fluttered her eyelashes at me a few times. “To where?” “Philadelphia.” She typed away on her computer, searching for the next flight. “Next flight out is 9:30 tonight.” “I’ll take it.” She smiled at me again and typed away some more. What was taking her so long. I tapped my credit card on the counter, waiting for her to take it. “Would you like to ride first class?” “Nope.” “Oh!” She finally took my credit card and ran it. Finally with a ticket in hand I made my way through security.

Once I got off the tram and headed up the escalators to the main area of the airport I pulled my cell phone out and called Flower. “Dude there’s 3 possible flights to Philadelphia and they are all in different areas of the airport.” I looked down at my ticket to see the gate, A14. She told me this was the next flight out, so it would only make sense that this would be the flight she would be on, right? “Where are you at now?” “In front of McDonalds.” I turned around and found Flower standing there, rubbing the back of his neck. I snapped my phone shut and approached him. “Thanks Flower, for doing this.” I tell him before dragging him down towards A14 with me. “Hundred bucks,” he laughed holding his hand out toward me. “What the hell kind of flight did you buy? Mine only cost eighty!” “How am I supposed to mentally know which flight is going to be the cheapest? I just asked for the next flight to Detroit. Thought it’d be funny, thought I could flip the plane off before it leaves.” I shook my head but smiled, “you are a dork.” As we approached A14, I would see Lillianah in the corner, trying to hide from the people around her. Her knees were pulled up to her chest, and she held a few tissues up in front of her face. I stopped in my tracks and watched her. What was I supposed to say? Was I supposed to be relieved to find her? Or pissed that she thought about leaving me?

She looks up from over her tissues and her eyes lock with mine. My breath gets caught in my throat as I realize for the first time all day how much I really missed her. She drops her head and covers her face with both of her hands. Her shoulders and moving and that only tells me she’s crying. I look at Flower and he nods his head toward her. I take a deep breath and make my way toward her. I stop when I’m two feet in front of her and she stands up and wraps herself around me. Now I’m confused. She’s running, but she’s hugging me. “Maxime,” she whispers so softly it nearly breaks my heart to hear her voice so sad. I bring my hand up and run it over the scarf covering her head. “It’s okay Lil. It’s okay, let’s go home.” She pulls her head away from me quickly and removes her body from mine. “Go home?” Now I’m confused all over again. “Yes, home, with me, where you belong. Why did you leave? Why didn’t you wait for me? Why are you trying to run?” I know that was a lot of questions to throw out at her, but I needed to know. “You don’t know what they were saying,” she whispered taking another step away from me. “Who? Who was saying what?” “They were all taking bets almost if you would show up or not. They were all watching to see if you would come. Why would you come for me though? I’m not worthy of you. All I would do is drag you down, and you don’t need that.” I shake my head and take a few steps toward her grabbing on to her hands to make sure she won’t leave. “Lillianah, I showed up. I was a few minutes late because I stopped and got you flowers, but I was there. You’re my life, and whatever you go through, I go through. You’re healthy now, and that’s all I was worried about. You didn’t, nor are you, dragging me down. Lil, I want to marry you and start a family with you. I want everything with you. Does that not mean anything to you?” She begins to cry again and she collapses against my chest, apologizing over and over again.

Once I have her calmed down, and I finally kiss her after two long weeks, she grabs my hand and we walk away from the terminal. “What about my bag? I checked it.” I look up to see Flower smiling at us, still holding out his hand. “Don’t worry, we’ll get it back. Come on, let’s get home.” We headed out of the airport and I sighed in relief when we met back up with Sidney and headed for the car. I almost lost the best thing that’s ever happened to me, again. I wasn’t going to allow her to do this to my heart anymore. I wanted to marry her, and I wanted to do it soon. I just wanted to make it official. I want her to have my name. Once she has my name, I know she’ll have my everything. I can’t lose her again. Flower takes Sidney home, and I thank them a dozen or so times for helping me. I open the passenger side door for Lillianah to climb in, and she’s hesitant at first. I give her a quick kiss and she smiles before climbing in. I head over to the driver’s side and jump in, starting up the car. I look over at her and smile, but she’s holding the engagement ring in between her fingers. I feel my heart drop at the thought of her giving it back to me. She’s already put me through so much in just over two hours, how could she give me the ring back now. I take the ring from her and clutch it tightly in my hand. But the next thing she does startles me. She holds out her left hand, palm down, with her fingers spread apart. “You’re supposed to put it on me.” I blink my eyes numerous times to see if she’s serious. “You, you want to get married?” She blinked back a few tears and whispered out a ‘yes’. I tried to hide the grin that wanted to make an appearance as I slid the ring on to her left ring finger. I leaned over to her and captured her lips with mine. Holding the kiss longer than usual. “I love you Lil.” “I love you too Maxime.” I headed out on to the road, excited to get her home, and excited for her to see my gift to her. That ring sure was going to sparkle against the piano keys. Life was finally on the right track.