Diane was suddenly shaken from her reverie when a building passed by her window, too close for comfort. She imagined she could see people inside eating their dinner at Mr. A�s restaurant high above the right side of the plane, waving down to her. Next, the Laurel Street Parking garage threatened to rip off the tip of the left wing, and Diane found herself wondering if the plane was crashing just yards before the airport. She was amazed to learn that pilots go through this gauntlet dozens of times every single day.

Diane deplaned as quickly as she could. She hated using the toilet on the airplane, so she typically waited until landing. She was tired, cranky, and thirsty. She had not been able to contact her friend before taking off, so she was unsure if anyone would be there to meet her. Unlike NYC, the public transportation in this Southern California suburban town was practically non-existent. She had heard from many friends that if you lived in San Diego, you needed to own a car. She didn�t find herself praying often, but for the second time today, she sent up a few timid requests for divine intervention.

The terminal in San Diego was relatively small, so she didn�t have far to walk in order to reach the security checkpoint. Standing just outside the x-ray machines, where only ticket holders were allowed to pass to the gates was the face she had been hoping to see. She ran as quickly as she could manage, considering she was dragging two carry-on items with her.

�Jill! Oh my God! I�m so glad to see you!� Diane said as she collided with Jill in a hug, bags scattering about her. �I was afraid you didn�t get my messages.�

�Oh, Diane! I really missed you!� Jill whispered in Diane�s ear.

Kyle and Frank had come with Jill to the airport, and they took turns hugging Diane, too. �You guys are so tan! Who ever gets tan in December?� Diane wondered aloud.

�Mom, can we go outside and use our scooters?� Kyle tugged at Jill�s blouse, his voice barely below a whine.

�Not yet, boys. Let�s get Diane back home, and then you can use them in our neighborhood, where it�s safer,� Jill said, rolling her eyes at this obsession the boys had acquired in California. Jill looked much more relaxed than she had in New York, but the edge of tension was still in her voice. Most mothers would be worried about their kids crashing into other tourists at the airport. Jill was worried about someone snatching her kids and whisking them onto a plane to � well, who knows where? Don was still missing in action, and Jill knew the New York gang wouldn�t hesitate to use his kids to smoke him out again. She was taking a terrible risk in coming to the airport herself, but she had to see Diane.