By the time Alice read her brother-in-law, Cam’s, text about the accident Tyler was in intensive care. She sold her camera to an American student and bought the cheapest ticket home. There was supposed to be a connection in Singapore but they told her she should have read the small print and bumped her onto a later flight. So Alice cried until they found her a seat, running all the way to the gate to make boarding.
Thick cloud-cover obscured her old hometown. Descending through it she imagined Cam looking annoyed—cursing her for not getting a ‘normal’ ticket on a ‘normal’ flight. But when she came through customs she saw he was wearing a different expression—one she’d never seen on him before. One she’d never forget.
(this is an edited version of the story Descent, published on this day, 2010. See about small stories about love)
small stories about love 