The Lion’s Mail Order Menage

“Jesus, Meena, you’re a total mess.”

“I know.  I can tell without even looking at myself.  Now, what was so important that I wake up for?”

“I just wanted you to see.”

“To see what?”

“That.  We’re finally here.”

Kyra was motioning towards the window behind her head and Meena turned to see what was so impressive.  She didn’t know what she had expected to see, but what she found was more impressive than any movie could have made it.  It was the New York skyline, there in all of its glory, and it actually took her breath away.  It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen and it meant that she was finally as far away from Moscow and all of its terrors as she had ever managed to get.

She looked back at Kyra, tears brimming in her eyes, and shook her head at the impossibility of it all.  Kyra laughed and slung her arm around her shoulder, knowing without needing any words what her friend was feeling.

“We’re about to land, too, and then you’ll finally get to set foot on American soil.  How does that sound?”

“Like a dream.”

And it really did feel like a dream, too, for a little while at least.  They moved through customs with all of the other foreigners and Meena wanted to look everywhere all at the same time.  She wanted to see everything there was to see, to really feel like she was going to be part of this city instead of feeling like she was still sleeping, like she was in a dream she would wake up from to find that she was still stuck in Victor’s hovel of a building.

Everything looked so shiny!  This massive LaGuardia airport was filled to the brim with things she wanted to touch, to hold in her hands, and that didn’t even begin to touch on all of the wonderful smelling foods.  She wasn’t sure she had ever felt this hungry before and she couldn’t help stopping at every kiosk they passed.

Kyra was surprisingly patient with her, a quality she wasn’t known for, and she even went so far as to use some of the money she had exchanged before their departure to buy her a few things to snack on.  After retrieving their bags, Kyra found a comfortable spot for Meena to sit, a place where she could watch the taxi cabs go by. 

She had the oddest look on her face while she did it, but then again everything felt odd to Meena at the moment, so it didn’t seem all that unusual.

“OK, I’m going to go make some arrangements for us and I want you to stay here.”

“But can’t I come with you?”

“No,” she said quickly and with a frown on her face, “it’ll be easier if you just stay here with the luggage, OK?  If you need anything you should find it in your purse.  I put some money in there, some American money.”

“You didn’t have to do that!”

“I know, but you should have some.  Just in case.”

“But you’ll be right back, won’t you?”

“Of course.  Because I love you, Meena.  You know that, don’t you?”

“Sure I do.  And I love you, too.”

Kyra gave her one more strange look and then she was off, quickly disappearing into the sea of people pushing their way through the airport.  Meena smiled to herself, wondering what kind of arrangements Kyra needed to make, and watched the people as they each got into their respective cabs.  She wondered to herself where each of them was going, what sort of adventure they were on their way to experience and if they were happy to be going. 

She wondered those things for a long time and then began to grow tired again.  That was when she also began to feel the beginning of her worry.  It started like a little nagging voice in the back of her head, telling her that it had been much longer than any business should have taken.  She tried to shrug it off, to tell herself that it must be necessary if Kyra were still gone, but with each little tick of her watch hand’s movement the worry grew more pronounced until there was no ignoring it. 

Finally, she could not resist checking the time (the one thing she had told herself she must not do until Kyra returned) and when she looked at her watch she felt her heart lodge inside of her throat.  Two and a half hours.  Kyra had been gone for two and a half hours and there was no amount of business that should have taken that long.  Meena grabbed for her purse with trembling hands, somehow convinced that there would be an answer there to this sobering mystery. 

What she found was a massive wad of cash bound together by an old rubber band with a little note shoved into the side.  When she read the note, she knew Kyra was gone; she had abandoned her.  All the note said was “I’m sorry,” but it was all she needed to see.  Meena was alone in this vast, strange city with nothing but her luggage, and apology, and the address where she was meant to go.