The Impostor, A Love Story

by Tiffany Carmouche

  “I built it about a year ago. The kids really like it. Marta plays with them out here a lot.

  We trudged down the hill. Next to the garage was a little tan Taurus.

  “This is the car.” It wasn’t atrocious. The body was in good shape.

  “What is wrong with it?” I asked.

  “I just need to rebuild the engine. It shouldn’t take me long. I could let it go for about a thousand dollars. That is what it will cost me to get it running again. You could give me half up front and pay the other half later.

  I looked at Emily. She nodded. It was perfect.

  “That sounds great. We are interested.” I glanced at my watch. “I better get to the airport. It’s getting late.”

  “I have to do something in the shop, but I’ll be right up. Why don’t you all wait for me in the house? As soon as I’m done, we can run. It will just take a few minutes.”

  Emily and I made our way back inside.

  “It’s perfect, isn’t it?” I asked.

  “It is. I can’t wait to have my own closet.”

  I looked at my watch again. Fifteen more minutes had passed. I was going to be late.

  “What is he doing? I have to leave.” Another ten minutes went by.

  We couldn’t call Chris for a ride because he was meeting Emily in Anchorage at the airport. He had some business he needed to take care of in town.

  “I’m just going to call a cab.” I searched the kitchen for some mail to find the address and called the cab company.

  I paced the floor, staring at my watch every few seconds. “Where are they? How long does it take to get a taxi?”

  “I’m sure Steve is unaware of the time. Why don’t you just ask him if we can go?”

  “I don’t want to bug him. I’d feel weird trying to rush him when he’s doing me a favor.” Tapping my watch as if it would make time slow down, I agonized. Dylan told me not to be late.

  “Chris gave me these. They will help us get past security quickly, and this way I can go with you to the terminal without a ticket.” She pulled out two badges from her purse.

  I examined mine, fidgeting with it. “That was really sweet of him.”

  The cab finally arrived in the driveway. I figured I’d call to tell Steve goodbye later so we could get on our way quickly. I didn’t want to interrupt him or begin a conversation. I was extremely annoyed. I should never have relied on him to drive us.

  “Hurry, Emily, let’s go.” We ran outside and down the hill, into the cab. Steve came out of the mechanic shop.

  “I can give you a ride. I’m sorry; there was an unexpected problem with the car. The guys have never worked on anything like this before, so I had to show them what to do. We are almost done.”

  “That is sweet of you, but the cab is already here.” I couldn’t be any later.

  We finally made it to the airport, and I ran in frustrated. Emily paid the driver with the money Dylan had given me.

  “I’ll meet you at gate C20 to make sure everything worked out.” She called out, “Now go.” I ran through the terminal to get to the gate before they started boarding.

  Panting, I went up to the counter.

  “I’m sorry, ma’am. It just pulled away from the terminal. We have been announcing final boarding for at least fifteen minutes. It’s a full flight, so we had to give the seats to standby customers.”

  “I have to get on that plane. I have to,” I pleaded.

  “I’m sorry. There is nothing I can do, ma’am.”

  “You have to stop the plane. I can’t be late for the wedding.”

  “Once the plane has left, there is no way it will come back. It is on its way to the traffic pattern. I can see if there is another plane going to Seattle, but there is no way to get on this flight.”

  “Please, whatever you can do.” I totally screwed up. I should have called the cab earlier. I didn’t know it would take so long.

  “Please help me,” I begged.

  Emily showed up at the terminal to see I was having problems.

  “They overbooked the flight and gave away my ticket. The plane has already pulled away from the gate.”

  “There is another flight, but you’ll have to run to make it. They are already boarding.” The reservationist did something in the computer and said, “It is gate C7. You won’t be able to check any bags.”

  We were at gate number twenty. I don’t think I had ever run so hard in my life.

  “You can do it,” Emily called out as I bolted down the terminal. “You can do it, Nicole.” I pushed past the traffic of oncoming people, running with all my might. I had to make this flight. I had to.

  “Boarding flight number 234 to Seattle, Gate 7,” I could hear over the loud speakers. I looked behind. Emily wasn’t following me anymore. I dodged people, “Excuse me, I’m sorry,” I said as I pushed past them. I wasn’t a fast runner and times like these I wish I had taken track in school. My side killed me.

  “I’m sorry, ma’am. We’re full.”

  “You can’t be,” I panted. “Can you ask someone to please catch the next flight? It’s so important I make it to Seattle on time.”

  “I’m sorry, ma’am. We can’t do that.”

  “Someone has to be willing to give up their seat. Please can you ask? I’ll pay them!”

  “I can’t. I’m sorry. They have already boarded.”

  “You don’t understand. I have to get on.”

  “There is nothing we can do. I’m sorry. We have a flight going out at 9:00 p.m., getting you there by 12:39 a.m., and we have another one flying out at 6:00 a.m. I can have you fly standby on either of those flights.”

  “That is too late.” I grabbed the ticket, devastated, and walked away from the counter. I approached the window. The plane, my last chance, was slowly pulling away from the terminal. I could feel my heart drop with each foot it taxied toward the runway.

  Dylan had been so nice. He asked me one thing. One thing, and I screwed it up! Why did I feel it was so important to see the apartment today? Why did I take the chance I’d ruin his sister’s wedding for him? He would be worried, and I had no way to contact him. And his family—why had I ruined this opportunity to meet his family?

  I should have waited for the apartment. Something else would have come along. My forehead pressed up against the window. It was cold. I watched the smoke from my breath gently fog the glass pane. I saw the plane reach the runway. How could I contact him? I sighed as it built up speed and slowly lifted off. My hope soared away, and I realized my fairytale flew off in the Alaskan sky.

  Leaning against the wall next to me, I slowly slid down in my desperation. Tears filled my eyes. Hitting the floor, I curled in a ball. The hours he spent with me yesterday haunted me.

  The dress draped in a plastic in my arms, reminded me how horrible I was for taking his gifts and then letting him down. Shame consumed me. He had told me not to be late.

  Why hadn’t I just flown away with him yesterday? He had done so much for me—even renting out his house so we could be together—and I couldn’t even get to the airport on time. He’d hate me. I’d never see him again. I considered dying in my little spot on the floor. I didn’t deserve to move. I was a failure, an idiot, a disappointment.

  I could hear his voice echo in my ears. “I got your plane ticket . . . Please don’t be late.” Over and over his words rang in my head.

  Please don’t be late. It’s my sister’s wedding. It just rang over and over like a broken record. Covering my ears to drown out the sound, I sat there curled in a ball on the floor—not caring that the world could see my despair.

  “There she is.” The voice seemed to be underwater. “There she is.” Emily’s voice pulled me out of my pity party.

  “Nicole?” I heard a man’s voice too. I didn’t dare open my eyes. I couldn’t bear to see anyone in my condition.

  “What the hell is wrong with you? You are a mess.” The man’s voice intruded on my mini- breakdown. I realized it was Chris.


  “I ruined everything. I screwed up everything,” I muttered through my tears.

  “We’ve got to get you cleaned up. You look horrible.” Emily tried to help me up.

  “I feel horrible. I just want to stay here. I will just die here. Leave me alone.”

  “Can you help her get ready? She can’t go like that. I have clearance to taxi out in thirty minutes. I will get the plane prepped. You get her presentable. I’ll be at gate 15C. She will be a little late, but at least we can get her to the reception.”

  “I can’t go anywhere. He will hate me.”

  “He will hate you more if you don’t even try to show up,” Emily explained.

  “I did try.”

  “Stop being an idiot.” The two of them helped me up.

  “I know he won’t talk to me. He’s never going to talk to me.”

  “We are wasting precious time. Can you see if you can get her ready and stop her from being hysterical? I need to go prep the plane quickly.”

  “Come on, Nicole. You really look like shit. We need to get you cleaned up. You may be able to make it. You have to snap out of it. Now!” She grabbed my hand and led me to the bathroom. “You tried. You did everything you were supposed to do. It just didn’t work out. He will understand.”

  “Emily, he told me not to be late. He said it was a full flight and not to be late.”

  “You didn’t know they’d give away your seat if you weren’t early. Besides, we got the place. It’s beautiful, and your daughter is going to love the playhouse.”

  “She will, won’t she?” I stuttered in between tears.

  “She will, and it has lights and water and everything. You two will have such a blast in there. And the nanny sounded perfect. It was the right thing to do, Nicole. It’s a perfect place to bring a little girl. Dylan will understand, and if he doesn’t, then he isn’t worth it.”

  “And the car wasn’t as terrible I thought it was going to be. And he said we could begin moving in right away if we wanted to.”

  It was true. I was here for my Jessica. And just for the nanny alone, it was worth checking out. It was ours. We had a home. I could finally bring my daughter to Alaska. Emily was right. For me, I needed to go today. I did try everything I could to get here on time. I finally stopped crying.

  “That’s a girl. We don’t have much time, you have to wash your face and brush your teeth at least. You can get dressed in Seattle’s airport and do your makeup in the plane or cab.”

  “Chris is going to bring us?”

  “Yeah, he came to the airport to pick me up and take me out. When you missed your flight, I asked him if he had any way to get in touch with Dylan. He tried Dylan’s cell but it was off. He offered to take us in his private plane. It won’t go as fast as a commercial jet, but it’s a multi-engine plane.”

  “He has a plane?”

  “I know—it’s crazy, right?” Emily shook her head.

  “Emily, what is up with these Alaskan men? They can’t be for real.”

  “You look so much better. Let’s grab your bag and your dress and get over to the gate. Chris only has a small window of time. I think he already has his flight order.”

  “I don’t know what I’d do without you. You are the best friend anyone could have.”

  “I know.” She playfully acted cocky.

  I really didn’t know what I’d do without her. We were each other’s psychologist, goal setter, encourager; the list goes on and on. I couldn’t have made this voyage without her. It was exciting experiencing all this with a friend I truly cared about. I would have done anything for her, and she would have done anything for me. I was truly blessed.

  Chris was amazing too. It was like he came out of nowhere to save the day.

  I felt so much better without the black mascara all over my face. We ran to the gate and down the portable stairway outside to the runway. Chris’s plane was parked about fifty feet away. The engine roared. We climbed the small portable staircase into the plane. He had already begun the preflight check, so we were ready to taxi to the runway. I stuck my head in the cockpit, staring at all the lit-up instruments that would help soar us through the air. Chris was going to fly this thing.

  “Thank you so much, Chris.”

  “You owe me one.” He glanced back at me, grinning.

  I took my seat. Before we knew it, we were racing down the runway. The lights flashed by as we ascended. Then finally, the nose of the plane lifted off and carried us into the atmosphere. The ground below got smaller as we smoothly entered the sky.

  “We are flying to Seattle in a private plane.” I shook my head in disbelief.

  “I know. It makes me feel important or something.”

  “Emily, thank you. And Chris, I can’t believe he is doing this for me.”

  “I know, I have never met anyone who is so . . .” She started beaming. “I kinda wonder if he had planned all this before, just in case you missed your flight. Chris is going to show me Seattle.”

  “I didn’t think there were actually men left like this in the world. I thought they had died out centuries ago. It’s not all about getting trashed or seeing how much they can use a girl.”

  “They really know how to make a girl feel special,” Emily added.

  I looked out the window to watch the disappearing horizon of lights. “I hope I don’t lose Dylan. I really think I’m falling in love with him.”

  “Nicole, be careful. He is from a totally different world than ours. Just enjoy it as long as you can. And if he’s a jerk when you get there, Chris and I, are going to be staying at the Hilton. Just take a cab there, and we will fly you home tomorrow with us. I’ll make sure to put your name on our room so that if we go out, you can still get a key.”

  “I don’t want to mess up your romantic weekend.”

  “Don’t think twice about it. If things work out with Dylan, leave us a message at the front desk so I know you are okay. I don’t think he will be a jerk, but you never know. At least you won’t be in Seattle alone.”

  I squeezed Emily, giving her a big hug. “I’m scared, Emily. I really think I messed up big time.”

  “Let me do your hair,” she changed the subject. “It would be comical to see you try to put on your makeup in this turbulence.”

  Chapter Twenty-three

  When we got to the airport, I dashed into the bathroom to try and get dressed. I figured I would do my make up in the cab to save time.

  “You really look stunning, Nicole.” Emily came over to me, taking my hands as I stood in the doorway of the ladies’ room.

  “You do, Nicole,” Chris assured me.

  But as I walked out, both Emily and Chris began laughing.

  “What’s wrong?”

  They were glaring at my shoes. “Are you taking that with you?”

  Toilet paper dangled from my shoe. I shook my foot to force it off, but I was quite undignified and my performance only made them laugh louder. I finally was able to dismantle the pesky critter and attempt to recover some dignity.

  Chris looked at his watch. “I have a car coming, but you will probably get there faster if you take one of the cabs that are already waiting outside. You should make it to the reception just in time.”

  “Are you sure you all don’t want to come?”

  “I won’t crash the wedding.”

  “I’m really nervous. He’s going to be so upset I was late.”

  Chris put his arm around me, “Nicole, he might be upset at first, but don’t leave. Have a drink or two and be your beautiful self. And if you need to leave, leave with grace. You are a beautiful girl and you’re even more beautiful on the inside. He would be a fool not to forgive you.”

  A tear welled up in my eye. I put my head on his shoulder and gave him a hug and held out my arms for Emily to join us in a group hug.

  As we walked over to a curb, he hailed a cab for me and reminded me, “Make an entrance and make an exit, and if he’s a jerk, don’t leave right away. Re
member no falling, however, and no dragging around a toilet paper friend as a companion.” He opened the door to the cab for me, and off I went. Handing the driver the address for the reception hall, I made an attempt to put my makeup on using the tiny passenger mirror in the front seat.

  I whispered a silent prayer in the car. When we arrived at the hall, I was so anxious. I sat in the cab for what seemed an eternity, intimidated by the elegant crowd of people I could see through pavilion windows in the ballroom. Everyone looked so perfect. Only a few hours earlier, I was curled up on the airport floor with two black eyes. “Breathe,” I accidently said out loud.

  “What?” The driver responded in a thick accent. He was waiting patiently; I guess he thought I was talking to him. “I sorry, Miss, but I have to turn back meter on if you don’t get out.”

  “I’m sorry.” I made my way out of the taxi and checked my appearance in the reflection of the cab window. I waited on the street corner, petrified by the possible outcome. “Breathe,” I reminded myself. I felt a little nauseous. I knew he was going to reject me, and I don’t handle rejection well. With Ronald, his disappointment was usually accompanied by bruises. Dylan was not Ronald, I reminded myself. I realized part of my panic was from the years I had spent with a man who made me feel like I was not worthy to be loved.

  “Breathe.” I took a deep breath in, hoping to calm some of my apprehension. I began making my way toward the door only because if I stayed outside, I’d freeze to death. But I seriously considered that option. Death. Utter embarrassment. Death. Humiliation. Freezing to death. Total rejection.

  My heartbeat haunted me like an Edger Allan Poe poem.

  I walked toward the elegant crowd of people I saw through the open doorway. The sound of chatter and laughter washed over me when I got to the entrance. I took a deep breath in again, digging for my invitation in my purse.

  “Your name, madam?” the gentleman at the door questioned. Maybe I wouldn’t be on the list. That would save my torment. I wouldn’t have to go in.

  “Nicole. Nicole Carlisle.”

  “Ms. Carlisle, you will be seated at table number two.” I forgot about that whole seating arrangement thing. I couldn’t join him at a table, not until I knew if he would forgive me or not. I strolled to the bar as if I wasn’t petrified. There was no way I’d be stationed like a sitting duck—stuck at the table for him to ignore.