Excitement throbs within.
The airport is full,
Yet no one coughs
And everyone is smiling.

I walk on, just grinning as I make my way through the crowds.

Surprise, elation as I’m upgraded to first class at no charge.
They’ve overbooked.

A pleasant, older man who smells of sandalwood and cedar sits by the window,
His thick, silver-streaked dark hair and laugh lines at the corners of twinkling eyes and knowing smile are enchanting.
Hours pass in laughter and deep conversation that swells as frequently as the waves of the Pacific.
Passions shared, generosity extended alights my mind, my heart –
And the only payment he wishes is the brightness of my smile.

The sun is bright and the air is crystalline when we arrive to the coast.

We walk through the terminal like old friends, my hand tucked under his elbow;
I’m beaming, charmed, astounded.
He describes the nuances in Italian wines and my palate lusts for dark chocolate and cherry.
That resonant, rippling chuckle spills as generously as the wine he promises.

But not tonight, I regretfully decline, accepted with easy grace.

Tonight, my mind is set alight with rainbows:
With ice-blue eyes,
With swirls and sharp edges,
With a mind as vibrant as it is gentle.