Before I Do(88)

Hillary and Clara had both volunteered to come with her and lend moral support, but as much as Audrey had been grateful for all their help yesterday, this was something she needed to do on her own.

She didn’t see Josh at the gate, and it was only when she was sitting on the plane that her confidence in her plan began to wobble. Mainly because the plan had only been thought through as far as “get on the plane to Ibiza.” She literally hadn’t thought beyond that. Not having a plan was usually her raison d’être, but in this situation, she felt a plan was probably required.

First, she needed to check that Josh was actually on this plane, that he hadn’t changed his mind about going. So, as soon as the flight attendant said “boarding complete,” she jumped out of her seat to go and peep through the curtain into business class. Audrey only got halfway up the aisle before she was ushered back with a firm smile by a female flight attendant.

“If you could take your seat please now, miss.”

Audrey shuffled back to her seat, feeling foolish. The redheaded man next to her turned to her with a panicked expression.

“Were you trying to get off the plane? Are you scared of flying? Do you think there’s something wrong with this plane?”

“No, not at all. I’m so sorry,” she said, and then realized she’d grabbed his arm rather than the seat rest. “I’m fine with flying, I doubt there’s anything wrong with the plane. I’m just a little on edge—long story.”

“I’m Clive,” said the man, offering her his hand. He had bright red hair, freckly skin, and a warm, paunchy face. “I am afraid of flying, so sorry if I get a little jittery when we take off.” Looking again at Clive, she saw his brow was beading with sweat. “I get worried about the engine noises.”

The airplane made a noise and Clive flinched.

“I’m sorry. You’ll be fine, I think statistically you’re more likely to die at a water park or something.”

“Really?” Clive looked hopeful.

“Maybe it was a boating accident or a car crash? I’m not helping, am I? Is there anything I can do?” Audrey asked.

“Your long story might be a welcome distraction.”

That’s how Audrey ended up telling a man she’d just met about the events of the last forty-eight hours. She told him all about Fred, about the bad-omen bat and the reverend having a heart attack. She told him about the bride jumping off the cake and the band playing “Singin’ in the Rain” and Fred kissing her in the photo booth in front of Josh. She explained that her almost-husband was sitting up in business class with someone else, she didn’t know who, and she’d bought a new ticket to try and win him back.

As Clive became more and more absorbed by her story, he started to look more relaxed about the engine noises, and by the end he appeared perfectly serene.

“Well, Audrey, as I’m hearing it, you know what you want now,” said Clive, patting her hand gently on the armrest. “I think the key to seeking forgiveness is giving up on the hope that the past could have been any different. You have to accept what has been in order to become.”

Audrey did a double take. Was she sitting next to the male Oprah?

“Excuse me. I couldn’t help but overhear all that,” said the middle-aged women on Clive’s left. “But this is the most outlandish story I’ve ever heard.”

Clive and Audrey both turned to the woman.

“No one has that much bad luck on one wedding day.”

“Well, it all happened.” Audrey shrugged. “I guess it does sound kind of crazy now that I’m saying it out loud.”

“Go and see if he’s up there. We need to know how this ends,” said the woman. “I’m Elena, by the way.”

“Audrey,” said Audrey.

“Clive,” said Clive.

After peering around to ensure the flight attendant was nowhere in sight, Audrey scuttled back up the aisle, weaving through passengers waiting for the toilets. When she finally got to the curtain and peeped through, she saw Josh immediately. She would have recognized his thick head of hair anywhere. Yes! He was on the plane! She couldn’t see who was sitting next to him, though.

“Miss, I’m afraid you can’t go through there.” The same flight attendant yanked the curtain closed and furnished her with another hard stare.

“Oh, I know, I’m just looking for someone,” Audrey said, attempting her most disarming smile. “My fiancé is up there, I’m surprising him. He doesn’t know I’m here.” Both of those statements were true. The woman’s face instantly transformed. “I wanted to make a grand gesture,” Audrey went on. “Maybe you’d let me use the PA system so I could let him know I’m here?” Audrey conjured an image of declaring to the whole plane how sorry she was. Maybe she could sing a song like Adam Sandler did in The Wedding Singer. She had nothing prepared, but she could probably make something up on the spot.

“No one uses the PA system,” said the flight attendant sharply, as though Audrey had just asked if she could man the controls of the plane and fly a loop-the-loop. Then she tilted her head to a sympathetic angle. “Look, if you wanted to nip in there, just to say hello, I’ll make an exception, just this once.”

“Thank you so much,” Audrey said, slipping through the class divide.